Tomato Relish, Digi Product Reviews

This Tomato Relish is tangy, sweet, slightly spicy, and PACKED with fresh flavors—everything a store-bought relish wishes it could be!

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Consider this Tomato Relish your new go-to “I have so many tomatoes, I don’t know what to do with them!” recipe. It’s tangy, sweet, slightly spicy, and PACKED with fresh flavors. Basically, it’s everything store-bought relish wishes it could be. I’ve kept the recipe super simple (no rest time or canning here!), meaning it’s quick and easy to whip up a batch whenever you have an abundance of ripe tomatoes. Jar it up and give it away as gifts, or keep it all to yourself for topping burgers, sandwiches, and more!

Making a cheese board and need something to cut through the creaminess? Add some sweet tomato relish. Got leftover pulled pork in the fridge? Or how about a grilled cheese sandwich? You guessed it, add some of this relish! Juicy red tomatoes, zesty limes, mild red onion, simple seasonings, and sugar create the perfect balance of flavors in this recipe. And don’t worry, you don’t need any fancy equipment to make it. Everything comes together effortlessly in one pan on the stove—so easy.

Here’s what you’ll need to make homemade tomato relish:

Tomatoes: The base of the relish and what gives it that bright, tangy flavor. Use any type of fresh tomatoes you have on hand.
Limes: Adds a zesty tang to balance out the sweetness.
Ginger: Use fresh, grated ginger for a subtle fiery kick.
Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps thicken the relish.
Spices: Red pepper flakes, cumin, and ground cloves add a little spice and warmth. If you don’t have ground cloves, you can leave them out or substitute them with a pumpkin spice blend (trust me, it works!).
Red Onion: Infuses the relish with a mild onion flavor and adds some texture.

Whats The Difference Between Chutney and Relish?

Both are made from chopped veggies and/or fruit, an acid (often vinegar, but in this case, lime juice), and spices. So, in many ways, they’re very similar. The biggest difference between chutney and relish has to be the consistency. Chutneys, like our mango pineapple chutney, are usually thicker and spreadable as they’re cooked for longer. Relish is cooked for less time and has a chunkier, sweet and sour taste, with the fruit/veggies retaining more of their texture. Both are DELICIOUS and worth making at home!

Any tomatoes will work in this tomato relish recipe. I went with 12 Roma tomatoes and a handful of grape tomatoes I had left from making roasted asparagus and tomatoes. Cherry and grape tomatoes have a super concentrated, yummy flavor, and the seeds are tiny and tender. Romas are super easy to seed and are pretty “meaty,” so they’re a great way to bulk up the relish. Use what you’ve got!
Cooking time may vary depending on how juicy your tomatoes are, so you’ll want to keep an eye on your relish to make sure the sugars don’t burn. Once your relish looks like it’s the same consistency as store-bought pickle relish and deepens in color and aroma, it’s done!
Don’t worry about peeling the tomatoes, but I do recommend removing the seeds from larger varieties. They can be quite bitter and make the texture of the tomato relish less than ideal.