25 Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Relish

Other than grilled cheese toasties, dagwood sandwiches and adorning your cheese platter, just how do you use relishes and chutneys in recipes? Here’s 25 things to do with relish!

If you’re like me you’ll have untold jars of homemade relish stacking up in your pantry. From excess fruit harvest, you may well have fruit chutneys, savoury jellies, pickles or vegetable relishes.

Time to tidy the fridge, use up those left-over scrapings and free your jars for the next onslaught of relish making!

I’ve been giving full jars away to all my friends who ask, and in some cases who don’t! A good question was put to me the other day ‘exactly what do you do with the relish, cooking-wise’? So Brian, this is for you:

What to do with Relishes, Chutneys and Pickles:

  1. Savoury Muffins will never taste the same once you’ve added a dollop or two of your favourite relish. FIND RECIPE
    savoury muffins
  2. Potato Mash: Add several tablespoons of homemade vegetable relish, salt and pepper, butter and milk to mashed potato during the smashing process. Eat as a side dish, under meatballs, atop a Cottage Pie or fry in a breakfast grill ‘cook up’.
  3. Dip: Mix relish with natural yoghurt, sour cream or cream cheese as a dip for wedges, crackers, bread or vegetable sticks.
  4. Bacon & Egg Pie: Add dollops to your favourite Bacon & Egg pie recipe or vegetarian alternative.
  5. Stuffing & Dumplings: Toss a spoonful or two into your favourite stuffing or stewed dumpling recipe. FIND RECIPE
    veggie stew and dough boys
  6. Rice Pilaf: Fold through freshly cooked pasta or plain rice to add extra flavour.
  7. Tuna Spread: Combine a tin of plain (and drained) tuna with several tablespoons of relish and cottage cheese if you please. It will add immense flavour. Serve on rice crackers or straight from the bowl. The same works really well with ham (blitzed into a crumb-like texture folded with sour cream and relish).
    Tuna Spread
  8. Stew: Add as a special ingredient to a soup or stew – a dollop or two will transform it!
  9. Stuffed Baked Potato: Scoop out the insides of a baked potato, mash it with relish, any spare cooked vegetables, stuff it back into the cavity and grill with cheese and you have yourself a delicious side or main. FIND RECIPE
    Stuffed Baked Potato
  10. Cheese Ball: The perfect addition to a classic cheese ball or Mini Cheese Balls!
  11. Gravy: Add a generous spoonful of your favourite relish to your next gravy.
  12. Pumpkin Balls: Add relish to rice or risotto balls to add extra flavour and zing. FIND RECIPE
    Pumpkin Balls - photo: Amy Bailey
  13. Condiment: Use as a condiment for roasted vegetables or meat (hot or cold).
  14. Stir Fry Sauce: Thin your relish with water then use as a stir-fry sauce for meat and vegetables alike.
  15. BBQ Glaze: Use relish (thinned with water) as a glaze for BBQ meat or spare ribs.
  16. Frittata: A ‘must have’ ingredient for vegetable quiches or a frittata. FIND RECIPE
    asparagus and pea frittata
  17. Mince Flavouring: Add to savoury mince, lasagne and spaghetti bolognaise OR to a cheese sauce.
  18. Potato & Tuna Croquettes: add delicious oomph to a classic potato dish. FIND RECIPE
    potato and tuna croquettes
  19. Stuffed Mushrooms: Remove the stalk from mushrooms, stuff with relish, top with cheese and grill to delicious perfection.
  20. Pizza Base Sauce: Spread on to wraps, panini or use as a pizza sauce base. FIND RECIPE for Gluten Free Pumpkin Base Pizza
    Pumpkin Pizza Crust
  21. Vegetable Glaze: Toss a little through hot steamed seasonal veggies along with butter.
  22. Pulled Beef: Along with red wine, a tin of tomatoes and salt, add 1/2 cup of relish into your slow-cooker!
    Pulled Beef
  23. Stuffed Pumpkin: Not only is it a centre piece but the main course too! Here’s my vegan-friendly, dairy-free,  Black Bean & Quinoa Stuffed Pumpkin. FIND RECIPE
  24. Chickpea Curry: Not just any old veggie curry, this one is vegan too. FIND RECIPE
    Chickpea Curry
  25. Buffalo Cauliflower Bites: perfect for a hot chill relish and vegan friendly. FIND RECIPE

Is that enough to get you going? Don’t waste a drop from your relish jar — it all should be put to good use. Relish the thought.

Check out my 25 Delicious Ways to use Leftover Jam too!

Julie Legg - Rediscover
Julie Legg. Homesteader. DIY Enthusiast. Author. Actor. Musician. Curious Thinker. I’m a Kiwi with an insatiable curiosity for learning and rediscovering life’s treasures.

6 Comments

  1. Cynthia Miller
    April 8, 2024

    One more use that is a savory “Ants on a Log” : mix relish with plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, or Mayo. Add seasonings of your choice (salt, pepper, garlic powder, Cayenne pepper, Worchestershire sauce, hot sauce, etc). Fill 3 inch pieces of celery, and top with slivers of black or Kalamata olives (to be the ants!). An unexpected alternative to the raisens/cream cheese Ants on a Log I used to make for my children…

    Reply
    1. Julie Legg - Rediscover
      Julie
      April 8, 2024

      Hi Cynthia, LOVE IT! Thanks for sharing. >>Julie

      Reply
  2. Gloria
    November 11, 2023

    Hi Julie these ideas are so awesome, I make and sell homemade relishes and pickles, I was wondering if you are ok with me using some of your ideas and writing them down so I can let people know about them when I sell them? Again thank you for the awesome ideas.

    Reply
    1. Julie Legg - Rediscover
      Julie
      November 24, 2023

      Hi Gloria, I am happy for you to share the ideas, yes! If you are printing out my page ‘as is’ some reference to rediscover.co.nz would be appreciated thank you. >>Julie

      Reply
  3. Trish
    September 25, 2020

    Thank you. I bought relish instead of pepper jam. I couldn’t think what I would do with this relish. Now I have lots of ideas

    Reply
    1. Julie Legg - Rediscover
      Julie
      September 25, 2020

      Hi Trish, I’m glad you found this blog post helpful for inspiration! I seldom use relish for cheese and crackers these days, I’m all about using it for flavouring for meals. I hope you find something delicious in there! >>Julie

      Reply

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