Green chutney is a dip made with mint leaves, coriander leaves, and green chilies, often with added ingredients such as cashews or yogurt. Best served as an accompaniment to Indian snacks and appetizers. Make your own green chutney at home!
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I use green chutney so often as a side for my favorite Indian appetizers and sides, it was imperative that I published a full-fledged recipe! Green chutney is a mildly spiced and seasoned dip that is vibrant and green in color – because it is made with mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chilies at its base, and lime juice, green chilies, cumin, ginger and garlic as added as seasoning.
Most Indian households will have a jar of this green chutney handy in the fridge to use as needed. This chutney is the perfect addition to add flavor to ‘chaat’ such as Bhel Puri or to accompany a side/appetizer such as Pakoras, Beetroot Tikkis or Paneer tikka. You can also simply spread it on white bread to make a delicious chutney sandwich.
Did you know that pudina (Mint) and dhaniya (coriander) aid in digestion, and this chutney is not just a flavor enhancer, but also has digestive and anti-inflammatory properties?! Give me all the green chutney!
Why this recipe works
- Versatile – perfect dip for most Indian sides and appetizers
- Anti-Inflammatory and aids in digestion
- Can be made in 5 minutes!
- Easy for meal prep and keep well in the fridge
Recipe Ingredients
To make this green chutney recipe, you will need:
Essential ingredients to make basic green chutney
To make the most basic version of green chutney, you will need the following ingredients:
- Coriander leaves
- Mint leaves
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Lime (not lemon)
- Green chilies
- Cumin
- Salt and Sugar
Optional ingredients
Any of these optional ingredients are great to add to the basic chutney recipe. Most of them need to be added to the blender along with the above ingredients for basic chutney, except yogurt, which can be stirred in later.
- Chaat Masala – I always try to add a little chaat masala to green chutney, for that extra ‘zing’ (for more on chaat masala, you can read my guide to Indian spices).
- Cashews – I love this as an addition to my green chutney! Soak the cashews in hot water for 20-30 minutes, and add it to the rest of the ingredients listed under ‘essential ingredients'. The chutney will be mildly sweet and creamy, and slightly thick in consistency. Optionally, you can use soaked and peeled almonds.
- Gram Flour – A teaspoon of lightly roasted gram flour is a great way to add body to the green chutney
- Yogurt – This is the best way to add thickness and flavor to green chutney without much effort. Simply add a spoonful of full-fat yogurt to the basic green chutney and mix in.
- Coconut – Another favorite addition of mine! Use grated fresh or frozen coconut or even desiccated coconut, along with the rest of the ingredients listed under ‘essential ingredients.
- Roasted peanuts – Add roasted peanuts before blending, to give the chutney more flavor. You can also use salted peanuts from a bag for a quick fix.
How to make this recipe
It takes just a blender and your prepped ingredients to make this super simple green chutney!
Add all the ingredients required to make the basic green chutney, to a blender jar - rinsed and cleaned mint leaves (without the stem), rinsed and cleaned coriander (or cilantro) leaves (you can leave the tender stem on, but discard the thick stems), a piece of ginger root, cloves, whole green chili, salt, sugar, lime juice, cumin powder to the blender jar.
Add 1- 2 tablespoons of water, and blend to form a semi-thick chutney. This is the basic recipe for green chutney. I have made a couple of variations of this recipe that I love, and highly recommend you try.
Variation 1 - Add yogurt to the basic recipe. Sir in 1tablespoon of thick full-fat yogurt to the basic green chutney. It will look like this:
Variation 2 - Soak cashews in hot water for 20- 30 minutes. After soaking, add cashews along with the basic chutney ingredients to the blender jar. Add an extra tablespoon of water, otherwise, the chutney might become too thick.
And you're done! Serve your favorite variation of green chutney with hot pakoras, or whatever you fancy!
Tips
Go easy on the water – Make sure you are adding just a little water to avoid making the chutney too runny. I personally like a slightly runny chutney, however, if you prefer thick chutney that has the consistency of a dip, use 1-2 tablespoons of water while blending. Check to see consistency and more water if needed.
Control the spice level - Add just enough green chilies as per your spice tolerance. I like my chutney spicy, but we keep it mild as our kids eat it as well. I like to use 1 whole green chili with seeds – but you can use half if you want to cut down on the heat.
FAQs
This can happen if the mint leaves are processed for too long in a blender jar. Blend just enough to combine the leaves. If you over-blend, the mint can turn bitter.
Mint is the culprit again! Mint leaves oxidize quickly and can turn dark very soon. To help in preventing this, add enough lime juice – which is known to prevent oxidation. If you are storing the chutney in the fridge, make sure you are sealing the jar, otherwise the chutney will turn dark. The taste will not be impacted though!
If stored correctly, in an airtight container in the fridge, the green chutney lasts for upto a week. Green chutney can also be stored frozen – you can pour the chutney into ice cube trays and freeze. Transfer the frozen ice cubes into a zip lock bag and use as needed.
The short answer is - Yes! Green chutney is pretty good for you. Mint leaves help aid in digestion and prevents flatulence. Ginger is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and coriander is also known to aid digestion.
Serving Suggestions
Green chutney pairs very well with the following Indian appetizers:
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Green Chutney Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1½ cup Coriander leaves or cilantro leaves
- 1 cup Mint leaves
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 Green chili
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp cumin powder
Optional Ingredients (see notes)
- ½ tsp chaat masala
- ¼ cup cashews soaked in hot water for 20- 30 minutes, then drained
Instructions
- In a blender jar, add all the ingredients along with 2 tablespoons of water.
- Blend until combined to a dip-like consistency. Do not overblend.
- Taste and check for seasoning. Add more salt or lime juice or water as needed.
Notes
- Optional ingredients - Instead of cashews, you can also use lightly roasted Gram Flour (besan), or full-fat yogurt, or coconut (fresh, frozen, or desiccated), or roasted peanuts.
- To avoid a bitter-tasting green chutney, make sure you blend just enough to combine. Do not over-blend.
- Discard the thick stems of coriander/cilantro leaves (you can keep the tender stem) and discard the stems of the mint leaves.
- If refrigerating, make sure you are storing the chutney in an air-tight jar, otherwise, the chutney will turn dark.
Nutrition
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