Indian food is incomplete without chutneys. If you have been to an Indian buffet, you will always find a green cilantro mint chutney and a tamarind chutney. This chutney goes well with all kinds of Indian food, appetizers such as samosas, pakoras, dhokla, chaat, on kebabs, in sandwiches and frankie, or as a side with your dinner, or as a dip for roasted veggies. This chutney can be used as a cilantro salad dressing too.
Watch How to Make Mint Cilantro Chutney
What is Green Chutney?
Green Chutney is the indian green sauce made with the star ingredients cilantro and mint, and spiced with green chili, ginger, garlic and spices. This green chutney is cool, spicy and tangy at the same time….so FLAVORFUL! In hindi, we call this Hari Chutney, where Hari means green. It is Dhaniya Pudhina Chutney. Dhaniya is cilantro and Pudhina is mint. Cilantro is called Coriander in India, so this chutney is also called Coriander Mint Chutney. This is another of those recipes where every family has it’s own recipe. I will share my family’s recipe, where I have combined all the good parts of my mom and mom-in-laws recipe. I use both mint and cilantro to make this chutney. You can also make it with just cilantro. You can also vary this chutney by adding yogurt or coconut. This chutney is vegetarian, gluten-free and oil-free. Another great thing about this chutney is that you can make it in bulk and freeze it. Yes, it stays perfectly good in the freezer for months. So you can always have it ready too enjoy! I remember growing up we used to enjoy green chutney sandwiches. They were made with white bread, butter, a good slather of green chutney and stuffed with tomato, onion, cucumber slices. Oh so yummy! There were specific food stalls we would visit (similar to food trucks), just because the chutney at one was better than the other 😂
Ingredients for Cilantro Mint Chutney
Cilantro – Fresh cilantro leaves are one of the main ingredient of this chutney. Mint – The second main ingredient is fresh mint leaves. You can make this chutney with just cilantro too. Green Chili – I add 2 Thai green chilis to this chutney. But feel free to up the spice by adding more Garlic – The chutney tastes so good with the addition of just 2-3 cloves of garlic. Make sure to not add too much. Ginger – Similar to garlic, ginger gives a great flavor to the chutney. Roasted Cumin powder – In my opinion, this is a must add to this chutney. You can use store bought or use this linked recipe to make homemade cumin powder. Lime juice or Tamarind juice – These add tanginess to the chutney. I started using tamarind juice recently, and I must say it is so good in this chutney. Salt and Sugar – Sugar balances the flavors in this chutney. You can also use black salt in this recipe.
How to Make Green Chutney?
Start with prepping the ingredients. Remove the hard stems of the cilantro and mint. It is okay to add tender cilantro stems when making chutney. I don’t recommend adding mint stems as they are too thick and change the taste of the chutney.
If using tamarind, soak it in 1/4 cup hot water for 10 minutes. Run it through a sieve to get the tamarind juice.
Add all the ingredients to a blender.
I use my Vitamix to make these chutneys and many other things, such as smoothies and idli/dosa batter. You could very well use the blender you have in your kitchen.
The chutney is ready for you to enjoy. I always have this chutney along with tamarind chutney in the refrigerator. It is wonderful with so many indian appetizers, and chaats.
I have seen many questions about maintaining the bright green color of this chutney. The first way is to enjoy it fresh as soon as it is made. However I understand that is not always possible. The color gets darker when this chutney is stored in the refrigerator. Note: even if the color darkens, the taste is just as good.
The darker green color in some cases is due to the mint added in this chutney. You can always reduce the amount of mint or skip it if you like. We also add lime juice or tamarind which help to maintain the color.
Another way to get the brighter color is by adding yogurt to the chutney when serving. I always like to add in the yogurt when serving this chutney with any appetizers.
How to Store Mint Chutney?
This chutney can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 days in an air tight container. It also freezes well. You can make it in bulk and store in small containers or ice cube trays in the freezer. Defrost one at a time and enjoy.
Variations of Green Chutney
Let’s talk about variations for this green chutney. The above is the most basic version and the most popular in indian homes. But I want to share some popular variations you get in restaurants or the indian food stalls/trucks
Yogurt – In restaurants, mostly you always see the yogurt version of this chutney. I love to add it as well. It reduces the spiciness and adds a refreshing touch to the chutney. However if you plan to store this chutney for longer or freeze it, I would skip the yogurt initially and then add when using the chutney. I would suggest to add 1/3 cup yogurt to this recipe. Grated Coconut – This adds a thick texture to the chutney. If you want to use the chutney to make sandwiches, coconut is a great addition. Onion – In North India, it is common to add a little onion to the chutney. In this quantity, I would add 1/4 cup of chopped onion. Roasted Peanuts – These are added to make the chutney thicker. I love peanuts in chutney, and this South Indian peanut chutney is our family favorite. You can add about 1/4 cup peanuts to this recipe.
The above image has cilantro chutney with coconut on the left. You can see it is much thicker, and perfect for sandwiches such as this avocado chutney sandwich. The one on the right is chutney with yogurt, like a cilantro yogurt sauce. This is much smoother and mild in flavor. Perfect to dip samosa or drizzle over kebabs. I love to try variations each time I make green chutney. I hope you enjoy them too! Here are other favorite dips and sauces you might enjoy –
Basil Walnut Pesto Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce Chili Garlic Chutney Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Note: This recipe has been updated from the recipe archives. Originally published in August 2017.
