Step by Step Recipe to make Indian Restaurant Style Cilantro Mint Chutney without yogurt at home. Easy Indian condiment that is made with fresh cilantro, mint leaves and other select ingredients. Perfect accompaniment for samosa, Corn fritters or Onion Pakoras, chaat and main course meals.
Cilantro Mint chutney, also know as Green Chutney or Coriander Chutney is a popular Indian condiment served with Indian meals, especially snacks or appetizers. This easy to make, low on prep, no cook condiment can be made with basic ingredients.
Cilantro Mint Chuntey is that green condiment that you see in most Indian Restaurants. It remains one of the most loved accompaniments, without which our meals are incomplete.
Indian Cuisine is incomplete without 3 important Condiments or Indian Sauces – Chutney, Pickles and Raita. They add so much taste, flavor and scientifically proven to aid in digestion apart from a host of health benefits.
A jar of Cilantro Mint Chutney never lasts more than couple of days because it pairs well with everything from Indian Snacks to Main Course.
Our refrigerator is never without a jar of Chutney. We love them as sandwich spreads (Chutney Sandwich) or prefer it as an accompaniment to Indian Starters or Appetizers.
If you haven’t tried a chutney before, you most definitely should! It is not all that spicy and when paired with the right choice of appetizers add so much flavor and depth. The aroma of a freshly ground chutney is distinct. It naturally makes your mouth water. (one of the reasons, its good for digestion).
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Ingredients
Cilantro (Also known as Coriander in India) – Apart from leaves, we can use stems for making chutney.
Wash and dry the leaves well (this can be done a day earlier).
Mint Leaves – Avoid the thick stems completely and just use the fresh leaves.
Ginger, Garlic – Both these ingredients can be added as per taste and preferences. We love a lot of garlic flavor in our chutney so I have added 3 fat cloves of garlic.
If you worry about the garlic breath, reduce the quantity to 1 clove.
Onion – This adds thickness to the chutney and makes it extremely flavorful.
Green Chilies – You can de-seed and use chilies to reduce heat. Alternatively, you can use jalapeno chilies. Indians love their chutney spicy.
Lemon Juice – For Acidity and tartness.
Roasted and Ground Cumin - In the recipe card below, I have provided details on how to make this quick spice mix at home easily.
There is no oil or added preservatives used to increase shelf life. The ingredients are simply added to a blender jar and blitzed until smooth.
The recipe might seem fairly simple but there are some key issues that I have addressed below. These are common mistakes that occur and once you have mastered them, your chutney recipe will totally be the star at the dinner table.
How to Make Cilantro Mint Chutney
All the ingredients are added to the mixer grinder jar.
Add Ice Cubes for grinding / blending the chutney for the bright green colour.
Why is My Cilantro Chutney Bitter in taste?
Most common issue that we face is the chutney tasting bitter. Throwing away a fair quantity of chutney is not something anyone looks forward to but bitter chutney is totally inedible.
Cilantro and Mint, 2 key ingredients used in the recipe cause this issue. It ONLY happens when the ingredients are ground for a long time. HEAT (caused by grinding the chutney for too long) is one of the major reasons for bitter tasting chutney.
Use a powerful processor or mixer grinder jar to grind a chutney. If the quantity is more, grind in 2 batches.
ALWAYS chop your ingredients (cilantro and mint) so that they are ground instantly.
USE ICE CUBES instead of water to grind chutney. It prevents the blender / mixer grinder jar from overheating, thereby retaining the green color.
Why does Green Chutney turn Black in colour?
Heating (when grinding the chutney) is one of the main causes of chutney appearing black in color.
Heat interferes with the oils secreted from the herbs thereby causing the chutney to appear black. However, it is still edible, if not tasting bitter.
Having said that, chutney remains fresh and green for couple of days (maximum 4 days) in the refrigerator. It tends to lose color after a while.
Freezing the chutney retains color and freshness to a large extent.
If you are grinding a big batch, ensure you freeze some for later use.
How to store Chutney?
I store a small batch of chutney in the refrigerator which remains fresh for 3 to 4 days. The remaining batch is frozen in ice cube containers or airtight containers for long shelf life.
One important thing to note is use non-reactive containers while storing chutney. Avoid aluminum, cast iron vessels and opt for glass containers, stainless steel, silicon containers for storing the chutney.
Avoid using your hands while transferring the chutney from the grinder / blender jar to the storage container. Use a clean dry spatula and a spoon to scoop out the required quantity of chutney. This aids in long shelf life.
Our Top Serving Suggestions
Quinoa Sweet Potato Patties – Perfect accompaniment to the non-spicy patties.
Air Fryer Cauliflower Tikka – This Indian Starter or appetizer doubles up as wraps with a generous spread of our fresh chutney on whole wheat tortilla or naan bread.
Other than the above, it can be served with Sprouts Chilla (a savory pancake made with mung sprouts), Tomato Omelette for breakfast.
This chutney can be used for Indian Chaat.
Alternatively, serve this chutney as dip for grilled vegetable skewers, kebabs for summer bbq.
FAQ’s
Under refrigeration, chutney stays fresh for 3 to 4 days. Freezing the chutney is the ideal option especially for long shelf life. You can store the chutney in ice cube trays or airtight container (small portions). It can be thawed and used.
Snacks, Sandwich (spread), Rolls or wraps, Fritters, Cutlets. You can also serve this as a condiment / dip with vegetarian curry and Indian Breads.
The smell is the first indicator. Do check out for molds as well.
Other Chutney Recipes
Coriander Coconut Chutney and Tomato Chutney – Ideal accompaniments for South Indian Breakfast Recipes like Idli and Dosa.
Peerkangai Thol Chutney (Ridge Gourd Skin Chutney) – South Indian Chutney made with lentils and veggie peels. It is mixed with rice and sesame oil and eaten.
This post first appeared in September 2017 on Masalachilli. This has now been re-published with fresh content, pictures and information.
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Cilantro Mint Chutney | Green Chutney
Equipment
- Mixer Grinder or Blender
Ingredients
- 2 cups Coriander Leaves finely chopped
- 1 cup Mint Leaves roughly chopped
- 3 Green Chilies
- 3 Garlic Cloves fat garlic cloves used here
- 1 Onion medium size, roughly chopped into 6 pieces
- Ginger 1 tbsp chopped ginger or add 2 inch piece
- Juice of 1 Lime
- ½ tsp Roasted and Ground Cumin
- 6-7 Ice Cubes
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a blender jar, add all the above ingredients except ice cubes.
- Blend the ingredients by slowly adding the ice cubes.
- Once the chutney is ready, transfer using a clean and dry spatula to an airtight container. Cover with a tight lid and refrigerate until further use.
Notes
- The consistency of the chutney should be thick and not watery. It should be easily spreadable on a tortilla wrap or a slice of bread.
- Ice Cold Water can be substituted for Ice Cubes. However, I prefer the latter.
- Wash and dry the herbs a day earlier to remove excess moisture.
- Rock Salt (Kala Namak) can be used in place of regular salt.
- Roasted and Ground Cumin adds a lovely earthy flavor to the chutney. If you cannot find it in supermarkets, it can be made at home under 10 mins. Dry roast cumin seeds until they are fragrant. Cool, grind and store in airtight container.
- The measurement yields 1 cup (250ml) of chutney.
- Storage - The chutney remains fresh for 3 to 4 days. For long shelf life, freeze the chutney in ice cube containers or airtight containers. Thaw and use as required.
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan
Oh this is the perfect recipe for dhaniya ki chutney...simple and staraight away a part of my soulful food favourite ???
Im so glad you liked it. Thank you for the kind words.
Lovely chutney, going to try this today itself !
Thank you dear. If you do try, let me know!
Awesome Vidhya!!!! I love green chutney ??And this looks soo vibrant ????????
Thank you so much my dear... This is one of my favs too.
oh what a lovely color , chutney looks incredible!!
Thanks so much.
This is looking so delicious...so bright green..Loved it..Just feel like having a hot samosa with this !!
Oh Anshu .. You are tempting me now with samosas !! ha ha .. Glad you liked it dear.
My pleasure !!
Such a vibrant and pleasing colour Vidya ? my fav chutney too??
Thanks dear .. its my fav too!!
Believe in future posts I can get some gardening tips
That look so tempting My favourite chutney & goes so well with fried snacks. But don't know why sometimes it turns black in colour.
Thanks dear. Mine does go dark green after a few days in fridge but never black in colour. I dont add salt while grinding. I guess that helps.
Thanks I'll try it.
Sure. Most welcome.
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