*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »
If you have ever wondered how to make the spicy, hyper-flavorful green sauce that gets served with your favey chaats or with papadam at your local Indian restaurant, this Cilantro Chutney, recipe is gonna make you so darned happy. Taking just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients, and about as much time and effort as it takes to make a smoothie, this chutney has subtle notes of mint and toasted cumin with the punch of green chilies that turns up the flavor on whatever you serve it with.
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
I know what you're thinking-making your own chutney can seem intimidating why not just buy store-bought stuff (I mean, like other than that, the stuff found on the shelves of most Indian grocery stores is covered with dust that has collected over the last 500 years…)? Don't dismay, my dear green food-obsessed flavor freak. I've refined this recipe to ensure you nail it on your first try.
Of course, cilantro mint chutney slaps on aloo papri chaat, bhel puri, and aloo tikki chaat (three of the most popular veg. Indian snacks), but don't be shy about serving it with onion bhaji, medhu vadai, or even crispy bakwan sayur either ok?
This sauce puts all the other condiments in your fridge into an old attaché case, loads it into a cannon, and launches it into the center of the sun. Now you are left with the champ, and it's your job to make this recipe right quick and get drizzling it all over your favey foods (and perhaps all over your face). Let's blend up a batch together!
Jump to:
🥰Why you'll adore this cilantro mint chutney recipe
✊ Vegan AF SF & GF: Like all my plant-based Indian recipes, this sauce lights up your senses without harming a single animal in any frigin' way! And what else, you say? It is also free of soy, and one of my most delicious gluten-free vegan recipes too. Well, that's just peachy!
🤯 You Don't Need a Whole Heck of a Lot: no fancy gear required. With just 11 ingredients and a reliable blender, you will have this killer sauce made in a snap.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all the vegan recipes I share, this chutney's undergone numerous tweaks and refinements before being handed over to a massive team of recipe testers who have replicated it with flying colors in kitchens all around the planet.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🌿 Ingredients for dhaniya pudina chutney
Cumin
Cumin seeds are a staple in Indian cooking, where they are often called jeera. I have tried cumin seeds from all around the world, and I can't tell you how much the wild mountain cumin from Burlap and Barrel blows everything else away! Having amazing cumin is important to me because I use the whole seeds in so many recipes. From classics like turai sabji, and soya chaap to completely sattvik vegan recipes like saag aloo, sukha kala chana and fox nut sabji, cumin is an essential spice for great Indian cooking!
Get my fave cumin seeds for free!
Using this link, add the wild mountain cumin to your cart, spend at least $15 on some of the other absurdly good spices from Burlap & Barrel (they all seriously slap) and the bottle of this bangin' wild mountain cumin becomes FREE, and you will love it so much.
Green Chilies
The slender, small hari mirch chilies found at most Indian grocery stores are the traditional choice for making this chutney. They provide a sharp heat that elevates the chutney's overall flavor, though you can get away with using some minced jalapeño (to taste) if you can't get the real deal. Hari Mirch makes an amazing green chili pickle, and are used in countless Indian dishes. So if you have some leftover from making this chutney, whip up a batch of vegan tikka masala, peerkangai kootu, or sambal dabu dabu next, alrighty?
Mint Leaves
Some folks don't use fresh mint in their coriander chutney, and to them, I say WHYYYY? Mint adds a cool, refreshing flavor that contrasts nicely with the heat from the chilies. It's also helpful for digestion and can soothe stomach discomfort. If you don't have fresh mint, you can use a smaller amount of dried mint, which I always keep on hand for making yalya corbasi, yaprak samra, and Turkish stuffed cabbage.
Vegan Yogurt
This plant-based substitute for traditional cow's milk yogurt can be used in Indian recipes like my insane vegan butter chicken, and kathal ki sabji, and some bangin' non-Indian recipes like my vegan carrot cake and plant-based labneh. My faves are the almond milk yogurt from Kite Hill and the cashew-based yogurt from Trader Joes. But just about any brand can be used as long as it is unsweetened and unflavored.
Sweetener
Look, don't freak out, there's really not THAT much sweetener in this recipe, and if you are like anti-sweetener, you could use a soaked date (like I do for sweetening my Tamarind Chutney). It's main role in this recipe is to balance the acidity of some of the other ingredients, which makes this chutney taste deeper, and more well-rounded.
While you can definitely use jaggery or cane sugar, my fave sweeteners are coconut sugar and palm sugar. I use palm sugar in a downright embarrassing number of recipes from desserts like tupig, and ondeh ondeh, to savory items like tom yum fried rice and asinan buah Bogor.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
South Indian Style:
Incorporate a touch of tamarind and mustard seeds to give the chutney a South Indian vibe. Tamarind (I rely on tamarind concentrate because it's super-easy to work with and I have had consistent results) adds a tangy depth, while mustard seeds, tempered in a bit of oil, introduce a nutty crunch. You can also temper a few curry leaves in the oil with the mustard seeds for the heavenly aroma Southern-style chutneys are famous for.
Punjabi-Style Mint Cilantro Chutney:
Add a generous portion of mint and some pomegranate seeds for a Punjabi take on the traditional coriander mint chutney recipe. Pomegranate seeds add a sweet, tart flavor that complements the mint and cilantro and introduce a lovely texture. This version is often served with some of the dishes covered in my vegan Punjabi cooking class, like bhindi dry, spinach chickpea curry, and chana masala.
Gujarati-Style Coconut Cilantro Chutney:
Whipping up some dhokla or some other Gujarati classic? Add some freshly grated coconut and a (bigger) dash of sugar to balance the spice. Coconut adds a creamy texture and subtle sweetness that contrasts nicely with the heat from green chilies typically used in Gujarati cuisine.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make the best Cilantro Mint Chutney
Nail this on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Toast of the Town:
Begin by dry-toasting the cumin seeds (or cumin powder) in a skillet over medium heat. Keep them moving for about two to three minutes or until they are fragrant and just very lightly browned. (You don't want them to get dark or bitter tasting).
Step Two
Blend It Up:
Combine the toasted cumin seeds with lemon juice, diced onion, garlic, ginger, and chilies in a blender. Add the cilantro, fresh mint leaves, yogurt, your choice of sweetener, and salt.
Step Three
Purée Until Smooth:
Blend the ingredients on high speed until a smooth paste forms, which should take around ninety seconds. You might need to pause and scrape down the sides of the blender to ensure everything mixes evenly.
✅ Having a good quality high-speed blender makes recipes like this one come together faster and perfectly. My ride-or-die blender is from Blendtec. I have been using their blenders personally and professionally for over 20 years, since wayyyy back when the company used to be called K-tec. They are the best blenders, in my opinion.
Step Four
Ready to Serve (or Store):
Pour the freshly made spicy green chutney into a serving dish if you're using it immediately, or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator if you're planning to use it later. It stays fresh for up to five days. It may thicken when chilled, but you can easily thin it with a little water if needed, or wait for it to loosen as it comes to room temperature.
💡Serving Ideas
This cilantro chutney goes beautifully with Indian breads like Amritsari Kulcha, or Parotta from Kerala, where its bright herbal notes contrast delightfully against the rich, buttery bread. Imagine slathering a generous layer on a freshly made Msemen? The combination is irresistible, and a great way to trick yourself into eating wayyyy more bread than you probably should! I mean, it's no wonder this stuff is an unbeatable sandwich spread for making vada pav and kathi rolls.
The same goes for rice dishes, actually. When I am not serving rice with one of my favorite pickles (carrot pickle, mango pickle or amla pickle), I crave something like this chutney to brighten up the flavors. This is the case whether I am serving something simple like Indonesian coconut rice or turmeric rice, or an already flavorful rice dish such as Hyderabadi Biryani or fragrant Nasi Minyak.
👉Top tips
- Choose Your Ingredients Like They Matter (because, uh, they do!): Fresh coriander leaves and mint form the body of this chutney, so browned, wilted gross gross-looking bunches of herbs should not be used. You CAN, however use some of the stems from the cilantro, as long as your blender is powerful enough to fully puree them.
- Balancing the Heat: Me? I am a sucker for all things spicy, and shatta sauce is the liquid that runs through my veins. But maybe you aren't like me and want to reduce the number of chilies or even hold off on them completely? You can always start with a tiny amount and add and blend in more later on. You do you, as they say.
- Keep It Green: To maintain the vibrant green color of the chutney, blend the ingredients quickly without overprocessing (don't keep running your blender so long that the contents heat up). Using ice cubes instead of water can help keep the temperature down during blending, which prevents the herbs from oxidizing and losing their bright color.
- Proper Storage: Store the chutney in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. If you've made a large batch, consider freezing it in ice cube trays for easy, portioned use later. It's kinda magic to have a tablespoon at a time of fresh, frozen chutney ready for you year-round when local herbs aren't in season.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
To keep this cilantro-mint chutney fresh, store it in an airtight container or glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze the chutney in ice cube trays and once the cubes are solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container, thawing and using as needed.
Cilantro chutney is versatile and can be used as a dip for snacks like samosas and pakoras, spread on sandwiches (it's actually an amazing addition to my vegan banh mi), or drizzled over salads like asinan sayur and urap sayur.
Adjust the heat by starting with fewer green chillies or removing their seeds before blending. If the chutney is too spicy, adding a bit more yogurt or a spoonful of sugar can also balance the heat.
If the chutney turns out too watery, add a few tablespoons of roasted chana dal or shredded desiccated coconut to thicken it without altering the flavor significantly.
Cilantro chutney, made WITHOUT OIL from cilantro, green chilies, and lemon, offers a sharp, tangy flavor, contrasting with the sweeter, creamier South Indian coconut chutney that blends grated coconut with oil tempered spices like mustard seeds and curry leaves.
While cilantro chutney pairs fantastically with a variety of street food snacks and chaats across India, coconut chutney is a staple with South Indian breakfast foods like idlis and dosas. The ingredient focus and regional culinary traditions highlight the distinct uses and flavors of these popular condiments.
✌️My faves to serve with this cilantro mint sauce:
Learn to make your fave pure veg. Punjabi classics in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Dhaniya Pudina Chutney (Indian Cilantro Mint Sauce)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 2 hari mirch chilies or ½ jalapeño, stem removed (or to taste)
- 1 cup cilantro washed chopped (stems and leaves)
- ½ cup mint leaves chopped
- ½ cup unsweetened plant-based yogurt
- 1 ½ teaspoons jaggery coconut sugar, palm sugar, our brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt or kala namak (black salt) to taste
Instructions
- Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until they become fragrant and slightly browned.
- Add the toasted seeds to a blender pitcher along with the lemon juice (or lime juice), diced onion, garlic cloves, fresh ginger, green chillies, fresh cilantro leaves, mint, and unsweetened plant-based yogurt, sweetener, and salt.
- Blend the mixture on high speed for about 90 seconds until smooth. Depending on the strength of your blender, this may take up to a few minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Transfer the cilantro chutney to a serving dish or an airtight container if not serving immediately. This chutney can be stored in the refrigerator and is best used within five days on everything from khaman dhokla, to ragda patties or simple fried potato wedges.
Notes
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
Sandy says
Hi, thanks for the great recipes. Should water be added here please and if so how much to start....it says about adding ice cubes instead of water to preserve colour but cant see water in listed ingredients...
Adam Sobel says
I don't use water in the recipe because the herbs already have plenty of liquid. Just add a small ammount of ice to prevent discoloration, but that's 100% optional