Green Chutney Recipe for Sandwich, Chaat & Snacks
By Swasthi on August 6, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe
Green Chutney Recipe for Sandwiches, Chaat and Indian snacks. Green Chutney also known as Hari Chutney is a delicious, nutritious and flavor-packed chutney variety from Indian Cuisine. Made with fresh herbs & spices, this easy to make Green Chutney is the perfect side to your snacks & appetizers. Not to forget it takes your Chaats, wraps, Rolls, Sandwiches, Pakoras, Dhokla & Cutlets to a next level of deliciousness.
What is Green Chutney?
As the name suggests, Green Chutney is an Indian flavourful condiment made with fresh greens/herbs like coriander leaves, mint leaves, cumin, ginger, garlic, lemon juice & salt.
This spicy, tangy and aromatic side is immensely popular & is eaten with almost every kind of snack. It is also used in Indian street foods & chaat snacks like Vada Pav, Dahi Vada, Bhel Puri, Ragda Patties, Sev puri and Papdi Chaat.
Apart from adding zing to your palate it provides you with plenty of health benefits too. Fresh coriander leaves and mint leaves are super-herbs and are considered great for digestion.
So green chutney makes a perfect accompaniment with any snacks especially fried and heavy to digest snacks.
Here are 2 popular sandwiches made with green chutney – Grilled Sandwich & Bombay Sandwich.
About this recipe
There are various versions of Hari Chutney made across the Indian restaurants and chaat places. Green chutney served in every place tastes different due to the change in proportions & ingredients used.
The basic version of green chutney served in a lot of chaat places is made just with coriander leaves, ginger, green chilies, cumin powder, salt, lemon and chaat masala.
My recipe uses a few additional ingredients – mint leaves & garlic. These 2 totally elevate the flavors and transform a normal chutney to a much more super delicious one.
As with any other recipes made with fresh herbs, this Green Chutney too tastes best on the same day. The fresh flavors begin to diminish as the chutney sits for longer at room temperature.
However if you prefer to make ahead and store it, make sure you transfer the chutney immediately to a glass container and refrigerate. Use up within 2 to 3 days. To refresh your chutney you may simply whisk the chutney with little Greek yogurt.
I know a lot of friends also freeze the green chutney in ice trays. Later transfer the chutney cubes to freezer safe container or zip-lock bags. For best results thaw the chutney in the refrigerator and optionally whisk a little Greek yogurt to enhance the color.
You may also refer to these similar Chutney recipes on the blog
Cilantro Chutney
Pudina chutney
Peanut chutney
Coconut chutney
How to Make Green Chutney (Stepwise Photos)
1. Add 1 cup cleaned, rinsed and drained mint leaves to a grinder jar. Do not use stalks of the mint leaves as they are likely to make your chutney bitter.
2. To the same jar, add 2 cups cleaned, rinsed and drained coriander leaves along with the following:
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons roasted chana dal (optional, fried gram or roasted peanuts or desiccated coconut)
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds or ¾ teaspoon roasted cumin powder (Jeera)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice (adjust to taste)
- 2 small garlic cloves (optional)
- ¼ to ½ inch ginger (peeled)
- 2 to 4 green chilies (serrano peppers, adjust to taste)
3. Pour little water and begin to blend. I used about 1 to 2 tbsps. If you do not use roasted chana dal you may not need to add water.
4. Add more only if needed.
5. Blend until smooth. Check salt & tang. Add more salt and lemon juice if required.
Serve green chutney with Indian snacks, chaats & sandwiches. Store it in a glass bottle and use up with in 2 to 3 days. You can also serve it with
Samosa
Aloo tikki
Veg cutlet
Bread rolls
Pro Tips
- To make the best green chutney full of flavors, make sure you use fresh mint or pudina & daniya (coriander leaves).
- Addition of 1 tbsps roasted peanuts or fried gram makes the chutney thick and binds it together. Also water does not separate from the green chutney.
- You can skip garlic if you don’t like the pungent flavor of raw garlic.
- The ratio of mint : cilantro can be changed. I have mentioned the quantities that work good for me.
- The color of the chutney may vary each time you make as the greens begin to oxidize quickly. This doesn’t alter the taste though.
- You can find the color of the hari chutney is different in each photo as they were shot at different times. So just ignore the color.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Green Chutney Recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 2 cups coriander leaves (cilantro)
- 1 cup mint (pudina)
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds (Jeera or ¾ teaspoon roasted cumin powder)
- 2 to 4 green chilies (or serrano peppers, adjust to taste)
- 2 garlic cloves (optional)
- ¼ to ½ inch ginger (peeled)
- 1 to 1½ tablespoons Lemon juice or lime juice or as needed
- ¼ to â…“ teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
Optional
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons roasted chana dal (fried gram) (optional) or roasted peanuts or desiccated coconut
Instructions
Preparation
- Cut down the roots and the mature stalks from the fresh coriander. You can keep the tender stalks. (Mature stalks impart a soapy taste so discard them.) Rinse the cleaned coriander well in lot of water a few times.
- Pluck mint leaves and add them to a bowl of water. Avoid using the stalks as they taste bitter. Rest for a while and repeat rinsing at least twice. (I usually spray vinegar over the greens first and sprinkle some baking soda, leave for 5 mins and then soak them in water for another 5 mins. Later rinse them a few times)
- Drain them well to a colander. Shake off to get rid of excess water from the herbs.
How to make Green Chutney
- Add all the ingredients to a grinder jar – coriander leaves, mint, roasted chana dal, cumin, garlic, ginger, green chilies, salt and lemon juice.
- Make a thick paste by adding 1 tbsp water at one time and blending until smooth.
- Taste test and add more salt, lemon juice and green chili if required to suit your taste.
- Store this green chutney in a clean dry airtight glass jar. Refrigerate and use with in 2 to 3 days. Use dry spoons to serve it.
- This green chutney keeps good for about a week in refrigerator but tastes best for 2 to 3 days and 1 month in freezer.
- Serve green chutney with snacks, sandwiches, chaats and tikkis.
Notes
- Roasted gram is also known as fried gram, chutney dal, roasted chana dal or bhuna chana.
- Roasted gram, roasted peanuts or coconut help to blend the chutney to thick & smooth texture. They also prevent the chutney from turning watery overtime. This helps to keep your chaats crisp for a little longer. However it is optional and can totally be skipped.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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Delicious! Made it and turned out great
Thanks for trying Maddie
I love greens of any kind and often look out for your recipes online. I love your coriander, mint and this green chutney too. We always stock a small jar of this chutney in the refrigerator to serve with bread and sandwiches. Absolutely flavorsome and delicious.
Thanks for trying so many recipes Vinita. Glad you like them. Yes this green chutney is lovely with bread or sandwiches too.
🙂
You have all great recipes. I’m studying nutrition. so, i used to practice to make diet plans based on your recipes. It was really thankful if you include the amount with the gram unit and also it will be a better experience for us. Thank you 🙂
Hello Swasthi,
I want to try this recipe but just realized that I ran out of green chillies. What would be the closest substitute, if any? Thank you.
Hello Sai,
You can use any kind of hot green peppers if available or may be green chilli sauce. Ingredients like red chilli may alter the color and flavor
So simple and yummy.Your receipes have made me a real good cook.Be it kadai paneer, carrot sabzi, various chutneys and to top it ragi cake.Thanks a lot.
Hi Swasthi that’s great
Swasthi, this recipe looks wonderful. I am inexperienced when it comes to cooking with chiles. Can you tell me what type of green chilies I should buy? Thank you.
Hi Pamela,
Thank you! You can use any low heat chilles like Thai green chilies.
Thank you for your prompt reply, Swasthi! I’ve added the chutney ingredients to my shopping list and am looking forward to making it. More questions for you: Why do you spray the mint and coriander with vinegar, and what type of vinegar do you use? Thank you again.
Hi Pamela,
I use apple cider vinegar for all my veggies and herbs to clean. This helps to get rid of the pesticide residue and other stuff. For this recipe I feel it is more important as we consume the mint and coriander leaves raw. Hope you enjoy the chutney.
Thank you for this information, Swasthi. I made your chutney last night and it is delicious!
great easy recipe, taste amazing.
What an awesome recipe! I tried this to make my Vada Pav even better and the chutney came out so awesome that I used it for omelette toast and somasa as well and literally finished a small bottle of it in three days. So much flavor. I did not add fried gram, but did add olive oil for some emulsification as well as retaining that green color. Its a keeper.
Thank you!
Glad the recipe worked out!
🙂
I used parsley instead of cilantro because I don’t have any nor do I like it very much. I’m using it as a dipping sauce for zucchini pakora and I’m marinating lamb chops in it. It’s awesome! I’m excited to see how my lamb turns out!!
Glad to know Erica
Thank you!
So Dang Good! I microplane the garlic and chopped the cilantro sticks into a fine puree prior to blending for an even consistency. Goes great with Trader Joe’s vegetable samosas.
Thanks Ira
Glad to know!
Turned out to be really great !!!
Glad to know!
Just superb…
Thank you!
Hi Swasthi,
May I know if we have to soak the gram before frying it?
Thank u.
Sue
Hi Sue,
This recipe uses fried gram(roasted gram) and not bengal gram(chana dal). Since it is preroasted they are quite soft so we don’t soak. Hope this helps.
Can you suggest good chutney grinder as well as chopper (to finely chop onions, cabbage etc) brand in India ? (I don’t mind buying local OR imported brand)
Hi Sara,
I am using Ultra mixie & preeti steel. I feel ultra is good & long lasting than preeti. I am using philips onion chef multi chopper. Good for small quantities. All of these are available in India. Hope these help.
Going to try looks good and not so many ingredients.
Thank you!
Hi Swasthi
I am wondering if I can use the stems of the cilantro also for making this chutney. Since everything is going to be ground up, why not use the stems along with the leaves? I love to hear your thoughts on this.
Thanks and keep up the fabulous work you are doing.
Rom
Hi Rom Garu,
Yes you can use up the stems as well. Thank you!
Swasthi, thanks very much
Excellent recipes Swasthi! Thank you very much for sharing these with us.
Hello Shama,
You are welcome. Glad you like the recipes! Thanks much for the comment!
🙂
Easy to prepare and store…all your recipes are great….tnx Swasthi?
Thank you so much!
How long can does it stays good in refrigerator?and if stores in freezer can we use it after thawing ( I guess keeping outside for a while thaws)
Hi Poornima
You can keep for 1 week in the refrigerator and 1 month in the freezer. Yes you can use it after thawing at room temperature.
Thank you very much for sharing your recipe of different chutney. I enjoy my tosai with coconut chutney and tomato chutney served in the Indian eatery here in Malaysia, but have had very little clue what go into it. I would like to try green chutney as well, but I am allergic to mint. Will it be fine if I substitute mint with coriander, or another fresh herb?
Welcome Katharine
Mint is the main ingredient of this green chutney. This recipe may not work with a substitute. I have a coriander coconut chutney which tastes good. If you do not have coconut then do check this collection of chutney recipes, you may find other options. Hope this helps
I substituted coriander for the mint and made it with a mix of dalia and peanuts (no coconut) and it tasted perfect – just like the green chutney at a North Indian restaurant. Wonderful with samosas and other North Indian snacks. The coriander coconut chutney recipe is more for South Indian dishes and snacks like dosa and idly.
Thanks Kat
Glad to know you liked it.