Indian Green Chutney (Cilantro Mint Chutney)

This tangy and spicy Green Chutney (Mint Coriander Chutney, Cilantro Mint Chutney, Indian Green Sauce) is the perfect accompaniment to serve with appetizers or Indian meals. Make it using simple ingredients in under 10 minutes (vegan, can be easily made gluten-free).

I have shared a secret tip for the vibrant green color of this Indian green sauce.

Jump to:

• About Green Chutney
• Ingredients
• How To Make Green Chutney
• Pro Tips By Neha
• Variations
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About Green Chutney

Green Chutney (Cilantro Mint Chutney, Indian Green Sauce, Mint Coriander Chutney) is a tangy and spicy Indian accompaniment made using fresh cilantro, mint, fresh ginger, green chilies, and a few spices.

Hara means green in Hindi and because of its green color, it’s also called Hari Chutney.

This tangy green chutney is a very popular chutney in India and it’s made in most households. However, each and every home has its own way and set of ingredients to make this flavorful condiment.

This recipe of Indian green chutney is my mom’s recipe and whoever has tasted it has confirmed that this is the best mint coriander chutney they have ever tasted. She has a secret tip to keep the color of this chutney vibrant green.

My recipe will give you approximately ¾ cup of mint coriander chutney. You can scale the recipe up or down as per your requirements.

This Indian green sauce is vegan, vegetarian, and oil-free, and can be easily made gluten-free.

Here are some more chutney recipes that you might like

• Guava Chutney
• Mint Chutney
• Coconut Chutney
• Dahi Chutney
• Garlic Chutney
• Cabbage Pachadi

Ingredients

This green chutney is made using simple ingredients which are available in most grocery stores.

Herbs – You will need cilantro (fresh coriander leaves) and fresh mint leaves. You can use the tender stems of cilantro as they are very flavorful but make sure to discard the mint stems as they are bitter in taste and can make the chutney bitter too.

Others – You will also need fresh ginger, green chilies, garlic, asafetida (hing), cumin seeds, salt, and freshly squeezed lime juice.

Use freshly squeezed lime juice for the best result. Lime juice can be replaced with lemon juice.

Adjust the green chillies as per your taste.

Secret Ingredient – My mom’s secret ingredient to keep the color of this chutney vibrant green is ice cubes. When the herbs are blended, the heat from the blender turns them dark in color. By adding 1-2 ice cubes while blending the chutney, the temperature is kept under control and the chutney doesn’t lose its lovely color. Try this tip and thank me later 🙂

How To Make Green Chutney

Preparation

Chop off the roots of the cilantro and discard the thick stems of the mint.

Rinse the leaves very well with water 2-3 times to make sure there is no dirt in them.

Chop the green chilies and ginger and peel the garlic cloves. Gather the remaining ingredients.

Make The Chutney

Add

• 2 cups of cilantro (tightly packed, rinsed)
• 1 cup of mint leaves (tightly packed, rinsed)
• 3-4 chopped green chilies
• ½-inch piece of ginger (chopped)
• 3-4 peeled garlic cloves
• ¼ teaspoon asafetida (skip for gluten-free)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 ice-cubes

to a blender jar or a food processor along with 2-3 tablespoon of cold water.

Blend until smooth. Scape the sides of the blender a few times while blending.

Check for salt and add more if required.

Tip – Sometimes, the herbs don’t come in contact with the blade of the blender and the blending process doesn’t start. In that case, push the herbs down with a spatula a few times.

Serve the mint coriander chutney at room temperature or chilled.

Pro Tips By Neha

Always use fresh coriander leaves and mint leaves to make the green chutney recipe.

Discard the thick mint stems as they can make the chutney bitter. Also, do not increase the mint leaves otherwise the chutney will become darker in color.

Use freshly squeezed lime juice for the best result.

For extra flavor, you can add some chaat masala and roasted cumin powder.

Make small portions of this chutney as it tastes the best when made fresh. If you have mistakenly made a big batch, then freeze it in ice cube trays. The texture will change a little when thawed but you can use it to make Hariyali Pulao or Green Curry.

Variations

Add some grated fresh coconut to this Indian green chutney to give it a South Indian touch. Roasted peanuts or sesame seeds are also great additions.

The most popular variation of this chutney is mixing it with a little yogurt (dahi, curd). Many restaurants make their coriander mint chutney with yogurt. Just add ½ cup of plain whisked yogurt to this recipe and you have a fabulous restaurant-style version ready in no time. You can replace yogurt with silken tofu for a vegan option.

If green mangoes are in season, you can add a few slices of tangy green mangoes to this chutney. Decrease the amount of lime juice in that case.

Amla or gooseberry is also a great addition to this chutney.

Serving Suggestions

This is a very versatile chutney and can be served with a variety of dishes.

It can be served as a dipping sauce with North Indian snacks like Frankies, Kabab, Samosa, Tandoori Chicken, Paneer Tikka, Cutlets, and Pakora.

It also tastes great with South Indian snacks like Goli Baje, Maddur Vada, etc

You can also serve it with the main course like Biryani, Buddha Bowls, etc.

This chutney is drizzled over chaat recipes or Indian street food like Papdi Chaat, Sev Puri, Bhel Puri, Samosa Chaat, Dahi Puri, Ragda Pattice, Aloo Tikki Chaat, Ragda Patties, Dahi Vada, etc.

Mint coriander chutney sandwich is a crowd favorite and is made by slathering this chutney on bread slices along with cucumber, onions, and tomatoes.

You can serve it with your Indian-style meals.

Slather it on kathi roll, vada pav, and wraps to give them a spicy kick.

You can also use it as a salad dressing.

Storage Suggestions

Store this green chutney in a non-reactive airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Post that, it starts to lose its taste and become bitter.

I do not recommend freezing it. Its texture changes once you thaw it.

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