Coconut Chutney

5 from 4 votes

Traditional South-Indian Chutney is the perfect accompaniment to idli, dosa & vadas! Easy to make at home, you can customize it to your preference.

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Simple and easy Coconut Chutney – this popular Indian chutney pairs well with idli, dosa, vadas and so much more! Vegan.

bowl of coconut chutney tempered with curry leaves, mustard seeds, dried red chilies and served with a spoon

I have always maintained that I am huge fan South Indian food fan. I am a north Indian and my mom never really made south Indian food at home. 

It was the occasional dosas that she would make and that too from store bought batter. We mostly ate south Indian food at restaurants. 

But me being a foodie and of course a fan of the cuisine had to learn how to make everything from scratch.

In my kitchen I make dosa, idli from scratch and I will share the recipes soon. What I also make all the time is this South Indian Coconut Chutney! It’s my favorite!

Personally I love the sambar and the chutneys way more than the dosa and idlis. For me it’s what makes the dish. Sadly most restaurants do not care about their chutneys at all.

Their chutneys are so diluted and tasteless. But when you make at home, it’s so much better. Coconut chutney is one of my favorite chutneys, the other being the onion tomato chutney

This Coconut Chutney

✓ is vegan and can be made gluten-free by skipping the hing

✓ easy to make 

✓ tastes so much better than the one you get at restaurants

✓ can be flavored/spiced to your preference

✓ perfect accompaniment to idli, dosa, vada and more!

My coconut chutney recipe is super simple. I have used just the basic ingredients. I highly recommend using freshly grated coconut. You can find fresh coconut at Indian stores easily.

But in case you can’t find it and want to make this chutney, frozen grated coconut will also do.

plate of idli with sambar and coconut chutney

Variations of Coconut Chutney

This recipe is super simple but here are few things you can add to this coconut chutney

cilantro or mint– adds wonderful flavor and make the chutney green in color

dried red chilies– would add heat and give the chutney a beautiful red color

peanut – if you like peanuts, you can add some to this chutney

sesame seeds – again like peanuts, give the chutney a nutty flavor

onion, chana dal, cumin seeds are also commonly added to coconut chutney. You can even add tomato!

It’s all about personal preference. The recipe that I have shared is like a base recipe. You can change it as per your taste and preference. 

Hope you guys like this easy recipe, 

Method

1- To a blender add coconut, green chilies, ginger, salt and water.

2- Grind to a smooth paste. Transfer chutney to a large bowl.

3- For the tempering heat oil in a small pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Let them pop and then add the hing.

4- Add urad dal, red chilies. Stir for 30 seconds or so until the dal starts changing color. Add curry leaves, stir and remove pan from heat.

step by step pictures to make coconut chutney

Pour tempering over the bowl of chutney, stir and serve this coconut chutney with idli, dosa, vada or anything else that you like!

bowl of coconut chutney tempered with curry leaves, mustard seeds, dried red chilies and served with a spoon

If you’ve tried this Coconut Chutney Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on FacebookInstagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

Coconut Chutney

5 from 4 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2 minutes
Total: 12 minutes
Servings: 10
Traditional South-Indian Chutney is the perfect accompaniment to idli, dosa & vadas! Easy to make at home, you can customize it to your preference.

Ingredients 

  • 1.5 cups grated coconut 190 grams, use fresh coconut
  • 1-2 green chilies roughly chopped, adjust to taste
  • 1 inch ginger roughly chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 3/4 - 1 cup water 6 oz - 8 oz, as needed

Tempering

  • 1 tablespoon oil 15 ml, I used avocado oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • hing generous pinch, also known as asafoetida
  • 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
  • 2 dried red chilies broken
  • 10-12 curry leaves
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Instructions 

  • To a blender add coconut, green chilies, ginger, salt and water.
  • Grind to a smooth paste. Transfer chutney to a large bowl.
  • For the tempering heat oil in a small pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Let them pop and then add the hing.
  • Add urad dal, red chilies. Stir for 30 seconds or so until the dal starts changing color. Add curry leaves, stir and remove pan from heat.
  • Pour tempering over the bowl of chutney, stir and and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 59kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 133mg, Potassium: 42mg, Fiber: 1g, Vitamin A: 65IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
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Hi, I’m Manali!

Bringing you easy, delicious vegetarian & vegan recipes! Eating veggies can be fun, you just need to get creative in the kitchen with the right set of ingredients!


5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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16 Comments

  1. MANALI BEING A DOCTOR YOU CERTAINLY HAVE SUCH ENERGY AND WISDOM TO SHARE THESE WONDERFUL RECIPES . I ALWAYS CHECK OUT YOUR RECIPES FIRST WHEN I FEEL LIKE MAKING CERTAIN DISHES BEFORE PLANING MY MEALS SO DOES MY DAUGHTER . WE BOTH ARE YOUR HUGH FANS . Keep on adding more recipes and thank you so much for keeping it simple and brief . Love it . GOD BLESS U AND YOUR FAMILY .

  2. 5 stars
    Having tried several recipes over the years, yours is definitely a 10/10
    I have tried several other recipes of yours and all are easy to follow and turn out excellent….some of the others are your garlic naan, palak paneer and bhindi. Looking forward to trying your ice cream recipes soon.

      1. Hmm fresh or frozen coconut is what works best. The dry desiccated coconut powder won’t give the same flavor but you can try.

  3. 5 stars
    Thank you ! I’m not Indian but married to one and It’s not easy for me to make authentic Indian food but this recipe was amazing. My chutney taste so tasty !
    My family loved it
    Thank you again

    1. In the fridge up to a week..you can also freeze it, don’t do the tempering and just freeze. Do the tempering once you want to serve it.

  4. 5 stars
    Such a nice recipe and the images you use in this article are fantastic.
    Thanks for sharing this coconut chutney recipe Manali:)