Coconut Chutney Recipe

Coconut chutney recipe is a classic south Indian condiment or chutney with fresh grated coconut as the star ingredient. There are so many varieties of coconut chutneys you will find across south India in both restaurants and at homes.

I make this chutney in many ways too, here I am sharing the classic white coconut chutney for idli, dosa, pongal, vada. Vegan and gluten free.

In most of the south Indian homes breakfast or snack platter is not complete without a chutney. We typically make chutney out of every possible ingredient and coconut amongst them is hugely popular and a crowd favorite. It goes well with many Indian food.

Coconut grows extensively in the coast of south India and it is very widely used in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andra and Karnataka cuisines.

Many of our chutneys, curries, sambar and vegetables have coconut as garnish or ground in masalas. You can check out this collection of 50 coconut recipes if you like 🙂

Coming to the recipe, I make coconut chutney this at least three times a week for breakfast or snacks. As simple the recipe sounds, it does take some practice to make best coconut chutney.

A well made chutney is creamy, thick, does not leave out water and perfectly seasoned. It calls for quality ingredients and proper grinding.

Here in this post I am sharing my keeper south Indian coconut chutney recipe with step by step photos with all the tips and also links for 9 more varieties of hotel style coconut chutney you can make at home 🙂 Do try this recipe and enjoy, it surely does elevate the taste of any south Indian breakfast!

About This Chutney Recipe

An Indian chutney is a condiment that is usually served with breakfast, snacks and even rice. It can be dry or paste.

We make chutneys mostly with herbs like coriander, lentils like urad dal, roasted chana dal or Bengal gram , coconut, onion, tomatoes etc.

Of all these varieties of chutneys, coconut and onion chutney are two hugely popular ones in south Indian hotels.

The basic recipe of coconut chutney is made by grinding freshly grated coconut with roasted gram dal or roasted chana dal, green chillies and salt.

The ground chutney is tempered with urad dal and mustard seeds before serving. That’s it, the basic hotel style coconut chutney dos not even use curry leaves. We do not use any other spices like cumin seeds in coconut chutney.

Some restaurants do not even do the tempering 🙂 I have tasted chutney without tempering in Kerala restaurants mostly.

At homes however we make it differently depending on the availability of ingredients. We make it with dry red chillies, mint leaves, tamarind paste, tomato. There are literally so many coconut chutney recipes out there 🙂

Over the years, I have tried many variations and this recipe I am sharing here yields one of the best white coconut chutneys truly.

I picked up this recipe from the chef who catered to a home function and have been making it ever since.

One secret ingredient used in this recipe is cashew nut. Yes adding just. 4-5 cashews makes this chutney super creamy, smooth and delicious too for dosa idli.

I sometimes add a dash of lemon juice to this chutney. It adds a nice tangy taste but it is not an ingredient in the traditional recipe.

You need very few simple ingredients for this recipe and it gets ready in less than 10 minutes, no wonder it is the most sought after side dish for idli dosa in south Indian homes 🙂

Do try this best coconut chutney recipe if you want to make hotel style, smooth, delicious, white, not watery chutney. It is

delicious and flavorful

super quick to make

vegan and gluten free

easy to make

best side dish for idli dosa

How To Make Coconut Chutney

Preparation

If you are using frozen grated coconut, skip these steps.

Break open a coconut and grate it carefully without scrapping the brown bits of the shell. Set aside. If fresh coconut is unavailable you can use frozen or desiccated coconut. (See tips)

Making Chutney

Heat 2 teaspoons sesame oil or coconut oil in a small tadka pan. Add one slit green chilli and saute for a minute. Remove to a plate and retain the oil in the pan itself. You can add 2-3 green chilies for spicier chutney.

Now to a small chutney jar add 1 cup coconut, grated and tightly packed, 2 tablespoons roasted gram, 4 cashews, salt to taste.

Add 1/4 cup water and grind to a very smooth paste. Grind it to a smooth chutney as far as possible.

Heat the same oil used for frying green chillies again for tempering. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves if using and fry for a minute.

Add to the ground chutney along with the oil. Mix well.

Serve coconut chutney with idli, dosa, pongal.

Recipe Variations & Expert Tips

Roasted garm dal– This is typically the dal used in most of the chutney recipes. If you don’t have it you can easily use chana dal. Just roast chana dal along with green chilies and grind with coconut.

Cashews– Cashew nuts are not usually used in coconut chutney recipe. I picked this tip from a chef and sharing here as it adds to taste and texture. You can just leave out cashews if you like.

To make whiter chutney– In some homes they add coconut milk or even regular milk instead of water in this recipe. Adding milk makes the chutney whiter and creamier, however I do not follow this method.

To add a bit of sourness to the coconut chutney you can add a small bit of tamarind or 1 tablespoon yogurt or curd. You can also add a bit of lemon juice.

For more flavor you can add 1 teaspoon sesame seeds in this chutney. Roast along with green chilies.

Green chili– The quantity of green chilies can be varied as per taste. We like this chutney spicier so I add 2-3 green chilies. I have also shared a recipe of coconut chutney with red chillies.

Grinding– It is very important to grind the ingredients to a very smooth paste. Use a high power blender or Indian mixer grinder if possible.

Tempering– As much as it adds taste and flavor, tempering coconut chutney is an optional step only. In many Kerala restaurants it is served without the tempering. I like to temper this chutney with mustard seeds, urad dal and sometimes curry leaves too.

If fresh coconut is unavailable you can easily used desiccated coconut that is unsweetened. Add 2 tablespoons very hot water to the desicaated coconut, mix well and set aside for 10 minutes before gridning.

You may also get frozen grated coconut in Indian stores, which can be used for making chutney. If you are using frozen coconut, thaw it in the refrigerator

Storing coconut chutney– This chutney is best consumed fresh within 2-3 hours of making. It does not taste very good after that. To extend the shelf life you can add a small piece of tamarind while grinding.

Freezing coconut chutney- You can freeze a portion of this chutney as soon as you make for 2-3 days. Bring to the room temperature, add 1/4 cup hot water and mix well before serving.

Other Varieties Of Hotel Style Coconut Chutney

You can make nariyal chutney or coconut chutney recipe in so many ways depending up on your taste and availability of ingredients. We usually add dry red chili, tamarind, raw mango, vegetables like capsicum, beetroot, carrot and even nuts like almonds.

All these chutneys taste wonderful and flavor varies greatly with the additional ingredient added. Here are detailed recipes for around 10 different coconut chutney recipes you can try at home.

Coconut red chutney– with dried red chilli. This is a very popular restaurant style chutney that is spicy, flavorful and goes very well wheat dosa, rava dosa, neer dosas

Pudina nariyal chutney– This is a very flavorful variety with mint leaves. This mint coconut chutney is a delicious combination with semiya upma, rava idli, khara bath.

Coriander chutney with coconut– In this variation we add fresh coriander leaves along with coconut. It tastes wonderful with soft idli, crispy dosa, ghee roast dosa.

Hotel style red chutney– Spicy flavorful chutney with tomatoes and coconut. You can use this as spread for masala dosa, sandwiches, mix with rice too.

Coconut mango chutney– Flavorful tangy chutney with raw or unripe mango and coconut. It tastes excellent mixed with rice.

No cook kara chutney– this is super simple to make chutney where tomatoes, garlic and coconut are ground raw. It again tastes best with idli, dosa, rice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is coconut chutney healthy?

Fresh coconut has loads of health benefits and this chutney is healthy when consumed in moderation like every other food.

How long does coconut chutney last?

It does not keep well for many days. It is best served with in 3 hours of making. You can refrigerate for a day though.

More Chutney Recipes

Tomato chutney,

onion chutney,

peanut chutney,

badam chutney recipes.

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