Coconut Chutney

Coconut Chutney is a popular South Indian condiment made with coconut, green chilies, ginger, roasted gram, and further flavored with spice tempering. This easy, delicious chutney is often served as a side dish or as a dip with breakfast and snack dishes like Idli, Dosa, Medu Vada, Upma, and Appam. 

In this post, I’m sharing how to make an easy hotel-style white coconut chutney recipe at home with step-by-step photos and video. 

All South Indian or Udipi restaurants serve South Indian dishes like Idli, dosa, and medu vada with Sambar and a variety of Chutneys. Coconut Chutney is always one of them.

Coconut Chutney is a must-have for us with South Indian food like Idli and Dosa. My kids love dunking their Idli alternately in coconut chutney and then Sambar.

Jump to:

• About The Recipe
• Recipe Ingredients
• How To Make Coconut Chutney (Step by Step Method)
• Serving Suggestions 
• Storage Instructions 
• Recipe Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions 
• More Chutney recipes
• More South Indian Recipes 
• Recipe Card

About The Recipe

Coconut Chutney is a classic South Indian condiment often served with a variety of breakfast and snack dishes like Upma, Idli, Dosa, and Vada. 

It is also known as “Nariyal Chutney” in Hindi and “Khobryachi Chatni” in Marathi where both Nariyal and Khobra mean coconut. 

The basic coconut chutney is made by blending fresh or frozen shredded coconut with other ingredients that add flavor to the chutney like ginger, green chilies, salt, and cumin seeds.

It is further flavored with tempering or seasoning made in hot oil with mustard seeds, dry red chili, curry leaves, and asafoetida. 

There are a variety of coconut chutney recipes available based on the ingredients used like red coconut chutney, green coconut chutney, yellow coconut chutney, and this white coconut chutney which I am sharing in today’s post.

This white coconut chutney is the most popular amongst them all as it's widely served in most Udipi and South Indian restaurants worldwide. 

It is lightly spiced, nutty, easy to make, vegan, healthy, delicious, and very versatile. When paired with Idli Sambar, it's even tastier!! 

Recipe Ingredients

Coconut - Freshly grated coconut works best for this chutney but you can also use frozen coconut. Thaw frozen coconut before using. You can also use unsweetened dry desiccated coconut but the taste is not as good as fresh or frozen.

Roasted gram - Also known as Dalia. You can also substitute it with roasted peanuts or use a combination of both. Don’t skip as it prevents the water from separating in the chutney.

Ginger - Adds savory flavor. You can replace it with garlic for a different flavor or use a combination of both. 

Green chili - I use fresh Thai green chili. I prefer keeping this chutney mildly spiced but you can add or skip chili as per your spice levels. 

Salt - to flavor the chutney. In addition, you can also add sugar and lemon juice if you prefer a slightly sweet tangy texture to the chutney. 

For the tempering - canola oil, mustard seeds, urad dal (optional but personally love the crunch it adds), dry red chili (for a smoky flavor and mild heat), curry leaves (for fresh herby flavor), and asafoetida (hing). 

Please refer to the recipe card for exact measurements of ingredients. 

How To Make Coconut Chutney (Step by Step Method)

1 - In your mixer grinder jar, add grated coconut, green chili, ginger, cumin seeds, salt, and water.

2 - Grind to a smooth and fine consistency. Add more water if required to get the desired consistency. 

3 - For the tempering, heat oil in a tadka pan over medium heat.  Add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Stir in urad dal and sauté for a few seconds. Immediately add red chili, asafoetida, and curry leaves (be careful they will splutter). Turn off the heat and mix.

4 - Pour the tadka over the ground chutney and mix well. Coconut chutney is ready!!

Serving Suggestions 

Coconut Chutney pairs really well with Idli Sambar, it's one of my favorite combinations.

In addition, this chutney also pairs well with other breakfast and savory snack dishes like upma, dosa, uttapam, appam, and medu vada. You can also serve it with rice.

Storage Instructions 

Coconut chutney is best eaten fresh but leftovers can be refrigerated for 2-3 days in an air-tight container.

This refrigerated chutney tends to soak up all the liquid so just add hot or warm water to adjust consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning if required.

Alternately If you plan to refrigerate the chutney then don’t add the tempering, add it just before serving for a touch of freshness. 

You can also freeze coconut chutney in small portions for up to 3 months. Before serving, thaw the chutney in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for an hour or two. 

Recipe Tips

Freshly grated coconut works best for this chutney but you can also use frozen coconut or desiccated coconut flakes. 

If you are using frozen soak in hot water for 10 mins. Don’t add frozen coconut directly to the blender as that will cause the fats to separate from the pulp.

Similarly, blend the desiccated coconut with warm water to get the right consistency. 

Roasted gram (Dalia) helps thicken and prevents the water from separating in the chutney. You can substitute it with roasted peanuts or use a combination of both. 

You can replace ginger with 1-2 cloves of garlic for a different flavor dimension. 

If you prefer tangy chutney, add lemon juice after blending or add little tamarind pulp or a couple of tablespoons of yogurt (curd) while blending. 

The amount of water used for grinding can vary depending on the type of coconut used and the mixer grinder. Start with a smaller quantity and add as required.

Frequently Asked Questions 

More Chutney recipes

More South Indian Recipes 

Hope you enjoy this Easy Coconut Chutney !! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card. Thank you ❤️! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s cooking in my kitchen!!

Recipe Card