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If you’ve been at any Indian restaurant, you know that they’ll serve a green chutney with popular dishes such as snacks including samosas and pakoras, appetizers such as chicken tikka, and many Indian street foods including many rolls. I love to make this chutney to pair with my Juicy Chicken Seekh Kebab Rolls and The BEST Chicken Tikka at Home.
When I know I’m going to be making lots of goodies such as appetizers, burgers, snacks and rolls, I like to make a big batch of this cilantro mint chutney. What’s great about this recipe is that it freezes well, so you won’t have to worry about it going bad! You could make as much as you’d like and always have some on hand when you feel like it! Even if you don’t freeze it, it’s nearly effortless to make, so don’t worry about that!
In Indian cuisine, coriander (cilantro) and pudina (mint) are staple herbs. If you’ve seen my other recipes, you’ll see that I either use cilantro in or as a garnish for so many dishes! It really adds tremendous flavor, and I couldn’t cook without it! If you haven’t used mint much before, go easy because it definitely has a very strong flavor! A little will go a long way! The mint will not only enhance the flavor, but it will add a lovely green color!
This mint cilantro chutney recipe will show two variations. The base variation is more of a home-style recipe, whereas adding the yogurt makes it more of a restaurant-style variation. The base chutney is much stronger than the variation with the yogurt, so if you’re not big on the strong flavor of the mint and green chilies (note that the green chilies are optional though!), then this will help offset the heat. I like to use the home-style variation to serve with more rustic dishes such as Aloo Bhindi (Potato and Okra curry) or Baigan Bharta (Roasted Eggplant Curry), and I like to use the restaurant variation to go inside my favorite wraps and sandwiches.
Tips on How to Prepare These Cilantro Mint Chutney Recipes
- Use the stems of the cilantro as well as the leaves since it contains a lot of flavor.
- Try to add as little water as possible to get the blades moving and make a smooth chutney.
- Find and use the freshest mint leaves and cilantro for the best flavors
Tools Needed
How to Make Mint Cilantro Chutney
Home-Style Cilantro Mint Chutney Recipe
In a blender or food processor, add the cilantro, mint, ginger, garlic and green chili if using. Season with salt and start with about 2 tablespoons of water.
Blend until you have a smooth paste. If the ingredients are not blending, add a tablespoon more of water. You want to have as little water as possible, just enough for the blender to run. Otherwise you will have a runny chutney.
Enjoy your fresh chutney!
Restaurant-style
In a blender or food processor, add the cilantro, mint, ginger, garlic and green chili if using. Season with salt and start with about 2 tablespoons of yogurt.
Blend until you have a smooth paste. If the ingredients are not blending, add a tablespoon more of yogurt.
Enjoy!
Storing Cilantro Mint Chutney
Transfer the cilantro mint chutney into a glass jar or an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you want to save the chutney for longer than that, you can transfer 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time in ice cube trays and freeze the chutney that way. Remove the ice cubes when needed and thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Use the thawed chutney in 1 or 2 days.
Serving Suggestions for Cilantro Mint Chutney
Here are my favorite recipes to serve cilantro mint chutney with! You can add the chutney in wraps or enjoy as a dipping sauce!
- The BEST Homemade Chicken Tikka - Enjoyed as a favorite appetizer, this chutney is fabulous to dip those juicy chicken tikkas in.
- Tandoori Chicken Naan Wraps - The previously mentioned chicken tikkas wrapped in homemade naan bread. I use the chutney inside the wrap.
- Spicy Indian Egg Roll - A simple omelette wrapped in a homemade white paratha bread.
- Juicy Chicken Seekh Kebab Rolls - Minced chicken marinated in spices, then fried to perfection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between the two chutney versions?▼
The base is a fresh, bright cilantro-mint chutney blended from herbs, ginger, garlic and chili. The yogurt-mint variation stirs a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt into that base for a creamier, milder, cooling dip.
What's the ratio of cilantro to mint?▼
It's cilantro-forward: about 1 cup of cilantro to ½ cup of mint, plus ginger, a clove of garlic and an optional green chili. The cilantro keeps it fresh while the mint gives it that signature cooling lift.
Is mint chutney spicy?▼
Only if you want it to be — the heat comes from an optional Thai or green chili. Leave it out for a mild, herby chutney, or add it (and more to taste) for a kick.
My chutney won't blend — what do I do?▼
Add water a tablespoon at a time, just enough to get the blender moving, and keep going until it's smooth. Fresh herbs need a little liquid to catch the blades, but go slowly so the chutney stays thick rather than watery.
What Is Not in This Green Chutney
The main ingredients here are short enough to say in one breath: cilantro, mint, ginger, garlic, one green chili, salt and just enough water to get the blades moving. Search for green chutney and you will turn up versions from all over India built on things this one deliberately leaves out. There is no tomato. There is no cumin, ground or toasted. There is no lemon juice, and in fact no acid of any kind in the base version. There are no roasted peanuts, which is what thickens the Maharashtrian style, and no coconut, which is what makes the South Indian chutneys pale and creamy rather than green. Knowing that is useful when you are reading Indian foods recipes side by side and wondering why two chutneys with the same name look nothing alike.
What is left is herbs and aromatics, and that is the whole point. The taste lands directly on the mint and the cilantro with nothing softening it, and the bright green color comes from raw leaves rather than from anything added to hold the shade. It also means the chutney tastes best young, so make it the day you want it if you can.
How Much Salt, and How to Taste as You Go
You will notice the recipe card lists salt without a measurement. That is on purpose. A cup of cilantro can be loosely or tightly packed, mint varies enormously in strength, and the yogurt version needs more salt than the water version does because the yogurt mutes everything. Start with about a half teaspoon salt for this quantity, blend, and taste before you add more. Salt is also the fastest lever you have if the mint is overwhelming the cilantro, well before you consider adding water.
On heat: the green chili is optional. One Thai or green chili gives a clean background warmth rather than real fire, and a serrano is a close swap if that is what your store has. If you have gone too far, the yogurt variation is the fix, not more water, which only makes the chutney runny and dulls the taste.
Serving It With a Full Indian Meal, and Freezing the Rest
Alongside the wraps and kebabs above, this chutney is just as good next to an everyday Indian meal. A spoonful on the side of dal, rice and roti wakes the whole plate up, and it does the same for plainly cooked veggies that might otherwise be dull. It is also a very good dip for fries if you want something sharper than ketchup. Vegetarians can serve it with paneer tikka in exactly the way it is served with chicken tikka, and the thicker yogurt variation, loosened with a little more yogurt, works as the base of a marinade for that paneer before it goes under the broiler.
For keeping: the chutney holds in the fridge in a sealed jar for about a week. Past that, freeze it. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons into each well of an ice cube tray, freeze solid, then bag the cubes, and you can pull out exactly one serving at a time. Thaw a cube in the fridge and use it within a day or two.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Make fresh, vibrant mint chutney at home in minutes! This easy Indian mint chutney recipe is packed with bold flavor and pairs perfectly with snacks, grills, and more.
No-cook
5.0 · 1 rating
5 min
Prep
5 min
Total
16
servings
makes 1 cup
easy
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
Base chutney
- (16 g) cilantro
- (65 g) mint
- (3.8 cm) piece ginger
- garlic
- Thai/green chili(optional)
- salt(to taste)Shop →
- water(as needed, enough to get the blender going)
Yogurt-Mint Chutney Variation
- (16 g) cilantro
- (65 g) mint
- (3.8 cm) piece ginger
- garlic
- Thai/green chili(optional)
- salt(to taste)Shop →
- water(as needed, enough to get the blender going)
- (16 g) plain yogurt
Instructions
For the Base Chutney
- 1
Add all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Begin blending. If the ingredients do not blend, add a tablespoon at a time of extra water until the ingredients blend. Blend until you have a smooth consistency.
Add all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Begin blending. If the ingredients do not blend, add a tablespoon at a time of extra water until the ingredients blend. Blend until you have a smooth consistency.
- 2
Transfer to a ramekin and serve as is or follow the yogurt-mint chutney variation.
Transfer to a ramekin and serve as is or follow the yogurt-mint chutney variation.
For the Yogurt-Mint Chutney Variation
- 1
Once you have finished making the base chutney, add the yogurt and mix well. Serve and enjoy!
Once you have finished making the base chutney, add the yogurt and mix well. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition per serving
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
- July 14, 2026 — Added a range for yogurt ingredient for the yogurt chutney variation to help adjust the texture and heat to match my personal taste preferences.
Filed under
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