TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)
- What it is: A bright, refreshing Indian-inspired condiment made with fresh cilantro, mint, roasted peanuts, and lime juice for a vibrant, nutty, and savory flavor profile.
- Why you’ll love it: It’s an incredibly versatile, five-minute sauce that adds a zesty punch to everything from grilled meats and vegetables to sandwiches and snacks.
- How to make it: Dry-roast peanuts until golden, then combine with onion, garlic, chiles, herbs, and lime in a blender; blitz until smooth and refrigerate until serving.
I first met Chetna Makan when we did an Instagram Live together. I so enjoyed speaking with her that Amy Traverso and I had her on our podcast, Talking with My Mouth Full. What I love about Chetna’s recipes is they’re infinitely accessible and easy to make.
I’m particularly fond of this cilantro chutney. I whip it up in no time, and use it on everything. I’ve dolloped it on grilled chicken, stirred it into mashed potatoes, and spooned it over smashed potatoes. It’s wonderful slathered on steak.
Let me know in the comments how you used it!
Chow,
What is cilantro?
Cilantro is the fresh, leafy green herb, beloved for its bright, citrusy, and slightly pungent flavor, commonly used in Latin American, Asian, and Mediterranean dishes. It’s a super-divisive ingredient, since part of the population (3% to 21%) are predisposed to tasting aldehydes—the compounds that make it taste soapy—when they eat it.
In North America, we differentiate between the parts of the coriander plant. We use both the fresh leaves (called cilantro) and dried seeds (called coriander) in cooking. All parts of the plant, including the flowers, are used in cooking.
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If you make this chutney recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Cilantro Peanut Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 ounce raw peanuts
- 1 small (5 1/2 ounces) red or yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 green chiles, such as jalepeño or serrano (2 ounces | 55 g), seeded, if desired, and roughly chopped
- 2 cups (1 1/2 oz) fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 cup (3/4 oz) fresh mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
- 5 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a small skillet over low heat, dry-roast the 1 ounce raw peanuts until golden, 3 to 4 minutes.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you have dry-roasted peanuts on hand, you can skip the toasting step.
- Dump the roasted peanuts, 1 small (5 1/2 ounces) red or yellow onion, 2 garlic cloves, 2 green chiles, 2 cups (1 1/2 oz) fresh cilantro leaves, 1 cup (3/4 oz) fresh mint leaves, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon), and 5 tablespoons water into a blender or food processor, and blitz until smooth, about 90 seconds.
- The chutney will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Did you know only 68% of the recipes we test make it onto the site? This recipe survived our rigorous blind testing process by multiple home cooks. It earned the Leite’s Culinaria stamp of approval—and the testers’ reviews below prove it.
This cilantro peanut chutney is bright, complex, and totally addictive. We enjoyed it so much that we ate it with warmed naan the next day as a snack.
From start to finish, the recipe took me 35 minutes (most of which was time spent picking leaves.) In the future, I will shave the top of my cilantro bunch into my blender. This will save a bit of time and produce less waste. I find the delicate tops of cilantro stems flavorful and edible.
I made the recipe as written and I chose to remove the stem and seeds from my green chile. After blending, I found that I wanted a bit more salt and lime. I suspect each batch will vary a bit depending on the strength/freshness of the aromatics, herbs, etc. This is easily resolved. I added a pinch of salt and lime to taste.
I kept our chutney in a glass jar in the refrigerator. On day 3, it was noticeably less vibrant. The taste had mellowed and become grassier, and the color had darkened. My solution for this is that going forward I’ll just eat it within two days—and that won’t be a problem. We tried this (separately) with chicken, naan, and eggs before we ran out. It’s so good you could eat it on a piece of wood! I can see myself stirring this into soups, putting it on rice, dipping veggies i
This cilantro peanut chutney is a wonderful sauce to have on hand and it goes well with so many things! And it couldn’t be easier to make. We ate this on fish, chicken, vegetables, potato and on top of an omelet and it was delicious on all of the above. The herbs and tiny bit of spice will really liven up your food.
This cilantro peanut chutney is a winner. It’s simply beautiful, with a decidedly fresh, summery taste, no matter the time of year. I sampled the finished chutney immediately after blending and it was delicious. But, even better the next morning. The mint had mellowed a bit, but the cilantro was still not there as much as I would like. The flavors were still bright and the color is gorgeous. I can’t wait to make this when my orange mint breaks dormancy.
I used it with an inside-out cheese burrito filled with scrambled eggs, rice, and zucchini; as a dip for roasted potato wedges; cumin-scented grilled lamb chops; on grilled cod; on my avocado toast, and I’m still working my way through it and… okay, we loved it!
This is a recipe that I am very familiar with and I guarantee that a good cilantro peanut chutney is a great addition to so many dishes! It’s so vibrant, refreshing, and easy to make.
This cilantro peanut chutney is verdant and layered with flavor: bright freshness from the mint and cilantro, a pop of acidity from the lime, a little boldness from the garlic and onion, and finally a background accent from the peanuts that’s almost hard to identify but does a world of good to bring everything together. I was surprised that there’s no oil involved, but it definitely isn’t necessary.
The recipe is ridiculously easy to make and to customize according to taste, and it’s also quite generous in yield. We’ll be using this with naan, with plenty left-over for stirring into basmati rice, topping on scrambled eggs, or spreading on some hearty roast beef or turkey sandwiches.
When I prepare this again, I’ll likely make a few adjustments. I’ll use a medium onion for a little more presence, I’ll use peppers with a little bit more heat, if possible, and I’ll keep a whole lime at hand for pulling up the seasoning at the end, if necessary.
While this doesn’t dethrone Meera Sodha’s Lilli chatni from “Made In India” as my weekly go-to, this cilantro peanut chutney is a seriously good chutney with a strong punch of brightness from the mint. I’m quite impressed that it has managed to keep its vibrant color over several days, as I’ve used it on everything from naan to roasted vegetables, grilled chicken to fried eggs. Personally, I think I will use a little less onion next time (the allium flavor was a bit strong, though I only seem to be able to find giant onions so that could be my fault) and a bit more lime juice to balance out the sugar.
