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    Coconut Chutney Recipe

    Last Updated On: Apr 8, 2025 by Aarthi

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    Coconut Chutney is a popular south indian condiment which is served during breakfast with iidli, dosa, paniyaram, masala dosa, pongal and vada. Learn how to make different variation of the classic coconut chutney easily with my step by step guide to detailed recipe and pictures.

    coconut chutney made with coconut, green chillies, roasted gram dal and garlic.

    Coconut Chutney

    Coconut chutney takes place in our breakfast menu quite often, whole family loves coconut chutney. I make quite a few variations to it each time. I have covered all the variation of the chutney which I make in this recipe post of coconut chutney.

    Table of Contents

    • About Coconut Chutney Recipe
    • Watch Coconut Chutney Recipe Video
    • Coconut Chutney Ingredients
    • Which Coconut to use for Chutney
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Expert Tips
    • How to Make Coconut Chutney (Step-wise Pictures)
    • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
    • Coconut Chutney Variations
    • 📖 Recipe Card
    • Coconut Chutney Recipe | Thengai Chutney Recipe | Nariyal Chutney

    About Coconut Chutney Recipe

    Coconut Chutney | Thengai Chutney | Nariyal Chutney is one of the most popular south indian chutney variety. Typically served during breakfast. But let's not forget that this classic condiment pairs well with snacks like pakora and vada.

    Coconut chutney is made with coconut, green chillies or red chillies, garlic, roasted gram dal, salt. A essential tempering is given with coconut oil, mustard, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves which adds a nutty note to the chutney.

    I have shared a version of making hotel style coconut chutney along with 6 other version of making coconut chutney in this post so make sure you read till the end. Different versions of this coconut chutney pairs beautifully with our Indian breakfast dishes. So learn how to make this classic coconut chutney many different ways.

    Along with this recipe, make sure you check my capsicum, onion, tomato chutney varieties too.

    Watch Coconut Chutney Recipe Video

    YouTube video

    Coconut Chutney Ingredients

    Coconut Chutney can be made many different ways. The most basic coconut chutney recipe is made with coconut, roasted gram dal, ginger & garlic(optional), green chillies, salt and a tempering is given.

    coconut chutney ingredients

    Fresh Coconut

    Make sure you use freshly grated coconut (nariyal) when making coconut chutney. Also make sure when scraping coconut don't scrape the brown part of the shell which discolour the coconut chutney.

    Roasted Gram Dal

    Roasted gram dal, also known as udacha kadalai | pottu kadalai | pori kadalai is used in hotel style coconut chutney for giving creaminess and texture to the chutney. Some people like to add cashews in their coconut chutney for richness.

    Green Chillies

    Green chillies is used in hotel style coconut chutney. but dry red chillies can be used in certain version (recipe below). Also you can add more of less green chillies as per your taste.

    Garlic & Ginger

    Some people like to add ginger and garlic to enhance the taste of the coconut chutney. Fresh ginger and garlic adds wonderful aroma to the chutney.

    Tempering Spices

    Tempering is one of the main step in making the best coconut chutney. Frying whole spices like mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, dry red chillies, curry leaves in hot oil. This hot oil is poured over freshly ground nariyal ka chutney.

    Optional Ingredients

    Optional ingredients like shallots, chilli powder, curry leaves, onions, is added when grinding coconut chutney.

    Which Coconut to use for Chutney

    fresh whole coconut and halved coconut

    Coconut chutney is traditionally made using fresh coconut. Whole coconut is broke using a special tool named as "vettu kathi" which looks like a heavy duty iron knife. Freshly cracked coconut is scraped or use a knife to remove the flesh from coconut. In some areas fresh coconut is not available, in which case you can use frozen coconut or desiccated coconut. To make coconut chutney using frozen or dried coconut, You should be doing some modifications to the recipe.

    Desiccated coconut : Dried coconut doesn't have the moisture content to make chutney smooth. Also coconut chutney made with desiccated coconut will be grainy. So you can try making my roasted coconut chutney.

    Frozen coconut: scrape fresh coconut and store in an air tight container. You can store the container in freezer and preserve more than a month. For making chutney, Take frozen coconut and other ingredients given in the recipe as mentioned in a blender. Use hot water for grinding the chutney which results in smooth coconut chutney.

    Serving Suggestions

    How to Make Chutney Idli | Serving Idli with Coconut Chutney

    How to Make Chutney Idli

    Coconut chutney taste amazing when poured generously over mini idlies and served as chutney idli. It taste amazingly delicious and it is my favorite, I am still not sure why this didn't get as popular as sambar idli.

    I followed the recipe of my coconut chutney given below made with roasted gram dal. Make sure you make chutney very runny. Add extra water when grinding coconut chutney. You might need to add extra green chillies and salt to the chutney. Make sure you give a tempering with coconut oil.

    Coconut Chutney is a popular south indian breakfast dish which goes well idli, dosa, paniyaram, masala dosa, pongal, upma & Vada. I love to serve coconut chutney with piping hot rava kichadi.

    close up shot of coconut chutney

    Expert Tips

    • Use fresh coconut when making coconut chutney. This results in the creamy and fragrant chutney.
    • Use required amount of green chillies when making chutney.
    • Garlic and ginger adds aroma so don't skip them.
    • For tempering use coconut oil for aroma.
    coconut chutney served with rava kichadi

    How to Make Coconut Chutney (Step-wise Pictures)

    1)Take coconut in a blender jar.

    fresh coconut in a blender

    2)Add in green chillies

    add green chillies

    3)Add in roasted gram dal | pottu kadalai.

    add roasted gram dal

    4)Add salt to taste.

    add in salt

    5)Add in ginger and garlic

    add garlic and ginger

    6)Grind to a smooth puree

    grind coconut chutney

    7)Add more water to adjust the consistency. Mix well and set aside. At this point taste and adjust the salt.

    take coconut chutney in a bowl

    8)Now make tempering. Heat coconut oil in a small tadka pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. You can add dry red chillies as well.

    tempering mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves

    9)Pour this over chutney and mix.

    pour tempering over coconut chutney

    10)Serve

    close up shot of coconut chutney

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    Can I make coconut chutney with frozen coconut?

    The Answer is Yes you can make coconut chutney with frozen coconut. First Thaw the frozen coconut for at least 15 mins prior grinding. Use hot water when grinding the chutney to get smooth texture and to prevent the fats from coconut separating.

    How to Make Coconut Chutney White in Colour?

    • Try to use young tender coconut. Not so tender. it should be little young coconut.
    • Grate coconut till the white part alone. Don't scrape it too much so the grated coconut gets the brown shell parts.
    • Don't add anything except green chillies. That too very less green chillies.
    • Make seasoning using coconut oil and very less whole spices.

    How do you preserve coconut chutney for a long time?

    • Use fresh coconut for making coconut chutney.
    • When grinding the chutney make sure the blender doesn't heat up.
    • You can store coconut chutney in fridge upto 2 days.
    • Make sure you store it in fridge in an air tight container immediately after making to retain its freshness.

    Coconut Chutney Variations

    White Coconut Chutney Recipe

    If you are wondering how they make the pure white coconut chutney in hotel. This is how. Some hotels make their coconut chutney usually with just green chillies and give minimum tempering to keep their chutney white.

    • Take 1 cup coconut, 1 chilli, salt in a blender.Add little water and grind into a smooth paste.
    • Make tempering, heat 1 tsp coconut oil, add ½ tsp mustard, ½ tsp urad dal and curry leaves.Pour this into the chutney and mix. Serve.

    Coconut Chutney Recipe(Kerala Style)

    This is a Quick coconut chutney recipe with shallots adds keralan flavors and taste to the chutney. It goes so well with dosa and idlis.

    how to make Coconut Chutney Recipe(Kerala Style)
    • Take all 1 cup coconut, 2 tsp chilli powder, 1 piece ginger, 4 garlic, 2 shallots and salt in a blender, add some water and blend it to a smooth paste.Transfer this to a bowl.
    • Now heat 1 tbsp oil in a small kadai. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, curry leaves and 2 tbsp chopped shallots. Saute for a min or till the onions turn golden.
    • Pour this over the chutney and mix well.Serve.

    Red Coconut Chutney Recipe

    Spicy red coconut chutney made with coconut, dry red chillies, garlic which is ground with salt and tamarind and gets a simple tempering.

    how to make Red Coconut Chutney Recipe
    • Take 1 cup coconut, 2 dry red chilli, 4 garlic, salt and a small piece tamarind in a blender and puree.
    • Make tempering, heat 1 tbsp oil, add 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp chana dal and curry leaves.Pour this into the chutney and mix. Serve.

    Green Coconut Chutney Recipe

    Coriander coconut chutney is a flavourful way to make coconut chutney. Adding a bunch of fresh coriander leaves adds so much freshness to the chutney. Instead of coriander leaves you can add mint leaves too.

    how to make Green Coconut Chutney Recipe
    • Take 1 cup coconut, ½ cup coriander leaves, 3 green chilli, 1 piece ginger, salt and small piece tamarind in a blender and puree.
    • Make tempering, heat 1 tbsp oil, add 1 tsp each of mustard, urad dal, cumin and curry leaves.Pour this into the chutney and mix. Serve.

    Garlic Coconut Chutney Recipe

    Looking for a coconut chutney that goes well with rice, Then this is the answer. Grind together 1 cup fresh coconut with 4 garlic, 4 dry red chillies and salt. Add minimal water and make this chutney pretty thick. This poondu thengai chutney goes well specially with neeragaram.

    how to make Garlic Coconut Chutney Recipe

    Grind together 1 cup fresh coconut with 4 garlic, 4 dry red chillies with salt. Use very little water when grinding. This chutney doesn't need any tempering.

    Roasted Coconut Chutney Recipe

    Roasting coconut when making coconut chutney gives a toasted aroma to your chutney. I specially make this when serving dosa for breakfast.

    Roasted Coconut Chutney Recipe
    • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add in 4 dry red chilli and 3 tbsp urad dal and cook till golden. Add in 1 cup coconut, a small piece tamarind and toss well for 2 mins.
    • Now take this in a blender, add salt to taste. Add little water at a time and puree till smooth.Serve with idli or dosa.

    More Chutney Recipes

    • Dhokla Recipe
    • Green Chutney Recipe
    • Peanut Chutney Recipe
    • Garlic Chutney Recipe
    • Chilli Chutney Recipe
    • Onion Chutney Recipe
    • tomato chutney top shot
      Tomato Chutney Recipe
    • Capsicum Chutney Recipe

    📖 Recipe Card

    Coconut Chutney Recipe | Thengai Chutney Recipe | Nariyal Chutney

    Coconut Chutney is a popular south indian condiment which is served during breakfast with idli, dosa, pongal and vada. Learn how to make different variation of the classic coconut chutney easily with my step by step guide to detailed recipe and pictures.
    4.50 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 7 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 159kcal
    Author: Aarthi

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Fresh Coconut (grated, packed & measured)
    • ¼ cup Roasted Gram Dal | Pori Kadalai | Pottu Kadalai
    • 4 Green Chillies
    • 2 cloves Garlic
    • 1 inch Ginger
    • Salt to taste
    • Water as needed

    For Seasoning:

    • 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
    • 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
    • 1 tsp Urad dal
    • 1 sprig Curry Leaves

    Instructions

    • Take all ingredients in a blender and make it into a fine puree by adding some water.
    • Pour that into a bowl and adjust the consistency with water.
    • Make tempering, heat oil and crackle mustard, urad dal and curry leaves.
    • Pour this over the chutney and mix well.
    • Serve with idly or dosa.

    Video

    YouTube video

    Notes

      1. Use fresh coconut when making coconut chutney. This results in the creamy and fragrant chutney.
      2. Use required amount of green chillies when making chutney.
      3. Garlic and ginger adds aroma so don't skip them.
      4. For tempering use coconut oil for aroma.
    1.  
    1.  
    1.  

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servings | Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 19IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @yummytummyaarthi or tag #yummytummyaarthi!
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    If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.

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    Aarthi

    About Aarthi

    Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hamaree Rasoi

      at

      Delicious and comforting to look at chutney. Excellent preparation.
      Deepa

      Reply
    2. Anonymous

      at

      Muje coconut chutney Jo freeze kar sake n jabhi muje use karna hai freeze se nikal ke use kar saku waisi recipe chahiye pls help

      Reply
    3. Aarthi

      at

      @Anonymousenglish please

      Reply
    4. Anonymous

      at

      Aarthi anonymous is asking give her any such recipe of coconut chutney DAT can be preserved in fridge and used as an when required from it. Pls help she is saying.

      Reply
    5. Aarthi

      at

      @AnonymousCoconut chutney cannot be preserved. It will get spoiled soon.

      Reply
    6. Anonymous

      at

      Can we use small onions instead of garlic

      Reply
    7. Aarthi

      at

      @AnonymousNo garlic has to be used.

      Reply
    8. Anonymous

      at

      Very tasty n perfect chutney.. Thanks Aarti

      Reply
    9. gurleen kaur

      at

      Can dessicated coconut be used instead of fresh coconut?

      Reply
    10. Aarthi

      at

      @gurleen kaurno for chutney, use fresh

      Reply
    11. Surya Prakash

      at

      Nice & tasty coconut chatny may add coriander leaves for flavour?

      Reply
    12. Aarthi

      at

      @Surya Prakashyes u can add

      Reply
    13. Sasya

      at

      Thanks for the nice and tasty recipe.
      Arthi can we use tamarind in this chutney

      Reply
    14. Aarthi

      at

      @Sasyatamarind is not needed. but if you want little tangyness you can add

      Reply
    15. Anonymous

      at

      Hi Aarthi,
      Thank you for this recipe. Tried it, was really nice.
      I used desiccated coconut soaked in hot water for 15 min as I did not have fresh ones and it was equally tasty.

      Thanks.

      Reply
    16. Judy

      at

      hey aarthi,
      Tried ur recipe and it was perfect..

      Reply
    17. Anonymous

      at

      First in ever i made white chtuney !!i normally make red chutney i felt this was easier n tastier as in red chutney i add small onions ( escaped from that part😆) it came out well n lil champ loved it well thank u aarthi !!

      Reply
    18. Ankush Patti

      at

      CAn we use dry coconut

      Reply
    19. Aarthi

      at

      @Ankush Pattiyes u can use

      Reply
    20. Joy C

      at

      Tried this version of chutney today. It was perfect. Thanks!

      Reply
    21. Anonymous

      at

      Hi Arti,
      Just wanted to know the chana dal is the one we can eat in chewda right not the one which we need to soak and cook.

      Reply
    22. Anonymous

      at

      Traditionally we do not use garlic in coconut chutney and restaurants seldom do. A useful tip when grinding is to grind the roated gram dal (pottu kadalai) on its own without water before adding all the other ingredients to it. This gives the chutney more body.

      Reply
    23. Mukta

      at

      Coconut chutney came out very well . Thanks!!

      Reply
    24. AJ

      at

      Fantastic recipe. I made this with the medu vada recipe and it turned out delicious. Thanks for the pro tips and the meticulous attention to detail

      Reply
    4.50 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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