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    Easy Onion Tomato Chutney Recipe

    Last Updated On: Apr 6, 2025 by Aarthi

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    Easy Onion Tomato Chutney Recipe with step by step pictures. This chutney is traditional South Indian chutney made with onions and tomatoes which is usually served with Idli, dosa or kuzhi paniyaram. It is popular side dish just like coconut, tomato & onion chutney. It is delicious, flavourful, spicy and slightly tangy. Learn how to make the best side dish for idli or dosa.

    onion tomato chutney served with paniyaram

    Onion Tomato Chutney

    This is my go to chutney for idli or dosa, it is so easy to make and taste really yummy. I like to have it with idli, dosa or kuzhi paniyaram. I like to add little extra oil for this chutney and the oil which I prefer to use is gingelly oil because of its aroma and taste.

    Table of Contents

    • About Onion Tomato Chutney
    • Onion Tomato Chutney Ingredients
    • How to Make Onion Tomato Chutney (Stepwise Pictures)
    • Variations
    • Expert Tips
    • 📖 Recipe Card
    • Easy Onion Tomato Chutney Recipe

    About Onion Tomato Chutney

    Chutney is one of the essential side dish for idli, dosa, kuzhi paniyaram and more South Indian breakfast menu. There are many version of chutney that are usually served with breakfast, onion chutney, tomato chutney and coconut chutney are the popular ones.

    This chutney is a staple in South Indian homes, it is also known as thakkali vengaya chutney, onion tomato chutney or even kara chutney.

    Most of the days I make this onion tomato chutney which is made with the combination of both. It is simple to make but taste so delicious. I like to add some dry red chillies, garlic in the chutney when roasting and grinding for added flavour and taste.

    I usually make this chutney two ways. The ingredients used for making both the version of onion tomato chutney is same but the cooking method varies. I have shared both the version on this blog post.

    Onion Tomato Chutney Ingredients

    ingredients for onion tomato chutney

    Onion - I use large onions for making this chutney but you can use peeled whole shallots as well.

    Tomatoes - use large ripe tomatoes that is juicy and fresh is important. The ratio for onion and tomato is 1:1 which is the correct proportion for making this chutney.

    Garlic - you can use peeled garlic cloves which adds a slight garlic flavour to the chutney.

    Dry Red Chillies - depending on the spice level, you can increase or reduce the dry red chillies.

    Tamarind - a small amount of tamarind is added to balance the taste of the chutney.

    Tempering - for tempering, I like to use gingelly oil which is Indian sesame oil along with mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chillies, curry leaves.

    simple onion tomato chutney

    Onion Tomato Chutney (two ways)

    There are two ways you can make onion tomato chutney. I have shared both the version below, depending on the time and resources you can pick any which one.

    Grinding & Cooking - You can grind the ingredients together and then cook down till it is done. This method is one of the easy way to make this chutney if you don't have much time on hand.

    Cooking & Grinding - This method is more elaborate, this is great when you want to preserve the chutney longer. It is simple and easy to make and the onion tomato chutney stays good for a long time in fridge.

    close look for onion tomato chutney

    How to Make Onion Tomato Chutney (Stepwise Pictures)

    Pre-Preparation

    1)Peel and chop onions, tomatoes, garlic and dry red chillies. Instead of onions, you can use peeled shallots.

    onion tomato chopped and ready to be cooked

    Grinding onions with tomatoes

    2)Take peeled roughly chopped onions in a blender

    onions in blender

    3)Add in peeled garlic cloves into the onions.

    add garlic to onions

    4)Add in dry red chillies into the onion garlic mixture.

    add dry red chillies

    5)Add in tomatoes into the onion and chilli mixture.

    add tomatoes

    6)Add a piece of tamarind into the tomato mixture and grind them.

    add tamarind

    7)I don't add water when grinding, the water content from the onions and tomatoes is enough to make it into a puree.

    grind onion tomato

    Tempering Spices

    8)Heat oil in a kadai. Let the oil gets hot. Once it is heated, add in mustard seeds and allow them to pop. You can also add urad dal, dry red chillies and curry leaves in the tempering but I kept it simple.

    add mustard seeds to hot oil for tempering

    9)Once the seeds has splattered. Add in the ground chutney mixture.

    add chutney in

    10)Season with salt and mix well. Allow the chutney to cook completely for 3 to 4 minutes.

    add salt to taste

    11)Chutney is ready and cooked.

    onion tomato chutney cooked

    12)Serve onion tomato chutney with idli, dosa or paniyaram.

    serve onion tomato chutney with paniyaram

    Variations

    This version of onion tomato chutney uses the same ingredients but has addition of green chillies instead of dry red chillies. I added some coriander leaves for a fresh refreshing taste to the chutney.

    The tempering for this chutney is so flavourful with lots of whole spices and curry leaves. This chutney starts by sauteing all the ingredients and then grinding to a puree which gets tempering in the end for the punch of flavour.

    Ingredients Used

    • Oil - 1 tsp
    • Onion - 1 large sliced
    • Tomatoes - 1 large sliced
    • Green Chillies - 2 to 3 slit
    • Garlic - 6 cloves
    • Coriander Leaves - 2 tbsp chopped
    • Salt to taste

    For Tempering

    • Oil - 1 tsp
    • Mustard Seeds / Kaduku - ½ tsp
    • Urad dal / Ulundu Paruppu - ½ tsp
    • Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam - ½ tsp
    • Chana Dal / Kadalai Paruppu - ½ tsp
    • Curry Leaves a sprig
    • Asafoetida / Hing / Kaya Podi - a pinch
    ingredients fro vengaya chutney

    How to Make Onion Tomato Chutney

    1)Heat oil in a kadai. Add in onions, green chillies and garlic cloves. Saute for couple of minutes. Make sure you slice the onions thinly so it gets cooked faster.

    saute onion garlic and chillies in oil

    2)Also sprinkle the onions with some salt so it gets cooked faster.

    add salt to onions

    3)Now you can see the onions has turned translucent and slightly golden.

    cook onions till lightly golden

    4)Add in chopped tomatoes into the onion mixture.

    add tomatoes to onion mix

    5)Saute the tomatoes till it gets soften.

    cook tomatoes till soften

    6)Even though this is optional, you can add some coriander leaves or mint leaves for flavour.

    add coriander leaves and mix well

    7)Now the mixture has cooked really well.

    onion tomatoes cooked well

    8)Take this in a blender and without adding any water, grind into a smooth paste.

    take onion tomato mix in a blender

    9)Onion tomato chutney is ground. Take the ground chutney in a bowl.

    Pro Tip: I ground this chutney without any water which helps preserve the chutney for longer. If you are serving the chutney immediately, you can add some warm water when grinding and make the chutney pouring consistency.

    grind onion tomato into chutney

    10)Now for tempering, heat oil in a small pan. Add in mustard, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, cumin seeds, asafoetida and let them splatter for a minute.

    heat oil and temper whole spices

    11)Pour the tempering over the chutney and mix well.

    pour tempering over chutney

    12)Onion tomato chutney ready to enjoy.

    onion tomato chutney ready to serve

    Expert Tips

    • Instead of onions, you can use peeled shallots also known as sambar onion.
    • Use ripe tomatoes which are juicy and fresh. If your tomatoes are tart, you can reduce the tamarind in the chutney.
    • For Tempering spices, use gingelly oil also known as Indian sesame oil for best flavour. 
    • Cook the chutney till all the moisture evaporates which preserves the chutney longer.

    More Chutney Recipes to Try

    • Dhokla Recipe
    • Green Chutney Recipe
    • Peanut Chutney Recipe
    • Garlic Chutney Recipe
    • Coconut Chutney Recipe
    • Chilli Chutney Recipe

    📖 Recipe Card

    Easy Onion Tomato Chutney Recipe

    Easy Onion Tomato Chutney Recipe with step by step pictures. This chutney is traditional South Indian chutney made with onions and tomatoes which is usually served with Idli, dosa or kuzhi paniyaram. It is popular side dish just like coconut, tomato & onion chutney. It is delicious, flavourful, spicy and slightly tangy. Learn how to make the best side dish for idli or dosa.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 86kcal

    Equipment

    • cooking pan
    • Tadka Pan
    • Blender

    Ingredients

    Onion Tomato Chutney (Version 1)

    • 1 large Onion peeled and sliced
    • 1 large Tomato chopped
    • 4 no Dry Red Chillies
    • 4 cloves Garlic peeled
    • 1 tsp Tamarind
    • 2 tbsp Gingelly Oil
    • 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
    • Salt to taste

    Onion Tomato Chutney (Version 2)

    • 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
    • 1 large Onion sliced
    • 1 large Tomato chopped
    • 3 no Green Chillies slit
    • 6 cloves Garlic peeled
    • 3 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped
    • Salt to taste

    For Tempering

    • 1 tbsp Gingelly oil
    • 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
    • 1 tsp Split Urad dal
    • ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
    • 1 tsp Split Chana Dal
    • 2 sprig Curry Leaves
    • ¼ tsp Asafoetida

    Instructions

    How to Make Onion Tomato Chutney (Version 1)

    • Take onion, tomato, chilli, garlic, tamarind in a blender and make it into a fine puree.
    • Heat oil in a kadai. Add in mustard and let it sizzle. Add in the ground puree, salt and cook till oil separates. Serve with idli or dosa or kuzhi paniyaram.

    How to make Onion Tomato Chutney (Version 2)

    • Heat oil in a kadai. Add in onions, green chillies, salt and garlic cloves. Saute for a min. Add in tomatoes and keep this cooking for 5 mins. Add in coriander leaves and saute till it gets mushy. Take this in a blender and make it into a smooth puree. Transfer this to a bowl.
    • Make Tempering. Heat oil and add all spices in it. Let them sizzle for a minute in the oil. Pour this over the chutney and mix well. Serve.

    Notes

    • Instead of onions, you can use peeled shallots also known as sambar onion.
    • Use ripe tomatoes which are juicy and fresh. If your tomatoes are tart, you can reduce the tamarind in the chutney.
    • For Tempering spices, use gingelly oil also known as Indian sesame oil for best flavour. 
    • Cook the chutney till all the moisture evaporates which preserves the chutney longer.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servings | Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 416IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @yummytummyaarthi or tag #yummytummyaarthi!
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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. Suchi Sm

      at

      tempting color aarthi.. looks spicy and tangy..

      Reply
    2. Anonymous

      at

      What is gingelly oil. Can we use normal oil.

      Reply
      • Anonymous

        at

        It's Indian sesame oil. Unlike Chinese sesame oil, it is cold pressed, so the taste is nicer

        Reply
    3. Aarthi

      at

      @Anonymousyes u can normal oil

      Reply
    4. bristol plasterer

      at

      Love this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

      Simon

      Reply
    5. Anonymous

      at

      Yummy... thankz

      Reply
    6. ash

      at

      Different type of chutney recipe i was looking for to make chutney with dosa tonight for dinner..thanx for sharing Aarthi !!

      Reply
    7. Anonymous

      at

      It was v delicious, Loved it..:)

      Reply
    8. Anonymous

      at

      I m a newbie and i tried it now. It came out well thanks...

      Reply
    9. noushiba pudhu maliyakkal

      at

      Aarthi akka i used to go through all ur post..u r superb... i gonna try this today itself..can i add curry leaves n coriander to dis

      Reply
    10. noushiba pudhu maliyakkal

      at

      Aarthi akka i used to go through all ur post..u r superb... i gonna try this today itself..can i add curry leaves n coriander to dis

      Reply
    11. Aarthi

      at

      @noushiba pudhu maliyakkalyes u can add

      Reply
    12. Anders Svensson

      at

      Hello Aarthi. First time when I saw this recipe. I was very excited to make this recipe at my home.All the given steps are very useful for me. Thank you so much for sharing tomato chutney recipe.

      Reply
    13. Raji

      at

      Hi aarthy...I am a regular follower of our blog..I appreciate your efforts for every recipies presentation...I prepared ather varietys of tomato chutney from ur recipes.will try this.

      Reply
      • Raji

        at

        Superb recipes Arthi .I follow and prepare them.

        Reply
    14. Malin Andersson

      at

      Hello Chitra! All these recipes are new for me. Good combination of idly and tomato chutney. I will definitely try it at home. It looks so tasty. I love all these recipes.

      Reply
    15. Malin Andersson

      at

      Can we make this recipe without use of seeds. Because I do not like seeds as I have allergy with seeds.

      Reply
    16. Aarthi

      at

      @Malin Anderssonyes u can

      Reply
    17. Malin Andersson

      at

      I love the tomato Chutney. It looks so crispy and tasty. Moreover, I love its smell.

      Reply
    18. Anonymous

      at

      Why don't you experiment with cleaning your fry panes well?

      Reply
    19. suba

      at

      Among all the onion chutney recipes I've tried, yours is the best so far. Thank you very much for the recipe.

      Reply
    20. Penny Foster

      at

      Aarthi, I was looking for a tomato chutney and came across this one. Koodos to you for this wonderfully flavored recipe.
      .....
      People who have nothing good to say should say nothing at all.

      Reply
    21. Rama shivaswamy

      at

      Can we fry onion and tomato first and grind

      Reply
    22. Poornima

      at

      Won't we get bitter taste of onion?

      Reply
      • Aarthi

        at

        no you wont.

        Reply
    23. kumar

      at

      Nice post. Thanks for sharing the easy onion tomato chutney recipe. Please share more recipes here masterchefu.com

      Reply
    24. Janakiraman

      at

      Thank Aarthi, I tried this , it came up well and tasty.
      Thanks again

      Reply
    25. Lydia

      at

      Hi akka... This s Lydia from Chennai.. Am a great follower of ur cooking.. Today morning I tried onion tomato chutney it was super awesome... Everyone appreciated me.. Kudos goes to u ka

      Reply
    26. Priti

      at

      Can you please mention the measuring cup, measuring spoon etc. Instead of just large tomatoes etc.
      Large, medium etc ‘s are relatively. According to you it may be a 3” diameter is large. But some people it may be 4” . So can you please send me the measurements for tomatoes chutany?

      Reply
    27. PM

      at

      5 stars
      I like the tomatoes chutaney. Once it turned out excellent but now I cannot make same as 1st time.
      Can you please have measurements in a cup and teaspoons tablespoons because large and small or medium could be in 2” diameter or any size…

      Reply
    5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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