Tomato Chutney

A super easy, perfectly flavorful, slightly sour and mildly sweet side; this Tomato Chutney is a keeper.

Serve it with your favorite mains or enjoy it with some rice or parathas!

Chutneys, dips and kachumbars are favorites in every Indian family. These make any meal super delicious, flavorful and colorful.

Every region has their own set of these and the recipes for these vary from household to household. From all the recipes, tomato chutney is a favorite in our house. A delicious tangy chutney that is a great side for SO many recipes, tomato chutney is easy to make.

This version is the one we enjoy. It is the recipe my aunt has been making for the longest time. She would make it for Rava Idli, but we now enjoy it with many recipes.

What is Tomato Chutney

Tomato Chutney is a flavorful side for idli, rava idli, dosa or vada. It is also a great add-on for rice and parathas.

A chutney from South India, this is a mix of tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic with minimal spices. Tempered with seeds and dal, this chutney is a vibrant condiment for any meal.

This Recipe of Tomato Chutney

• This recipe needs only a handful of ingredients. Except tomatoes, basic spices and oil all the other ingredients are optional. Though they add a lot of flavor to the chutney but can be skipped if unavailable.
• This chutney is great right after making. Or refrigerate for up to a week. The chutney can be tempered again before serving.
• Tomato chutney takes only 15 minutes to put together. It is a no frills recipe that makes any dish shine.
• Naturally Vegan and gluten-free; this chutney pairs well with idli, upma, dosa and vada. Moreover, it can be served with roti, parathas or rice too.

This chutney is a great side and I often make a big batch. I store it in the refrigerator for upto a week. I serve it with all my favorite South Indian dishes or use it with leftover rice to make some tomato rice.

Video Recipe

Ingredients

Tomatoes: As the name suggests, the first ingredient here is tomatoes. Pick fresh, ripe and red tomatoes to make this chutney. That is what gives the best flavor.

I only use fresh tomatoes for the recipe. I have never tried this recipe with frozen or canned tomatoes.

Onion: Adding some onion for flavor is my favorite. Not only does it add a zing to the recipe, it adds a layer of taste too. However, skip onions for a No Onion No Garlic version of the recipe.

Ginger, Garlic: Aromatics that flavor the chutney well, I always like to add ginger and garlic to my tomato chutney. Using fresh ingredients is the key to getting a flavorful fresh chutney.

Red Chili: To make the chutney bright in color yet subtle in spice, I like to use a couple Kashmiri chilies in my recipe. Using powdered red chili is an option too.

To make the chutney spicy, use a Thai chili in addition to the Kashmiri Chili. It will definitely add a lot of heat to the recipe.

Chana Dal: Roasted chana dal makes the chutney thick and yummy. However, adding some roasted chana dal powder (dalia) is an option too. Or use some urad dal to make the same chutney.

Tempering ingredients: We temper the chutney with oil. Any neutral oil works for this.

Along with oil I add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, urad dal, dried red chili and curry leaves. These are super flavorful and add some crunch to the otherwise smooth chutney.

I would strongly recommend this step. Try and add everything to make the chutney fragrant and delicious.

Spices: Given that the chutney has a lot of aromatics and tempering, we only season the chutney with salt and sugar only. No other spices are needed.

Step by Step Instructions to make Tomato Chutney 

1- In a pan heat oil. Once hot, add chana dal.

2- Sauté till the dal is well roasted. Then add ginger and garlic. Sauté for a minute.

3- Then add dried red chili and onions; mix well and let the onions soften.

4- Then add curry leaves and tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes soften.

5- Next add sugar and salt. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes and turn down the flame.

6- Transfer the tomato mix to a High Speed Blender.

7- Blend to a smooth paste. Use some water if required.

8- In a pan heat oil and add whole urad dal. Let it sauté for a minute.

9- Then add mustard seeds, asafetida, cumin seeds, red chili and curry leaves. Once the seeds pop, turn down the heat.

10- Transfer the tempering to the chutney, mix and serve!

Tips and Notes

• This tomato chutney is best made with chana dal. This dal adds nutrition to the recipe along with making the chutney thick and creamy. However, urad dal can be used too.
• Use a High Speed Blender like Vitamix to blend the chutney. It works best to completely crush the dal to make a creamy chutney.
• Adding some tamarind paste is an option too. However, this makes the chutney darker in color and should be consumed in 24 hours.
• The tempering though optional, makes the chutney super delicious. So I would strongly urge not skipping the tempering.
• The chutney is great with idli, dosa, vada or upma. It also makes a great side for rice, parathas or roti.

Other South Indian recipe to try

• Instant Pot Yogurt Rice: An easy recipe to make the traditional yogurt rice in the Instant Pot, this one has some veggies and tempering too. Moreover this one is easy, no fuss and super quick!
• Idli: Fluffy, round and perfectly steamed idlis, these rice and lentil cakes are super delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
• No-grind Dosa: Lentil and rice crepes made easily without any grinding, dosa is a favorite for any meal! Plus, they take much lesser than traditional dosa to make.
• Pesarattu Upma: Green lentil crepes stuffed with semolina upma, this combination is addictive, easy to make and full of protein!

The recipe was originally published in 2016, updated in 2022.