Coconut Chutney with Walnuts

Walnut Coconut chutney is a South Indian condiment made with fresh coconut, nutty walnuts, fresh herbs, and aromatics. It's a versatile chutney and goes well with dosa, idli, vada, or as a part of a meal.

Make this delicious chutney in less than 10 minutes. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Jump to:

• About Walnut Coconut Chutney
• Ingredients For Walnut Coconut Chutney
• How To Make Coconut Chutney
• Tips For Delicious Coconut Chutney
• Frequently Asked Questions
• How To Store Chutney
• Serving Suggestions
• More Coconut Chutney Recipes
• More South Indian Recipes
• Coconut Chutney with Walnuts

About Walnut Coconut Chutney

Walnut coconut chutney is a condiment or a dip made with freshly grated coconut, walnuts, green chili, ginger, fresh mint, cilantro, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Tempered with mustard seeds, hing (asafoetida), red whole chili, and fresh curry leaves.

There are many variations to the coconut chutney. Other ingredients commonly found in this chutney include garlic, roasted chana dal, roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, tomatoes, tamarind, yogurt, etc.

There are different ways to make this coconut chutney. The basic ingredients of the chutney remain the same. Adding different ingredients adds layer of flavor to this coconut chutney.

I like to serve this walnut coconut chutney with many South Indian dishes such as Nav Dhan Masala Dosa (no rice dosa), Quinoa Idli (no rice idli), uttapam, medu vada, and more!

Ingredients For Walnut Coconut Chutney

• ¾ cup fresh or frozen coconut, shredded 
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice, adjust to taste
• 2-3 green chili, adjust to taste
• ¼ inch ginger
• 10-12 fresh mint leaves
• handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• salt to taste

For The Tempering

• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon urad dal
• ⅛ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
• 1-2 dried red chili
• 1 sprig of curry leaves

Pic Shown: Walnut Coconut Chutney

How To Make Coconut Chutney

Making Walnut coconut chutney is quite simple. It takes 5 minutes to make this amazing chutney.

Instructions For Coconut Chutney

1. Add all the ingredients for chutney into a blender jar – coconut, ginger, green chili, walnuts, mint, cilantro, lemon juice, and salt to taste.
2. Add water as needed to blend the chutney to a smooth consistency.
3. Remove the chutney into a serving bowl.
4. Prepare the tempering. Heat oil in a pan.
5. Add mustard seeds, and let the seeds splutter.
6. Reduce the heat to low and add urad dal, asafoetida, dried red chili, and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute or until dal turns light brown.
7. Turn OFF the heat and add the tempering over the chutney. Mix well.
8. Enjoy Walnut coconut chutney with some Nav Dhan Masala Dosa (no rice dosa), or Quinoa Idli (no rice idli)!

Pic Shown: Top to bottom – Udupi Sambar, Walnut Coconut Chutney, Quinoa Idli [no rice dosa]

Tips For Delicious Coconut Chutney

Fresh, frozen, or desiccated coconut works fine in this recipe. I prefer only the white part of the coconut. Using a vegetable peeler, you can easily peel the brown skin of the coconut.

For fresh or frozen coconut, use ice-cold water to grind the chutney. It prevents coconut from releasing its natural butter.

If using desiccated coconut use warm water to grind the chutney, dry coconut grinds easily.

Walnuts help absorb any extra moisture in the chutney. It adds a nice texture and flavor to the chutney. 

Lemon juice adds a nice tangy flavor to the chutney. You can use some tamarind pulp, yogurt, or lime juice.

Curry leaves add a nice aromatic flavor to this chutney. Fresh or dry curry leaves, both work well. Can’t find curry leaves,  skip it.

Fresh chutney tastes best. Consume it within 1-2 days. You can easily freeze this chutney for up to a month. Store it in a freezer-safe container, defrost and enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip lemon juice? 

you can make this coconut chutney without using any lemon juice. Lemon juice gives a nice tangy flavor to the chutney. If you don’t like the tangy flavor, feel free to skip it.

Substitute to lemon juice

You can use some tamarind pulp, yogurt, or lime juice to add the tanginess to the chutney. Green mango (unripe mango) may be used for a tangy flavor.

Can I skip the curry leaves?

Curry leaves add a nice aromatic flavor to this chutney. If you don’t like it or can’t find it, skip the curry leaves.

You can also use dried curry leaves, work just fine.

Substitute to walnuts

roasted peanuts, roasted chana dal, and sesame seeds work just fine.

Can I skip fresh herbs?

cilantro and/or mint leaves are added for an additional flavor and a nice vibrant green color. You can skip it.

How To Store Chutney

Coconut chutney stays fresh for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Store it in an air-tight, glass container. Avoid storing the chutney in a metal container.

Coconut chutney can be frozen for up to a month. Freeze it in a freezer-safe container. Defrost it in the refrigerator and serve.

Serving Suggestions

Coconut chutney goes well with South Indian dishes such as Nav Dhan Masala Dosa (no rice dosa), Quinoa Idli (no rice idli), uttapam, medu vada, and more!

Pic Shown: Walnut Coconut Chutney

More Coconut Chutney Recipes

Coconut Chutney

Cranberry Coconut Chutney 

Mysore Masala Dosa Red Chutney

More South Indian Recipes

Quinoa Mysore Masala Dosa[no rice dosa] 

Aloo Masala (Potato Stuffing)

Udupi Sambar (Temple Style Sambar)

Mixed Lentils Dosa[no rice dosa]

Tiffin Sambar

Instant Rava Idli

Cranberry Sambar