Carrot Chutney (South Indian Style)

Carrot chutney with step by step photos. This is a quick and tasty South Indian chutney variety made with carrots, coconut, herbs and spices. A vegan recipe that can be served as a side dish with Idli, Dosa, Uttapam or Medu Vada.

Whenever I prepare idli or dosa, at times I make a veggie chutney with them if I am not making sambar. Simply because it’s healthy and the veggie based chutney along with the idli and dosa does make up for a complete meal.

In South Indian cuisine chutneys are made with many veggies like capsicum, cabbage, beetroot, sweet potato and various gourds etc. It is a good way to use these leftover veggies at home.

Sometimes you don’t know what to do with a beetroot or carrot. Make a salad or chutney with them and have them with your meals. Healthy as well as delicious.

This recipe of carrot chutney has coconut also added and tastes very good with soft dosas like poha dosa, Neer Dosa, benne dosa, idlis, Adai and even Medu Vada. You can also serve it with Dal Vada or masala vada.

You can store the leftover carrot chutney in the refrigerator in an airtight container and it stays good for a few days.

How to make Carrot Chutney

1. First peel and rinse 1 large Delhi carrot (150 grams) and then chop it. You will need 1 cup of chopped carrots. Best to use juicy and tender carrots. Avoid the fibrous carrots.

You can use any variety of fresh, tender and juicy carrots.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan. You can use sesame oil (gingelly oil), peanut oil or sunflower oil.

Add 1 teaspoon urad dal (husked and split black gram) and 1 teaspoon chana dal (split and skinned bengal gram).

3. Saute till both the dals turn golden on low heat.

4. Then add 1 green chili (chopped), 4 to 5 curry leaves (chopped) and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). Stir and mix very well.

Sauteing carrots

5. Then add 1 cup of chopped carrots.

6. Stir and mix again.

7. Then add salt as required.

8.  On a low to medium-low heat saute the carrots stirring often for 4 to 5 minutes.

9. Then add ⅓ cup grated coconut.

10. Mix very well and saute for a minute.

Grinding carrot chutney

11. Let the mixture become warm and then add it to a grinder jar along with ⅓ to ½ cup of water.

12. Grind or blend till smooth.

13. Remove the chutney to a bowl. Scrape off the sides and bottom of the grinder jar and add the remaining chutney in the same bowl.

If you want, you can even add some water and then swirl the jar. This way the carrot chutney at the bottom and sides of the jar gets mixed with the water. But do note that not to add too much water as then the chutney will become thin.

Tempering for carrot chutney

14. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in the same pan. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.

You can use any neutral flavored oil or use sesame oil or coconut oil.

15. Let them crackle on low heat.

16. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add 4 to 5 curry leaves and 1 pinch asafoetida (hing). Mix and stir.

17. Pour all of the tempering mixture into the chutney. Stir and mix well.

18. Serve carrot chutney with South Indian snacks like idli, dosa, Adai dosa or vada.

The leftover chutney can be refrigerated and served later as required. It will stay good for a few days if refrigerated.

If you are looking for more Chutney Recipes then do check:

• Tomato Pachadi
• Beetroot Chutney
• Brinjal Chutney
• Peanut Chutney
• Capsicum Chutney

This Carrot Chutney recipe post from the archives first published in Jan 2017 has been republished and updated on 26 June 2022.