Who else loves a tangy and spicy Onion Tomato Garlic Chutney blended with Indian Spices? Simple, healthy and yummy!!
Indian foods are dull and incomplete without the accompaniments like chutneys. I believe every part of India has a well-known chutney that goes well with their native food. This classic recipe of Tomato and Garlic Chutney hails from South India!

Tomato Garlic Chutney is a South-Indian chutney of tomatoes roasted in pan/kadai with garlic and whole red chilly, that goes well with dosa, idli, rice and even parathas.
This Tomato Chutney with Garlic is spicy and the heat can be adjusted as per your tolerance. Being an Indian, I love spicy Chutneys and trust me they bring the taste to another level.
North Street foods Samosa, pakoras with green dhaniya chutney, saunth chutney, raw mango chutney. Rajasthani food with garlic chutney, South Indian food with coconut and these twisted with several flavors to get many more.
Why Would You Love This Recipe?
- Gluten Free Chutney
- Quick Recipe of Savory Dip
- Easily convertible to Vegan
- Easy and Fresh Ingredients
- Make Ahead Recipe
- Can be teamed with North Indian or south Indian meals.
- The Best Tomato Garlic Chutney Ever!
Ingredients
- Tomatoes- Fresh tomatoes work best for this tomato chutney. I would stay away from tomato purees as they would not give you the authentic taste of chutney.
- Garlic- Fresh garlic cloves add spicy and nutty flavor to this onion tomato chutney. Though you may use garlic paste, but I would recommend using fresh garlic for the best taste.
- Onions- Fresh red onions work best for this recipe. You may also use white onions or spring onions. Onions add mild sweet taste to this spicy chutney.
- Ghee- I love the aroma of tempering in desi ghee. If you don't like Desi ghee or wish to make it vegan chutney, I would suggest to use any vegetable oil, coconut oil or avocado oil.
- Dried Red Chilies- The best and popular Indian spice that adds the heat to our food. Feel free to adjust it. Along with dried red chilies, I have also added red chili powder.
- Mustard seeds- adds strong and bitter taste to this spicy chutney.
- Cumin- Cumin seeds add the earthy flavor to this dip and can be added as powder.
- Fenugreek Seeds-add tangy taste to this chutney and add the perfect aroma as well.
- Curry Leaves- Curry leaves add South Indian touch and I have used fresh ones from my plant. One may use basil or parsley as well.
- Salt- I have used table salt. You may use Sendha salt as well. It helps control the sodium levels. Adding salt helps create a balance among the flavors.


Variations
- Tomato Mint Chutney- Tomato Mint Chutney is made with Mint (Pudina leaves). One may also add Coriander or cilantro leaves.
- Tomato Tamarind Chutney- Add more tangy flavor to this dip by adding tamarind(Imli).
- Rajasthani Garlic Chutney- If you love spicy food, you can convert this tomato chutney to just garlic chutney with loads of red chilies.
- Roasted Tomato and Garlic Chutney- One may also use roasted and charred tomato garlic to make this chutney. They would make it bright brown dip with a charred flavor.
- Add Nuts or Lentils- Add peanuts to make this tomato chutney nutty and high in protein. You may also add soaked and roasted chana dal.
- Add another ingredient- Add coconut to have perfect South Indian flavor.
Is Garlic Chutney Good for Health?
Yes!! This homemade chutney is much better than the packaged items like Tomato Ketchup and other dips. Its a quick recipe and all the ingredients are fresh, unlike the processed foods. They don't harm your throat and hence don't affect immunity.
Also they are not loaded with extra salt and oil that lead to weight gain and affect your blood pressure. When you make this chutney at home, you can really control what goes in.
Tomatoes being rich source of fiber and Vitamin C, B, Potassium help maintain the metabolism of the body. So having them raw or in chutney can keep you satiated.
Storage Suggestions
I prefer consuming this chutney within 2 days in summers. You may keep it in a dry glass jar with lid in refrigerator. In winters, this chutney would be good for 4-5 days.
Expert Tips
- Always saute the tomatoes on simmer. Slow cooking helps in releasing and better absorption of the flavors.
- For better roasting, you may roast tomatoes and garlic in OTG or oven. Wash, dry and apply some oil and then roast in oven.
- Grinding shall always be done when the mixture has cooled of completely.
- Add little salt when tomatoes are roasted for better cooking.
- Covering with lid helps cook faster.
FAQ
This tomato chutney goes well with Dosa, Idli, or a paratha! As a rice lover, I like teaming my rice with Indian chutneys.
You may skip adding onion and garlic in this tomato chutney. Whenever we have Navratri, I make all chutneys (for that matter food) without any onion and garlic. You may add Heeng (Asafoetida) instead.
Detailed Recipe with Steps
1)Gather all the ingredients. Wash Curry leaves, tomatoes and onions under running water. Roughly chop onion and tomatoes. I have used garlic bulbs as is.
For spices, I have a mixed whole mustard seeds, Methre (Fenugreek seeds) and Jeera (Cumin). You may use whole or grounded as you prefer. Take 2 teaspoon desi ghee in a pan.



2) Once ghee is hot, add garlic. Saute for few seconds and keep gas on simmer as overcooked/ burnt garlic might spoil the flavor of chutney. Add onions and once transparent, add whole red chilies.



3) Saute chilies for a min. Add chopped tomatoes. I generally add salt at this step. It makes cooking an easy process. You may cover it with a lid for about 2 min. Keep sauteing in between.


4) Once tomatoes leave water and are cooked, you may switch off the flame and set it to cool completely. Grind the mixture in a smooth paste.


5) Add a fresh tempering of the whole spices, curry leaves mentioned in step 1 to the prepared chutney.
6) The tangy and spicy tomato Garlic Chutney is ready. Team your dosa, idli or rice with it!!

Stories From Kitchen
I grew up having dosa and Idli in close by restaurant and I always loved the Coconut chutney. As a kid, I was scared to have anything spicy. I kept wondering about the taste of the orange chutney served along the coconut one.
Gradually, I started tasting this amazing chutney and I actually used to ask for a second helping of it.
It was one fine sunday when my previous neighbour, who happened to be south-Indian, brought loads of Idli, sambhar and Tomato chutney (all homemade) for our breakfast.
We had double breakfast that morning and aunty told me the recipe of this chutney. This was on my to-do list for quite sometime and I made it finally.
Sharing this recipe with you means traveling down the memory lane about aunty and her grand daughter who is a great kid and became friends with us in no time.
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Tomato Garlic Chutney
Equipment
- Pan/ kadai
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 large onion optional
- 10 cloves garlic optional
- 3-4 large tomatoes chopped in large chunks
- 5-6 whole red chilly
- 2 teaspoon desi ghee can use any oil
- ½ teaspoon jeera
- ½ teaspoon methre (Fenugreek seeds)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (Rai)
- salt as per taste
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Wash Curry leaves, tomatoes and onions under running water. Roughly chop onion and tomatoes. I have used garlic bulbs as is. For spices, I have a mixed whole mustard seeds, Methre (Fenugreek seeds) and Jeera (Cumin). You may use whole or grounded as you prefre. Take 2 teaspoon desi ghee in a pan.
- Once ghee is hot, add garlic. Saute for few seconds and keep gas on simmer as overcooked/ burnt garlic might spoil the flavour of chutney. Add onions and once transparent, add whole red chillies.
- Saute chillies for a min. Add chopped tomatoes. I generally add salt at this step. It makes cooking an easy process. You may cover it with a lid for about 2 min. Keep sauteeing in between.
- Once tomatoes leave water and are cooked, you may switch off the flame and set it to cool completely. Grind the mixture in a smooth paste.
- Add a fresh tempering of the whole spices, curry leaves mentioned in step 1 to the prepared chutney.
- The tangy and spicy tomato Garlic Chutney is ready. Team your Dosa, Idli or Rice with it!!
Video
Notes
- Always saute the tomatoes on simmer. Slow cooking helps in releasing and better absorption of the flavors.
- For better roasting, you may roast tomatoes and garlic in OTG or oven. Wash, dry and apply some oil and then roast in oven.
- Grinding shall always be done when the mixture has cooled of completely.
- Add little salt when tomatoes are roasted for better cooking.
- Covering with lid helps cook faster.
- For Vegan Chutney, use any oil in place of ghee.
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Serving size: 1 tablespoon | |
Servings: 15 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 18 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 0.7g | 1% |
Saturated Fat 0.4g | 2% |
Cholesterol 1mg | 0% |
Sodium 2mg | 0% |
Total Carbohydrate 2.8g | 1% |
Dietary Fiber 0.6g | 2% |
Total Sugars 1.3g | |
Protein 0.6g | |
Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
Calcium 7mg | 1% |
Iron 0mg | 1% |
Potassium 101mg | 2% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
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