Easy Andhra Style Peanut Chutney Without Coconut

If this is not the first time you are on Spice and Life, you won't be surprised to see a groundnut chutney recipe shared, however, if it is, then you must be wondering how an Italian ended up preparing a South Indian dish.

Well, although my husband Jay is from Mumbai, my in-laws are from Kerala, and trust me when I say that in our house I now cook more sambar than pasta!

Although I love coconut chutney, sometimes change is welcome, and I thought of exploring [once again!] other options to accompany dosa, idli, vada, and so on.

So, here's my take on peanut chutney! Easy, flavorful, authentic Andhra-style peanut chutney that tastes great alongside any meal during the day!

Peanut Chutney Recipe Ingredients

• Peanuts: As I use them in many recipes, I tend to buy skinless peanuts, however, if you have them skin-on, you can leave it [the skin is full of fiber] or peel them after roasting them [once cooled they are easy to peel]. Should you find roasted peanuts, ensure they are unsalted, and skip that step in the recipe card.
• Chana Dal: Raw chana dal, also called Bengal gram, once roasted and blended gives a delicious, rich, nutty flavor!
• Green Chilies, Garlic Cloves, Shallots, and Curry Leaves: These ingredients balance the richness of the roasted peanuts, offering sweetness, sharpness, and a real South Indian taste. Shallots can be swapped for regular onions, although these are sharper and not as sweet.
• Seedless Tamarind: Brings a sour note to the peanut chutney. It can be swapped for tamarind paste, although the taste will slightly change. If you're searching for a tamarind paste substitute, I recommend giving my related article a read.
• Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Dry Red Chillies: Used in the tadka [tempering].
• Hing: This is a unique ingredient that adds that little extra touch to any tempering. If you require the peanut chutney recipe to be gluten-free, you will need to skip this ingredient.
• Urad Dal: Bringing the crunch to the chutney's smoothness.
• Vegetable Oil: For cooking.

How To Make Peanut Chutney Without Coconut?

1. Heat some oil in a pan and, once warm, add the whole peanuts.
2. Gently fry the peanuts until they turn golden brown, then remove them from the pan.
3. Next, if necessary, add a little more oil and heat it up once more.
4. Add the green chili, garlic cloves, curry leaves, and shallots and fry them on a low to medium flame until soft and cooked. Once ready, remove them from the pan, and set them aside with the peanuts.
5. Lastly, add the chana dal to the pan and fry it until golden brown as well. Once this is ready, set it aside as well.
6. Allow the ingredients to cool down, then add to a blender jar together with a piece of tamarind pulp, and blend until smooth. During the process, you may need to add a little water; do so a little at a time, to avoid making it too watery, which could result in the peanut chutney not blending smoothly.

7. Set the smooth peanut chutney in a bowl and prepare the tadka.
8. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
9. Once these have splattered, add the urad dal and after 10 seconds, add curry leaves, hing [asafoetida], and the whole dry red chilli.
10. As soon as these are fragrant, add the tempering on top of the peanut chutney and mix.
11. If serving to guests, keep some of the tempering aside to add on top of the bowl as a garnish.
12. Enjoy with idli, dosa, uttapam, vada, and pakoras, although you may see peanut chutney served on toast, with plain steamed rice, and vegetable fritters.

How To Store Peanut Chutney?

• In the fridge: Peanut chutney can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days. Once cold, it may become thicker, so to serve it remove it from the fridge well in advance and if necessary stir through the required portion a teaspoon or two of water.
• In the freezer: I do not recommend freezing groundnut chutney.

Tips And Tricks For The Best Peanut Chutney

• Peanuts 1: The peanuts used must be unsalted and unsweetened. Also note, as people can be severely allergic to peanuts, make sure nobody is, when preparing peanut chutney.
• Peanuts 2: Should you have skin-on peanuts, there is no need to peel them if you don't want to! The skin is rich in fiber and, once blended in the peanut chutney, it will only add to the nutty flavor. Additionally, it is important that the peanuts are stored correctly in an airtight container, as they may spoil; the effect is the same as when potato chips are left out too long!
• Store Bought Roasted Peanuts: If you have them, use them, instead of roasting peanuts yourself.
• Chana Dal: The dal is lightly browned in the oil while raw and it doesn't need prior cooking. Should you have ready-roasted chana dal [I like to keep some to speed up chutney recipes], you can use it.
• Coconut Peanut Chutney: Peanut chutney with coconut is an extremely rich and delicious condiment, and this chutney recipe can be adapted. Simply add ½ cup of fresh grated coconut into the blender jar together with the other ingredients and blend to a smooth paste. Because of the addition, add a little more chana, a few more green chillies [if you like a little heat] and a few curry leaves more to it as well, then do a taste test and adjust the salt if needed. Please do not use desiccated coconut, as it does not give a silky smooth chutney.
• Palli Chutney: Palli chutney is usually not tempered, so, should you wish, you can skip the tadka.
• Sourness: Should you not have seedless tamarind pulp, which adds sourness, you can add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice instead; this will add some tanginess and acidity, rather than sourness, but it will still work very well. As an alternative, stir through the peanut chutney a couple of tablespoons of full-fat natural yogurt, but please bear in mind that when using this, the groundnut chutney should be consumed within two days.
• Garlic: It is my personal preference to cook the garlic cloves with the onions, however, should it be preferred, raw garlic can be added to the blender instead. This will give a more pungent flavor, so it is best to start with half the amount and add more to the peanut chutney according to taste.
• Urad Dal: Adding it to the tempering offers a nice crunch, but, should you not have it, you can use sesame seeds instead, for a similar result. Keep in mind that sesame seeds are an allergen.
• Oil: In this recipe, use neutral-tasting oil, such as canola, sunflower, or vegetable oil. Try avoiding strong options like olive or coconut oil, as they will change the flavor of the peanut chutney.
• Dry Roast: Should you prefer, rather than using oil to prepare the peanuts and chana, you can dry roast them on a low flame. If doing so, start with these first and then use the same pan to cook the onion part of the peanut chutney.
• Serving Suggestions: As this peanut chutney recipe doesn't have coconut or dairy ingredients, it lasts quite well for a longer time, so it is great to serve peanut chutney with breakfast dishes when prepared in advance, or add it to the lunchbox or tiffin, as it won't spoil quickly.

This Andhra-style peanut chutney is the perfect accompaniment to any South Indian breakfast. Groundnut chutney tastes nutty and rich, and works perfectly with idli and dosa, uttapam, and vada, but also chicken, vegetable, or bread pakoras!

🍽️ Recipe

Easy Andhra Style Peanut Chutney Without Coconut

Elle John

Making peanut chutney has never been so easy! Few simple steps and ingredients create the most delicious South Indian breakfast dip, that is versatile and tasty.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Sauces, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Servings 10 portions

Calories 116 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the paste

• ▢ 1 cup Peanuts unsalted
• ▢ 3 teaspoon Chana Dal
• ▢ 1 Tbps Vegetable Oil
• ▢ 1 Green Chili
• ▢ 5 Garlic Cloves Peeled
• ▢ 8-10 Curry Leaves
• ▢ 8-10 Shallots or 1 medium onion
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Seedless Tamarind Pulp

For the tadka

• ▢ 2 Tbps Vegetable Oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• ▢ ¼-1/2 teaspoon Hing
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Urad Dal
• ▢ 10-12 Curry Leaves
• ▢ 2 Dry Red Chillies

Instructions

 

• Heat some oil in a pan and, once warm, add the whole peanuts.
• Gently fry the peanuts on a low flame until they turn light golden brown, then remove them from the pan and set them aside to cool down.
• Next, if necessary, add a little more oil and heat it up once more.
• Add the green chili, garlic, curry leaves, shallots and fry them on a low to medium flame until soft and cooked. Once ready, remove them from the pan, and set them aside with the peanuts.
• Lastly, add chana dal to the pan and fry it until golden brown as well. Once this is ready, set it aside as well.
• Allow the ingredients to cool down, then add to a blender jar together with a piece of seedless tamarind pulp, and blend until smooth. During the process, you may need to add a little water; do so a little at a time, to avoid making it too watery, which could result in the peanut chutney not blending smoothly.
• Set the smooth groundnut chutney in a bowl and prepare the tadka.
• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• Once these have splattered, add urad dal and after 10 seconds, add the hing [asafoetida], whole dry red chilli and curry leaves.
• As soon as these are fragrant, add the tempering on top of the peanut chutney and mix.
• If serving to guests, keep some of the tempering aside to add on top of the bowl as a garnish.
• Enjoy with idli, dosa, uttapam, vada, and pakoras, although you may see peanut chutney served on toast, with plain steamed rice, and vegetable fritters.

Notes

Storage:

• In the fridge: Peanut chutney can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days. Once cold, it may become thicker, so to serve it remove it from the fridge well in advance and if necessary stir through the required portion a teaspoon or two of water.
• In the freezer: I do not recommend freezing groundnut chutney.

Tips:

• Peanuts: This groundnut chutney can be prepared using skin-on or skinless peanuts. There is no need to remove the skin from the peanuts, as it adds a rich nutty flavor to the chutney, however, if wanted, once fried the peanuts can be allowed to cool down, then put in a clean tea towel and lightly rubbed - this will remove the skin from the peanuts, and they can then be used in the chutney.
• Coconut Peanut Chutney: Coconut is often used in South Indian chutneys, and this recipe can be adjusted to accomodate the addition of this ingredient. Simply add ½ cup of fresh grated coconut into the blender jar together with the other ingrents and blend to a smooth paste. Because of the addition, add a little more chana, a few more green chillies [if you like a little heat] and a curry leaves more to it as well, then adjust the salt if needed. Please no not use desiccated coconut, as it does not give a silky smooth chutney.
• Palli Chutney: Palli chutney is not tempered, so, should you wish, you can skip the tadka.
• Sourness: Should you not have tamarind pulp or tamarind paste, which adds sourness, you can add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice instead; this will add some tanginess and acidity, rather than sourness, but it will still work very well. As an alternative, stir through the groundnut chutney a couple of tablespoons of full fat natural yogurt, but bear in mind that when using this, the chutney should be consumed within two days.
• Urad Dal: Adding it to the tempering offers a nice crunch, but, should you not have it, you can add sesame seeds instead, for a similar result. Keep in mind that sesame seeds are an allergen.
• Oil: In this recipe, use a flavorless oil, such as canola, sunflower, or vegetable oil. Try avoiding strong options like olive or coconut oil, as they will change the flavor of the peanut chutney.
• Dry Roast: Should you prefer, rather than using oil to prepare the peanuts and chana, you can dry roast them on a low flame.

Nutrition

Calories: 116kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 5gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.002gSodium: 21mgPotassium: 192mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 97IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg

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