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Home » Recipe Index » Dips, Sauces and Seasonings

Onion Tomato Chutney for Idli & Dosa

Published: Apr 1, 2020 · Modified: Feb 4, 2025 by Sandhya Hariharan · 41 Comments

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Onion Tomato Chutney

 Tomato Onion Chutney Recipe is a lip-smacking chutney, perfect accompaniment for Dosa & Idli.  This Vegan Tomato chutney recipe is a quintessential South-Indian classic chutney that can be made with staple pantry ingredients.

You will love this  WHITE COCONUT CHUTNEY TOO!

Learn to make this easy onion tomato chutney with step by step photo in 20 minutes.

Onion Tomato Chutney for Dosa / Idly

 

HOMEMADE TOMATO CHUTNEY

Talk about South Indian breakfast, you have got to have onion tomato chutney & coconut chutney to serve along.

Not just Idli Dosa, I love serving Onion Uttapam, Instant Oats Idli, Rava Pongal  & Ven Pongal with this homemade tomato chutney.

My sister in law makes some of the delicious chutney's and this tomato onion chutney is from her repository. I have been making her version of chutney for a few years now, but there are always new tweaks in it, to suit the flavours of the day.

We make Dosa ( also known as Lentil Pancakes ) at least twice a week and serve them with either this chutneys or dosa milagai podi ( also known as edible gunpowder ) or tiffin sambar or chutney powder.

Talk about Chutney's we have got so so many choices to pick from.  White Coconut Chutney is usually the hot favourite apart from tiffin sambar. But if you are looking for dosa chutney without coconut or idli chutney without coconut or even onion tomato chutney without coconut, then you have to try this keep safe tomato chutney recipe.

Let me tell you,

This Onion Tomato Chutney

  • is an ideal chutney dip for dosa, idli, pongal, vada, upma and even rice.
  • so easy to make and ready in less than 20 minutes
  • uses staple ingredients from the pantry
  • is easily customisable
  • is VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE
  • stores well in refrigerator for at-least a week and more than 3 months in the freezer.

Onion Tomato Chutney for Dosa / Idly

 INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THIS ONION TOMATO CHUTNEY RECIPE

This South Indian chutney has got really simple ingredients. Lets start with

Tomatoes - Use ripe red Vine Tomatoes. Tomatoes render gorgeous colour to this south indian chutney.

Onions - I have used white onions for this tomato chutney. However, you might use red onions too which adds some excellent flavours.

Garlic - Fresh garlic cloves adds deep flavours to the chutney. I would not recommend using garlic puree.

Dried Red Chilly - We like our chutney mildly spiced. Hence I have added just 2 red chillies. You may as well add more to make it spicer.

Curry Leaves - I love the rustic flavours from the curry leaves in chutney.

Tamarind ( Optional ) - Tamarind Pulp adds that extra tang to the chutney. But you can feel free to leave it out too.

Seasoning -  I like elevate the flavours in my chutneys with mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chillies. But, this chutney tastes wonderful without the tempering too.

HOW TO MAKE TOMATO CHUTNEY RECIPE STEP BY STEP ?

The whole idea is to cook the vegetables until the raw smell is eliminated. Allow them to cool down and then puree them into a smooth paste.  Tempering the chutney with curry leaves , mustard seeds, urad dal and red chillies elevate the flavours. But it is completely optional if you would like to leave it out.

First, to make this easy tomato Chutney recipe - dice the onions, tomatoes separately and keep it aside.

1.Heat oil in a pan, add garlic, curry leaves, red chillies, onion. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes until onion is translucent.

2.Add the tomatoes and Sauté until mixed.

onion tomato chutney step by step3. Cook for 3-4  minutes or until tomatoes are soft.

4. Allow the mixture to cool down and transfer the mixture to a blender.

Onion Tomato Chutney Step by Step

5.Blend until a smooth chutney is obtained. Adjust Salt to suit the taste.

6.Transfer the chutney into the serving bowl .

7.Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, urad Dal, curry leaves and red chillies. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and now season the chutney with the prepared tempering.

8.Serve this prepared chutney with dosa & idli.

Onion Tomato Chutney Step by step

HOW TO STORE TOMATO ONION CHUTNEY?

Store this homemade  chutney in an airtight jar and it will stay fresh for up to a week in the refrigerator. Alternatively you may as well freeze them for a few months. Remember to store the chutney in small portions when storing it in freezer. Once the onion tomato chutney is thawed, it cannot be frozen again.

HAVE YOU MADE MY VEGAN TOMATO CHUTNEY ? 

Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #sandhyaskitchen. I would love to see your take on this chutney.

Onion Tomato Chutney for Dosa / Idly

YOU WILL ALSO LOVE THESE CHUTNEY FOR DOSA / IDLI

  • RED PEPPER CHUTNEY
  • COCONUT CURRY LEAVES CHUTNEY

South Indian onion tomato chutney recipe below

Onion Tomato Chutney for Dosa / Idly

Onion Tomato Chutney recipe

5 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 81kcal
Author: Sandhya Hariharan
Serve this easy Onion Tomato Chutney along with Dosa/ Idli, Rice, Upma and Pongal. Learn how to make this chutney with step by step method.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoon Oil
  • 175 g Onion medium, diced
  • 350 g Tomatoes large, diced
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Dried Red Chilli
  • 5-6 Curry Leaves
  • Salt To Taste
  • 2 teaspoon Tamarind pulp optional
  • 1 teaspoon Jaggery optional

For Tempering:

  • 1 teaspoon Oil
  • ¾ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
  • ½ teaspoon Urd Dal
  • 1 Sprig Curry Leaves
  • 3-4 Dried Red Chilli

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a kadai/ pan and add garlic, curry leaves, red chillies, onion and a pinch of salt.
  •  Sauté for about 3-4 minutes until onion is translucent.
  • Add the tomatoes & Tamarind Pulp{ optional } and Sauté until mixed. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. 
  • Allow the mixture to cool down.
  • If you like it sweeter, add 1 teaspoon of Jaggery. This step is completely optional.
  • Transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until a smooth chutney is obtained.
  • Adjust Salt to suit the taste.
  • Transfer the chutney into the serving bowl. 
  • Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, urad Dal, curry leaves and red chillies. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and now season the chutney with the prepared tempering.
  • Serve onion tomato chutney with dosa & idli.

Notes

KITCHEN NOTES:
Dried Red Chilly can be increased or decreased to suit the level of spiciness.
Add Jaggery for the hint of sweetness. ( optional )
Adding Ginger to Tomato Onion Chutney is completely optional.

Nutrition

Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 591mg | Potassium: 306mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 834IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhyaskitchen and Hashtag #sandhyaskitchen!

Recipe was first published on 17th November 2011.

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Comments

  1. Tadka Pasta says

    November 17, 2014 at 3:13 am

    5 stars
    Looks so good! A few crisp dosas and we'll be happy campers 🙂

    Reply
  2. Kalyan says

    December 03, 2011 at 9:28 am

    Just mouthwatering...looks so easy to prepare and delicious!

    Reply
    • Sandhya's Kitchen says

      March 07, 2021 at 11:15 pm

      This Tomato Chutney is an excellent side dish for South Indian dishes - Dosa, Idli, Pongal, Utapam

      Reply
  3. Amina Khaleel says

    November 24, 2011 at 12:30 am

    my favourite chutney too.. beautiful pics...

    Reply
  4. Muskaan at A2Z Healthy Vegetarian Cuisine says

    November 22, 2011 at 7:45 pm

    Awesome clicks and super delicious chutney..

    Muskaan

    Reply
  5. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    November 22, 2011 at 6:29 pm

    What a marvelous chutney! Really tempting and beautifully presented.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  6. vineetha says

    November 22, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    5 stars
    I m drooling over those lovely chutneys...reminds me of chennai trip when I had loads of this chutneys,I was impressed by those chutneys so much and tried to make it myself few times but never got the taste of chennai chutneys..I will book mark this one !!

    Reply
  7. Kavi says

    November 22, 2011 at 7:32 am

    wonderful photographs!!!!! Love yuour blog!
    -
    Your new fan, 😀
    Kavi | Edible Entertainment
    Ongoing event: Healthy Lunch Challenge

    Reply
  8. An Open Book says

    November 20, 2011 at 10:24 pm

    i get dosa batter from east ham once a month (sadly its too far away, otherwise i would have made it a regular) and it lasts us for exactly 2 meals...i usually get away with just sambar and a coconut chutney, but on occasions ive wanted 2 make tomato chutney..il keep this recipe in mind the next time 🙂

    Reply
  9. Aarthi says

    November 20, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    5 stars
    .U have made it perfectly..Love to try this chutney recipe.

    Reply
  10. jayashree says

    November 19, 2011 at 3:59 am

    Tried out this chutney & it turned out awesome....

    Reply
  11. Zareena says

    November 18, 2011 at 2:38 pm

    This looks fantastic. very inviting too.

    Reply
  12. Prathima Rao says

    November 18, 2011 at 10:32 am

    oh my ghsoh...thats a mouthwatering chutney..Looks morish & u have nailed it Sandhya...Perfect consistency & flavors..Fab clicks..:)
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

    Reply
  13. Paaka Shaale says

    November 17, 2011 at 8:59 pm

    Thanks for all those lovely comments on my space Sandhya. You have a great space as well. I am wondering how I missed this lovely blog of yours. The chutney looks fabulous. Loved the shots of the onions 🙂

    Reply
  14. Chitra says

    November 17, 2011 at 4:57 pm

    Will try soon 🙂

    Reply
  15. Priya's Feast says

    November 17, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    Wow..I am drooling here,sandhya..This is a stunning pic on chutney

    Reply
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Hey, I'm Sandhya

It’s wonderful to meet you! As a self-taught photographer with a background in IT, I’m excited to share easy vegetarian recipes developed right in my Surrey kitchen. Come learn more and say hi!

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