Hands down, my favourite part of visiting Indian restaurants is because of the Indian appetizers and trio of poppadom chutneys. By the time I’ve devoured poppadoms and Indian snacks with Indian onion chutney or mango chutney, date and tamarind chutney and yogurt mint sauce I’m usually full! Does this happen to anyone else? This version is a duplicate of the cool, minty slightly sweet yogurt that you often find with Indian meals. Indian food such as onion bhaji, air fryer onion bhaji, tandoori snacks like paneer tikka or tandoori paneer galette goes great with this dip. It has similarities to the green chutney (hari chutney) served with chaat. This cilantro mint chutney, or pudina chutney is made without yogurt. You may recognise many of these ingredients from a mint raita recipe, however, mint raita usually contains cucumber too so is also known as cucumber raita.
Why you will love this recipe:
Tastes just like Indian restaurant / takeaway Takes just 5 minutes to prepare and is a no-cook recipe. Uses easy to find ingredients – all available from a quick trip to your supermarket. Can be made ahead of time – the green sauce retains its vibrant colour thanks to the lemon juice and yogurt.
Ingredients for Yogurt Mint Sauce
Full ingredients with measurements and method can be found in the recipe card below Plain yogurt – for the best taste use full fat yogurt. You can make this with low fat yogurt, however the sauce will be tart. Use a thick yogurt such as greek yogurt where possible. If it is not available, prepare hung curd that is used in Shrikhand recipes. Fresh mint leaves – for refreshing and cool sauce fresh mint leaves are a must. Try to avoid dried mint as you will not get the same effect. Fresh coriander leaves / cilantro – use fresh cilantro leaves with bright green leaves for the best results. Wilted leaves that are starting to darken will spoil the recipe. Green chillies – a staple in Indian cuisine, you can adjust the heat level to your own taste. Add an extra green chilli for a spicy chutney. If green chilli not available, use jalapeno peppers. Spices – a big pinch of ground cumin powder and garam masala works wonders in this Indian mint dip. Optionally, you can add a small pinch of chaat masala but I find the flavours are zingy without it! Note, if you do not have cumin powder but cumin seeds, you can blend them along with the fresh herbs. Sugar – a tsp caster sugar or regular sugar in this sauce makes a huge diffrence, especially if you want it to taste Indian restaurant style. Lemon juice – alternatively use lime juice. If its your personal preference, you can add a small garlic clove to give the Indian mint sauce a kick of flavour
Vegan Indian Mint Sauce
To make this recipe vegan or dairy-free, simply replace the dairy yogurt with a plant-based vegan yogurt.
Easy Indian Mint Sauce
The quickest way to make this recipe is to use British mint sauce from a jar. Simply stir a spoon of mint sauce into 1 cup of yogurt and season to your taste! This easy recipe can be ready in less than a minute ready to serve alongside other Indian snacks. The vinegar used in jarred mint sauce will provide a little tang which is addictive! You can also use any leftover Mint and Coriander chutney that you made earlier and swirl it through yogurt.
Indian Mint Sauce Recipe
First, you need to prepare an easy mint chutney that will be mixed in with the yogurt. You’re looking to get a smooth paste which will blend in nicely. Tip the coriander and mint leaves with the green chillies, and lemon juice into a food processor and blend until you have a smooth consistency. Mix this cilantro chutney with yogurt and cumin powder, season with salt and add sugar to your taste. You may want to add more lemon juice. It is easy to do a quick taste test and decide on any changes to the seasoning!
Tips:
For mint chutney recipe use the freshest ingredients where possible, especially fresh herbs – wilting mint and coriander leaves will ruin the flavour Do not add yogurt to the blender whilst blending coriander and mint. The yogurt will become far too runny Use thick yogurt for a thick sauce as the green paste will thin out the yogurt.
Serving Suggestion for Indian Mint Sauce
Serve it British Indian Restaurant style with a trio of chutneys and a bowl of Indian kachumber or Indian Onion Salad on the side. Use it as a green chutney for paneer tikka or drizzled over chaat such as bhel puri or sev puri Why not try it as a salad dressing in buddha bowls or other healthy recipes It makes for a delicious dipping sauce for finger foods such as masala chips, samosas and kachori. Keep some spicy condiments, like this red chutney, in a separate bowl so your guests can choose whichever they like! I like to spread this Yogurt Mint Sauce onto a naan bread. I then top with falafel and salad for a delicious lunch! Check out these other Samosa Dipping Sauces for more inspiration!
Storage
Store leftover chutney in the fridge in an airtight container. It should keep well for 2-3 days. If it separates, give it a stir before serving. You can also freeze this yogurt chutney. Spoon into an ice cube tray, once frozen, you can transfer into freezer bags and defrost as you need – note that it might be a bit more liquid when it defrosts.
Other Restaurant Style Indian Recipes
Sweet Tamarind Chutney Masala Poppadums Paneer Jalfrezi Saag Aloo Pilau Rice Dal Fry As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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