Beetroot Pachadi Recipe (Beetroot Chutney)

This beautiful, vibrant beetroot pachadi or beetroot chutney is a delicious and healthy chutney from the South Indian cuisine of Tamil Nadu and is made with beetroot, coconut, lentils, herbs and spices. Make this onion and garlic free pachadi recipe in 30 minutes and serve as a breakfast dip with idlis, dosa and vada.

About Beetroot Pachadi Recipe

This beetroot chutney is bright and vibrant in color! The reddish-pink colors come from the beetroot and this chutney is not only beautiful to look at but also delicious!

This chutney is a South Indian recipe. You won’t get the typical aroma and taste of beetroot from this chutney.

Beetroot pachadi has a sweet mild flavor and the green chilies add some heat! Lentils, coconut and herbs add even more delicious flavor to this chutney making it the perfect breakfast dip!

The recipe is easy to make. Here the beets are cooked first. I usually grate the beets because they cook faster. But you can choose to chop them finely and cook them in some water until soft. Once soft, blend all the cooked beets in a high-speed blender or mixer-grinder.

Later you have to grind some spices (called tempering) and add it to the finely ground chutney. Serve beetroot chutney with idli, dosa, uttapam or even chapati or as a breakfast with rice as your main meal.

If you love beets, you will love this beetroot chutney.

Step by step guide

How to make Beetroot Pachadi

Prepare and roast the beets

1. Wash, peel and grate 1 large beetroot (150g). You will need 1 cup of grated beetroot.

2. Heat a pan and add 1 tablespoon sesame oil (gingelly oil made from raw sesame seeds). Allow the oil to heat and then reduce the heat. You can use any neutral oil.

Add 1 teaspoon of urad dal (roasted black gram) and 1 teaspoon of chana dal (split husked bengal chickpea).

3. Fry on low heat and stir frequently.

4. Fry both the pulses until golden. Do not burn them. Don’t forget to fry the lentils until golden. They should not be raw or undercooked.

5. Add grated beetroot. Shake and mix well.

6. Add 1 to 2 chopped green chillies (about ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped), 6 to 7 curry leaves and a pinch of hing (asafoetida).

7. Mix well and fry on low flame till the raw smell of beetroot goes away.

8. Fry for a total of 5 to 6 minutes on low flame. Stir frequently while roasting.

If the ingredients start to stick to the pan, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Deglaze and continue to sauté.

9. Turn off the heat and add ⅓ cup of grated coconut. Mix very well.

Make the beetroot chutney

10. Once the mixture is hot or cold, add to a grinder or blender. Add salt to taste.

11. Pour ⅓ to ½ cup of water and grind to a smooth chutney to a fine consistency.

12. Remove all the chutney in a bowl. Set aside.

Do the tampering

13. Heat 1 to 2 teaspoons of sesame oil (gingelly oil) in the same pan where the beetroots were fried or feel free to use another pan. Add half a teaspoon of mustard seeds and let them crackle.

14. Add 6 to 7 curry leaves and a pinch of hing (asafoetida). Mix well and then turn off the heat.

15. Pour the tempering mixture with the oil into the beetroot chutney. Combine and mix very well.

Serving and storage advice

16. Serve beetroot pachadi with any idli or dosa. It can be served as a side dish with roti or paratha. I like to serve it with rava idli, rava dosa, neer dosa, adai or set dosa.

I also make it as a side chutney masala with ven pongal, khichdi or a simple sambar and dal served with steamed rice.

I recommend using the whole chutney throughout the day as it contains coconut – which goes rancid soon. Store the leftover beetroot pachadi in the fridge and try to eat it the same day or keep it in the fridge for up to a day.

Expert tips

• bit: Include beetroot which is fresh, firm, tender and juicy. It is best to avoid beets that are dry or shriveled or hairy or too soft.
• Continuity: Be careful not to dilute the beetroot chutney too much with water, as the flavors will be diluted. If you want to thicken the chutney, add some almond meal, almond flour, or roasted peanut powder, or roasted chana dal powder.
• Taste: Customize this beetroot chutney to your taste! Add more green chilies if you want more heat. If you like it sweeter than the coconut, add more.
• Scaling: You can easily scale this beetroot pachadi and make a big batch for a party or get-together!
• Coconut: I have used freshly grated coconut in the recipe. However, if you don’t have fresh coconut, you can also use unsweetened desiccated coconut.

FAQs

More delicious chutney recipes!

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This beetroot pachadi recipe has been updated from the blog archives first published in October 2016 and republished in May 2023.