How many times have you had chaat or dahi vada? A true chaat or dahi vada is incomplete with out the rendition of good chutney on it. This date chutney is key ingredient in chaat recipes. This tamarind date chutney super easy to make and it also referred as khajoor imli chutney.
Jump To
What is Tamarind Date Chutney
Before we talk about tamarind date chutney, lets understand what is chutney. Chutney is a hindi word. It is referred to sauces and is family of condiments. Chutney means, crushing or grinding some thing to a paste form. Chutney has close link to word “chaatna” also known as licking. It is also sometimes spelled as chutni.
This, chutney is a common word in the world now, however is household name in India. A chutney made with Dates and Tamarind as main ingredients is Date tamarind chutney or sweet chutney. Dates are sweet and tamarind gives unique taste. Normally sugar is also added.

It is an open secret that I am a huge chaat lover. I love all sorts of chaats like, pani puri, sev puri, bhel puri, and all the savoury Indian street food like dahi vada, samosa. None of these for me can be complete unless I have topped up with this sweet date tamarind chutney. The unique sweet tangy gooey taste of this chutney is absolutely mouthwatering.
This chutney is a keeper. Its one stop solution to all the needs of all chaats! I have even used this chutney with nachos and pakodas.
Method
- Soak the tamarind and dates in enough water for 2 hours. After that, boil them in 2 cup of water for 10- 12 minutes. Switch off the heat and let it cool.
- Once cooled, grind them in a food processor to make a smooth paste.
- Take a strainer and place it over a big pan. Now strain the ground paste through the strainer with the help of little water.
- Place this pan containing strained pulp, over medium heat and add jaggery and sugar. Mix well and let it cook for 10 minutes. Add all the spices and mix well.
- Switch off the heat and let it cool down.

Pro Tips
- Soak both, tamarind and dates, well in advance.
- Adding jaggery gives a unique taste, however if you can’t find it, you can skip it. But remember the taste won’t be authentic with out jaggery. You can use any jaggery, however dates jaggery gives best taste.
- Adjust sugar as per own taste.
- This chutney will thicken after cooling, hence leave it bit watery when you switch off the heat.
This Tamarind Dates Chutney Is
- Fully Vegan
- Absolutely gluten-free
- A great condiment to keep at home all the time
- Easy to make with minimal skills
- Low in calories

Storage and serving suggestion
Once bought to room temperature after making, store this date tamarind chutney in an airtight container, under refrigeration. This chutney has shelf life of 2-3 weeks. Whilst taking the chutney out, use a dry spoon.
You will find this chutney handy with papdi chaat, dahi vada, or any chaat, or hot fried savoury. Pair it with samosa or kachori too.
If you are looking for variety of chutney recipes, you may like to try out :
- Mint coriander (cilantro) chutney, also called green chutney
- Mango apple chutney
- South Indian coconut chutney
- Tomato chutney
Recipe Card
Tamarind Dates Chutney
Ingredients
- 200 grams Tamarind Seedless
- 15 Dates Dry and seedless
- 1/3 Cup Jaggery
- 4 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Roasted Cumin Seeds Crushed coarsely
- 1/3 tsp Dry Ginger Powder
- 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1/2 tsp Black Salt
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Soak the tamarind and dates in enough water for 2 hours. After that, boil them in 2 cup of water for 10- 12 minutes. Switch off the heat and let it cool.
- Once cooled, grind them in a food processor to make a smooth paste.
- Take a strainer and place it over a big pan. Now strain the ground paste through the strainer with the help of little water.
- Place this pan containing strained pulp, over medium heat and add jaggery and sugar. Mix well and let it cook for 10 minutes. Add all the spices and mix well.
- Switch off the heat and let it cool down. Transfer it to a glass jar and keep it inside the fridge to use it over next 2-3 weeks.
Notes
- You can replace sugar or jaggery according to your taste. Similarly adjust the amount of them to make the chutney more or less sweet.
- Adjust the amount of water according to the desired consistency of chutney, keeping in mind that this will get thicker once cooled completely.
Waaah 👌👌 how greatly you described all about chutny…from ingredients to nutrition facts….mindblowing
Great to hear that you found this chutney recipe mind blowing 🙂