Salty, spicy, tangy, crunchy and ridiculously quick to put together... This Peanut Chaat is the easiest cold appetizer that comes together in 10 minutes or less with very little prep. It pairs perfectly with a cup of chai or a cold beer!
Peanut chaat is a simple mixture of unsalted, raw peanuts mixed with diced vegetables, a few spices, and lemon juice in its most basic form. There are several versions that are served street-style in India.
Peanut chaat is sometimes served as a snack in bars in India, commonly referred to as chakna. Some people even call it a peanut chaat salad, because it's generally healthy and a great snack in moderation for weight loss. The fat from the peanuts keep you feeling full and satisfied. The spicy, tangy Indian flavors make it a flavorful, quick snack.
There's no frying, making chutneys, or using processed foods with this. Peanut Chaat is simple and flavorful and great for throwing together for a gathering as a snack or appetizer. This bright, colorful appetizer comes together in 10-15 minutes!
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What is Indian Chaat?
A popular street food in South Asia, "chaat" describes an entire category of Indian snacks! They're the preferred vegetarian starter at any desi restaurant. It hits every flavor profile and texture that makes it craveable - sweet, spicy, tangy, salty, crunchy.
Chaat is essentially a quick snack you can make at any time with things that are already in your pantry. Usually, family and friends sit over a tablescape of different chaats with a cup of freshly brewed chai to gossip. A popular pun is, "let's chat over chaat."
A few staples are Samosa Chaat, Papdi Chaat, Sev Puri Chaat, Fruit Chaat, Peanut Chaat, Aloo Tikki Chaat, Gol Gappa or Pani Puri, Raj Kachori, Bhel Puri, Dahi Vada... the list goes on and on.
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
- Peanuts - In my household, we love the peanuts roasted and lightly salted. However, fried or boiled peanuts are just as delicious.
- Red Onion - Raw red onion adds a bite to the chaat. To take out that raw flavor, rinse the diced onion under cold water and drain the water as best as possible.
- Tomato - Any type of tomato diced up will work. Plum, roma, or cherry tomatoes that don't have too much pulp work best.
- Hot pepper - Use a mild green chili like serrano pepper or jalapeños. Remove the seeds to reduce the spice level.
- Spices - This is kept super simple with chaat masala, a must for most chaats, and chili powder.
Peanuts contain 19 vitamins and minerals, many of which keep the heart healthy. One ounce of peanuts contains 8 grams of protein! In my household, we never use other nuts for chaat since peanuts are so nutritious. For example, you would never add pistachios or walnuts to chaat.
Recommended Kitchen Equipment
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Buy Now → How to make Peanut Chaat
The first thing for making Peanut Chaat is to prep all of your fresh ingredients.
Finely dice your tomatoes and red onion and set it aside. Slice the serrano pepper into rings. Chop the cilantro. If you're using fresh pomegranate, remove the arils.
Then, add the red onions, tomatoes, peanuts, serrano peppers, chaat masala, Kashmiri chili powder, salt, and cilantro into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice over everything. Toss contents of the bowl until well combined.
That's it! You're ready to serve in small bowls or plates. About a ⅓ - ½ cup per person is more than enough.
Variations of Peanut Chaat
Other delicious toppings for peanut chaat include:
- Pomegranate seeds
- Sautéed potatoes
- Dahi (yogurt)
- Imli chutney
- Cilantro-mint chutney
The peanuts can be boiled, roasted, or even fried! They don't have to be served raw.
Storage Instructions
Chaat is meant for day of consumption. It should be made and served as fresh as possible.
Peanut chaat also doesn't do well stored overnight. If you want to prep ahead, I'd suggest dicing the onion and tomato and slicing the jalapeño for storage in the refrigerator until you're ready to toss everything together.
More Indian Snacks to try
Recipe
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Peanut Chaat
Ingredients
- 6 oz peanuts, roasted and salted
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 plum tomato, diced
- 1 serrano pepper, diced
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- salt, to taste
- handful cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Dice the onion, tomato, and chili pepper. Finely chop the cilantro.
- In a bowl, toss the peanuts, onion, tomato, chili pepper, cilantro, lemon juice, chaat masala, salt, and chili powder.
- Serve immediately with additional chilis and lemon wedges.
Lilo says
Do the peanuts get soggy from the lemon juice and wet ingredients? Wondering if I can make this salad a day ahead...
Shweta Garg says
Yeah I wouldn’t recommend it making a day ahead. But all it really requires is chopping some veggies and juicing a lemon so it takes 5 minutes to make it fresh.
Shibh says
It looks yummy and colourful. So quick and easy to make. I will definitely try this chaat at home. Thanks for sharing!
Apurav says
Awesome recipe. So quick and easy to make.
I added sprouts some sprouts too. It was delicious.
Shweta says
Yes! Sprouts are such a great idea! Glad you enjoyed it!
Mannu says
Very well written blog! Chaat looks amazing!
Shweta says
hope you get the chance to try it!