The simplest recipes are the best. And this spicy cucumber chutney is no exception. With Caribbean roots, this chutney comes together in just minutes and is naturally gluten-free and vegan.

A clear glass filled with shredded cucumber chutney sitting on a wooden cutting board next to fresh cucumber slices and cilantro.

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Perfect as a topping on grilled vegetables and meats, like our blackened cod. Serve with flatbreads or as a stand-alone side dish. This recipe has some heat so I love to pair it with this cooling avocado lime crema.

This recipe is very straightforward and quick to make. But there are some substitutions so that you can vary the spice and adapt to what is available at your local grocery store.

I wrote this recipe using cilantro because it is easy to find and taste similar to the herb used in authentic cucumber chutney. Traditionally, cucumber chutney uses chadon beni, also called culantro and shado beni.

Chadon beni is an herb with long thin leaves common in East Indian cooking. It is similar in flavor to cilantro but more pungent. It can be found at many international supermarkets. If you can get your hands on some, only use 1 to 2 tablespoons. You need about half the amount of chadon beni as you do cilantro, it has a much stronger flavor.

🧾Ingredient Notes

English Cucumber- Seedless varieties work best for this chutney. If you can only get standard cucumbers cut them in half and scrape out the bulk of the seeds before shredding.
Habanero Pepper- Other possible chili substitutes include a serrano, scotch bonnet, bird's eye chile, or Thai chili. Not a fan of spice? Use 1 tablespoon of chopped roasted red pepper.
Lime- Fresh lime or fresh lemon.

⏲️How to Make Cucumber Chutney

Grated cucumber straining in a colander.

The key to this chutney is grated cucumber and a very fine chop on your other ingredients so that they blend seamlessly. Use the large side of a box grated or a similar size grater on your food processor.

A hand pressing the cucumber down in a colander.

Once your cucumber is grated you want to put it into a strainer or colander to allow the excess water to drop out. At least 5 minutes, but longer is fine. You aren't on a time crunch with this step.
Before combining with the other ingredients, you will want to gently press the grated cucumber to release any excess water.

The lime, cilantro, and habanero need to be finely chopped. I like to save my hands and do this in a food processor but a knife and cutting board work too.

Simply combine your spicy herb mixture with the grated cucumber and salt to taste. Voila!

🥘How to Serve Caribbean Chutneys

Cucumber chutney can be used as a sauce or topping and as a stand-alone side dish.

I most often pair it with our Caribbean-inspired crockpot shredded beef or Vietnamese grilled pork. But I also love it with anything BBQ or grilled, from BBQ 3-2-1 ribs to BBQ chicken. Swap traditional BBQ sauce for a Jerk BBQ sauce and enjoy all the heat!

Chutney in bowl on cutting board with cucumbers.

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