The Fruit Chaat is a delicious, sweet, spicy, and tangy Indian-style fruit salad recipe made with a combination of juicy seasonal fresh fruits flavored with chaat masala, mint leaves, lemon juice, and other spices. You can enjoy this healthy chaat as a snack, salad, or dessert.
In India, the term “chaats” refers to a popular category of street food that is a perfect balance of sweet, spicy, tangy, and crunchy flavors. It includes a wide variety of snacks such as pani poori (golgappa), bhel puri, sev puri, aloo tikki chaat, and dahi papdi chaat, each offering a unique burst of taste and texture.
Jump to:
- What is a Fruit Chaat?
- What is Chaat Masala?
- What Fruits to Use in Fruit Chaat?
- Ingredients
- How to Make Fruit Chaat
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage Suggestions
- Tips to Make the Best Indian Fruit Salad
- Variations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Healthy Indian Chaat Recipes
- Fruit Chaat (Fruit Salad with Chaat Masala)
What is a Fruit Chaat?
Fruit chaat is a spicy, tangy fruit salad popular in India and Pakistan. It is made with fresh fruits, lemon juice, mint leaves, chaat masala, and other spices. It is typically eaten with meals during Ramadan Iftar.
This is a great fruit salad for summer. It is also great for serving on Hindu fasting days or Navratri. You may also like my fruit salad honey lime dressing, and fruit sandwich.
For Vrat-friendly fruit chaat, just skip chaat masala and replace black salt with sendha namak (rock salt).
What is Chaat Masala?
Chaat masala, or Chat masala, is a unique blend of ground spices that is spicy, tangy, and pungent, originating from South Asia, and typically used to add flavor to the chaat.
It is made by combining dry mango powder (amchur), black salt (kala namak), cumin powder (jeera), coriander powder (dhania), dried ginger, red chili powder, and asafoetida (hing).
It is sprinkled on salads, appetizers, raita, masala chaas, and chaat items.
You can make your own chaat masala at home or purchase it from the local Indian grocery store or on Amazon. Some of my favorite brands of chaat masala are Everest, Catch, MDH, and Shan.
What Fruits to Use in Fruit Chaat?
There is no fixed rule for making a fruit chaat bowl. Select a mix of sweet, tangy, and juicy fruits for all-round flavors. It is better to use seasonal fruits because they are cheap, sweet, and perfectly ripened. However, you can use any fruits that you have in hand.
The most commonly used fruits are apples, pears, grapes, bananas, oranges, mango, and pomegranates. The other fruits that you can use are pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, etc.
Avoid using fruits with high water content, like watermelon, and cantaloupes (muskmelon).
Ingredients
You will need the following few ingredients to make the fruit chaat recipe at home.
- Fruits: Try to use seasonal produce for the sweeter and perfectly ripened fruit in the salad. I used Apples, pears, bananas, grapes, pomegranates, strawberries, and oranges (or mandarine) for this salad. Other fruits that go well are mango, peach, pineapple, guava, papaya, and blueberries. Try to add a balance of sweet and tangy fruits.
- Chaat Masala: This is the star ingredient of this fruit salad that adds a spicy, salty, sour, and tangy kick to the fruit salad. You can easily find it in Indian grocery stores or on Amazon.
- Cumin Powder: I prefer roasted cumin powder for its intense and nutty aroma. If you don't have it, add an extra ¼ teaspoon of chaat masala.
- Black Pepper: is added for a spicy kick. You can substitute it with a pinch of red chili powder or cayenne.
- Salt: I prefer kala namak (black salt) as it brings out the best fruit flavors. If you can't find it, use Himalayan salt (pink salt) or sea salt instead.
- Mint Leaves: Optional. It adds freshness to the salad. You can skip it if you don't prefer.
- Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice works best. Do not use bottled lemon/lime juice here.
How to Make Fruit Chaat
Firstly, chop the fruits into bite-size pieces and assemble them in a large bowl.
Add the spices chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, black salt (kala namak) and black pepper, freshly squeezed lemon juice (or lime), and chopped mint leaves. Gently toss everything together until well combined without mashing the fruits.
Note: Adding lemon juice prevents fruits from browning.
Serve this fruit chaat immediately. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Serve fruit chaat immediately after mixing it. If it sits for longer, it may release water.
You can enjoy this fruit chaat as a salad along with the meal or a snack with masala chai in the evening.
Storage Suggestions
- Make Ahead: If you plan to serve it later, cut the fruits like strawberries, oranges, and grapes ahead of time. When you are ready to serve, cut bananas, apples, and pears and toss everything with spices and fresh herbs.
- Fridge: Fruit chaat tastes best when served fresh. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container for 6-8 hours in the refrigerator. Fruits get soggy and mushy.
- Freeze: I do not recommend freezing leftovers fruit chat.
Tips to Make the Best Indian Fruit Salad
- Fruit Selection: Use any fruits of your choice. Avoid fruits with high water quantity, such as watermelon and cantaloupe, as they water down the salad.
- Freshness: If you are adding fruits that brown easily, like bananas, apples, and pears, slice and add to the fruit salad just before serving.
- Cutting Size: Cut all the fruits into bite-size pieces for even seasoning.
- Seasoning: Toss the fruits with the seasoning just before serving, otherwise, the fruits will release the water. Adjust the spices according to your liking.
- Fruit Juices: Some people also like to add 2-3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice, or pineapple juice. If you already use citrus fruits, I do not recommend adding them.
- Fruit Chaat for Fasting/Vrat days: skip adding chaat masala and use sendha namak (rock salt) instead of black salt.
- Sweetener: If the fruits are not very sweet, you can add a teaspoon of maple syrup, honey, or any sweetener of your choice.
Variations
- Tropical Fruits: Adding freshly cut fruits tropical fruits like pineapple, guava, mango, and papaya enhances the flavor of this fruit salad.
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes: You can also toss in fried or roasted sweet potatoes or roasted potatoes for a variation.
- Chickpeas: Some people like to add boiled chickpeas (chole) to this fruit salad. It boosts the protein intake and makes it a filling meal.
- Canned Fruits: You may add canned fruit such as pineapple, peach, etc., or a canned fruit cocktail to this fruit chaat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it's healthy. Fruits are a good source of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, are high in fiber, and are low in calories.
Some of the best fruits to use for the fruit salad are
Apples
Papaya
Mango
Grapes
Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
Oranges or mandarins
Pomegranates.
Avoid fruits with high water content, like watermelon, and cantaloupe, in the salad, as they release water after seasoning.
Chaat Masala is a unique blend of spices that gives a tangy and sour taste to the dishes. Hence, it cannot be substituted. However, you can also add a combination of cumin powder, dry mango powder,
black pepper, and kala namak (black salt) or regular salt.
I don't recommend using frozen fruit. As you thaw frozen fruit, it releases a lot of liquid. After defrosting, the frozen fruit becomes softer than fresh fruit, which doesn't hold up well in a fruit salad.
I personally prefer Everest, MDH, and Shaan brands for chaat masala.
More Healthy Indian Chaat Recipes
Fruit Chaat (Fruit Salad with Chaat Masala)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium apple
- 1 orange mandarin
- 1 medium pear
- 4 medium strawberries
- 1 medium banana
- ½ cup grapes
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon black salt (kala namak)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper crushed, (or red chili powder)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 5-6 mint leaves finely chopped, optional
Instructions
- Firstly, chop the fruits into bite-size pieces and assemble them in a large bowl.
- Add all the spices, freshly squeezed lemon juice (or lime), and chopped mint leaves. Gently toss everything together until well combined without mashing the fruits.Note: Adding lemon juice prevents fruits from browning.
- Serve this fruit chaat immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips to Make the Best Indian Fruit Salad
- Fruit Selection: Use any fruits of your choice. Avoid fruits with high water quantity, such as watermelon and cantaloupe, as they water down the salad.
- Freshness: If you are adding fruits that brown easily, like bananas, apples, and pears, slice and add to the fruit salad just before serving.
- Cutting Size: Cut all the fruits into bite-size pieces for even seasoning.
- Seasoning: Toss the fruits with the seasoning just before serving, otherwise, the fruits will release the water. Adjust the spices according to your liking.
- Fruit Juices: Some people also like to add 2-3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice, or pineapple juice. If you already use citrus fruits, I do not recommend adding them.
- Fruit Chaat for Fasting/Vrat days: skip adding chaat masala and use sendha namak (rock salt) instead of black salt.
- Sweetener: If the fruits are not very sweet, you can add a teaspoon of maple syrup, honey, or any sweetener of your choice.
Variations
- Tropical Fruits: Adding freshly cut fruits tropical fruits like pineapple, guava, mango, and papaya enhances the flavor of this fruit salad.
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes: You can also toss in fried or roasted sweet potatoes or potatoes for a variation.
- Chickpeas: Some people like to add chickpeas (chole) to this fruit salad. It boosts the protein intake and makes it a filling meal.
- Canned Fruits: You may add canned fruit such as pineapple, peach, etc., or a canned fruit cocktail to this fruit chaat.
Nutrition
★ Like this recipe? FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube for more quick & easy recipes.
Leave a Reply