Looking to make the best homemade Fruit Chaat Masala?
Our quick & easy Indian Fruit Salad recipe is the perfect sweet, spicy and tangy snack to serve at breakfast or brunch.
This vegan Fruit Chaat recipe features simple and affordable ingredients like apples, pears, oranges, blueberries, mango chutney, amchur dried mango powder, rice krispie cereal and toasted pumpkin seeds.
My tasty spiced Indian Fruit Salad recipe is a family favourite as the ingredients can easily be substituted to reflect what fruits are in season at the local farmers market.
Serve as a simple breakfast bowl or as part of a hearty brunch alongside creamy Greek-style yogurt and a hot pot of Darjeeling tea!
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What Is Fruit Chaat Masala?
Chaat is a broad culinary term in Indian cuisine representing a wide range of street food snacks. Chaat recipes usually feature some kind of crunchy deep fried dough with various ingredients that typically create a spicy, tangy, or salty flavour.
Chaat’s are beloved for their ability to perfectly contrast several complex layers of flavours and textures. They often feature ingredients that are crunchy, tender and soft. Scoop a spoonful of chaat into your mouth and you’ll likely enjoy an explosion of flavours that are simultaneously spicy, tangy, salty and sweet.
Most traditional chaat are savoury and served at roadside stands as a quick meal or grab and go snack.
Fruit Chaat, also known as Spiced Indian Fruit Salad, deviates from this tradition as it’s on the sweeter side. We like to serve Fruit Chaat Masala at an Indian-themed breakfast or brunch. It also makes for a tasty afternoon snack when you’ve got plenty of fresh fruit in the fridge.
In India and Pakistan the dish is often prepared as a spiced fruit salad with crunchy apples, juicy oranges, tender sliced banana, and sweet guava. The addition of Amchur Powder, a key ingredient in chaat masala, gives the dish a tangy flavour.
What Is Fruit Chaat Made Of?
Traditionally, fruit chaat in India and Pakistan is prepared as a spiced fruit salad. It is often made with apples, oranges, bananas, and guava, but can be prepared with any of your favourite fresh fruits. Our favourite Fruit Chaat Masala recipe features contrasting flavours and textures such as spicy and sweet, crunchy and juicy.
What Is The Flavour Of Fruit Chaat?
Chaat is an umbrella term for a wide range of street foods that usually feature some kind of fried dough with various ingredients that typically create a spicy, tangy, or salty flavour, though some chaat are sweet and feature fresh fruit.
What Is Chaat Masala Made Of?
Chaat Masala is a spice powder made with ingredients like dried mango powder (amchur), dried pomegranate seeds, and black salt. It’s the essential ingredient in Pakistani and Indian street food such as chana chaat, fruit chaat, and papri chaat. Amchur Dried Mango Powder is what gives Chaat Masala its desirable tangy taste.
Travel to India by Making Fruit Chaat Masala at Home
I love traveling through Asia.
My first visit to Asia had me living in South Korea for a year as a teacher and it’s where I was first introduced to fermented vegetables like kimchi.
After my contract ended in Seoul I travelled throughout Asia for 6 months, visiting the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, The Maldives and India.
I spent over a month traveling through India. I started in the capital, eating my way through the bustling markets and fine dining restaurants in Delhi. I then embarked on a magical weekend getaway to awe-inspiring Taj Mahal in Agra. In India’s north you’ll find plenty of barbecue, Chilli Paneer Masala and wheat-based flatbreads.
For the second half of my Indian adventure I explored the southern state of Kerala. The south is famous for its seafood, coconut, tropical fruits, and rice based side dishes like crispy dosa. The colonial capital of Cochin was formerly run by the Portuguese. It’s also one of the only places in India you can find beef on a menu.
After enjoying a jaunt to the Maldives my India trip came to a close in the Bollywood capital, bustling and cosmopolitan Mumbai. The city is famous for its specialty street foods and fine dining restaurants at opulent luxury hotels. The Taj Mahal Palace in particular serves one of the world’s most famous Afternoon Teas.
What I found most fascinating is India’s distinct regional food cultures. Much like the regional cuisines found in France, Germany, Italy or Spain, each city in India had its own local speciality.
After you’ve traveled to India, return home to prepare a sweet and spicy snack for friends and family featuring this easy Fruit Chaat recipe!
Where To Eat Indian Fruit Salad
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to local Indian restaurants that serve their own unique Fruit Chaat Masala.
Haven’t traveled to India before? It may be helpful to first sample Fruit Chaat at a local Indian restaurant to better understand how the dish is served. You can determine what types of fruit to toss in the bowl, perfect spicy and tangy masala flavouring and crispy toppings to give the dish a delightful crunch.
In Toronto, popular Indian restaurants that may serve Fruit Chaat include Udupi Palace, Lahore Tikka House and Kothur Indian Cuisine.
My Family Loves Fruit Chaat Indian Salad
I’ll never forget my first experience eating Fruit Chaat.
I woke up at a luxury hotel in Cochin, the capital of the southern state of Kerala, to find a decadent breakfast buffet. I felt like I had arrived in a different country as the dishes in Southern India are unique to what you’d find in Agra or Delhi.
The waiter asked me if I’d like to try a local breakfast speciality, crispy dosa served with a selection of chutneys. I remember sipping bitter darjeeling tea while dipping dosa into spicy chutney. I experienced an unforgettable explosion of flavours in my mouth as hot tea muddled with the flavours of spiced chutney. A wonderful way to wake up to the world!
The waiter saw that I loved the dosa and moments later brought over a small bowl of Fruit Chaat Masala. I scooped a spoonful into my mouth and my eyes immediately bulged with glee. I fell in love with the simple Indian Fruit Salad because of its complex flavours (sweet, spicy, tangy) and textures (tender, crunchy, juicy).
After traveling throughout India and eating at some of the world’s best Indian restaurants I was excited to share my love of Indian Fruit Salad with family in Toronto.
I first made this Fruit Chaat recipe for my family at our cottage in Muskoka on a hot summer day. We had loads of fresh fruit in the fridge so chopped up apples, pears, a juicy orange and scattered the bowl with plump blueberries.
I grew up eating plenty of fruit salads, which my mom often served on weekends with pancakes, waffles, crepes, French Toast and yogurt parfait at breakfast. To be honest, our fruit salads were pretty bland.
After my parents scooped a spoonful of my Indian Fruit Salad into their mouths I knew they were instant converts. Fruit Chaat Masala offers a mouth-watering depth of flavour, which honours the uniqueness of each fruit. Topping the salad with crunchy puffed rice and toasted pumpkin seeds gives the dish an addictive crunch.
Indian Fruit Salad Recipe Health Benefits
Our healthy Fruit Chaat recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
A useful source of vitamins C, K and B6, apples support your immune, skeletal, and circulatory systems. Phytochemicals in apples may also keep your eyes healthy and help reduce bad cholesterol.
Pears are rich in essential antioxidants, plant compounds, and dietary fibre. They pack all of these nutrients in a fat free, cholesterol free, 100 calorie package.
Oranges are known as an excellent source of Vitamin C, vital for the proper function of a healthy immune system.
Blueberries are a the “king of antioxidant foods, and feature fibre, potassium, folate, vitamin C and vitamin B6.
Mangoes are a good source of fibre and antioxidants, including vitamin C, which means they support a healthy immune system and may fight chronic and inflammatory diseases. They also contain nutrients that support eye and skin health and are a good part of an overall healthy diet.
A useful source of copper, calcium, manganese, and phosphorus, pumpkin seeds help support circulatory, digestive and skeletal health.
Fruit Chaat Masala Cooking Tips
If it’s your first time making Indian Fruit Salad at home be sure to review our recipe below. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to get you started.
- We like to use crunchy gala, ambrosia or pink lady apples but you can use other varieties like granny smith or red delicious.
- We used a Bartlett pear but you can use Bosque pear or even a crunchier Asian pear.
- We used a navel orange in this recipe but you could use other citrus like mandarins, clementines, grapefruit or blood oranges.
- We used blueberries in this Fruit Chaat recipe but you can substitute for other berries like blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.
- Other popular Fruit Chaat ingredients you incorporate into this recipe include fresh mango, papaya, guava, pineapple, peach, cherries, grapes and lychee.
- I use store bought mango chutney and suggest using a brand with a bit of spicy heat.
- You can purchase Amchur Powder (also known as Dried Mango Powder) online or at an Indian or Pakistani grocery store. It’s sold in the spice aisle.
- Instead of using deep fried dough we’ve used a healthier option, crispy puffed rice like Rice Krispies.
- Toasted pumpkin seeds offer healthy fibre and an addictive nutty crunch. If you have homemade granola at home you can also sprinkle this on top.
What To Serve with Fruit Chaat
Fruit Chaat Masala is one of our favourite quick and easy Indian salads to serve at breakfast.
The healthy vegan recipe can be enjoyed on its own or with other breakfast dishes like creamy Greek yogurt or Gluten Free Chickpea Flour Indian Pancakes. Spiced Indian Fruit Salad can also be enjoyed as a midday snack.
You May Also Enjoy These Indian Snack Recipes…
- Indian Vegetarian Paneer Frankie Kathi Roll
- Oven Baked Tandoori Gobi Cauliflower
- Aloo Fry Vegetarian Indian Turmeric Potatoes
- Chanachur Chivda Bombay Mixture Namkeen
- Parippu Vada Recipe With Coconut Chutney
- Indian Pudla Crepes
How To Make Indian Fruit Chaat Masala Salad
Indian Fruit Chaat Masala Salad
Equipment
- French knife
- mixing bowl
- Measurign Cups
- measuring spoons
- Spatula or Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 Apple (Gala, Ambrosia or Pink Lady)
- 1 Ripe Pear
- 1 Orange peeled and seeded
- 1 cup Blueberries
- 1/2 cup Mango Chutney
- 1 tsp Mango Powder
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Rice Krispie Cereal
- 1/2 cup Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Instructions
- Cut up the apple, pear and orange into bite-sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the blueberries, chutney, mango powder, salt, black pepper and stir to combine.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
- Serve fruit chaat sprinkled with Rice Krispies and pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition
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