Cilantro Mint Chutney White Beans over Crispy Tostadas (no-cook! Papri Chaat inspired)

Indian Chaat meets Tostadas! Cilantro mint lime chutney marinated beans on crunchy tostadas with sweet maple lime sauce and cooling yogurt, are an Indian fusion dish that’s a perfect starter, snack, or even entree! No cook (Options for soy-free nut-free gluten-free)

These no-cook tostadas use canned beans, prepared tostadas, and lots of delicious sauces – no cooking needed! The only cooking you’d need to do is if you are making your tostadas from tortillas. Prepared tostadas are readily available in most grocery stores.

I wanted to make a fun dish with beans, and I took inspiration from chaat, which is a family of Indian snacks or street food characterized by these awesome combinations of different textures and flavors. Especially papri chaat which has crisp crackers paired with mashed potatoes or chickpeas or both and chutneys, sauces and yogurt for a fantastic salad like hearty nachos if you will. Many chaat recipes have crispy, spicy, sweet, and tangy all together. They’re great as snacks or can be a refreshing meal.

I took inspiration from those flavors and textures. Usually, I make this chickpea potato chaat with small crackers, where you take some cooked chickpeas and cooked potatoes, toss them with some spices and chutneys, and layer them with yogurt, more chutneys, and some chopped crunchy veggies.

I turned that dish into this tostada, where we take crispy tostadas and make marinated beans that are soaked in a delicious green chutney, instead of chickpeas, along with cucumber and onion. We top the tostadas with these beans and then add a good drizzle of seasoned non-dairy yogurt and this sweet, tangy, maple-lime sauce to bring all of those flavors together. It’s absolutely fantastic and delicious! The maple lime sauce is a sub for tamarind date chutney. If you have tamarind chutney, use that for more Indian chaat flavor.
Try more Indian salads- Mango Zucchini chickpea Indian spiced oil salad and my Kachumber Salad !

This recipe is very versatile. If you want to control the heat, use less of the green chili, and choose a milder chili.  If you don’t have tostadas, you can make your own! Those instructions are in the recipe notes. If you don’t like cilantro, you can make a mint chutney with more mint leaves instead of the cilantro.

Chutney bean tostadas are just fabulously crispy, zesty, refreshing, and hearty. They are a perfect summer meal!

Why You’ll Love Chutney Bean Tostadas

• perfect warm weather meal or snack – no cooking required!
• incredible combination of flavors and textures! marinated beans, sweet and savory chutneys, creamy cooling cumin yogurt drizzle, on crunchy tostadas
• soy-free and nut-free with easy gluten-free option

Ingredients

• green chutney – This is a mix of cilantro, mint (optional), green onion, fresh ginger and garlic, tomato or apple, hot green chili, chaat masala, salt, and lime juice. If you don’t like cilantro, you can use more mint instead. For less heat, use a mild green chili.
• marinated beans – Red onion, cucumber, green chili, and white beans marinate in 2/3 of the green chutney mixture. You can use canned or homemade beans, and you can use any white beans or chickpeas.
• sweet chutney – This is just a simple mix of maple syrup, lime juice, chaat masala, cumin, and paprika. Alternately, you can use premade tamarind chutney or mango chutney.
• yogurt drizzle – We are seasoning non-dairy yogurt with a little maple syrup, ground cumin, and salt. Choose soy-free and/or nut-free yogurt, if needed.
• tostadas – These are crispy, crunchy baked tortillas. You can find them premade at most grocery stores. Or, you can find directions in the recipe notes for making your own. Use gluten-free, if needed.
• garnish – You don’t have to use any garnish, but I love to serve these topped with pepper flakes, chopped tomato, and sesame seeds.

How to Make Chutney Bean Tostadas

To make the green chutney, add all of the green chutney ingredients to a blender or food processor. Add one tablespoon of water and blend until the mixture is puréed. Add a little more water, if needed. Don’t add too much water, because the chutney should be thick enough to coat the beans and not get too watery. For a thicker chutney, you can add more apple or tomato. You can also add non-dairy yogurt to make it creamy. For extra tangy chutney, add a little lime zest.

For the beans, add the sliced onion, cucumber, and onion to a bowl.

Add the beans and 3/4 of the green chutney, tossing well to coat. Taste and adjust the flavor with more salt, cayenne for more heat, or lime juice for tang. Do not let the beans sit for too long, as they may get watery.

To make the sweet chutney, mix all the sweet chutney ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Taste and adjust the flavor, adding more chaat masala, if you want. You can use dry mango powder (amchur) instead of chaat masala, or substitute tamarind or mango chutney, if you have it.

For the yogurt drizzle, combine the yogurt drizzle ingredients in a bowl, and mix well. You can thin the yogurt mixture with a teaspoon of water so it is easy to drizzle, if needed.

Warm the tostadas in the oven. Top each tostada with the marinated beans, followed by a good drizzle of the yogurt mixture, some sweet chutney, and more of the green chutney. Garnish with pepper flakes, chopped tomato, or sesame seeds if you like. Serve immediately.

What to Serve with Chutney White Bean Tostadas

You can serve these on their own or with a side salad.

If you do not want to make loaded tostadas, you can serve the beans in a bowl with the tostadas on the side, as a dip, so people can assemble their own plates.

You can also serve with crackers, tortilla chips, or Indian-style crackers, such as papri or mathri, from an Indian grocery store. Serve the beans and sauces together, so everyone can add their preferred toppings.