Non-Fried Cheese Chutney Bomb (Easy Party Snack)

Crispy from the outside and ooey-gooey cheesy from the inside – these chutney bombs have all the potential to win your heart and your taste buds. And when you make these fritters for your guests, be ready to grab all the appreciation coming your way.

It is packed with aromatic seasonings and makes a perfect appetizer or an evening snack. You can make it on a rainy day during the monsoon season or on cold winter evenings and enjoy it with a cup of chai. You can even serve these to your guests or at your house parties as an appetizer. It is quick, easy, and just so tasty. And when it is not deep-fried, it becomes lighter and much less oily.

Story Time

One day we had some guests coming over and I decided to make a full-fledged menu starting with appetizers followed by the main course and then dessert. I looked into my recipes and realized that I have no starter recipe – barely one or two. Then I decided that I have to have a collection of starter recipes on my website (and Youtube channel). I experimented with a lot of different appetizers or party snacks – hara bhara kebab which I make using many different green veggies, baked spring rolls, baked potato cheese balls, moong dal falafel, broccoli fritters, etc.

When I made these chutney bombs for the first time, Jatin was a little skeptical about it. He loves chutney bombs and had them in his office for the first time. One of his colleagues got it when they had an office potluck party. Since then whenever he talks about them, his mouth fills with water. He loved them a lot and wanted me to make them too. But when I decided to make them, I made them without deep-frying. He wasn’t sure if I can crack that same taste that you get with deep-frying but he couldn’t stop himself from eating. We had so many that we even skipped our dinner that day.

In short, they were a hit 🙂

What is a Chutney Bomb?

Chutney Bomb is a delicious Indian snack or appetizer which is made with potatoes and filled with some chutney inside. To make this, green mint and coriander chutney is prepared with very less oil. The chutney needs to be dry otherwise you won’t be able to fill it. Then a potato mixture is prepared and seasoned with different aromatic and flavorful spices. After that, you just need to stuff some potato mixture with the chutney and roll it into a small ball shape (or patty shape), and then deep-fry them.

It makes a very easy and quick snack especially for parties when you want to serve many different things and need something quick yet delicious. It will surely melt everyone’s heart and you be ready to grab all the appreciation coming your way.

How to cook Chutney Bombs?

You can either bake these fritters or shallow fry them with some oil. Both these methods will result in a different texture. Baked ones will be slightly drier than shallow-fried ones. Also, the shallow-fried ones will have a much crispier texture. Baked ones can be made in much less oil which is healthier and good for those who avoid extra oil. Just brush some oil on the surface and bake until golden brown.

Benefits of opting for non-fried methods

If you are someone like me who doesn’t like deep frying food unless it is very much necessary for the recipe like when I am making chhole poori or bhaturas. I just can’t make them without deep frying. So, I saved my deep-frying quota only for these couple of recipes. Otherwise, I prefer non-fried methods.

I made many deep-fried recipes healthier by opting for a better cooking method. You must try our Baked Pani Puri, Spring Rolls, dum aloo, vada pav, Gobhi Manchurian & baked cheese balls. I made them healthier with no compromise on the taste.

Now, here are the reasons I don’t deep fry (until necessary):

1. Deep-fried food feels heavy and oily after eating them.
2. The non-Fried methods instead of deep frying make you feel that you are opting for healthier options.
3. The biggest reason of all is that the oil becomes unhealthy after reaching the temperature of deep-frying. We are not supposed to use the oil again for cooking. But obviously, we can’t even discard the oil. So we consume it. That’s where switching to a non-fried method helps.
4. The non-Fried method is much easier and hassle-free. There is no tension of ruining the oil if any gulab jamun crumbles up. Or even if the gulab jamun cracks, no extra oil will seep in.

Easy Swaps

1. Paneer: You can skip it. You can even add some finely chopped onions and peas too.
2. Gouda Cheese: Use any cheese of your choice like cheddar, mozzarella cheese, or any plant-based cheese. You can even skip adding it. It is an optional ingredient.
3. Bread Crumbs: Substitute it with some soaked poha or oats. or simply with some crumbled bread. The idea is to add something that can absorb the moisture and make a firm patty.

Is this recipe Vegan?

This recipe has paneer and cheese which is not plant-based or vegan. To make them vegan, you can skip paneer and use any plant-based cheese of your choice. You can even skip adding cheese since this is an optional ingredient. You can even add some nutritional yeast to the mixture to get that nice cheesy flavor.

Must try these vegan recipes from our collection: Tomato Pesto Pasta, Vietnamese Summer Rolls, Moong Dal Falafel.

Can we freeze them?

Absolutely. The mixture can be kept in the refrigerator for two to three days. Refrigeration develops more flavor. If after refrigeration it has more moisture, add some bread crumbs accordingly. You can even refrigerate the chutney for a couple of days.

Also, You can even freeze them for up to a month. Make patties and put them in the freezer on a plate. Once the patties become hard, take them out and store them in a zip-lock bag or air-tight container. Put them in the freezer for a month. When you want to cook them, take them out and cook them as given in the recipe below. No need to thaw. It will make them soggy.

How to serve Chutney Bombs?

You can serve them as is with some tea or coffee. You don’t need any dip or chutney with it as it is already quite flavorful and has chutney inside. But if you want, you can also serve these with the following dips or chutneys:

1. Seasoned Hung Curd – Add some salt, pepper, and coriander to the hung curd. Mix and it is ready.
2. Tomato Ketchup

More starters/appetizers for your party

1. Broccoli & Zucchini Fritters
2. Aloo Pyaaz Bhajiye (Potato and Onion Fritters)
3. Vietnamese Summer Rolls
4. Baked Pani Puri

Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this delicious Indian treat at home. Enjoy it with your family or serve it to your guests, it is perfect for any occasion or mood. By the way, Diwali is coming. You must try and serve them to your guests. It is one quick and easy party starter recipe.

If you try this recipe & like it too, please share the photo of your creation on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Love from us

Richa & Jatin