Butter Murukku Recipe

Butter Murukku also known as Benne Murukku, Benne Chakli or Venna Murukku are a popular South Indian snack. Murukku is a deep fried crisp snack made with rice flour and gram flour. These are eaten all-round the year and certainly made during festivals. Butter murukku is a lighter version of the traditional murukku or chakli. These are very light, crunchy and have an addictive flavor of butter.

There are a zillion recipes to make these and they all vary slightly in the proportions & ingredients. This Butter Murukku Recipe is a classic one and is what we make at my Mom’s home. I also guess this is a standard recipe used by many South Indian home cooks.

About Butter Murukku

Butter Murukku is a classic spiral shaped rice flour snack flavored with butter and spices. These are a popular festive-treat from the South Indian Cuisine and are made during Krishna Jayanthi, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi and Sankranti. Butter murukku are also a common snack available in the South Indian Bakeries and snack shops.

Usually the butter murukku sold in the shops & bakeries are so light that they are in broken pieces about 3 inch each and not in spirals. As we press the dough from the mould, the murukku just breaks off and that’s how the dough is supposed to be. This yields light butter murukku.

The proportion of ingredients to make the dough is the key to make them so light and crispy. So do not alter the recipe. This is not a forgiving recipe and the proportion of rice flour to butter matters the most.

If you add more butter, they will break up to much smaller pieces while the dough is pressed and butter murukku will soak up oil. Also I insist you use the best quality unsalted butter.

Some store bought butters have milk solids added to them and this kind of butter may froth up the oil while frying and even can cause the butter murukku to burst.

If you are a beginner you may find it difficult to shape the murukku/ chakli to spiral as the texture of butter murukku dough is different. So do not aim to shape them well like a murukku. You should be able to make similar to something I have shown in the first picture (3 inch pieces).

More chakli or murukku recipes,
Sweet murukku or manoharam
Thattai
Ribbon murukku
Urad dal murukku
Karasev
Chakli recipe
Omapodi or plain sev

You may also like to check these Diwali snacks or this complete collection of 100 diwali sweets recipes.

How To Make Butter Murukku (Stepwise Photos)

1. Add 2 to 3 tbsp fried gram to a blender jar.

2. Make a fine powder. Measure and set aside 2 tbsps flour. Sieve this if the powder is not fine.

3. To a mixing bowl, add rice flour, fried gram powder, soft butter, besan,salt,hing and cumin. You can also add sesame seeds if you like.

4. Mix everything well to incorporate the butter evenly.

5. Pour water little by little as needed and make the dough.

6. Dough must be non sticky and crack free.

7. Grease the mould. Fix the star attachment. Fill the mould with dough. Keep the rest of the dough covered.

8. Press the dough on a clean damp cloth or butter paper.

Fry Butter Murukku

9. Heat oil in a pan. Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small flat piece of dough. If the dough raises it means the oil is hot enough to fry. Deep fry them in hot oil.

10. You can also press the dough in the hot oil directly. chakli will break on their own and fall. Fry until golden on a medium flame, stirring occasionally for even frying. Drain them on a kitchen towel.

Store butter murukku in a airtight jar. They remain fresh for about 2 to 3 weeks.

Related Recipes

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Recipe Card

Butter Murukku Recipe

Crispy butter murukku recipe – South Indian popular snack made with butter, rice flour, besan and basic spices. Butter murukku is a lighter version of the traditional urad dal chakli. This recipe will give you light, crispy and delicious butter murukku.

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1x2x3x

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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time7 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Total Time27 minutes

Servings20 murukku

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

• ▢ 2 cups rice flour (refer notes)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fried gram flour (pottukadalai or putnalu powder, refer notes)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons besan (gram flour)
• ▢ 1½ tablespoons soft butter at room temperature (unsalted, do not use more)
• ▢ ⅓ to ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• ▢ Water at room temperature as needed
• ▢ 1 pinch hing or asafoetida
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon cumin or sesame seeds or both
• ▢ oil for frying

Instructions

Preparation

• ▢
  Measure and keep all the ingredients ready. Powder 2 to 3 tbsp fried gram in a mixer/ grinder jar.
• ▢
  Measure 2 tbsp flour and set aside.
• ▢
  Grease the murukku maker and put on the star plate.
• ▢
  Optional – You can sieve together rice flour, gram flour and besan if the flour is not fine.  
• ▢
  Mix together rice flour, fried gram flour, besan, salt, hing , cumin and soft butter. Make sure the butter incorporates well and evenly with the flour. Set this aside.
• ▢
  Heat oil on a medium flame for deep frying. While the oil heats up knead the dough.

Make Murukku Dough

• ▢
  Pour water little by little as needed and mix together to form a smooth crack free dough.
• ▢
  Divide the dough to 3 parts.
• ▢
  Fill the mould with one of the part.  Keep the rest of the dough covered with a moist cloth.
• ▢
  Check if the oil is hot by testing. To test add a small flat piece of dough to the hot oil. If the dough raises the oil is hot enough to fry.

How to Make Butter Murukku

• ▢
  Press murukku maker over the hot oil gently to release the dough. You can also make them to spirals on a moist cloth. Gently lift them and drop in the hot oil.
• ▢
  Do not crowd the pan as the murukku needs enough space to fry crisp. Also do not disturb them for a minute otherwise they will break as the dough is light.
• ▢
  After a minute stir them often to fry evenly. When they turn golden, drain them on a kitchen tissue. Repeat to make more until the entire dough finishes.
• ▢
  Cool butter murukku and store in a airtight jar.

Notes

• I used store bought fine rice flour. If using store bought, I suggest sieve it before using.
• Please do not alter the recipe as the results will vary.
• Use good quality unsalted butter. 
• Do not make round balls with the left over dough, they are likely to burst in oil while frying.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts

Butter Murukku Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 163 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 7mg2%

Sodium 27mg1%

Potassium 72mg2%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 1g4%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 90IU2%

Vitamin C 0.1mg0%

Calcium 7mg1%

Iron 0.6mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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© Swasthi’s Recipes

Butter Murukku Recipe first published in November 2015. Updated and republished in August 2022.