butter murukku

Butter Murukku Recipe

By Swasthi on August 18, 2022, Comments, Jump to 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.

Butter murukku

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).

Butter murukku recipe

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.

powder gram to make butter murukku

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

fine powder

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.

addition of ingredients to a bowl

4. Mix everything well to incorporate the butter evenly.

mixing ingredients

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

addition of water in butter murukku recipe

6. Dough must be non sticky and crack free.

non sticky dough for butter murukku recipe

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

greasing mould

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

making chakli on 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.

dropping butter murukku 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.

frying butter murukku in oil

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

butter murukku

Related Recipes

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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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)
  • 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.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

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

Butter Murukku Recipe

About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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I have just discovered Butter Murukku at the store and I have scarfted down bag after bag, so it’s good to find a recipe. I’m wondering, though, are these considered ‘nutritional’, or are they the ‘potato chips’ of the Indian diet? I have eaten a TON of these, since lucking upon them, and I’m hoping they fit into the ‘nutritional’ category… Thanks! Best Wishes! Emily

5 stars
Butter murukulu recipe was very good. Swasthi, Thank you for sharing. Mine broke into pieces and soaked up some of the cooking oil. I probably put too much butter, and too much water in the dough. Everyone said they were melt in the mouth good.

5 stars
Thank you Swasthi, i suspect the rice flour, but this tasted so good, i will be trying it again. Will use better rice flour next time.

Very nice recipe i like chakri recip very easy & quickly

5 stars
I have seen all your Diwali sweets and they are very clearly explained. Also, you have given a clear explanation that makes it easy to cook. Thanks for your excellent writing.

5 stars
Any new recipe I want to try out so far I have only referred swasti’s. I’m very comfortable trying them out. This is the second time I’m trying the butter muruku and they are so tasty. Thanks

5 stars
Came out really good. However I added red chili powder while mixing the dough. Everyone in the house loved it. Thank you

I have tried your butter jantikalu just now (for the first time!). Came out very well. But yours seem a reddish colour while my murukku were light brown. In the end my hubby put in two golas with the remainder dough despite my warning. And they burst!!! Don’t ask me about the cleaning part of it.?

I must thank you, I have tried a lot of your veg. recipes. Very tasty.

Happy Deepawali.

Mam i have added more butter and hot oil to dough. The dough is getting cut while pressing chakli. Please give me the correct tip to get correct chakli shape.
More over i have added sime more rice flour to dough

5 stars
I tried it and it came out perfectly. I also added some ajwain and pepper powder ?

5 stars
Hi Swasthi
Thankyou for the lovely recipe. It turned out really good. All through this lockdown have been trying your recipes and all have turned out well. Can’t thank you enough.
You have been truly amazing with each and every recipe that you post. I can’t imagine the hard work you put in to put out the perfect recipes for all of us to try at home.
Lots of love and gratitude ❣️
The muruku is in our stomach in no time and the taste is lingering.

5 stars
Tried your butter muruku recipe and loved it. Thank you Swasthi for the yummy recipe??

5 stars
Excellent recipe! I tried it for the first time and the murukku was crunchy and yummy! Thanku Swasthi…I am now going to try making the ribbon pakoda?

5 stars
Very excellent guidance for Vegitatarean Items. We love to prepare & Eating this kind of variety.

Swasthi, what is the difference between gram flour and besan? I thought they both are same. In the Indian stores, I noticed the package says Besan flour and under that within brackets it says gram flour. Is that dal you have used also called dahlia? Thanks

Swasthi, thanks for that clarification. Keep up the great work. One other point on the same topic. Growing up in Andhra back in 50s and 60s I remember some shops used to sell roasted chickpeas with deep brown skin still attached to them. They are not split chick pea dal like dahlia. Those roasted whole chick peas were dry, very soft and lightly salted but used to be very tasty. You eat the whole chickpeas along with the outer skin (I think when the chick peas are roasted the outer skin splits in half). As kids we used to munch on them as after school snack. I have no idea if they are still selling this in Andhra. Just wanted to mention this in case you are not familiar with this product.

5 stars
Murukku came out well. Thank you.,,,,

5 stars
Butter murukku turned out very good. I always look for and try your recipes when ever I want to make something new. Thank you swasthi

5 stars
Wow wow wow great recipe, today i made this in mother in law’s house. Came very tasty n crispy,everyone appreciated me. All credits goes to u only. Thanks again for nice recipes

5 stars
Hi Swasti,
Can i add coconut milk instead of water?
Could you please suggest?

5 stars
Best recipe!! Non oily, crispy and tasty chakli’s. Thank you!

4 stars
Hi Swasthi
I’ve tried making murkhoo on numerous occasions with no success. Having come across your recipe and read all the reviews, I’m eager to attempt making a fresh batch for my family. Must I use boiling water or cold water?

5 stars
This is the first time I make them and they turned out delicious. A very easy recipie for the beginners to keep them motivated to learn new. Thank you so much for the recipe.