Peanut Chikki Recipe
Updated: September 2, 2022, By Swasthi
Peanut chikki recipe under 30 mins with easy step by step photo guide and video. Make the perfect chikki that’s crunchy, delicious and truly addictive!! This 2 ingredient, peanut and jaggery sweet snack confectionery is nutrient dense, healthy and refined sugar free. In this post I also share lots of tips and tricks to make peanut chikki that doesn’t get sticky or turn stringy but turns out perfectly crunchy.
About Peanut Chikki
Chikki is a traditional Indian sweet candy like brittle made with jaggery, nuts and seeds. Various roasted crunchy ingredients like peanuts, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, puffed rice, roasted chana dal and dried coconut are used to make a chikki. There are many varieties of chikki made and every variety is named after the ingredient used.
Peanut chikki is made by stirring crunchy roasted & skinned peanuts in a hot viscous jaggery solution. The hot mixture is allowed to set hard as slabs which are further sliced to squares.
Also known as gud dani, gud patti, kadalai mittai and palli patti, peanut chikki is everyone’s favorite and is enjoyed in all parts of India. It is also made during festivals like Sankranti and Dusshera in South India.
This energy boosting treat is equally healthy and nutritious since it uses jaggery, an Indian unrefined sweetener made from Sugarcane juice.
While it is convenient to buy peanut chikki from the Indian stores, the homemade version is healthier. The store bough versions most times have the liquid glucose or corn syrup or even refined sugar added to them for the crunch.
My Recipe
This easy recipe will teach you how to master making chikki at home.
Peanut chikki has always been a favorite with my kids and for years they enjoyed the homemade versions made by my Mom & MIL during our visits to India. However many of my trails in Singapore ended up in failure.
Later I figured out that using the right kind of jaggery is very important to make a proper chikki.
There are numerous kinds of jaggery available in the market these days. Not all kinds of jaggery work well to make a crunchy chikki. Premium quality jaggery like organic ball jaggery or unrefined jaggery are not suitable to make chikki as it turns stringy even after reaching the hard ball consistency.
A lot of times even organic jaggery powder do not work well. Most often export quality jaggery has lesser additives & is lesser processed to conform & pass the quality tests.
So If you are living abroad & trying to make with locally bought jaggery then you may or may not succeed in making good chikki.
The results may vary with every batch of jaggery you buy. I had lot of readers asking me about why the chikki turns stringy even after reaching the hard ball consistency so I am sharing the details here.
To make perfect chikki, choose normal jaggery. Avoid the premium quality ones labelled like – organic, unrefined, pure jaggery, no added chemicals, evaporated sugarcane juice powder etc.
If you are unable to find the normal one, then just replace 6 tbsps of jaggery with 4 tbsps refined sugar in the recipe.
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Photo Guide
Preparation for chikki recipe
1. Dry roast 1 cup peanuts on a medium to low heat stirring often.
2. When they are half done, the skin begins to come off. Continue to roast until the peanut turns slightly golden. Remove the skin and check. Not only the peanut skin even the nut has to turn slightly golden to bring out the aroma of peanuts.
3. Cool them completely. Begin to remove the skin by crushing the nuts gently with the base of a cup. You can also transfer the nuts to a cloth and cover. Then crush the nuts gently just to loosen the skin.
4. Separate the skin from the peanuts.
5. This is an optional step but we do it just to bring out the nutty aroma of peanuts. Gently crush the peanuts with the base of a cup for 1 to 2 mins. You can also pulse 2 tbsps of peanuts in a grinder and use. Set the peanuts aside.
6. Grease a plate, knife and rolling pin. You can also grease the base of a steel cup and use. Pour 1 cup water to a bowl and keep it handy for checking the jaggery syrup consistency.
Making jaggery syrup for chikki
7. Add 140 to 150 grams grated jaggery (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) to a heavy bottom pot or pan.
8. Pour 1 tbsp water.
9. Begin to dissolve on a low to medium heat.
10. When it is completely dissolved, add 1 tsp ghee. If you find any impurities in jaggery, you can filter it at this stage.
11. Begin to boil on a medium to low heat, stirring constantly until the syrup bubbles well and thickens slightly.
12. Keep checking the syrup consistency. To check, drop a few drops of jaggery syrup to the water.
13. The first stage will be soft ball consistency. This is not the consistency we need for chikki recipe. Add back the jaggery ball to the pan. So continue to cook beyond this stage.
14. After a while, repeat checking by dropping the jaggery syrup again.
Consistency of jaggery syrup for chikki
15. In between the soft ball stage and the hard ball stage you will come across this stage. It is not soft nor like a brittle.
16. When you try to break it turns stringy and then breaks. This is not the consistency we are looking for.
17. Lower the flame completely and be alert as it is coming to an end stage. Continue to stir and cook for a little while. Not too long, check again by dropping the syrup. When it reaches the right consistency, jaggery syrup will harden immediately when dropped to cold water and forms a brittle.
18. Remove it and break. It must be like a brittle or candy and should not be stringy. If you are unable to get this brittle then try cooking further for few seconds.
If you fail to get this brittle, just use up the syrup for something else. This will not give you good chikki.
How to make peanut chikki
19. Turn off and remove from fire. Mix in the peanuts.
20. Be quick and stir in the peanuts well with jaggery syrup.
21. Immediately transfer to the plate. Quickly I shaped it to a rectangle with spatula. Roll with the rolling pin to level the top. You can roll it as thin as possible. You can also use a greased cup to level the top.
22. Make marks when it is hot. Cut them while still warm.
Cool completely and store peanut chikki in air tight jar.
Faqs
Yes chikki is healthy to eat if made with jaggery. Ingredients like corn syrup, liquid glucose and refined sugar are not healthy so avoid using them in your chikki.
Yes traditionally chikki is made with jaggery. Though in the modern days you find the store bought ones has sugar in them.
Chikki was invented by Maganlal Agarwal in the 19th Century, at Lonavla, an Hill station near Mumbai. The original version was named gud dani and was made with just 3 ingredients – Peanuts, Jaggery and Ghee.
Yes you can use sugar to make chikki. Cook the sugar syrup until a hard ball consistency is achieved and then stir in the roasted skinned peanuts.
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Recipe Card
Peanut Chikki Recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 cup peanuts – level the cup
- 140 to 150 grams jaggery (¾ cup + 2 tbsp)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon ghee or coconut oil
Instructions
Roasting Peanuts on Stovetop
- Roast peanuts on a medium to low flame in heavy bottom pan, stirring often until deep golden and aromatic. To check remove the skin and look for golden color on the nut. This deep roasting brings out a nutty aroma from peanuts.
- Cool and deskin them. To remove the skin easily, wrap in a clean cloth.
- Take a cup and gently rub the nuts with the base of the cup. It is easy to separate the nuts from the skin.
Roasting peanuts in Air fryer
- Spread the peanuts in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air fry them at 165 C or 330 F for 5 mins, stirring them every 2 mins until golden and crunchy. If you are using the larger kind of peanuts, you may need another 1 minute.
- Once cool rub the nuts with both your hands to loosen the skin completely. Shake the air fryer basket in your kitchen sink to separate the skin and nuts.
How to Make Chikki
- Transfer them to a plate and crush them randomly with the base of the cup for 2 to 3 mins. This will crush the peanuts a bit and bring out the nutty aroma of the peanuts. Keep this aside.
- Grease a steel plate with little ghee. Set this aside. Next grease a rolling pin or the base of a cup to level the hot chikki mixture.
- Keep a small bowl half filled with water ready to check the consistency of jaggery syrup.
- Grate the jaggery and add to a heavy bottom pan. Pour just 1 tbsp water.
- Begin to dissolve on a low flame.
- When it dissolves completely, if you find some impurities, then pass it through a coffee filter.
- If needed you can also pour 1 more tbsp water.
- Add ghee and mix.
- Boil the jaggery syrup until it reaches a hard ball brittle consistency.
- To know the exact stage please refer to the pictures in the step by step section below.
- Lower the flame completely.
- To check hard ball brittle consistency, drop little jaggery syrup to the bowl of water.
- It must become hard immediately.
- Remove and break it. The jaggery piece must break to pieces without getting stringy.
- The broken pieces must be like candy or brittle and not soft. This is the right consistency.
- If you cook past this stage you will have broken pieces of chikki or burnt jaggery. So turn off.
- Add the peanuts and mix well.
- Quickly pour this to the steel plate. With the help of a spatula, shape to a rectangle.
- Roll the mixture with the rolling pin evenly.
- Within a minute it will set. so you must be fast. Cut to pieces, when it is still slightly hot.
- Cool completely and break the peanut chikki to pieces. Store in a air tight jar.
Notes
Video
Video of peanut chikki recipe
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
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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Comments
Which gur have u used
I used traditional ball jaggery, which I grated.
Hi Swasthi
I love every recipe you have posted and I was very eager on trying my hands on the peanut chikki. I followed your step by step instructions and.i was thrilled with the results. Everything turned out well, however the chikki did not dry up and remained wet.
Is it because of the monsoons?
Beautiful presentation with lots of patience and love ,
Today i tried it came out very well first time successful
Thank you Dear Swasthi stay blessed
Detailed and useful informations
Have a very good luck
Very detailed informations…
Have a good luck
Can you please say how approximately how much time it take for jaggery to get the right consistency. Of course it varies based on quantity and heat level..
they sprinkle small red seeds on chikki what is it called?
Nice explanation
well explained
Hi if I was to use a candy thermometer till what temperature would I need to cook the jaggery mixture to reach the perfect stage. Please could you tell. Thanks
Hi Deepanjali
Sorry I forgot to reply. I haven’t checked any time
Can I use sore bought salted peanuts ?
I haven’t tried. Not sure if the salt affects the texture of the chikki.
Used your directions to make perfect chikki after 3 failed attempts. Great instructions. The most important factor seems to be getting the jaggery to correct stage…once your master that (thanks to your step by step instructions), rest is a breeze. I modified the recipe to add dry fruits. Also tried a variant with fennel seeds and coconut.
Glad to know Kiran
Swathi I tried many of your recipes. All of them came out really well ?. Thank you so much for sharing?
Welcome Kavitha
Glad to know!
🙂
Your instructions are so perfect. Tried today. Came out perfect. I tried last year but became chewy. This year it just came out perfect.
Glad to know Monisha
Hi,
Thank you for the recipe! We can never get enough of chikki in our house and we might be the few odd balls that actually love stringy chikki:) I’m going to try to deliberately make some “mistakes” that you asked to avoid and hope to get the stringy consistency! ;))
Haha!
Welcome Sowjanaya
🙂
It came out perfect! But unfortunately I made a large lot and used my wooden chopping board to roll most of the chikki. It stuck on the board and won’t come off 🙁 🙁
However, the portion done on steel plate was great! Thanks for the detailed tips.
Welcome Neha
Glad the chikki turned out good. Yes it doesn’t come off the wooden board. Steel plates are best. Thank you!
Hi, I made this recipe, and I did get the brittle ball. But even after cooking my whole chikki is falling apart, not holding together, what could be the reason?
Hi Nandhini,
Hope you read my tips on choosing jaggery for this recipe. Either the jaggery you used isn’t suitable to make chikki or you overcooked the mixture. FYI – store bought jaggery powder is not suitable for this recipe. Hope this helps. If this is your first try, then try it once more.
Ya even mine dint hold well. But that’s ok. My little one can’t handle one whole piece so she picks it and eats.
Hi Swasthi,
Thanks for the recipe. Chikki tastes good but it’s stringy, checked with the syrup in water, it was hard. So added peanuts but it’s stringy. What different should i do next time to get the perfect consistency?
Thank you!!
Hi Hema,
You are welcome! Did you check my video? Jaggery syrup should thicken and break to pieces without getting stringy, only then you must add the peanuts. Check the video and try it again. I think your jaggery syrup didn’t reach the consistency or you haven’t used the right kind of jaggery. I have mentioned that in the post as well.
Hi, I tried this twice but the chikki does not hold shape. It is of crumbling nature. Tastes awesome though. Please tell me what is going wrong?
Hi Sahiti
Overcooking the jaggery even a bit can crumble them.
Hope you used regular jaggery. Most times organic jaggery or store bought jaggery powder won’t work.
There are so many kinds of jaggery in the market some don’t work. Try using different jaggery next time. Hope this helps
Thanks for the reply Swasthi. I used the regular jaggery for the recipe. Think I will need to try a couple of times more… Thanks again.
Yes do give a try. Take a look at the video. That may help you.
Wow!!Have tried n turns exactly same.Thanks fr keeping every detail.Liked it so much:))
Welcome Mital
Glad it turned out good.
Thank you so much for leaving a comment
Hi… I have made sesame chikki also… After cooled down it became very very hard…. Please help what went wrong
Hi Srivani,
You overcooked the mixture.
Oh I have followed peanut chikki method only…
You can try adding a small pinch of soda-bi-carbonate (baking soda)
OK…. Thank you