Chikki Recipe (Peanut, Til and Puffed Rice Chikki with Jaggery)

Quick answer: Chikki is a thin, crunchy brittle of roasted peanuts or sesame bound with jaggery cooked to the hard-crack stage. Melt jaggery with a little ghee, cook until a drop in cold water snaps cleanly, stir in the nuts or seeds, roll thin on a greased surface and cut while warm. It is a favourite Sankranti and Uttarayan sweet.

Kitchen note: This recipe is not yet kitchen-tested by a HinduTone cook. The quantities and timings follow common home methods; judge doneness by look and texture, and adjust for your stove and ingredients.

What is chikki and when is it made?

Chikki is the western Indian name for a jaggery brittle. The best-known kinds are peanut chikki (sing chikki in Gujarati, shengdana chikki in Marathi) and til chikki, made with sesame. In winter, and above all at Makar Sankranti, families make it at home or buy it fresh from sweet shops. On Uttarayan in Gujarat it is one of the snacks passed around on rooftops between kites: a PTI report from Ahmedabad on 14 January 2026 described chikki among the foods served on terraces that day. Gujarat's 2027 holiday list is awaited; see our Uttarayan in Gujarat guide for the festival.

The same jaggery-and-sesame idea runs through tilgul ladoo in Maharashtra and ellu bella in Karnataka. Chikki is simply the version cooked furthest, until it sets hard and glassy.

Many families describe sesame, peanuts and jaggery as good winter foods. That is a popular explanation, not a medical claim.

Before you start: hot syrup safety

Jaggery syrup at the hard-crack stage is far hotter than boiling water, and it sticks to skin. Read these points before you light the stove.

1. Keep children and pets out of the kitchen while the syrup cooks and while you roll it. Children can help later, breaking the cooled sheet into pieces.
2. Use a heavy, dry pan with a long handle, turned so the handle does not stick out over the edge of the stove.
3. Grease your tray, rolling pin and spatula before you start, so you are not searching for them with a pan of hot syrup.
4. Test the syrup only by dropping it into a bowl of cold water. Never touch it, and never taste it from the spoon.
5. Wear closed shoes and keep sleeves rolled back.
6. If syrup touches skin, hold the area under cool running water for 20 minutes, as the NHS advises for burns. Do not put butter, oil or cream on it. For large or deep burns, or burns on the face, get emergency help.

Ingredients

Peanut chikki

Til (sesame) chikki

Puffed rice (murmura) chikki

Use soft, dark jaggery that melts easily. Very pale or very hard jaggery tends to crystallise.

Prepare the nuts or seeds

1. Peanuts: dry-roast raw peanuts on low heat, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes until the skins crack and the nuts smell toasted. Cool, rub off the skins in a cloth and split each nut into halves. Roasted peanuts only need warming.
2. Sesame: dry-roast on low heat for 4 to 6 minutes until the seeds swell and turn light golden. Do not let them brown.
3. Puffed rice: warm in a dry pan on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp. Stale, soft puffed rice gives chewy chikki.
4. Keep the roasted ingredients warm on a plate near the stove. Cold nuts make the syrup set too fast.

Get the setting surface ready

Grease the back of a large steel plate, a tray or a clean kitchen counter, and a rolling pin. Some cooks roll between two sheets of greased baking paper, which is easier for beginners. Put a small bowl of cold water by the stove for the test.

How to make chikki on the stovetop

1. Melt the ghee in a heavy pan on low heat. Add the jaggery (and the water, if using) and stir until it melts completely.
2. Raise the heat to medium-low. The syrup will foam, then the bubbles turn smaller and thicker, and the colour deepens. Stir often so it does not catch.
3. After about 5 to 8 minutes, drop half a teaspoon of syrup into the cold water and leave it a few seconds.
4. Not ready: it stays soft or forms a chewy ball. Keep cooking and test every 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Hard crack, ready for chikki: the drop sets at once into a hard thread or lump that snaps cleanly between your fingers and does not stick to your teeth.
6. Turn off the heat straight away. Add the peanuts, sesame or puffed rice and stir quickly until every piece is coated.
7. Tip the mixture onto the greased surface. Flatten with a greased spatula, then roll to about 5 mm thick for peanut chikki and 3 mm for sesame.
8. While it is still warm and soft, cut into squares or diamonds with a greased knife.
9. Leave to cool completely, 10 to 15 minutes, then break along the cuts.

For puffed rice, many cooks press the mixture into a greased tray, or shape it into balls with greased palms once it is cool enough to handle; the syrup can be stopped at a slightly softer, hard-ball stage for balls.

Is there a thermometer reading?

Colorado State University Extension's candy chart gives the hard-crack stage as 300 to 308 °F (about 149 to 153 °C) at sea level, and advises lowering the temperature by 2 °F for every 1,000 feet of altitude. The chart is for sugar syrups. Jaggery contains other solids and can scorch before reaching the top of that range, so rely on the water test and on the colour, which should be a deep amber, not black.

Pressure cooker or Instant Pot?

Neither is suitable. Chikki needs an open pan so the water can boil off and the syrup can be watched and tested.

Chikki for naivedyam

Many families offer til or peanut chikki, or other sesame-jaggery sweets, at Makar Sankranti before sharing them. Customs about which sweets are offered, and whether only ghee may be used, vary by family. Follow your family practice or ask your priest. See our Makar Sankranti puja at home guide.

Substitutions abroad

Brown sugar makes a brittle that sets well but tastes different from jaggery chikki.

Vegan option

Use coconut oil or a neutral oil instead of ghee in the syrup and for greasing. The texture is the same.

Common mistakes

• Chewy chikki: the syrup did not reach hard crack. Test again and cook a little longer next time.
• Bitter, black chikki: the jaggery burnt. Lower the heat and stop at deep amber.
• Sets in the pan: you waited too long after adding the nuts. Have everything ready and work fast. Warm the pan gently for a few seconds if needed.
• Grainy syrup: the jaggery crystallised. Stir gently, do not scrape the sides back in, and choose softer jaggery.
• Sticks to the surface: grease generously or use baking paper.

Storage

Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. It keeps 2 to 3 weeks in dry weather. In humid places chikki turns sticky within days; keep it in a well-sealed jar, add a layer of baking paper between pieces, and make smaller batches.

Allergens

Peanut chikki contains peanuts; til chikki contains sesame. Both are major allergens in the USA (sesame was added from January 2023) and on the UK's list of 14 allergens. All versions contain milk if made with ghee. Shop-bought chikki is often made on shared equipment, so check the label. For a nut-free sweet, make the puffed rice version in a clean pan.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know the jaggery is ready for chikki?

Drop a little into cold water. When it sets at once and snaps cleanly instead of bending or sticking, it has reached hard crack and is ready.

Why is my chikki chewy instead of crunchy?

The syrup was taken off the heat too soon, or the air is humid. Cook it until the water test snaps cleanly, and store the chikki airtight.

Can I add baking soda?

Some cooks add a pinch to make the chikki lighter and more porous. It is optional; too much makes it taste soapy.

Can I mix nuts?

Yes. Cashews, almonds, pistachios and dry coconut all work, chopped to the size of a peanut half. Adjust jaggery to roughly equal weight.

Is chikki the same as gajak?

No. Gajak, from north India, is a sesame sweet beaten and layered while warm, so it is flaky rather than glassy. Chikki is a simple brittle.

When is Makar Sankranti in 2027?

In India, 15 January 2027 per the panchang; some government lists mark 14 January. In the USA, Canada and the UK the panchang date is Thursday 14 January 2027. Gujarat's 2027 list for Uttarayan is awaited. Confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

Sources

• Metro Vaartha, with PTI, "Kites, chikkis and Bollywood beats: Ahmedabad welcomes Uttarayan with gusto", 14 January 2026: https://english.metrovaartha.com/amp/story/news/states/kites-chikkis-and-bollywood-beats-ahmedabad-welcomes-uttarayan-with-gusto (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Colorado State University Extension, "Candy Making at High Elevation": https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/candy-making-at-high-elevation/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• NHS, "Burns and scalds": https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/burns-and-scalds/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• US Food and Drug Administration, "Food Allergies": https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/food-allergies (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Food Standards Agency (UK), "Food allergy and intolerance advice for consumers": https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-allergy-and-intolerance-advice-for-consumers (accessed 12 November 2026)

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

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• Makar Sankranti 2027 guide
• Uttarayan in Gujarat
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