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    You are here: Home / Gokulashtami Essentials / Rice Flour Recipe | How to make Rice Flour

    Rice Flour Recipe | How to make Rice Flour

    Last Updated On: Aug 29, 2024 by Sharmilee J

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    Rice Flour is the base ingredient for quite a lot of dishes including sweets and snacks. Homemade rice flour becomes very handy during festival season as it is the main ingredient for many dishes like murukku, seedai etc. Learn to make Rice Flour at home with step by step pictures and video.

    homemade rice flour in a yellow bowl

    Rice flour can be used for a variety of recipes and snacks too. Now lets get on to learn how to make rice flour at home with easy tips and tricks. Rice flour is readily available at stores but it is loaded with preservatives so make your own batch of homemade rice flour and store it for easy access.

    Jump to:
    • About Rice Flour Recipe
    • How to make rice flour – Video
    • Rice Flour Recipes
    • Rice Flour Ingredients
    • How to make rice flour at home
    • Expert Tips
    • Storing Suggestions
    • FAQS
    • 📖 Recipe Card

    About Rice Flour Recipe

    Rice flour is prepared by soaking and grinding raw rice then roasting and sieving it to extend shelf life. “Maavu Pacharisi” as it is called in Tamil Nadu, is a commonly used rice variety for making the rice flour. This homemade rice flour is nothing but idiyappam flour.

    Rice flour acts as a crisping agent – secret ingredient to make our snacks crispy – Vada, Pakoda, Bajji becomes crispier with the addition of rice flour. It also serves as a thickening agent for soups and gravies and can be a substitute when you do not have corn flour at home.

    Rice flour is also used for making gluten free dishes but it produces lower volumes, harder texture and shorter shelf life. It is also used for making rice flour kolam or rangoli which is an important decorative during festivals.

    The correct texture, roasting and preparation method plays a significant role in extending shelf life of rice flour made at home. It is for the same reason we should always roast the flour before storing.

    You can even grind your own batch at home in mixer itself if you are making a small batch. If you are making in bulk then you can grind it in mill.

    homemade rice flour in a yellow bowl

    How to make rice flour – Video

    Rice Flour Recipes

    Here is a collection of snacks which uses rice flour:

    • Idiyappam6 1
      Idiyappam Recipe (Nool Puttu)
    • ribbon pakoda5
      Ribbon Pakoda | Ribbon Murukku
    • Thattai3
      Thattai Recipe
    • WheatDosa2
      Wheat Dosa | Godhuma Dosa
    • KaraMurukku3
      Kara Murukku | Spicy Murukku
    • UradDalMurukku2
      Ulundu Murukku | Urad Dal Murukku
    • CoconutmilkMurukku3
      Thenga Paal Murukku
    • BadamMurukku4
      Badam Murukku | Almond Murukku

    Rice Flour Ingredients

    Raw Rice – Raw rice is the most commonly used rice variety for making rice flour. It is also called “Maavu Pacharisi” / Pacharisi – It is quite common type of variety available at grocery store in South India. If it is not available at your place, go for any raw rice (Not Boiled) / IR20 variety of rice.

    There are varieties of raw rice available make sure to buy the maavu pacharisi variety which is best suited to make rice flour. However you can use other varieties too but accordingly the taste and texture varies.

    raw rice in a bowl

    You can use homemade rice flour for making :

    • Ulunthu kozhukattai
    • Uppu seedai
    • Modakam
    • Ammini kozhukattai
    • Idiyappam etc

    How to make rice flour at home

    1.First rinse 2 cups raw rice well. Then soak it in water for 2 hours.

    soak rice

    2.Drain water completely and rinse again.Then spread the raw rice in a soft towel and allow it to dry say for 30-45 minutes.

    dry in cloth

    3.It will be slightly moist only and few rice will stick to your hands when you touch and see, this is the perfect stage.

    check the moisture

    4.Then transfer this to a dry mixer.

    add to mixer jar

    5.Grind to a fine powder.

    grind to a fine powder

    6.Transfer to sieve. Sieve it well.

    transfer to a sieve

    7.Sieve until you get rava like coarse mixture. Add it to the next flour batch and grind it again. Repeat to finish.

    sieve well

    8.Sieved flour should be fine.

    fine rice flour ready

    9.Dry roast the sieved flour until you see steam coming out of the flour. Keep stirring to avoid burning at the bottom.

    roast rice flour well

    10.Roast it and set aside to cool down.

    roast until steam wafts

    11.You should be able draw a line using the flour, roast it in low flame till then.

    draw line to check

    12.Cool down completely then store in airtight container.

    dry it well

    Homemade rice flour is ready!

    Expert Tips

    • Homemade rice flour keeps well for about 6 months if handled properly.
    • You can dry roast the rice flour in bulk and store it like how I did. Else you can roast it at that instant when you are making snacks. But roasting and storing extends shelf life.
    • If you are grinding in bulk give it to a mill so that the grinding is even and fine too. I grinded it at home using a normal mixer so had to grind in batches and sieve it.
    • Store in a clean dry airtight container.
    • Use a dry spoon every time.

    Storing Suggestions

    Store in a cool, dry place in an air tight container so that it can long for 4-6 months. If you are making in bulk you can refrigerate a big batch and have a small batch in room temperature for daily use.

    FAQS

    1. Can I grind the raw rice directly?

    No. It is important that we soak, allow it to dry and then grind.

    2. Can I make idli, dosa with rice flour?

    Unfortunately No. We prepare wet rice batter which is a mixture of rice and urad dal to prepare idli and dosa. However neer dosa can be made with this rice flour but it will not be as tasty as our typical dosa.

    3.Is roasting the flour mandatory?

    Yes roasting the rice flour is a must to extend shelf life. Also roasting lends a good flavor to the rice flour.

    4. What are the dishes that are prepared with this flour?

    Kozhukattai / Modak, Seedai, Puttu, Akki Roti, Idiyappam, Murukku / Butter Murukku, Rice Pakora / Pakoda, Ribbon Pakoda. Add rice flour in small quantities to make Vada, Pakoda, Bajji crispier. Rice flour also serves as a thickening agent for soups, gravies and fries.

    5. What type of rice to use for making rice flour?

    Raw rice or pacharisi is the perfect rice variety for making rice flour. Boiled rice, idli rice, basmati rice can be used as the last option when you have no access to raw rice.

    homemade rice flour in a yellow bowl

    If you have any more questions about this Rice Flour Recipe do mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube and Twitter .

    Tried this Rice Flour Recipe? Do let me know how you liked it. Also tag us on Instagram @sharmispassions and hash tag it on #sharmispassions.

    📖 Recipe Card

    HomemadeRiceFlour2
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    Rice Flour Recipe | How to make Rice Flour

    Rice Flour is the base ingredient for quite a lot of dishes & savories. Homemade rice flour becomes very handy during festival season as it is the main ingredient for many dishes like murukku, seedai etc. Learn to make Rice Flour at home with step by step pictures and video.
    Prep Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time5 minutes mins
    Total Time2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
    Servings2 cups
    AuthorSharmilee J

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups raw rice

    Instructions

    • First rinse 2 cups raw rice well. Then soak it in water for 2 hours.
    • Drain water completely and rinse again. Then spread the raw rice in a soft towel and allow it to dry say for 30-45 minutes.
    • It will be slightly moist only and few rice will stick to your hands when you touch and see, this is the perfect stage.
    • Then transfer this to a dry mixer.
    • Grind to a fine powder.
    • Transfer to sieve. Sieve it well.
    • Sieve until you get rava like coarse mixture. Add it to the next flour batch and grind it again. Repeat to finish.
    • Dry roast the sieved flour until you see steam coming out of the flour. Keep stirring to avoid burning at the bottom.
    • Roast it and set aside to cool down.
    • You should be able draw a line using the flour, roast it in low flame till then.
    • Cool down completely and then store Rice Flour in an airtight container.

    Video

    Notes

    • Homemade rice flour keeps well for about 6 months if handled properly.
    • You can dry roast the rice flour in bulk and store it like how I did. Else you can roast it at that instant when you are making snacks. But roasting and storing extends shelf life.
    • If you are grinding in bulk give it to a mill so that the grinding is even and fine too. I grind it at home using a normal mixer so had to grind it for more time in batches.You can grind it in bulk and store it for around 6 months if handled properly.
    • Use a dry spoon every time.
    Nutrition Facts
    Rice Flour Recipe | How to make Rice Flour
    Amount Per Serving (150 g)
    Calories 675 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Saturated Fat 0.3g2%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
    Monounsaturated Fat 0.4g
    Sodium 9mg0%
    Potassium 213mg6%
    Carbohydrates 148g49%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 0.2g0%
    Protein 13g26%
    Calcium 52mg5%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sharmispassions or tag #sharmispassions
    Like our video?Subscribe to our youtube channel to get latest updates!

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    Filed Under: Diwali Essentials, ganesh chaturthi essentials, GaneshChaturthi Collection, Gokulashtami, Gokulashtami Essentials, How to's, Kozhukattai Recipes, RandomPosts, Recent Posts, Vinayagar Chathurthi

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ramya Bala

      September 10, 2011 at 5:48 pm

      I fry after it is ground…v.useful post

      Reply
    2. Kalyani's Platter

      September 10, 2011 at 6:31 pm

      very nice step by step instructions …. thanks for sharing sharmilee ….

      Reply
    3. Angie's Recipes

      September 10, 2011 at 6:32 pm

      I always want to make rice flour…thanks for sharing it.

      Reply
    4. Chandrani Banerjee

      September 10, 2011 at 6:37 pm

      Very useful powder. Thanx for sharing.

      Reply
    5. Uma

      September 10, 2011 at 9:13 pm

      Nice how to. It should be useful for sure.

      Cheers,
      Uma

      Reply
    6. divya

      September 11, 2011 at 12:46 am

      nice post…thanks for sharing..

      Reply
    7. Mary

      September 11, 2011 at 1:44 am

      I had no idea this could be done at home! Great idea. This is my first visit to your blog, so I took a bit of extra time to browse through your earlier posts. I'm so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers and I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great weekend. Blessings…Mary

      Reply
    8. Nithya

      September 11, 2011 at 3:33 am

      Very useful post 🙂 We used to soak, dry and give it to the machine and grind it. It will last for 3 to 4 months for us 🙂 Will do your method when I need small quantity urgently 🙂

      Reply
    9. Pavithra

      September 11, 2011 at 3:43 am

      Very nice post sharmi. Lovely pictures too.

      Reply
    10. Sharmilee! :)

      September 11, 2011 at 4:27 am

      @Vardhini : It is always bset to give and grind it in mill but for small batches I do at home but if you grind it repeatedly and then sieve, the flour will be fine but as you say it is a pain 🙂

      Reply
    11. Chitra

      September 11, 2011 at 9:31 am

      Nice post. I usually make this way for occasions 🙂

      Reply
    12. Laxmi

      September 11, 2011 at 12:27 pm

      nice post.. I usually grind it bulk in mill and carry it here .. u have enough patience to make this at home.. great..

      Reply
    13. cookingvarieties

      September 11, 2011 at 1:56 pm

      hi sharmilee, my first time here.
      also first i come across a topic oh how to make rice flour at home.
      also,i think you are the only one who publish such a useful recipe.. thanks, knowledge is precious.
      do visit my blog when you are free, would love to read a comment from you too. have a nice day

      Reply
      • Punithavathi

        September 16, 2023 at 7:08 pm

        மாவைவருக்கறதுக்கு பதில் ஆவி காட்டலாமா??

        Reply
        • Sharmilee J

          September 17, 2023 at 6:56 am

          it will make the flour lumpy…then you need to pulse it and sieve it again
          Also there is more chances for it to get spoiled if steam it

          Reply
        • Sharmilee J

          September 17, 2023 at 6:57 am

          If you are making in small batch to use it within a day or 2 then you can steam it.
          For storing purpose I recommend to roast and store

          Reply
    14. Shireen Sequeira

      September 11, 2011 at 3:46 pm

      Good post Sharmi..very useful 🙂

      Reply
    15. Neha

      September 12, 2011 at 12:55 am

      Very helpful post…Will bookmark it…

      Reply
    16. Gayathri NG

      September 12, 2011 at 2:55 am

      Sharmi u have lot of patience for doing all this.. very useful and perfect one…

      Reply
    17. Priya's Feast

      September 12, 2011 at 3:11 am

      Wow..It is very true steps to make rice flour from the scratch….Thank u for sharing it with readers..

      Reply
    18. Prathima Rao

      September 12, 2011 at 4:15 am

      A very handy recipe for this coming diwali!!! Very well explained….
      Prathima Rao
      Prats Corner

      Reply
    19. Now Serving

      September 14, 2011 at 2:05 am

      very nice and useful post 🙂

      Reply
    20. alonna

      September 17, 2011 at 11:50 pm

      Love your website. Could you use brown rice for this?

      Reply
    21. Nish

      January 18, 2012 at 10:03 pm

      Googled about this & landed here! Have washed rice and it's soaking now.
      I have a question: Srivalli's post says to soak 15-20 mins & yours says to soak 1 hour.
      Does it mean soaking 20 mins or 60 mins makes no difference to the end result?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee! :)

        January 19, 2012 at 3:26 am

        I asked amma and she said soaking for more time will make the rice softer and makes it ground easier.I am really not sure whether soaking for 20 mins will also give the same result. Hope this helps!

        Reply
      • Nish

        January 19, 2012 at 6:41 am

        Thanks for the quick reply, Sharmi! Good I left it for an hour, now grinding won't be a pain in the neck 😀

        Reply
    22. Mina:)

      February 13, 2012 at 5:31 pm

      Thank you so much for sharing how to do this!

      Reply
    23. Anonymous

      March 15, 2012 at 1:36 pm

      can this poweder be used as rice cereal for babies?

      Reply
    24. Sharmilee! :)

      March 15, 2012 at 1:42 pm

      @Anon : You can steam it and use it as its raw powder….

      Reply
    25. Anonymous

      March 26, 2012 at 10:02 pm

      I prepared de fluor first i cook the rice as cooking rice normaly, after i dry the rice in a pain in the oven. When the rice is dried, is very easy to mill it in my grindr and the rice powder is very soft, is cooking and it mix very fast with other ingredients in the recipes.
      Jaime gaviria, colombia

      Reply
    26. Anonymous

      May 03, 2012 at 4:54 pm

      Can you make teokkboki (korean snack) from this?

      Reply
    27. Sharmilee! :)

      May 04, 2012 at 1:54 am

      @Anon : I am not familiar with the snack but while googling saw that it involves rice cake, so am not sure whether we can use this recipe. Sorry cudnt help u in this regard.

      Reply
    28. Anonymous

      May 05, 2012 at 11:42 pm

      Thanks for this great recipe. I made this but used a high quality food processor instead of a mixie, and added a little cornstarch.. came out perfect.

      Reply
    29. deepaRsmiles

      June 15, 2012 at 3:17 pm

      hi Sharmi…. thanks for this useful post .. good for beginners like me in the kitchen to be good at small basics !

      Regards
      Deepa

      Reply
    30. mitu sri

      June 22, 2012 at 11:11 am

      thanx for useful post

      Reply
    31. mitu sri

      June 22, 2012 at 11:12 am

      thanx for this useful post

      Reply
    32. Sharanya Mohan Bala

      August 06, 2012 at 1:27 pm

      Very useful post indeed. Just wanted to know whether the rice has to dried in shade (like for making rava) or in the sun?

      Reply
    33. Sharmilee! :)

      August 06, 2012 at 1:30 pm

      @Sharanya : I just dried it indoors only..but you can sundry it for making the process quicker….

      Reply
    34. thulasi

      October 31, 2012 at 6:31 am

      thank you..

      Reply
    35. Latha R

      December 03, 2012 at 9:59 am

      How long i can keep this …will get spoil soon.. what are the step i need to take to preserve it …

      Reply
    36. Sharmilee! :)

      December 03, 2012 at 10:15 am

      @Latha : Just keep in airtight container and see to it that it is out of reach from water. It keeps well for 2-3months…may be inbetween you can check and sieve it once and keep it.

      Reply
    37. Vaishnavi

      August 15, 2013 at 4:19 pm

      Hi sharmi… I tried this method for varalakshmi nombu. A question here. My rice didnt dry in 1 hour after draining the water. I had to dry it for 4 hours. Do we have to wait until it dries or can we grind it when it has moisture?

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        October 03, 2013 at 12:05 pm

        Vaishnavi, It should not be dried completely it should be slightly moist…I have updated that in the steps now….

        Reply
    38. Farah

      October 03, 2013 at 6:53 am

      Hi, love ur recipes… one question, can I use brown rice?

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        October 03, 2013 at 12:06 pm

        For making rice flour we usually use white raw rice only……

        Reply
    39. ganga prakash

      October 25, 2013 at 9:06 am

      Hi Sharmi
      Thank u for such wonderful blog for us … my doubt was shall we use this rice flour for murukku or any special preparation for murukku flour??

      Reply
    40. SHARMILEE J

      October 25, 2013 at 10:44 am

      Yes you can use it….

      Reply
    41. nishanthini rajesh

      October 28, 2013 at 10:05 am

      Hi Sharmi , I came to know about ur blog through my sis, your carrot kheer rocks @ my home, I have an doubt with rice flour is it necessary to make it as fine powder for making thatti r coarse powder is fine b'coz I used d same method for makin rice powder and in blender I'm not able to get fine powder.

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        October 28, 2013 at 10:14 am

        Its better to have it fine…It depends on the mixer jar…If you are unable to grind it fine in your mixer, you can give it to a near by mill and grind it.Then you can sieve it twice at home.Hope this helps!

        Reply
    42. harsha

      December 02, 2013 at 6:34 am

      Hi Sharmi…Love the simplicity in your recipes 🙂

      Do confirm if I can use this rice flour for making idappam and puttu too?

      Regds.

      Reply
    43. harsha

      December 02, 2013 at 6:35 am

      Hi…tx for the simplified recipes. CAn this rice flour be used for making idappam and puttu too?

      regds. Deepali

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        December 03, 2013 at 6:24 am

        Yes it can be used

        Reply
    44. shobha sureshkumar

      August 15, 2014 at 3:38 pm

      I was looking for this recipe. Thanks

      Reply
    45. hema karthik

      October 14, 2014 at 10:13 am

      Can we use this flour for making thenkuzhal murukku n want to know do we want to roast the flour if we grind in mill? Pls do let me know

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        October 14, 2014 at 10:37 am

        Yes you can make use of homemade rice flour…..I usually roast the rice flour and store so use it directly for my murukkus.It depends on the recipe also….

        Reply
    46. Navneet Singh

      May 18, 2015 at 2:21 pm

      Can I use any qulatiy of rice or does it have to be basmati or any other quality ?

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        May 18, 2015 at 3:06 pm

        Use Raw Rice for best results….

        Reply
    47. Kirubha Arunkumar

      September 15, 2015 at 9:24 am

      I don't get raw rice here.can we use Basmathi or idli rice instead sharmi

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        September 15, 2015 at 11:23 am

        You can try with idli rice,but not sure of the outcome

        Reply
      • Madhu

        March 04, 2016 at 11:14 am

        Do we need to dry roast even if we give it at mill?

        Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        April 20, 2016 at 2:25 am

        Not must…but gives nice aroma and more shelf life

        Reply
    48. Priya Yuvaraj

      April 12, 2016 at 8:33 pm

      Hi Sharmi, is there any rice preference ? Like have to use " Pacha arisi" ? This may be a silly question ��…..

      Reply
    49. Padmashree S

      September 02, 2016 at 6:00 pm

      hi sharmi, i tried n got it right. but after 10 days fungus formed in the flour.. i dnt wher i went wrong…

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        September 14, 2016 at 4:12 am

        If there is still moisture in the flour, and if you have stored it with that there may be strings forming

        Reply
    50. Radhika vel

      December 31, 2017 at 2:26 pm

      I want to powder red rice.. Can I follow the same steps?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        January 15, 2018 at 11:35 am

        You can try and see…not really sure

        Reply
    51. Abitha

      October 24, 2018 at 2:42 pm

      Hi Sharmi,

      Should we have to roast the urad dal powder and rice floue even if we grind in the mill?If it is yes, can we dry the flour in the sun to remove moisture ?

      Also can we grind both together rice and fried urad dal together ?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        November 05, 2018 at 9:59 am

        No need to roast before grinding.You can roast the flour after grinding.
        Grinding rice and urad dal flour together depends on the recipe you are making.We usually grind separately and store.

        Reply
    52. Agila

      September 09, 2019 at 12:21 pm

      Can we make rice flour using boiled rice

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        October 29, 2019 at 9:42 am

        no raw rice should only be used

        Reply
    53. Karine

      March 27, 2020 at 8:14 am

      I saw that in some recipe people just blend the rice without soaking it… does it make a difference when you soak it, dry it and then blend it?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        April 30, 2020 at 6:20 am

        yes this is the traditional method

        Reply
    54. Vikram

      January 09, 2023 at 3:03 pm

      I soak rice and then dry in the sun and then give to mill for grinding. Do you recommend this process for making rice flour?

      Reply
      • Sharmilee J

        February 19, 2023 at 11:04 am

        yes make sure to dry well then grind also roast before storing.

        Reply
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