Many will agree that a batch of fluffy rice idlis and a bowl of tangy sambar is a soul-satisfying combination. Soaking and grinding of rice and urad dal to make rice idlis at home can be a time consuming and laborious task, which is where instant mixes come to our aid. Rice idlis instant mixes pack in a whole lot of convenience and the promise to give us home-style or even restaurant-style fluffy idlis. We reviewed rice idli instant mixes by three popular brands – MTR, Tops, and Nilon’s to see which brand of instant rice idli mix gives us the tastiest and fluffiest idlis.
Table of Contents
Watch Video: Best Instant Rice Idli Premix
Top Pick
Idlis made using MTR Rice Idli Ready Mix were the tastiest and fluffiest.
Rs – Rs 120/-*
Net weight – 500 grams
*Price at the time of review
Why did we choose MTR Idli Mix (Rice Idli Ready Mix) as our Top Pick?
We chose MTR Idli Mix (Rice Idli Ready Mix) as our Top Pick because it yielded the fluffiest and tastiest idlis.
The texture of the idlis comes close to a freshly made homestyle/restaurant style idli. The idlis were very fluffy, and light. They are not dry, dense, or soft and squidgy at all.
MTR’s Rice Idlis taste the best as it is, as well as with coconut chutney.
The seasoning of the rice idlis is spot on.
Unlike some brands of premixes, the instructions given on the pack are easy to follow. MTR Rice Idli Mix uses 1 part of the mix, 1 part water, and ½ part curd to make the idli batter.
A 500-gram pack is priced at Rs 120/-.
Why did Nilon’s and Tops Idli Mix not win?
Nilon’s – While making the batter, Nilon’s batter consistency was runny but became thick within a few minutes. The outcome was a batch of sour-tasting idlis that were squidgy and sticky. We did not like the idlis even when tested with coconut chutney.
Tops – The batter of the Tops Idli Mix was extremely runny and did not thicken with time. The idlis even though plumped up well, ended up being dense and dry.
In both the idli mixes, texture and taste were not up to the mark which is why they did not win.
Our Review Process
Who Is This Review For?
How We Picked The Brands
The Parameters
- Taste – How nice did the idlis taste? Was the seasoning balanced or were the idlis oversalted? Any other distinct flavors? Was the sourness overpowering?
- Texture – We answered an important question here – How was the texture of the idlis made using these instant mixes? Dense and dry or fluffy and light?
Other aspects like price and how easy or tough was the batter making procedure were also considered, and how accurate/apt are the instructions on each pack.
How We Reviewed
There are multiple ways of steaming idlis these days – one of them, and the most common one, being steaming a batch in a regular cooker without the whistle on. The other way is to use a rice cooker. We steamed the idlis in our review lab using a standard round-shaped greased idli stand/idli plate in the Bajaj Rice Cooker, which was our Top Pick in our ‘Best Rice Cooker Review’. We added water until the mentioned waterline and started making our idlis. Not only was this easy, we observed one more thing. Usually the lowest section of the idli-stand, that is closest to the water, ends up getting a little soft and mushy. Here, in a rice cooker, this did not happen. This happened over multiple batches.
Time-wise – apart from MTR, all the other idlis were ready in the mentioned time frame.
After checking them for fluffiness, we tasted the idlis as it is and with homemade coconut chutney as well.
Quick Comparison – Best Instant Rice Idli Mix
| Brand | Nilon’s | Tops | MTR |
| Price | Rs 90/- | Rs 65/- | Rs 120/- |
| Net weight | 200 grams | 200 grams | 500 grams |
| Shelf life | 12 months | 12 months | 12 months |
| Rice/Rice flour percentage | Not mentioned | 65% | 60% |
| Taste | Mildly sour tasting | Neutral | Neutral |
| Texture | Squidgy | Dense, dry | Fluffy and light |
Results Of Our Review
When do you usually eat idlis – Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner?
