Kurkure
An Indian-origin PepsiCo snack brand known for seasoned, crunchy extruded snacks made from rice, lentil and corn.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Kurkure is a packaged-snack brand created in India and owned by PepsiCo through its Frito-Lay business. The brand was introduced in 1999 and developed around a distinctly South Asian interpretation of the extruded snack: rather than relying on a simple corn base, Kurkure snacks are made from a combination of rice meal, corn meal and gram or lentil meal, then seasoned with spices and other flavoring ingredients. The name refers to crunchiness in Hindi and Urdu, directly communicating the product's principal eating characteristic. The brand's core market is India, where it has been positioned as an accessible, mass-market savory snack with strong regional flavor cues. Its range has included Masala Munch, Chilli Chatka, Hyderabadi Hungama, Schezwan Chutney, Solid Masti, Jowar Puffs, Pastax and cheese-flavored PuffCorns. The portfolio has also included numerous limited, experimental or discontinued variants, reflecting the brand's use of local culinary references and playful naming to refresh consumer interest. Flavors and product availability have changed over time, and the assortment differs between countries. Kurkure is manufactured in India at facilities identified in public reference material in Sangrur, Pune, Howrah, Sonipat, Ranga Reddy, Vaishali and Kamrup. It is also manufactured in Pakistan, including at a facility in Gulberg, Lahore. The brand entered Pakistan in 2008, nine years after its Indian launch, and has subsequently been promoted through locally adapted advertising and flavor offerings such as Chutney Chaska, Red Chilli Jhatka and Toofaani Mirch. It has also had limited availability in overseas markets with substantial South Asian or Indian-origin communities, including parts of Canada and the United Kingdom. Marketing has been an important part of Kurkure's development. Early Indian advertising used television personalities including Mandira Bedi and Pooja Ghai, followed by Juhi Chawla and later Kareena Kapoor. The brand also used regional-language promotion, including a Tamil-market campaign featuring Simran. During the 2010s, its advertising roster included Parineeti Chopra, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Ramya Krishnan and Farida Jalal. Later campaigns featured Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Taapsee Pannu, Akshay Kumar, Kritika Kamra and Sara Ali Khan. In Pakistan, the brand has used local entertainers including Ayesha Omer, Hania Aamir and Iqra Aziz. Kurkure's product identity is built around crunchy texture, strong seasoning and familiar Indian flavor profiles rather than premium ingredients or formal dining occasions. Publicly described ingredients include rice meal, corn meal, gram meal, vegetable oil, spices, condiments, salt, sugar, tartaric acid and flavoring substances. PepsiCo India ingredient information has also identified milk solids in at least one product formulation, meaning that the brand should not generally be treated as completely vegan. Formulations, labeling and product ranges can vary by market and over time. Overall, Kurkure remains a regionally rooted PepsiCo snack brand whose expansion has combined local manufacturing, culturally specific flavors and celebrity-led advertising.
History
Kurkure originated in India in 1999 as a PepsiCo snack brand developed through the company's Frito-Lay operations. Its name is derived from a Hindi and Urdu expression associated with crunchiness, making the texture central to the brand's identity. The product differs from a conventional single-grain corn puff because its publicly described base combines rice meal, corn meal and gram meal. These ingredients are processed into an extruded snack and coated or flavored with spices, condiments, salt and other ingredients. From its beginning, Kurkure was designed for the Indian packaged-snack market. Its flavor architecture drew on familiar regional and national taste references rather than presenting the product as a generic Western-style puff. Masala Munch became one of the best-known products in the range, while later variants used names and profiles associated with chili, chaat, Hyderabad, Schezwan cuisine and other Indian taste conventions. The company periodically added and removed variants, creating a broad portfolio that included products such as Chilli Chatka, Hyderabadi Hungama, Solid Masti, Jowar Puffs, Pastax and cheese-flavored PuffCorns. Advertising helped establish the brand's cultural visibility. In the early 2000s, Indian television actresses Mandira Bedi and Pooja Ghai appeared in Kurkure commercials. Juhi Chawla was later used in national advertising, and Kareena Kapoor promoted a newer range identified with Desi Beats from 2008. Kurkure also adapted its communications to regional media: a Tamil-market launch campaign featured Simran. During 2012, the brand used a larger ensemble of Indian film and television personalities, including Parineeti Chopra, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Ramya Krishnan and Farida Jalal. Later campaigns featured Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Taapsee Pannu, followed by advertising involving Akshay Kumar and Kritika Kamra and a 2024 Hindi commercial featuring Sara Ali Khan. Kurkure expanded beyond India in 2008 when it was launched in Pakistan. Manufacturing and marketing in Pakistan gave the brand a local operating base and enabled country-specific flavors, including Chutney Chaska, Red Chilli Jhatka and Toofaani Mirch. Pakistani advertising has featured entertainers such as Ayesha Omer, Hania Aamir and Iqra Aziz. The brand has also been available in limited quantities in overseas markets. Frito-Lay announced plans in 2006 to introduce Kurkure to the United States, citing interest in Indian spices; later availability included parts of Canada and the United Kingdom, particularly areas with substantial South Asian communities. Indian production has been associated with facilities in Sangrur, Pune, Howrah, Sonipat, Ranga Reddy, Vaishali and Kamrup. Pakistani production has been associated with a facility in Gulberg, Lahore. This manufacturing footprint supports the brand's regional availability while keeping its core identity tied to South Asian taste preferences. Ingredient information cited in public reference material lists rice meal, edible vegetable oil, corn meal, gram meal, spices, condiments, salt, sugar, tartaric acid, E631 and natural, nature-identical or artificial flavoring substances. PepsiCo India material has identified milk solids in at least one formulation, so Kurkure is not universally vegan. Exact formulations and product availability may differ by market and change over time. The brand's documented history is therefore best understood as the evolution of an India-origin extruded snack into a broader South Asian and diaspora-market portfolio under PepsiCo's Frito-Lay organization.
- 2013
Availability reported in Western Canada
[1]The brand was reported as available in Western Canada.
- 2010
Availability reported in Eastern Canada
[1]Kurkure was reported as available in Eastern Canada as part of its limited overseas distribution.
- 2008
Kurkure launches in Pakistan
[1]The brand entered Pakistan and developed local manufacturing and market-specific flavor offerings.
- 2008
Kurkure promotes the Desi Beats range
[1]Kareena Kapoor endorsed a new Kurkure range identified as Desi Beats.
- 2004
Juhi Chawla joins Kurkure advertising
[1]Juhi Chawla was featured in Kurkure advertisements as the brand broadened its celebrity-led marketing.
- 2001
Early Indian television advertising
[1]Mandira Bedi and Pooja Ghai appeared in early Kurkure commercials.
- 1999
Kurkure launches in India
[1]PepsiCo introduced Kurkure in India as a seasoned, crunchy extruded snack based on rice, corn and gram or lentil ingredients.
Products and positioning
Mass-market, highly seasoned savory snacks with a crunchy texture and locally recognizable South Asian flavor profiles.
Extruded savory snack
Masala Munch
A core Kurkure product associated with the brand's spiced, crunchy extruded-snack identity. It represents the mainstream Indian portfolio and uses a strongly seasoned profile rather than a plain or lightly salted formulation.
Spiced extruded snack
Chilli Chatka
A chili-oriented Kurkure variant whose name emphasizes a sharp, lively seasoning profile. It is part of the brand's strategy of translating familiar Indian taste expectations into snack formats.
Regional-flavor extruded snack
Hyderabadi Hungama
A Kurkure flavor themed around Hyderabad, illustrating the brand's use of regional culinary references and locally recognizable naming to differentiate products within the savory-snack aisle.
Spiced extruded snack
Schezwan Chutney
A variant built around the popular Schezwan-chutney flavor concept. It extends Kurkure's range beyond traditional masala profiles while retaining the brand's crunchy extruded format.
Extruded savory snack
Solid Masti
A playful, heavily seasoned product in the Indian Kurkure range. The name and presentation fit the brand's informal, youth-oriented positioning and its emphasis on snackable flavor intensity.
Grain-based puffed snack
Jowar Puffs
A Kurkure product associated with jowar, or sorghum, adding a regional grain reference to the brand's broader collection of puffed and extruded snacks.
Cheese-flavored puffed snack
PuffCorns
A puffed snack line identified in the Indian range with a Yummy Cheese flavor. It broadens Kurkure's offering from strongly regional spice profiles into a cheese-oriented format.
Pakistan-market extruded snack
Chutney Chaska
A Pakistan-market Kurkure flavor centered on chutney-style seasoning, demonstrating the brand's adaptation of its flavor portfolio to local tastes.
Pakistan-market spicy snack
Red Chilli Jhatka
A Pakistan-market variant built around red-chili intensity and a bold flavor name consistent with Kurkure's broader positioning.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Sara Ali Khan Hindi commercial
India
Sara Ali Khan appeared in a Hindi-language Kurkure commercial.
- 2021Akshay Kumar and co-star campaign
India
Akshay Kumar appeared in Kurkure advertising alongside Kritika Kamra and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
- 2019Multilingual celebrity campaign
India
Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Taapsee Pannu appeared in Hindi-, Tamil- and Telugu-language Kurkure commercials.
- 2012Multi-celebrity Indian campaign
India
Kurkure advertising featured Parineeti Chopra, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Ramya Krishnan and Farida Jalal.
- 2008Desi Beats promotion
India
Kareena Kapoor endorsed a Kurkure range marketed as Desi Beats.
- 2008Tamil-market launch advertising
India
Simran appeared in Tamil-language Kurkure advertising as the brand developed regional media support.
- 2004Juhi Chawla Kurkure campaign
India
Juhi Chawla was featured in Kurkure advertising, reinforcing the brand's use of prominent Indian entertainment personalities.
- 2001Early Kurkure television commercials
India
Mandira Bedi and Pooja Ghai appeared in television advertising supporting the early development of the Kurkure brand.
Brand decisions
2008
Entry into PakistanProduct launchBackground
After establishing the brand in India, PepsiCo expanded Kurkure into Pakistan.
Action taken
Kurkure was launched in Pakistan with local manufacturing and country-specific flavor variants.
Aftermath
Pakistan became a documented manufacturing and operating market for the brand.
2006
Plan to enter the United StatesStrategyBackground
Frito-Lay identified interest in Indian spices and announced plans to introduce Kurkure to the American market.
Action taken
The company planned a 2007 U.S. launch and subsequently pursued selected overseas distribution.
Aftermath
The brand became available in some international markets serving substantial South Asian communities, including parts of Canada and the United Kingdom.
Recent events
- 2024
Sara Ali Khan appears in Kurkure Hindi commercial[1]
Campaign
Sara Ali Khan was featured in a Hindi-language Kurkure commercial.
- 2021
Akshay Kumar appears in Kurkure advertising[1]
Campaign
Kurkure campaigns featuring Akshay Kumar, Kritika Kamra and Samantha Ruth Prabhu continued the brand's use of high-profile entertainment personalities.
- 2019
Kurkure continues celebrity-led campaigns across Indian languages[1]
Campaign
Advertising featuring Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Taapsee Pannu promoted Kurkure in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu markets.
- 2008
Kurkure launches in Pakistan[1]
Product launch · M&A
PepsiCo expanded Kurkure into Pakistan, where the brand was manufactured locally and marketed with country-specific products and advertising.
- 2007
Kurkure expands availability in overseas South Asian markets[1]
Product launch
Frito-Lay announced plans to introduce Kurkure to the United States and subsequently made the product available in selected markets with significant South Asian populations, including Canada and the United Kingdom.
Sources3 sources
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