Published: September 14, 2022 Last Modified: November 8, 2023 Freda Dias

Nankhatai Recipe

Name: Nankhatai Recipe
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 61 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup ghee (115 grams); 3/4 cup powdered sugar (90 grams); 1 cup all purpose flour (143 grams); 1/4 cup besan (gram flour) (30 grams); 2 tablespoons fine rava (semolina) (25 grams); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder; 1 to 2 teaspoons slivered pistachios (t)

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Nankhatai biscuits are an Indian version of shortbread cookies. They are crispy and crumbly, light and flaky, with a tender crumb, and absolutely moreish!

Eggless nankhatai cookies served in a round metal tray lined with parchment paper

The festive season has begun with a bang in India! I’m sure you know what that means. Since Indian festivities and food are synonymous with each other, you can expect quite a lot of festive treats in the coming weeks.

The festival of lights, Diwali, is just a few weeks away, so I’m starting my series of festive treats with these classic Indian buttery cookies also known as nankhatai cookies.

I baked my first batch of nankhatai in 2015 when I was in the US. I missed having the Indian bakery-style nankhatai, so when I came across a recipe for these biscuits, I didn’t waste time making some. To my surprise, the biscuits turned out way better than the bakery ones too, they were light, crisp, crumbly and so flaky.

The sweet aroma of cardamom-flavored nankhatai’s wafting from the oven is simply irresistible! I’m quite certain that one bite of this yummy biscuit will evoke nostalgic feelings that will take you back to your childhood days. 🙂

45 degree angle shot of nankhatai biscuits placed on a round wire rack

Table of Contents

Why should you try this recipe?

This nankhatai biscuit recipe;

☑ Is a one-bowl recipe

☑ Does not need eggs

☑ Is made with basic ingredients that you probably have sitting in your pantry right now

☑ Can be made without an oven

☑ Yields khasta (flaky, crispy, and tender) cookies that have a rich, buttery flavor and just melts-in-the-mouth

☑ Does not need any special equipment such as a stand mixer or hand mixer

☑ Is a beginner-friendly cookie recipe

☑ Can be made and shared all year round as you don’t really need an occasion to indulge in some nan khatai 😀

Ingredients needed

To make these eggless nankhatai biscuits, you will need;

A combination of 3 flours: All-purpose flour, fine besan (gram flour), and fine semolina (rava or sooji). Gram flour imparts a prominent nutty, earthy flavor while the semolina adds a little crunch to the cookie. Some folks make it without the gram flour and semolina. If you’d like to skip it, please refer to the FAQs below.
Sugar: You will need powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar for these biscuits. If you have regular granulated sugar, add it to a blender and blend until you have finely powdered sugar.
Lots of ghee (clarified butter): Yes, it is the ghee that makes nankhatai cookies flaky, which is why they are also known as ‘khasta‘ nankhatai.
Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the sweetness and balances the flavors.
Cardamom powder: To flavor the nankhatai. I’ve used readymade cardamom powder. If making your own, you can crush the seeds in a mortar and pestle or grind them along with the sugar while making powdered sugar.

Ingredients needed to make eggless nankhatai cookies

How to make nankhatai cookies at home – Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Cookie dough

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup ghee. Place a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl, and sift 3/4 cup of powdered sugar. (Photos 1 and 2)

Cream the ghee and sugar using a whisk. (Photos 3 and 4)

Scrape the mixture off the sides and the bottom of the bowl occasionally using a spatula. (Photo 5)

Whisk until the mixture turns light, pale, and creamy. (Photos 6 to 8)

Ghee and powdered sugar creamed until light and fluffy

Place the fine-mesh sieve over the creamed mixture (make sure the sieve is not touching the mixture) and sift together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup besan, 2 tablespoons rava, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder. (Photos 9 to 15)

APF, besan, rava, salt, and cardamom powder sifter together

Combine everything using a spatula, then use your hands to bring the dough together. Do not knead. (Photos 16 to 18)

If the dough looks dry, add a teaspoon of ghee and gently work the dough until it comes together.

Pinch a small portion of the dough, and roll it between your palms to form a smooth ball. Flatten it slightly and check if there are any cracks on the edges. If it appears smooth, the dough is ready and does not need more ghee. (Photos 19 and 20)

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. (Photo 21)

Dry ingredients mixed with the creamed mixture to form a dough

Step 2: Shape the dough

Pinch a lime-sized portion of the dough. Roll it between your palms to form a smooth round shape. Flatten them slightly. (Photos 22 to 24)

Place it on the baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough. Place them 1 inch apart since they will expand on baking. (Photo 25)

Using a knife, make a criss-cross pattern in the middle. (Photo 26)

You can also make an indentation in the middle of the cookie using your thumb or the back of a small measuring spoon. This helps the cookie expand during baking.

Cover loosely and refrigerate for another 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 190°C (375 °F).

Dough divided into 14 portions, shaped in the form of a sphere and flattened slightly

Step 3: Bake

Oven:

Bake at 190°C (375° F) for about 15 to 18 minutes or until the edges begin to turn a light golden in color. (Photos 27 and 28)

The baking time may vary depending on the oven and the size of the cookies. So please keep an eye out. I baked them for 16 minutes and they were perfect.

Sprinkle some slivered pistachios. (Photo 29)

The cookies will be soft in the middle but will firm upon cooling.

Let the cookies rest on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (Photo 30)

Without oven:

Shape the cookies as instructed above. Place them on a small aluminum, stainless steel, or nonstick baking pan greased and lined with parchment paper. You may use aluminum foil too. Refrigerate while the cooker preheats. (Photo 31)

Add 1 to 1.5 cups of salt to the bottom of a pressure cooker or kadai. Place a trivet or stand over the layer of salt. (Photo 32)

Make sure you remove the gasket and the whistle. Cover the cooker with the lid. Preheat on medium-high heat for 10 minutes. (Photo 33)

Place the plate with the cookies carefully. (Photo 34)

Close the lid, and let the cookies cook on medium-low heat for about 25 minutes or until done. (Photos 35 and 36)

Switch off the heat and transfer the plate onto a stand very carefully using tongs or silicon mitts and allow it to cool down for 5 to 10 minutes. (Photo 37)

The bottom of the cookie has a beautiful golden brown color. (Photo 38)

Look at the texture! (Photo 39)

Serving suggestions

These cookies make for a delicious accompaniment to your morning coffee or evening chai.

They are also great as a snack!

Since it is like a cross between a cookie and a mithai, you can also enjoy them as a sweet treat post meals.

Overhead shot of 6 nan khatai cookies on a black round wire rack

Storage instructions

Allow nan khatai to cool down completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool and dry place for up to 3 weeks. Though, I really doubt they will last that long 😀

Do not leave them exposed to air for a long time or they will lose their crispiness.

Recipe Tips

Sweetness: These biscuits are not overly sweet. If you prefer cookies that aren’t too sweet, reduce the powdered sugar to 1/2 cup.

Ghee: To make the best khasta nankhatai recipe, it is recommended to use ghee as the fat.

Consistency of the ghee: Make sure that you use room temperature ghee which is in a semi-solid state with a grainy texture. It should not be melted or the cookies will be flat. If you live in a hot and humid climate and find the ghee to be a bit runny, pop it in the fridge for some time to help it solidify slightly.

Do not knead the dough: All you have to do is simply mix ingredients and get the dough together (refer to video). Kneading the dough will develop gluten which will make these cookies dense as opposed to light and flaky.

Adjust the quantity of ghee as needed: If the dough feels too crumbly and is not coming together, add a few teaspoons of ghee and mix until it comes together. Do not add milk, or it will alter the texture.

Chill the dough and shaped cookie dough balls before baking: It is also important that you chill the dough, chilling the dough helps solidify the fat (in this case, ghee), so when the cookies hit the oven, the fat melts slowly, preventing the cookies from spreading too much. If you bake them without chilling the dough, the cookies will spread out, as the dough is soft and the fat is already at room temperature.

Even-sized cookies: Use a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon for uniform-sized cookies. You can also weigh the cookie dough and divide it by the number of cookies you need to make sure that each cookie is the same size. FYI, the dough weighs about 400 grams.

Let cookies rest after baking: Nankhatais are quite delicate and fragile right after they are baked. Let them rest on the baking tray for at least 5 minutes to achieve the perfect texture. If you try to remove them earlier, they might just crumble and fall apart.

Sprinkle pistachios in the end: I prefer adding slivered pistachios in the end because they tend to turn brown after baking and don’t look very appealing. It’s a personal preference. If using other nuts like almonds or cashew nuts, you may add them before baking.

45 degree angle close-up shot of nankhatai biscuits placed on a round wire rack served along with tea

Variations

Different flavors: Skip the cardamom, and flavor these nan khatais with other ingredients like cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, pumpkin pie spice mix, or other flavor extracts like rose, rasmalai, rabdi, paan, etc.

Coconut flavored: Add about 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut along with the flours. Add a teaspoon of ghee at a time, if the dough isn’t coming together.

Nuts: Though I’ve added slivered pistachios just for garnishing, you can most certainly incorporate some coarsely chopped nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, pecans, etc in the cookie dough for added texture.

Chocolate: Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder along with the flour. You can also add some semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.

Thandai flavored: Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of thandai masala powder along with the flours.

Vegan: Swap the ghee with vegetable shortening (make sure it is vegan) or vegan butter.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is the meaning of nankhatai or nan khatai?

Nankhatai biscuit, also known by other names like nan khatai, naan khatai or butter biscuit, is one of the most commonly available cookies in Indian bakeries. It is always a hit amongst kids and adults alike.

The word Nankhatai is derived from the Persian word Naan meaning bread and “Khatai” from an Afghan word meaning Biscuit. In Afghanistan and Northeast Iran, these biscuits are called Kulcha-e-Khataye. Kulcha is a type of bread similar to Naan.

There is also an interesting history of how Nankhatai originated.

Nankhatai is believed to have originated in Surat in the 16th century, the time when Dutch and Indians were the important spice traders. A Dutch couple set up a bakery in Surat to meet the needs of local Dutch residents. When the Dutch left India, they handed over the bakery to an Iranian.

The bakery biscuits were disliked by the locals. To save his business he started selling dried bread at low prices. It became so popular that he started drying the bread before selling it. With time, his experimentation with bread ultimately gave birth to Nankhatai. (Source- wiki)

Can I swap the ghee with butter?

I do not suggest replacing ghee with butter or shortening for that matter. Since butter has more moisture content than ghee, it will change the texture of the nankhatai. For that flaky and tender texture, I recommend using only pure ghee!

Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour?

You can make whole wheat nankhatai by replacing maida with atta (whole wheat flour) and sugar with jaggery powder to make a healthier version. But you will need to add at least 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder or the cookies will be too dense and not as light and flaky as the ones made with maida.

How do you know when nan khatai biscuits are cooked?

Nankhatais are done when cracks appear on the top of the cookies and the bottom turns golden brown. The color of these cookies will still be pale after baking and that’s how we want them to be.

Do not be tempted to overbake them, because they will continue to cook once they are out of the oven and will turn 1 to 2 shades darker.

Don’t I need to add any baking powder or soda to this recipe?

You do not need any leavening agents in this recipe. Make sure you cream the ghee and sugar really well.

Note: If you swap the all-purpose flour with wheat flour, then do add about 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder so that the cookies do not turn dense.

Can I make these biscuits without besan or rava?

Yes, you can. Add more all-purpose flour to compensate for the besan and rava.

How to bake nankhatai’s in a microwave?

Turn on the convection mode of the microwave and preheat it to 180°C for 10 minutes. Since each microwave is different, please refer to the instruction manual.

Once it is preheated, place a short stand, and the tray containing the shaped dough on the stand. Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

How many calories are in nankhatai?

A medium-sized nankhatai cookie (approx 30 grams) contains 153 calories, 16.8 grams of carbs, 1.8 grams of protein, 8.7 grams of fat, and 6.6 grams of sugar. For the complete nutrition info, please check the recipe card.

Is nankhatai good for weight loss?

These biscuits are packed with carbs, fat, and sugar. They are certainly not diet food, so if you watch your diet, you should refrain from indulging in these cookies.

Close-up shot of nankhatai biscuits garnished with slivered pistachios and dried rose petals

You may also enjoy these Indian biscuit recipes

Editor’s Note: The original recipe published on June 9, 2015, was adapted from here. The recipe has been modified slightly and the post has been republished to include new images, detailed step-wise pictorials, video, and content on September 14, 2022.

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