Nankhatai
Oct 29, 2015, Updated May 07, 2023
Eggless Indian Shortbread Cookies, these Nankhatai will melt-in-your-mouth!
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Eggless Indian Shortbread Cookies – Nankhatai are very popular during the festive season. These are flavored with ghee, cardamom and saffron and will melt in your mouth!
In India, we do not associate our sweets and cookies with eggs. The crispy biscuits (that’s what we call cookies usually!) which are dipped in chai every morning are always eggless. Now a lot of new products have come up and cookies do have eggs in them but I remember growing up no biscuit ever had egg in it. Same goes with our sweets, always without eggs.
What Is Nankhatai?
Now let me tell you something about Nankhatai. It is a very popular Indian biscuit (cookie). It’s made with ghee (clarified butter) and flavored with cardamom and saffron and is obviously eggless.
Everyone has their own way of making nankhatai. Some make it using all purpose flour only, while others use a combination of flour and besan (chickpea flour). I have used these 2 plus also little sooji (semolina). The addition of sooji makes the cookies crispy and gives them a nice texture.
Nankhatai is one cookie which was made in India even when ovens were not all that common. In fact this is the only cookie that I can remember from my childhood that people used to bake at home using those traditional ovens with glass top.
It’s one popular cookie during the festive season back home. And the good news is that it’s so easy to make at home. If you love nankhatai then I have got the perfect recipe for you. With only handful of ingredients, you will able to get the perfect nankhatai to gift your friends and family this festive season.
These cookies are made with lots of ghee, yes not for you if you are watching your diet. That’s why I make it during the festive season because that’s one time when we all like to indulge and I thought there couldn’t be a better time to share this recipe with you guys than Diwali!
Nankhatai is like a shortbread in texture. My version will just melt in your mouth! There can’t be a better cookie to celebrate Diwali!
Some other variations that you can make!
Nankhatai using maida (all purpose flour) only: use the same recipe and use 2 cups all purpose flour
Besan Nankhatai: same recipe and use 1 cup flour and 1 cup besan
Method
In a bowl sieve together flour, besan, sooji and cardamom powder. Add salt and mix till well combined.
Using your stand or hand mixer, mix/cream together ghee with powdered sugar and crushed saffron strands till fluffy.
Add the flour mix (the dry ingredients) and mix.
Mix until it forms a soft and smooth dough. If the dough is not coming together, you may add a tablespoon of milk at this point.
Cling wrap the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes take the dough out and pinch equal size balls from the dough. Flatten each balls slightly with your hands and if you want make a criss-cross design on top with a knife. Press some chopped nuts in the center. Place the baking tray lined with the cookies back in the refrigerator again for 20 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 375 F degrees.
After 20 minutes, take out the baking tray and bake at 375 F degrees for 16-18 minutes or till the bottom of the cookies starts turning light brown in color.
Remove nankhatai from oven and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
If you’ve tried this Nankhatai Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Nankhatai
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour or maida
- 3/4 cup besan or chickpea flour
- 1/4 cup sooji or semolina
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup +2-3 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter in semi-solid state, should not be melted
- 3/4 cup confectioners sugar or powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder from 7-8 cardamom pods
- ½ teaspoon saffron strands crushed
- chopped pistachios to garnish
- chopped almonds to garnish
- 1 tablespoon milk optional, only use if dough isn't coming together
Instructions
- In a bowl sieve together flour, besan, sooji and cardamom powder. Add salt and mix till well combined.
- Using your stand or hand mixer, mix/cream together ghee with powdered sugar and crushed saffron strands until fuffy.
- Add the flour mix (the dry ingredients) and mix.
- Mix until it forms a soft and smooth dough. If the dough is not coming together, you may add a tablespoon of milk at this point.
- Cling wrap the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes take the dough out and pinch equal size balls from the dough.
- Flatten each balls slightly with your hands and if you want make a criss-cross design on top with a knife. Press some chopped nuts in the center.
- Place the baking tray lined with the cookies back in the refrigerator again for 20 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 375 F degrees.
- After 20 minutes, take out the baking tray and bake at 375 F degrees for 16-18 minutes or till the bottom of the cookies starts turning light brown in color.
- Remove nankhatai from oven and let cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Nankhatai
Hi Manali
Wonderful recipe. I am looking forward to trying it. May I know if flavored nan khatais are possible with this recipe?.. like rose flavored or paan flavored or chocolate etc. On another note, I recently purchased your instant pot recipe book from Amazon. All of the recipes I tried were super hits with my family😊❤️Thank you so much
Thank you Aarthi! Yes definitely you can flavor the nankhatais, use some cocoa powder for chocolate ones, you can use candied fennel and gulkand for the paan version
Hi Manali,
I am doubling this recipe to make for an event. I have extra dough left over. Can I refrigerate it for a day and make the nankhatais the next day using the same ?
This is a hot recipe with friends ! Thank you 🙏🏽
yes you can do that! just add an extra minute or two while baking.
Hiya should the semolina be roasted slightly?
no not needed
Hi ,can i plj get measurements in gms. That would be of great help. Thankyou so so much 🙂
will do when I update the recipe!
Hi. Can i add tuti fruti to this recipie. If yes, I am concerned that it will settle in the bottom while baking. How can i avoid that?
just sprinkle them on top
What is maida flour if besan is gram or chickpea flour ?
all purpose flour
Can we use whole wheat in place of maida?
you may, the texture will be different, more dense
I tried your recipe and the nankhatai came out really good.
I have a son with a dairy allergy (milk proteins). Do you know how difficult it is to find an Indian dessert for him? Did you know that ghee, although it is made from butter, can be consumed safely by many with a dairy allergy? That’s because it’s clarified, and only the fat (not the proteins or the lactose etc.) is utilized to make it. I was so thrilled to make this recipe for him for this holiday season. He is now 13, and a foodie by nature. I can’t tell you the joy I felt in my heart when I handed him a nankhatai to try. With that cookie, I also handed him my holiday memories, and a tradition. Food is a delicious way we remain connected to our culture. For those suffering from food allergies, this becomes difficult. Your recipe made that possible for my son, and brought me much joy. Thank you!
you are welcome, I am so glad to know that you son could enjoy this 🙂
Hi Manali can I use wheat atta instead of maida . N how much
have not tried, if you want replace half the maida with atta
Hi,
I am looking forward to trying your recipe but I have a question. I am wondering why is there no baking powder or baking soda in these cookies? I found another nankhatai cookie recipe which has the same ingredients as your recipe but they also included baking powder. I am just curious as why you chose not to include it? Does it affect the flavour?
These cookies work without an leavening agent, if you want add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Hi dear.
I wanted to try your recipe….I do not have ghee….can I use normal butter instead….i have the salted butter and the emborg baking butter. . Can I use any one of these….and second question…can I use icing sugar instead of plain powdered sugar….coz icing sugar has a little cornstarch added to it…awaiting your reply..thnks dear
you can try with butter. icing sugar and powdered sugar are same!
Made them yesterday….turned out simply awesome!!!!
Family and friends just loved it….
Thank you for such an amazing recipe ?
welcome! 🙂
Hi Manali I have followed so many of your recipes. Your step by step pictures and videos are awesome. For this recipe would you be able to give the gram equivalent ? I found that I am not so accurate using the cup measurements.
Hi Nina, sure I will update once I measure and bake again, will try to do it soon!
They turned out really good..
I skipped suji and balance the ratio by adding same amount of besan..
They are super soft and taste is sooo delicious and perfectly melting in mouth..
Made them in air fryer at 200°c for 14 min..
Will now make them using all suji also.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Hello mam
If I am using convection then also the temperature and duration will be same for baking?
maybe? Sorry I don’t have experience with convection oven.
Hello Manali, this recipe looks delicious. Can I substitute sugar with jaggery? Do you think it will bake well?
not tested with jaggery so hard for me to say
Hi manali I love your recipe. I made this twice came out really good but it’s little hard can you suggest why is that? What should I add to make it little softer
I am not sure why it’s turning hard, maybe you are over baking it. Every oven is different, maybe you need to cut down the time a few minutes and see.
Manali I tried out your Nankhatai recipe and there are not enough words to express how delicious , yummy n mouth watering they turned out to be..Awesome recipe..Thankyou
welcome Kalpana 🙂
yes i hv tried this recipe but one thing i want to ask u tht how we understand the cookies are ready..thnkyu for the sweet recipe..
follow the baking time, also they will be browned from the bottom.
Can we used atta instead of maida
use 50% atta and 50% maida
Good Day Manali
Your recipe is awesome , I have tried these cookie`s , my word it was divine .
Just that the after taste of the gram flour which i did not like . Can i omit the gram flour .
or can i toast the flour and then add .
Kindly advise
Jessica Pillay
Hello Jessica, try toasting the gram flour a little and then add. If you don’t like it at all, you may skip it and more of the regular flour.
Wow!! What recipe !! Amazing…!!! I have tried many recipes before but never got such a authentic taste of Nankhatai… thanks for sharing your recipe Manali
welcome, so glad to know 🙂
Hi Manali
I am definitley going to use your recipe. Looks absolutley yummy.
Just tried it today.. a perfect recipe for a melt in the mouth biscuit. Paired it with a cup of chai.. absolute heaven. Tq so much for the recipe
you are welcome, so glad it worked!
Hi Manali,
Thank you for your response! Just one more question. How do I double the recipe if I want to make a larger batch? Does every single ingredient gets doubled according to how many batches I make or would the measurement be different for ingredients like salt? Thanks
I am new to your site. I tried your recipe and the cookies turned out divine! The aroma as I opened the oven door filled the whole kitchen beautifully! It wasn’t very melt-in-the mouth though, was a bit crispy but not hard. I loved it thanks for the recipe! One question though about the weight measurement. I normally convert the amount to grams to measure my ingredients. I wasn’t sure if you use the US cup measurement (240ml cup) or the metric cup (250ml). Anyways I used the following in gram and wonder if I got it right? 120gm plain flour, 70gm chickpea flour, 50gm sooji flour, 150gm ghee, 170gm icing sugar? Thanks
Hi Christina, yes that’s what it will be approximately. I use US cup measurement. I should update the post with gram measurements once I make it again. Glad you liked the recipe.
JUNE 5, 2019 AT 8:46 AM
Hi Manali,
Thank you for your response! Just one more question. How do I double the recipe if I want to make a larger batch? Does every single ingredient gets doubled according to how many batches I make or would the measurement be different for ingredients like salt? Thanks
Hi Manali,
I am new to your site. I tried your recipe and the cookies turned out divine! The aroma as I opened the oven door filled the whole kitchen beautifully! It wasn’t very melt-in-the mouth though, was a bit crispy but not hard. I loved it thanks for the recipe! One question though about the weight measurement. I normally convert the amount to grams to measure my ingredients. I wasn’t sure if you use the US cup measurement (240ml cup) or the metric cup (250ml). Anyways I used the following in gram and wonder if I got it right? 120gm plain flour, 70gm chickpea flour, 50gm sooji flour, 150gm ghee, 170gm icing sugar? Thanks
Hi Manali, I would love to bake these cookies. I do have a question though about the texture, is it dense or does it have an open structure like crunchy cookies do?
It’s a crispy cookie but not super crispy…the cookie gets lot of flavor from ghee
Made these today. I’ve been experimenting with all kinds of Indian recipes since my visit to Bangalore, and these should pair well with my homemade masala chai.
I found I needed a little extra milk in the besan version to get the dough to hold together… about 3 tablespoons total.
glad to know David 🙂
Could you please guide me as to how I can bake it without an oven ,in a pressure cooker maybe.I have heard about this method but I am not sure about the time and procedure.I would also like to know how to implement this recipe in Usha halogen oven.
I made this recipe and the cookies completely spread, even though I chilled twice, as instructed. Comparing to other recipes, I think this one has double the amount of ghee than it should.
Sorry it didn’t work out for you Miriam, I am not sure what went wrong if you chilled the dough..there’s not even a leavening agent here which could have caused the cookies to spread. The amount of ghee cannot possibly be the reason for the spread.
The recipe looks great. I want to try it out for my toddler. Just one query, what if I don’t want to use cling film?
place it in a container and cover with its lid..hope you like it!
Liked ur recipe
Hi if I reduce the ghee and the sugar will the nankhatia taste the same
It won’t..nankhatai gets so much flavor from ghee..you can reduce them but then don’t expect the same flavor or texture!
We have to preheat the oven
yes!
Awesome recipe Manali. I tried it today. And got a handful of perfectly baked nan khatai. Thanks for such a nice recipe. 🙂
Welcome Sakshi! Glad you liked them 🙂
Hi!
I see saffron and cardamom mentioned in the recipe but the directions do not say when to add it. I added it to the sugar/ ghee mixture prior to adding in the flour but not sure how it will turn out. The photo has saffron strands on top of the cookie but would this flavor the dough? Or is it just a decoration?
Hi Liz! Sorry I just fixed it! Yeah adding the cardamom powder and saffron to the ghee-sugar mixture should work fine. Yes the saffron strands on top was just for pictures! The crushed saffron that you add in the cookie dough will flavor it and not the one on the top!
Tried making these. Followed your recipe completely. The cookies are so tasty! Even I can’t resist eating them and I am not a cookie person! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, the clear directions and the lovely pictures. I am thrilled after having made them. The aroma of the cardamom scented cookies was heavenly for me!
Manali, I really appreciate your efforts. Your nankhatai really looks good. But , you are trying to convey the wrong information. In India, we have so many sweet items made from egg especially the bakery items from the traditional Irani bakery. We love these kind of sweets. It may be your choice to use egg or not. If you will get the info about the origin of Nankhatai, it’s a Persian word having six mandatory ingredients. One of them is egg. You can cook as you want
Hi Soby, thanks a lot of writing in. I am sorry I was not aware about the origin of Nankhatai, the one I ate growing up never had eggs in it so I always thought that’s how they are made. I never claim to be an expert in anything that I share on my blog. It’s what I have learned from everywhere (books, tv, friends, relatives, restaurants etc.) and that’s what I try to share here 🙂 So thanks for sharing this info with me. I am aware that eggs are used in a lot of bakery items in India, I was just talking about regular biscuits that we get in the market in India. Most are eggless in most parts of the country, that’s all I was trying to say.
I’m going to bake them, just happened to taste the raw mix, it tastes bitter 🙁
Will it be bitter after baking :(??
I followed your recipe completely ..
Hello Vrinda! I am not sure why it tastes bitter, maybe the cardamom you used were not fresh? There’s no ingredient which should make the cookies bitter otherwise. I hope they turned out okay!
Hi Manali, they came out fine !! After all
Slight bitter after taste maybe that’s cos of the besan!
This besan I got from the super market is a bit bitter. Maybe should stick to the Indian store 🙁
But otherwise they taste perfect 🙂
Good to know 🙂 Yeah I guess Indian store besan is what suits our taste bud! 🙂
I never heard of this kind of shortbread cookies, but they sound amazing! Definitely something I’d like to try.
Thank you!
Never before had heard about Nankhatai, but the combination of flavors is amazing! I will look for chickpea flour, but I’m not sure I can find it here in Mexico. As you know, I’m always watching out for the not so healthy ingredients in recipes, but as you said, once in a while it’s perfectly ok to eat traditional, comfy, full-fat, full-sugar recipes.
Yes these are really delicious, hope you give them a try Azu! 🙂 Some calories are worth it 😉
I love Naankhatai. And these look incredibly YUM. So buttery and classic.
These cookies look so good! I can never make such perfectly shaped cookies..
Thank you Cathleen!
These cookies look so amazing Manali, such a beautiful shape. They are perfect. Love that the recipe is eggless too – the addition of chickpea flour sounds great as well! Can’t wait to try these 😀
I hope you do try these Harriet! 🙂
I love all your authentic recipes! These Nankhatai are so simple and elegant and I LOVE pistachios!
Thank you Rachelle, I love pistachios too! 🙂
These cookies look perfect, Manali! I’ve never tried Nankhatai before but they sound amazing with the saffron, pistachios and cardamom combo! Love that they’re eggless too!
Thank you Kelly, the combo is amazing!
I can never turn down a good cookie! These sound wonderful, Manali! I can’t believe they are eggless.
Me too! Thanks Jen, they are delicious!
You keep posting the most incredible recipes, Manali! I’ve never heard of Nankhatai, but I am almost 100% certain that I would love these cookies. Check that, I am definitely 100% certain! Hope you have an awesome weekend!
I am 100% certain about that too David! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
These cookies look delicious, Manali! I love that these are eggless. Sounds like the perfect holiday treat!
Thank you Gayle! Yes they are perfect for the holidays!
I can tell by the texture and certainly the ingredients that this is special! I’ve never tried nankhatai but I would love to!
Thank you Annie, they are! I am sure you would love these!
Do you have to use soda
no, recipe doesn’t use any
This is one of my favorites Manali. Yesterday ladoo and now this, why? why?…i want some!!
haha you need to come over! Thank you dear!
Hello iam going to try now the recipe.can u tell me what do u mean by 1/2cup + 2 to 3 spoon of ghee.can u clarify plz…
1/2 cup + 2 to 3 tablespoons of ghee