Nankhatai is a popular and traditional Indian cookie which is equally liked by kids as well as elders.

Basically it is popular as a tea time cookie and is easily available in most bakery shops in India. Nankhatai can be called as Indian shortbread cookies or biscuits.

In this post I am sharing 2 versions of making Nankhatai.

• Recipe 1 – With All Purpose Flour, Besan (Gram Flour) & Ghee
• Recipe 2 – With Whole Wheat Flour & Butter

Both the recipes are shared with step by step photos. For best taste, I recommend going for Recipe 1 as that is how nankhatai is traditionally made with all purpose flour. For a healthier version, I would suggest recipe 2 made with whole wheat flour.

Recipe 1 – Making Nankhatai with All-Purpose Flour

These Nankhatai are made with all-purpose flour, sugar and ghee (clarified butter) or butter and spiced with cardamom and nutmeg. Due to the amount of ghee added in the dough, these nankhatai have a tender and crumbly texture.

In this recipe I have added some besan (gram flour) and sooji (rava or semolina). The besan gives a slight nutty taste and flavor while the sooji adds to the crispiness and crunchiness.

This Indian cookie is a favorite in the family and they get over in no time. During Diwali, nankhatai is made in many homes.

I still remember growing up when ovens were a rarity, huge trays of these melt in the mouth biscuits would be baked in the local bakery by my mom and her friends from the neighborhood.

If you are fond of nankhatai then you can easily make it at home. Make them in bulk and store in an airtight container to enjoy them for the next few days.

This recipe makes 10 large nankhatai, but you can easily make small to medium shaped ones. You can also double or triple this recipe.

Some popular Indian festive snacks

How to make Nankhatai

1. First take ½ cup sugar in a grinder jar.

2. Grind the sugar granules to a fine powder. Keep aside. If you are using ready powdered sugar or icing sugar, then add ⅔ cup. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit).

3. Now take the powdered sugar in a mixing bowl or pan. Add ½ cup semi solid ghee (at room temperature) or butter (at room temperature).

4. With an electric mixer or blender, begin to cream the sugar and butter. You can also use a food processor to do the same.

5. The mixture should become smooth, light, fluffy and creamy.

6. Now add the following Dry ingredients in a sieve – 1 cup all purpose flour, ¼ cup gram flour/besan, 1 tsp baking powder and ½ tsp baking soda.

7. Sift the dry ingredients. Keep aside.

8. Add the ½ tbsp curd to the creamed ghee+sugar.

9. Mix very well.

10. Then add the sifted dry ingredients. Also add 2 tbsp rava (sooji or cream of wheat).

11. Now add ½ tsp cardamom powder and ⅛ tsp nutmeg powder (or grated nutmeg).

12. Begin to mix the flour with the creamed ghee with a spoon or spatula.

13. Gently bring together the whole mixture to a dough. If you are not able to bring together the mixture and its crumbly, then add 1 to 3 tbsp milk. Do not knead like we do for roti dough or bread dough. Just gather the mixture to a form a cookie dough.

Baking Nankhatai

14. pinch medium to large sized balls from the dough. Lightly roll them in your palms and slightly flatten them. Place them in a baking tray. Keep some space between them as they expand while baking.

15. Optionally you can press chironji or almonds on the top slightly. You can also make some criss cross designs on the nankhatai with a fork or toothpick.

16. Bake the nankhatai in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 to 25 mins till light golden or golden. Since oven temperatures vary, it may take less or more time. So do keep a check.

17. Keep on the baking tray for two to three minutes. Then remove them with oven gloves on your hands and place them on wire racks to cool.

18. When cooled, store the nankhatai in an air tight container.

Many of my recipes have detailed step by step photos and useful tips to help you make it easily and perfectly.

Nankhatai Recipe

Nankhatai are Indian shortbread cookies that are made with all-purpose flour, sugar and ghee (clarified butter) or butter.

Servings (change the number to scale):10 large nankhatai

(1 CUP = 250 ML)

making nankhatai mixture

• Powder the sugar finely in a grinder.
• Then cream the ghee and powdered sugar with a electric mixer or blender. You can also cream in a food processor.
• The mixture should become smooth, light and creamy.
• Sift the following dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, besan (gram flour), baking powder and baking soda. Keep the sifted dry ingredients aside.
• Add curd (yogurt) to the creamed ghee+sugar mixture. Mix very well.
• Now add the sifted dry ingredients. Also add the sooji (rava or cream of wheat), cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.
• Gently mix everything. Do not knead.

making nankhatai

• Just mix and gather to a smooth dough. If the mixture is too crumbly and you cannot bring together to a dough, then add 1 to 3 tbsp of milk. Mix lightly and bring the mixture to a dough.
• Pinch medium sized balls from the dough.
• Roll them evenly in your palms. Slightly flatten them. Press chironji or almonds on the top lightly.
• You can also make some criss cross designs on the nankhatai with a fork or toothpick.

baking nankhatai

• Place the nankhatai in a baking tray.
• Keep some space between them as they expand while baking.
• Bake the nankhatai in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees c for 20-25 mins till light golden.
• Remove and place them on wire racks, so that they cool down.
• When cooled, store the nankhatai in an air tight container.

• As the temperatures vary in different oven models, keep an eye while baking. If the nankhatais are not baked enough then bake them for some more minutes.

To make nankhatai in microwave oven

• You cannot make nankhatai in the microwave mode of the microwave oven. However if your microwave oven has convection option, then you can use the convection mode (option) to make them in the microwave oven.
• Pre heat the microwave oven in the convection mode at 180 degree celsius for 10 minutes. Then bake the nankhatai in the pre heated microwave oven in the convection mode at 180 degrees celsius for 15-20 minutes or till light golden.

Nutrition Facts

Nankhatai Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 198 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 26mg9%

Sodium 60mg3%

Potassium 81mg2%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 320IU6%

Calcium 40mg4%

Iron 1.4mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All our content & photos are copyright protected. Please do not copy. As a blogger, if you want to adapt this recipe or make a youtube video, then please write the recipe in your own words and give a clickable link back to the recipe on this url.

Recipe 2 – Whole Wheat Flour Nankhatai

Wherever possible, I prefer to bake cookies and cakes using whole wheat flour. These whole wheat nankhatai are not as crumbly and tender as the ones made with all-purpose flour but they taste good. They also have the nutty taste of wheat flour.

Since they are made from whole wheat flour, they are a better alternative than the one made with all-purpose flour. I have also added besan (gram flour) to give some crumbly texture.

2 more cookie varieties with whole wheat flour

The recipe yields 300 grams or 14 to 15 medium sized cookies. The recipe can be doubled too.

Make these nankhatai this Diwali and serve them as a tea time cookie snack.

How to make Whole Wheat Nankhatai

1. In a grinder jar, take ⅓ cup sugar (70 grams), seeds from 4 to 5 green cardamoms, a pinch of saffron strands and ⅛ tsp grated nutmeg.

2. Grind to a fine powder. Keep aside. If you have powdered sugar already, then use ½ cup of powdered sugar along with ½ tsp of cardamom powder, ⅛ tsp grated nutmeg and crushed saffron strands.

3. Grease a tray or pan very well with 1 to 2 teaspoon butter or ghee. Also preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit). The oven should be preheated 15 minutes before baking.

4. In a sieve, take 1 cup whole wheat flour (atta), 2 tablespoons besan and ¼ tsp baking soda. Add ¼ tsp baking powder if you do not have baking soda. You can also add a pinch of salt at this step, if using unsalted butter or ghee. If using salted butter then skip adding salt. 

5. Sift the dry mixture very well in a mixing bowl or pan.

6. To the sifted flour mixture add approximate ½ cup or 70 grams of cold or chilled butter. You can also use ½ cup of ghee in semi solid state.

7. With your fingertips break the butter and mix with the flour. You can cut the butter in the flour with two knives too or with a pastry cutter. This can also be achieved with a food processor or a stand mixer. If the butter melts while mixing with your hands, then it is fine.

8. Mix till you get a bread crumb like texture in the mixture.

9. Now add the powdered sugar.

10. Lightly mix with your hands.

11. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons milk. The amount of milk to be added depends on the quality of flour. The mixture should be able to come together and hold easily. If required you can also add overall 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk. I added 2 tablespoons milk. Add the milk in parts and mix.

12. Gently bring together the dough into a ball.

13. Do not knead the dough. Just gently mix and gather the mixture to a dough.

14. Now pinch small or medium sized balls from the dough and lightly roll them between your palms. Place the balls on the greased baking tray.

15. You can gently press them to flatten them. You can also make designs on them with a fork or toothpick. I used a peda design maker to lightly flatten as well as to give a pattern on the top.

16. Here is the tray ready to go in the oven. If you want you can sprinkle and lightly press some chopped dry fruits like pistachios, almonds etc from the top.

17. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20-25 mins till light golden or golden. Since oven temperatures vary, it may takes less or more time. So do keep a check. Once baked, after 2 to 3 minutes, remove them from the tray and keep on a wire rack for cooling. Don’t brown them too much as then they the crust becomes too dense and hard. A light golden color on the top keeps them soft and crumbly. For convection ovens use the pre heating and baking temperature of 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit).

18. When cooled at room temperature, store them in an air tight jar. Serve whole wheat nankhatai as a tea time cookie.

Many of my recipes have detailed step by step photos and useful tips to help you make it easily and perfectly.

Whole Wheat Nankhatai

Easy recipe and method to make Indian shortbread cookies with whole wheat flour.

Servings (change the number to scale):300 grams

(1 CUP = 250 ML)

making dough

• In a grinder jar, take 1/3 cup sugar (70 grams), seeds from 4 to 5 green cardamoms, a pinch of safron strands and 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg.
• Grind to a fine powder. Keep aside. If you have powdered sugar already, then use 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
• Grease a tray or pan very well with 1 to 2 tsp butter or ghee. Also preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius/356 degrees fahrenheit.
• In a seive, take 1 cup whole wheat flour (atta), 2 tbsp besan and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Add 1/4 tsp baking powder if you do not have baking soda.
• Sift the dry mixture very well in a mixing bowl or pan.
• To the sifted flour mixture add approx 1/2 cup or 70 grams of cold or chilled butter. You can also use 1/2 cup of ghee in semi solid state.
• With your fingertips break the butter and mix with the flour. You can cut the butter in the flour with two knives too. This can also be achieved with a food processor or a stand mixer. If the butter melts while mixing with your hands, then its fine.
• Mix till you get a bread crumb like texture in the mixture.
• Now add the powdered sugar and lightly mix with your hands.
• Add 1 to 2 tbsp milk. The amount of milk to be added depends on the quality of flour. The mixture should be able to come together and hold itself. If required you can also add overall 3 to 4 tbsp of milk. I added 2 tbsp milk. Add the milk in parts and mix.
• Gently bring together the dough into a ball. Do not knead the dough. Just gently mix.

making whole wheat nankhatai

• Now pinch small or medium-sized balls from the dough and lightly roll them. Place the balls on the greased baking tray.
• You can gently press them to flatten them. You can also make designs on them with a fork or toothpick. I used a peda design maker to lightly flatten as well as to give a pattern on the top.
• Bake them in the pre heated oven at 180 degrees c/356 degrees fahrenheit for 20-25 mins till light golden or golden.
• Since oven temperatures vary, it may takes less or more time. So do keep a check.
• After 2 to 3 minutes, remove them from the tray and keep on a wire rack for cooling.
• When cooled at room temperature, store in an airtight jar. Serve Nankhatai as a tea time cookie.