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Indian · Gujarati

Nankhatai

Vegetarian

नानखटाई · nankhatai

Crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth Indian shortbread made with ghee, a little gram flour and semolina, scented with cardamom and baked until the tops crack.

Nankhatai is an Indian sweet, ready in about 58 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, chickpea flour and ghee. It serves 16 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
18 min
Rest
20 min
Total
58 min
Serves
16
Level
Easy
Calories
116

Ingredients

16 biscuits

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 170 °C and line a tray. Sift the flour, chickpea flour (opens in a new tab), baking powder (opens in a new tab) and salt; stir in the semolina (opens in a new tab), cardamom and nutmeg (opens in a new tab).

  2. Step 2

    Beat the ghee (opens in a new tab) and icing sugar (opens in a new tab) for 4–5 minutes until pale and fluffy — this aeration gives the light, cracked texture.

  3. Step 3

    Fold in the dry ingredients by hand just until a soft dough forms; do not knead. If very soft, chill 10 minutes.

    • 3 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Roll into 16 balls (about 22 g), flatten slightly, place 4 cm apart and press a piece of pistachio (opens in a new tab) on top.

    • 6 min

  5. Step 5

    Bake 15–18 minutes until the tops crack and the bases are light golden; the tops should stay pale.

  6. Step 6

    Cool 10 minutes on the tray (they are fragile when hot), then move to a rack to cool completely.

About this dish

Origin
Surat, Gujarat, Gujarat, India · Commonly attributedOften traced to Surat's bakeries; specific origin stories are popular but not well documented. Now baked across India and Pakistan.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
Dish
Snack · Sweets & confectionery · Desserts
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
sweet, buttery, nutty, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-sodium
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · Child-friendly · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Chickpea flour · Ghee · Semolina · Baking powder · Ground cardamom
Techniques
Baking · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
  • Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom pistachios
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, semolina, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, semolina, baking powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

116 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 23 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 5%
  • Carbohydrate 46%
  • Fat 49%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy116 kcal515 kcal
Protein1.4 g6.1 g
Carbohydrate13.4 g59.5 g
Net carbohydrate12.9 g57.4 g
Sugars——
Added sugars5.5 g24.5 g
Fibre0.5 g2.1 g
Fat6.4 g28.6 g
Saturated fat3.9 g17.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol16 mg71 mg
Sodium19 mg83 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
27 mg
Calcium
7 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Magnesium
6 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
53 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
33 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: pistachios.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Ghee that is soft-set (like softened butter), not melted, is the key to the crumbly texture.

Common mistakes

  • Melted ghee makes them spread flat and greasy.
  • Over-mixing after adding flour makes them hard.

Serve with

  • Serve with masala chai.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 weeks in an airtight tin.

Variations

  • Atta nankhatai: Replace the plain flour with whole-wheat flour and use a little jaggery powder.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 20 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Bake · about 18 min at 170 °C

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  3. Cool · about 20 min

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  4. Start to finish: about 58 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
All-purpose flourFlour120 g70.6%
Chickpea flourFlour30 g17.6%
SemolinaFlour20 g11.8%
Baking powderRaising agent1 g0.6%
Ground cardamomOther1 g0.6%
SaltSalt0 g0.2%
NutmegOther0 g0.1%
Total flour
170 g
Hydration
—
With milk, eggs…
0%
Wholegrain
0%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

  • Salt 0.2% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Cracked or domed top

    Likely causes

    • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
    • Too much leavening
    • Overmixed batter

    What to do

    • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
    • Use the exact leavening amount
    • Fold just until combined
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

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