10 traditional and regional Indian biscuits perfect for evening chai

India's culinary landscape is not just limited to curries and breads, it's also home to a rich heritage of cookies and biscuits that have delighted generations. From the buttery crispness of Osmania biscuits in Hyderabad to the melt-in-the-mouth sweetness of Nan Khatai, there is a lot to explore in terms of traditional and regional Indian biscuits that offer taste and nostalgia too. Scroll down to find out.

This one is native to Hyderabad and is said to be a culinary relic from the era of the Nizams. As per food historians, it originated during the reign of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad. It is soft, buttery and is laced with the aroma of saffron and uses powdered sugar. It mainly uses maida, butter, milk, sugar, and a hint of salt as key ingredients.

This biscuit is studded with candied fruits and makes for a sweet mosaic in the form of a biscuit. It is associated with Hyderabad’s famous Karachi Bakery, established in 1953 by Khanchand Ramnani, a Sindhi migrant who named the bakery after his hometown, Karachi. And it is made with refined flour, butter, sugar, and candied papaya (tutti frutti), which goes well with chai and is loved by kids a lot.

This cookie is famous in Bengaluru and Chennai and is a sweet tea biscuit, which is crisp, salty, and spiced, and is flavoured with cumin seeds, black pepper, curry leaves, green chillies, and sometimes cashews. The main ingredients of this biscuit are maida, butter, and a touch of baking powder.

Also known as Rose Cookies, it is a traditional Kerala cookie known for its beautiful flower-like shape. It is made with rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, eggs, and sesame seeds. It is made with a special mould and makes for a light, crisp, and lacy cookie.

It is an innovation of Kerala bakeries and is known for its soft-crisp texture and rich egg flavour. The word “mutta” means egg in Malayalam, which is the star ingredient of this biscuit and it also uses maida, sugar, butter or oil, and a touch of vanilla or cardamom. This cookie is crisp on the edge and soft and airy inside. (Image: Instagram/greypot.in)

It is a North Indian biscuitm popular in Gujarat and it comes from the Persian word “nan” (bread) and “khatai” (sour), though today it’s sweet and buttery. It is made with maida, ghee or butter, sugar, and sometimes chickpea flour (besan).

It is a traditional Kashmiri biscuit often enjoyed with noon chai and is made with maida, butter or ghee, sugar, and sometimes flavored with cardamom or saffron, reflecting Kashmiri cuisine’s love for aromatic, delicate flavors. Some versions include a light dusting of powdered sugar on top. (Image: Instagram/

This cookie is known for the use of roasted cumin seeds, along with maida (refined flour), butter or ghee, sugar, and salt. These cookies are often enjoyed with tea or coffee, making them a staple in tea-time snack collections.

It is a popular Bengali bakery snack is known for its butterfly-shaped, flaky layers. It is made with maida, sugar, ghee or butter, and milk and is created by folding and slicing layered dough so that it opens up like butterfly wings when baked. It goes well with chai and makes for an integral part of evening addas in Bengal.

This is native to Punjab and is made with whole wheat flour, ghee or butter, sugar or jaggery, and a hint of cardamom or ajwain. It is easily available in Northern India and goes well with chai and coffee.