Osmania Biscuit vs Nankhatai vs Shortbread
Osmania biscuit is soft, crumbly and sweet-and-salty, made with refined flour, butter, milk powder and custard powder. Nankhatai is an Indian cookie made with ghee, gram flour and semolina, with a slightly grainy bite. Shortbread is Scottish, made from just butter, sugar and flour, and is dense and rich.
Three biscuits, side by side
Swipe the table sideways on a phone. Recipes vary by maker, so these are typical patterns.
| Osmania biscuit | Nankhatai | Shortbread | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | Hyderabad, India | Believed to be Surat, Gujarat | Scotland |
| Main flour | Refined flour (maida) | Maida, often with gram flour and semolina | Plain flour, sometimes with cornflour or rice flour |
| Fat | Butter or ghee | Ghee, sometimes butter | Butter |
| Sugar | Powdered sugar | Powdered sugar | Caster sugar |
| Flavour | Sweet and salty, with cardamom and saffron | Lightly sweet, with cardamom | Rich butter, lightly sweet |
| Texture | Soft, crumbly, melts in tea | Crisp-crumbly, slightly grainy | Dense, rich, short |
| Raising agent | Usually baking powder | Usually baking powder or soda | None in the traditional version |
| Egg | Usually none | Usually none | None |
| Signature extras | Milk powder, custard powder, saffron milk | Gram flour, semolina | Nothing else. Classic ratio of 1 sugar : 2 butter : 3 flour |
| Fat per 100 g flour | About 60 g (our recipe) | About 55 g (typical recipes) | About 67 g |
| Usually served with | Irani chai | Tea | Tea or coffee, and at Christmas |
Soft and salty vs grainy and spiced
They look alike, but the flour and the flavour set them apart.
How they differ
- Flour: nankhatai usually blends maida with gram flour and semolina, which gives a slightly coarse crumb. Osmania uses refined flour with a little custard powder for a smoother, softer one.
- Salt: Osmania has a noticeable salty edge. Nankhatai is simply lightly sweet.
- Finish: Osmania is brushed with saffron milk before baking. Nankhatai is often finished with a nut on top.
What they share
- Both are Indian biscuits that are usually egg-free.
- Both use powdered sugar, a raising agent and cardamom.
- Both are rich in fat and crumble easily, so they are enjoyed with hot tea.
Close cousins, with a different recipe
Osmania is often called Hyderabad's answer to shortbread. The comparison is fair, up to a point.
How they differ
- Ingredients: traditional shortbread is only butter, sugar and flour. Osmania adds milk powder, custard powder, salt, cardamom and a raising agent.
- Ratio: shortbread uses 1 part sugar, 2 butter and 3 flour. Our Osmania recipe is roughly 1 sugar, 1.5 butter and 2.5 flour, so it is a little sweeter and a little less buttery.
- Texture: with no raising agent, shortbread bakes dense. Osmania is lighter and softer.
What they share
- Both are short, crumbly biscuits built on a lot of butter.
- Both are mixed gently, so little gluten forms.
- Both are simple and best with a hot drink.
Pick the one that suits your mood
Melt-in-tea comfort
Choose it for a soft, sweet-and-salty biscuit with cardamom, made to go with chai.
Spiced and gently gritty
Choose it for a ghee-rich, cardamom-led cookie with a slightly grainy bite.
Pure butter richness
Choose it for a dense, buttery classic with nothing but butter, sugar and flour.
Common questions
Is Osmania biscuit the same as nankhatai?
No. Nankhatai usually contains gram flour and semolina and is lightly sweet with cardamom. Osmania uses refined flour, milk powder and custard powder, and has a salty edge.
Is Osmania biscuit a type of shortbread?
It is similar, as both are butter-rich and crumbly. But shortbread has only butter, sugar and flour, while Osmania adds milk powder, custard powder, salt and a raising agent.
Which is sweeter, Osmania biscuit or shortbread?
Osmania is slightly sweeter by recipe, with about 40 g of sugar per 100 g of flour compared with about 33 g in classic shortbread. The salt in Osmania makes it taste less sweet than it is.
Which of these biscuits contain egg?
None of the traditional versions. Osmania and nankhatai are usually egg-free, but check the label on a packaged one.
Which is best for dunking in tea?
Osmania is made for it. It is soft and crumbly and soaks up tea quickly, so dip it briefly. Shortbread holds together longer.
Which biscuit is the oldest?
Shortbread, which has been baked in Scotland for centuries. Nankhatai is believed to date from the 16th century in Surat. Osmania is named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, who ruled until 1948, and its exact origin is debated.
Are these biscuits healthy?
All three are rich in butter or ghee and sugar, so treat them as occasional enjoyment. See our nutrition guide for Osmania figures.
Keep exploring Osmania biscuit
How we compared. We reviewed published recipes for nankhatai and traditional shortbread and used our own Osmania recipe for its ratios. Amounts marked "about" are rounded from typical recipes and will vary by maker. If you spot a mistake, please tell us.