A buttery, crisp nankhatai gets a modern twist with the vibrant flavor and color of matcha. This recipe brings together Indian nostalgia and Japanese elegance in a cookie that’s both earthy and delicately sweet.
Perfect for gifting, entertaining, or adding something unique to your holiday baking lineup.
If you love matcha like I do, get ready for a fusion treat that feels both familiar and refreshingly new. My Matcha Nankhatai are delicate, buttery, eggless shortbread cookies inspired by the classic Indian version I grew up with.
The matcha brings a calm, earthy flavor and a naturally vibrant green color that instantly makes them feel modern, festive, and gift-ready.
It’s a simple idea with a nostalgic base, but the result is a fresh little delight that melts in your mouth and brightens up your holiday cookie box, adding a playful touch of green.
From Kyoto to My Kitchen
I have been a matcha lover for years. My very first taste of it was at a Japanese restaurant that served the creamiest matcha green tea ice cream. It was earthy, sweet, and soothing all at once, and I was instantly hooked. I even recreated it in my kitchen during the pandemic. When I visited Japan last month I took that love to a whole new level. I devoured matcha in every form imaginable in Kyoto, from soft serve and delicate cakes to crepes and parfaits, and even in savory dishes like bagels and soba noodles!
I brought home a bag of the finest Kyoto matcha to keep that magic going. Coming back just in time for the holiday season, it felt perfect to create something festive with it. I decided to give a new twist to nankhatai, the buttery, crumbly Indian cookies I grew up with, turning them into a vibrant, matcha-forward version.
The result is this Matcha Nankhatai, a cookie that balances the warmth and nostalgia of home with the earthy, vibrant flavor of matcha.
If you’re looking for more festive cookie ideas, check out my Chocolate Nankhatai, for another seasonal favorite.
Nankhatai, Reimagined
Imagine a cookie that melts the moment it touches your tongue, buttery and lightly sweet, with a hint of cardamom warming every bite. That is Nankhatai, an eggless Indian shortbread that is crumbly, comforting, and perfectly crisp at the edges, often topped with a single nut for a little extra crunch. It gets its signature texture and aroma by blending all-purpose flour with besan (chickpea flour), along with a little rava/sooji (semolina) that gives it that light, sandy crumb. Cardamom ties everything together with its warm, fragrant sweetness.
Now add matcha into the mix, the finely ground green tea powder from Japan known for its vibrant color and earthy, slightly sweet flavor. The matcha gives these cookies a subtle depth that transforms the familiar into something modern and playful.
Each bite is bright, a little sophisticated, and impossible to resist, making them as delightful to look at as they are to taste.
Ways to Savor These Cookies
These Matcha Nankhatai are wonderfully versatile. They are perfect for holiday baking, gifting, or sharing in a cookie exchange, but they also shine any day of the week. Enjoy one alongside a cup of coffee or tea for a quiet afternoon treat, or crumble a few over ice cream for a simple yet elevated dessert.
For a twist on the classic flavor, you can add a hint of vanilla to the creamed butter, which pairs beautifully with the earthy matcha and the warm cardamom, without overpowering the flavors. While some spices like cinnamon can be tempting, they tend to dominate the delicate matcha flavors, so it’s best to keep the spice mix simple and subtle.
You can also experiment with different nuts. I love using whole blanched almonds to give my Matcha Nankhatai a classic Indian bakery look, while finely chopped almonds or pistachios add a little extra texture and color.
These little cookies are forgiving in the kitchen, letting you get creative while still delivering that buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Whether you make them per my recipe, add a small twist, or serve them in a playful new way, Matcha Nankhatai are bound to impress and delight anyone lucky enough to try them.
Why You’ll Love Them
Matcha Nankhatai are small cookies with a big personality. They are buttery, eggless, and melt in your mouth with every bite, leaving behind a gentle hint of cardamom and the subtle earthy brightness of matcha.
Their vibrant green color makes them instantly festive, yet they are just as delightful for a quiet afternoon coffee or crumbled over ice cream for dessert.
These cookies are easy to make, versatile, and perfectly balanced, letting the matcha shine without overpowering the classic nankhatai flavors. Whether you bake them for the holidays, a cookie exchange, or simply to enjoy at home, they are a charming treat that feels playful, elegant, and completely irresistible.
A classic Indian nankhatai gets a flavorful upgrade with Japanese matcha, creating a buttery, crisp, and vibrantly green shortbread cookie.
Ingredients
UnitsScale
Dry Ingredients
3/4cupall-purpose flour
1/4cupchickpea flour (besan)
1 tbsp semolina (rava/sooji) (see FAQs & Notes + Variations)
1 tbsp matcha powder, sifted (see FAQs & Notes)
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients
1/2cupunsalted butter, softened at room temperature (not melted) (see FAQs & Notes + Variations)
1/2cuppowdered sugar ((see FAQs & Notes)
Topping
12 whole blanched almonds (see FAQs & Notes + Variations)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
Beat softened butter and powdered sugar with an electric hand mixer or a whisk until pale and fluffy (~3 minutes).
Add dry ingredients to creamed butter and sugarmixture.
Mix until a soft dough forms. Add 1–2 tsp milk only if needed.
Divide the dough into 12, 1–1½ tbsp-sized, equal pieces (~28 g each).
Roll each portion of dough into a ball about 1 inch in diameter, then gently flatten it into a thick disc.
Press one blanched almond in the center of each cookie.
Refrigerate shaped cookies for 15 minutes to prevent spreading.
Bake 15-18 minutes, until bottoms are lightly golden and tops remain vibrant green with tiny cracks.
Let cookies cool in the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer them on to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container, away from direct sunlight. (see FAQs & Notes).
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Recipe FAQ’s and Notes
Color & Flavor Tips
Use ceremonial-grade matcha for the greenest color.
Keep the oven a little lower (325°F) to prevent browning.
Don’t overbake, as matcha turns olive if baked too long.
How much matcha gives the right balance of flavor?
Mild & subtle: 1½ teaspoons
Balanced & flavorful: 2 teaspoons
Vibrant & matcha-forward: 2½ teaspoons to 1 tablespoon (as used in the above recipe)
Anything beyond 1 tablespoon can start tasting bitter.
About the flour mix
There are two main traditional styles of nankhatai across India:
2. The “maida + besan + rava/sooji” bakery-style (Mumbai, Pune, most modern versions)
More structured, more uniform
Slight crispness on the outside, soft inside
Holds shape better
Most nankhatai recipes today use maida + besan + a bit of rava/sooji because it gives that recognizable bakery look—especially with crackly tops.
For MatchaNankhatai:
Going only besan can make the cookies:
Too dense
Too dark/yellow, which clashes with the green color
Harder to keep the matcha flavor clean
Base: Butter (not ghee)
In my recipe, I use unsalted butter, softened but not melted
Butter makes the cookies:
More European shortbread-like
Slightly denser than ghee
More melt-in-mouth than sandy
Storage
At room temperature – Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days to maintain crisp edges and a tender center.
Freezing baked cookies – Once fully baked and cooled, cookies can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Freezing dough
Wrap the cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw the dough on the counter, portion it into balls, gently flatten into discs, and bake as usual.
Alternatively, the cookie dough can be shaped into balls, then frozen on a tray until firm. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 1 month. Bake straight from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
Recipe Variations
Use ghee instead of butter.
Use at room temperature, not melted
Ghee will make the cookie:
More traditional Indian-style nankhatai
Slightly lighter and sandier in texture
Less melt-in-mouth but crumbly and crisp
Since ghee has no water content, no flour adjustment is needed to maintain structure
Add ground ginger (⅛ – ¼ tsp) to the dry ingredients. It adds a subtle warmth and gentle spice that enhances the earthy notes of matcha without overpowering it.
Add ½ tsp vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture to enhance matcha’s creamy notes.
Nut Toppings
Whole blanched almonds – classic Indian bakery style, pressed into the center for a traditional look and a satisfying crunch.
Sliced almonds – adds delicate texture and a pretty visual that pairs beautifully with the green matcha.
Chopped pistachios – brings a pop of color and a slightly softer bite; works well for a more modern presentation.
Other nuts (walnuts, pecans, cashews) – optional, can be used for a different flavor profile, though they slightly change the traditional texture.
Hi I’m Vasanti
…and I ❤️ cooking ‘n clicking! Welcome to Signature Concoctions — where the modern table meets Indian roots. I share recipes that celebrate the vibrant flavors of my Indian heritage, reimagined for everyday life in a modern kitchen.
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