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    Home » Desserts » Cakes & biscuits

    Ragi millet biscuits | easy Ragi cookies recipe

    1st November 2023 by bhavana bhatia 10 Comments

    295 shares
    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    Baking has increased multifold with the pandemic. However, we should not depend on chocolate and eggs for making yummy cookies and biscuits. We can also bake them gluten-free or vegan. Yes, it still tastes yummy. When you look around, most commercial biscuits contain all purpose flour and too much white sugar They taste great once a while but are no good on a daily basis. Hence, we wanted to make something which was eggless and gluten-free for a change. Ragi or Nachni is a good flour for baking cookies. Finger millet flour cookies look like chocolate but has an earthen taste to it. It is also a great way to have millets. I had seen many such ragi biscuits in India ,but lacked awareness back then. Ragi is great for diabetics too. Also refer to our guide on millets to learn about different kinds of millets.

    As I researched more, I found that most millet cookies which were produced commercially contained wheat. I have also seen  chocolate ragi biscuits in the market. However, great chocolate may taste, we did not want to get too attached to it.

    ragi cookie
    ragi flour cookies | nachni biscuits recipe

    After all, having a young kid at home changes your food choices. The more chocolate you have, the more trips to the dentist and hyperactivity in the children. Hence, we wanted to make something which was free of chocolate and also purely gluten-free. If you want to try out some other millet recipes, these include buckwheat cutlets , buckwheat muffins , falhari pizza, Juar(sorghum) flatbread , Sama pudding and falhari dahi papdi.

    Jump to:
    • How to make ragi biscuits?
    • Ragi cookies in airfryer.
    • Ragi biscuit recipe | Finger millet cookies recipe
    • Substitutions
    • Variations
    • Related links
    • FAQ
    • Ragi biscuit recipe | Finger millet cookies recipe

    Note: This is also an eggless recipe and we have used flax seeds in it. If you like eggs, you may replace it accordingly with one egg.( I am an eggless baker so I have not tested this but you can always give us a feedback on how it tasted!) We have used minimal ghee in this recipe but you can also use vegan butter to make a similar recipe. You can also make it nut-free if you have allergies as we have used it only for the garnish.

    healthy food journey

    Recently, we moved to increased use of millets. That brings us to this basic question what millets can you eat and when?

    Jowar(sorghum) should be eaten in summer. Bajra(pearl millet), makai (corn)in winter  and ragi(finger millet) can be eaten anytime. You can make many interesting flatbreads like lauki thepla by combining bajra/makai or jowar and lauki or bottle gourd. You can also have juar jo dodho. Makki ki roti is another flatbread which goes great with sarson ka saag in winters.

    Most of us have heard of Ragi mudde or ragi balls. People swear by Ragi malt and  for energy down South. You can also make a ragi dosa or crepes instead of normal rice and urad dal dosa. Other great recipes are ragi dhokla and ragi idli.

    Note: Please consult with doctor before incorporating Ragi in your daily diet. You cannot eat jowar,ragi, quinoa, bajra, makai during navratri/ saawan fasting

    Key Ingredients

    • ragi flour - also called finger millet flour
    • baking soda - Used to make the cookies rise
    • raw sugar - you can replace it with jaggery powder
    • powdered chia seed meal or flax seed meal - This helps binding of the gluten free flour
    • ghee - Essential fat, can use coconut oil if you like.
    • pinch of salt

    refer to recipe card for details.

    How to make ragi biscuits?

    1. Preheat the oven for 10 mins. Meanwhile, sift the ragi flour with baking soda.
    ragi biscuits step 1

    2. Add the flax seed mixture/chia seed mixture to ragi flour. (the below step shows flax seed mixture)

    ragi biscuits step 2

    3. Mix in jaggery/raw sugar & ghee and pinch of salt. 

    ragi biscuits step 3

    4. Knead a medium soft dough. (there is not much kneading that can be done with this flour), the chia seed mix and ghee is good enough to get this mixed up well. If the dough is not coming together, you can add 1 tablespoon of water or little more(do not add too much).

    ragi biscuits step 4

    5. Line a baking sheet on a baking tray.Make a small balls of cookie dough and press flat.

    ragi biscuits step 5

    6. Garnish with chopped nuts optionally. Bake at 160 deg C for 20 mins.

    ragi biscuits steps 6

    7. Store in an air tight jar  

    Ragi cookies in airfryer.

    • Pre heat the air fryer at 150C for 5 minutes
    • Cook the cookies for 12-14 minutes at 150C/300F
    ragi recipes airfryer
    • Allow them to cool on a cookie tray or wire rack until it comes to room temperature. Store your nachni biscuits in an airtight container.
    millet cookies
    ragi biscuits
    Print Recipe
    5 from 4 votes

    Ragi biscuit recipe | Finger millet cookies recipe

    Ragi cookies recipe is a great way to use millets. Enjoy the iron rich treat for a gluten free cookie monster.
    Prep Time11 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Course: Cakes & biscuits
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: glutenfree biscuits, ragi biscuits, ragi cookies
    Servings: 10
    Author: bhavana bhatia

    Equipment

    • oven
    • stand mixer

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup ragi flour
    • ½ tsp. baking soda
    • ¼ cup raw sugar can be replaced with jaggery powder
    • 1 tbsp. powdered chia seeds 1 tablespoon in ¼ cup water,or use flax seeds
    • 2 tbsp. ghee / coconut oil if vegan

    Instructions

    • Soak powdered chia seed in water. Let it aside for 5 minutes.
    • In a mixing bowl, whisk ragi flour & baking soda
    • Add ghee,raw sugar and pinch of salt. Also add chia seed mix.
    • Mix all ingredients to form a soft dough.Add more ragi flour if its too wet.
    • Make small balls of dough,press them into flat biscuits/cookies
    • Place these in a baking tray,Garnish with nuts optionally.
    • Preheat the oven for 10 mins @160 C
    • Bake at 160 deg C(fan forced) for 20 mins
    • Let it cool on the rack and store in an airtight container.

    Air fryer

    • Pre heat the air fryer at 150C for 5 minutes
    • Cook the cookies for 12-14 minutes at 150C/300F
    • Allow them to cool and store in an air tight container

    Notes

    There is not much kneading that can be done with this flour, the chia seed mix and ghee is good enough to get this mixed up well. If the dough is not coming together, you can add 1 tablespoon of water or little more(do not add too much).
    Please ensure that you use baking soda and not baking powder
    You may replace raw sugar with jaggery
    I made 10 cookies with 1 cup ragi flour.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1each

    Substitutions

    You can use 3 tbsp. raw sugar instead of jaggery in this recipe. Powder and add instead of jaggery. You can also substitute flax seeds with chia seeds.

    You can make it vegan by adding olive oil instead of ghee.

    Variations

    If you find ragi taste peculiar you may add some cocoa powder, green cardamom powder (elaichi powder) or vanilla extract. You may decorate it with chocolate chips if you want to make nut free healthy cookies. Ragi almond cookies , ragi chocolate cookies are other variations to this ragi biscuits recipe. Use cookie cutter to make various shapes. You can also use finger millet to make a ragi cake.

    Related links

    • Sorghum flatbread
    • Sama ke chawal ka halwa |Barnyard millet Pudding
    • ragi roti
    • Eggless butter cookies
    • Besan childa recipe | Besan chilla |Chickpea flour crepes

    FAQ

    What are the benefits of ragi?

    It is great for calcium & also helps lower cholesterol.It is high in protein
    Prevents ageing of skin.
    It is good for digestion and helps prevent diabetes.
    Also, good for lactating mothers as it improves milk production.

    What is the Ragi GI index ?

    The GI index value for ragi flour is approx 98.

    What is ragi called in English ?

    Ragi in English is called Finger millet.

    How do you use ragi?

    You can use ragi to make ragi porridge, ragi roti, upma, ragi dosa. You can even make a chocolate cake, ragi mudde and ragi malt.

    ragi biscuits
    Print Recipe
    5 from 4 votes

    Ragi biscuit recipe | Finger millet cookies recipe

    Ragi cookies recipe is a great way to use millets. Enjoy the iron rich treat for a gluten free cookie monster.
    Prep Time11 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Course: Cakes & biscuits
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: glutenfree biscuits, ragi biscuits, ragi cookies
    Servings: 10
    Author: bhavana bhatia

    Equipment

    • oven
    • stand mixer

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup ragi flour
    • ½ tsp. baking soda
    • ¼ cup raw sugar can be replaced with jaggery powder
    • 1 tbsp. powdered chia seeds 1 tablespoon in ¼ cup water,or use flax seeds
    • 2 tbsp. ghee / coconut oil if vegan

    Instructions

    • Soak powdered chia seed in water. Let it aside for 5 minutes.
    • In a mixing bowl, whisk ragi flour & baking soda
    • Add ghee,raw sugar and pinch of salt. Also add chia seed mix.
    • Mix all ingredients to form a soft dough.Add more ragi flour if its too wet.
    • Make small balls of dough,press them into flat biscuits/cookies
    • Place these in a baking tray,Garnish with nuts optionally.
    • Preheat the oven for 10 mins @160 C
    • Bake at 160 deg C(fan forced) for 20 mins
    • Let it cool on the rack and store in an airtight container.

    Air fryer

    • Pre heat the air fryer at 150C for 5 minutes
    • Cook the cookies for 12-14 minutes at 150C/300F
    • Allow them to cool and store in an air tight container

    Notes

    There is not much kneading that can be done with this flour, the chia seed mix and ghee is good enough to get this mixed up well. If the dough is not coming together, you can add 1 tablespoon of water or little more(do not add too much).
    Please ensure that you use baking soda and not baking powder
    You may replace raw sugar with jaggery
    I made 10 cookies with 1 cup ragi flour.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1each

    Conclusion: finger millet biscuits is a great recipe for making tea time healthy.

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    295 shares

    Comments

    1. Trev says

      November 13, 2021 at 10:50 am

      Do these biscuits get crisp or are they soft and chewy please

      Reply
      • bhavana bhatia says

        November 13, 2021 at 8:43 pm

        hi there,
        We found that if you store them in an air tight container, they are crisp,but if you leave them outside, they start to turn a bit chewy.

        Reply
    2. Cho says

      August 01, 2022 at 11:30 am

      Hi

      Can I exclude flaxseed from this recipe? Due to health reason I have to avoid them.

      Reply
      • bhavana bhatia says

        August 01, 2022 at 2:39 pm

        Yes, You can use chia seeds if that suits you.

        Reply
        • Cho says

          August 02, 2022 at 10:28 am

          Perfect, thanks! Will try out.
          Do I need to grind the chia seeds and then soak in water or just soak whole seeds?

          Reply
          • bhavana bhatia says

            August 02, 2022 at 2:13 pm

            Hi Cho

            It is always better to grind them and then soak in water. I find even cakes come out softer and lighter with chia meal.

            Warm Regards
            Bhavana

            Reply
            • Cho says

              August 29, 2022 at 8:32 am

              5 stars
              Hi Bhavana,

              I made this with chia seeds and added a 1 tbsp of cocoa powder.. the cookies were fabulous! We eat it guilt-free 🙂

              The only issue was shaping them as they kept disintegrating a bit since the final dough was a but dry.. I added a bit of water as well but it didn't seem to help much. Also, couldn't get the almonds to stick unless I applied a 1-2 drops of water to the centre of the cookie before pressing down the almond slivers in it.

              I was wondering if it might help to add 1-2 Tbsp of tapioca starch or almond flour (and reduce the same amount from the total ragi flour)? I've seen these flours being used a lot in gluten-free baking. Will adding any of these help to shape the cookies more easily?

            • bhavana bhatia says

              September 03, 2022 at 10:33 pm

              hi Cho,
              Thanks for your feedback.
              I have seen some issues if the flour for gluten free grains is little old. On the packet they do mention the best before date, but the shelf life is not that good.
              I think tapioca flour is a good idea and I will try that as well.
              Thanks

    3. Roselle says

      September 07, 2023 at 11:35 am

      5 stars
      It's an excellent recipe. I used an egg instead of chia seeds, the biscuits were much appreciated. Thank you.

      Reply
      • bhavana bhatia says

        September 07, 2023 at 9:46 pm

        Thank you so much, yes we had added chia seeds for binding and an egg can replace that . thanks again for your feedback.

        Reply
    5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Hi,I am Bhavana & this is my wonderland of recipes.I have been in IT for 15+ years have always loved writing.My husband Gaurav & I,love to cook, click & host people

    More about me →

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