Looking for some healthy biscuits to snack on when you get cravings? Or want some delicious choices for the evening chai time with your family? Whatever it may be, you have reached the right place. We have prepared a buying guide to help you choose the top 10 best biscuits in India that can be enjoyed at any time.
Our buying guide below focuses heavily on helping you make healthy choices rather than encourage you to go for sugar spiked unhealthy ones. Don't forget to go through our list of the top 10 best biscuits by The Bread Company, early FOODS, NutroActive, and more, which you can buy online in India. This article is reviewed by a professional food blogger, so get to know the tips and tricks on choosing the best biscuits.
Arsh is a professional food blogger and is currently pursuing a master's in Hospitality and Catering Technology. He did a bachelor's in Hotel Management and Catering Technology and has worked with ITC Windsor Bengaluru in the front office department.
mybest editing team consists of experienced members who have backgrounds in writing, editing, translation, and more. We are dedicated to researching what makes a product or service the best to users in India in order to create top-quality articles. From skincare, to kitchen appliances, and to DIY supplies, our mission is to find the best ones for you.
The expert oversees the Buying Guide only, and does not determine the products and services featured.
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Arsh is a professional food blogger and is currently pursuing a master's in Hospitality and Catering Technology. He holds a bachelor's degree in Hotel Management and Catering Technology and has worked with ITC Windsor Bengaluru in the front office department. You can also check out his amazing work on his Instagram account or website.
We all know how to choose biscuits, but it may be difficult with lots of unhealthy choices from top companies in the market. Read through to find out how to choose the best one for yourself and your family, depending on the flavors you love, fillings, number of calories, and many more.
To avoid these, check the ingredients list before you buy. You can also go for alternatives made from ingredients like whole wheat flour, ragi (also known as nachni or finger millet), and amaranth. Both ragi and amaranth are gluten-free and help in maintaining blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and weight gain.
Go for biscuits that use jaggery instead of refined sugar since it takes more time for the sugar to get absorbed into the bloodstream. If you like dunking cookies in milk, the ones with almonds and milk as the main ingredients will taste better.
Everyone has their preferences for eating their biscuits. Some like it with tea/coffee/milk, and some like to have it whenever they wish to munch over something. Mostly, biscuits with chocolate filling or coating are the most preferred ones to have it milk/coffee/tea. For example, Oreo biscuits go best with plain milk.
Have you noticed that cookies from almost all brands taste similar unless they have flavors like chocolate, pistachio, orange, or lemon in them? That's because the basic ingredients in them are almost the same and harmful—maida, hydrogenated vegetable oil, raising agents (baking soda & baking powder), sugar, and invert sugar syrup. Even the cream will have artificial colors and flavors added to them.
Check the package to ensure that all ingredients are natural. For example, chocolate-flavored biscuits will have cacao powder as an ingredient that gives them the chocolate flavor, vanilla-flavored biscuits will have vanilla, and orange-flavored may have orange oil. Some companies even use artificial flavors of milk and vanilla in their cookies, so watch out for them too.
Always think about the different available flavours. There is a long list of flavours available these days, such as chocolate, vanilla, jam, milk, berries, etc. Flavours are nothing but a taste enhancer that makes your regular biscuit tastes really good.
Also, it gives it a different and new odour. The most popular flavour used in making biscuits is chocolate. Whilst choosing your preferred flavour for biscuits, check the nutrient values in the product because most artificial products are used to give these biscuits special flavours.
Cookies with nuts and berries as fillings will have a natural taste to them as they don't contain any artificial flavors. You will get essential nutrients from them too. But you must check the ingredients list to find out the quantity of these fillings in each cookie. Most of the popular ones in the market will only have a tiny amount, and as a result, the nutrition provided by them is negligible.
The healthy ones will make up at least 15% of the total ingredients. You can find cookies with almonds, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and dried fruits like cranberries and raisins. The ones with enough of these fillings provide beneficial nutrients like calcium, protein, vitamins, iron, and fiber.
As we know, these days, we get so many varieties of cookies in the market or at online sites. Also, there are home bakers who provide the same. It's always a better and healthy option to have fruits and nuts-based cookies than other cookies because of the calories.
One important thing you should take care of while purchasing these cookies is the ingredients, and the value and quantity of nuts/fruits should be higher. The nutrition value is obviously more of these cookies, but they are also a bit expensive compared to basic ones.
If you only eat cookies occasionally, you may not worry about the adverse effects of maida present in it. Maida not only raises blood sugar levels quickly but also causes constipation. If you get cravings for cookies, try to stack your snack box with digestive biscuits. Fiber from these cookies usually comes from ingredients like wheat, jowar, ragi, or oats.
The recommended daily intake of fiber is 25 to 30 grams per day. Since you may get fiber from other foods you eat throughout the day, try to go for biscuits that offer an average of 6 to 8 grams of fiber per 100 grams. To try different tastes, you can choose oatmeal, ragi, or wheat cookies or ones that combine various fiber-rich sources.
For example, Sunfeast Farmlite 5 Grain Digestive has wheat, corn, oats, jowar, and ragi, while UNIBIC Daily Digestive has wheat flour and rolled oats as the main ingredients.
Mostly, all the biscuits we get in the market are made of refined flour (maida), which affects the body's digestive system, and it has large amounts of unhealthy fats and highly processed carbohydrates in it. Also, they are mostly low in fibre and whole grains.
So switching to digestive biscuits can be an option as they are made of whole-grain flour and have a higher amount of fibre. A high fibre diet helps avoid the risk of heart attack, stroke, and certain types of cancer. These biscuits may also help you feel full for a long time so that you don't overeat.
The truth about biscuits, no matter how healthy, is that they have a lot of calories. It's not just the sugar present in it that is responsible, but every ingredient. If you are trying to stay healthy or lose weight, check the package, so you can adjust your other meals accordingly to stay within your desired calorie range.
The problem with refined wheat flour, sugar, and invert sugar syrup is that your blood sugar levels will spike quickly. This will cause your body to release insulin, which moves the sugar in your blood to cells where it's converted to fat and stored. Now your blood glucose levels are depleted, and you will start getting hunger pangs again, which will give you cravings for more food.
So the healthier option is to go for whole wheat flour and jaggery as they don't digest quickly as refined wheat flour and sugar, making you hungry again. Check your fasting blood sugar levels to ensure that the values are between 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) and 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L); anything more needs lifestyle changes.
Whilst buying your cookies, you should check the number of calories in them, the type of flour used to make the cookies, protein value, fibre, etc. Especially if you're trying to lose weight, then it should be a mandatory thing. Try to buy cookies/biscuits with nutritious ingredients like oatmeal which has healthy fibre, and it also keeps you full. You can also go for peanut butter cookies as they are high in protein.
Emulsifiers are used to combine ingredients that usually don't mix well. But studies conducted show that even the permitted levels affect bowel and metabolic health by damaging intestinal walls and the gut microbiome.
Finally, if you see raw sugar and brown sugar as ingredients, don't think that they are better than refined sugar in any way. It is a marketing gimmick by companies. All three are similar in terms of calories and nutritional value. Raw and brown contain minuscule amounts of minerals, but the health benefits from them are negligible.
The natural sweetness of early foods' jaggery millet cookies come from organic jaggery present in them. One pack has multigrain millet cookies, and the other has dry fruit and seeds fillings. These healthy cookies can satisfy your sweet tooth without leaving you feeling guilty.
The main ingredient in multigrain millet cookies is organic wheat flour (48%), and the dry fruit and seeds variant has almonds, cashews walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and watermelon seeds. You can snack on these cookies without worrying about any adverse health effects since it has no maida, refined sugar, or raising agents like baking soda.
Customer reviews show that these cookies interest kids and grownups alike and taste good when dipped in milk.
If you are looking for a healthy way to snack when you get chocolate cravings, this product is for you. Made from organic ragi, powdered dry fruits, jaggery, and raw cacao, Early Foods' ragi and chocolate cookies will definitely calm your sweet tooth.
You can binge on them as much as you want as the ingredients don't contain maida, refined sugar, raising agents, or egg (for those who are allergic to it). This product is also free from harmful additives like maltodextrin, artificial colors, and flavors. Since there are no preservatives, the shelf life of this product is four months.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women often get food cravings, and these cookies from Early Foods are a nutritious option for them. The ingredients include ragi and amaranth flour with sesame seeds, almonds, walnuts, dates, cashews, pistachios, and watermelon seeds.
Every cookie has 50mg of calcium in it, making it a tasty source for your daily requirement of the mineral. This product doesn't contain refined white sugar, egg, baking powder, artificial flavors, or preservatives, and the sweetness comes from the organic jaggery present in it. Customer reviews show that these cookies are tasty and nutritious and best for snacking with tea.
If you are on a keto diet to lose weight, then these high-fat cookies are for you. Compared to an average of 65% carbohydrates per 100 grams in regular bakery cookies, this product only has 16%, helping you curb your carb cravings during your weight loss journey.
The oligosaccharides, a type of dietary fiber and prebiotic, present in these cookies promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria. This improves the digestive process and prevents constipation seen in people on a high protein diet. Customer reviews show that these cookies have helped many people on a strict weight-loss diet whenever they get carb cravings.
If you are allergic to grains and gluten, give these cookies a try. The ingredients of Nourish Organics' Fig Amaranth cookies include amaranth flour (25%), cashews, raisins, honey almonds, dates, and figs. You get 14 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein from 100 grams of these cookies.
These cookies complement your evening tea or maybe enjoyed when you get carb cravings. If you are looking for sugar-free snacks, this may not be for you since it contains 27 grams of sugar per 100 grams. This product has a shelf life of six months but contains no preservatives.
The healthy ingredients in Bread Company's Cocoa Brownie Almond Millet cookies include whole wheat flour, ragi (14%), cocoa powder, almonds, butter, flaxseeds, and rosemary extract. You get 8 grams of fiber and 6.2 grams of protein from 100 grams of these cookies.
But the presence of raw and brown sugar may be a drawback if you are trying to reduce your sugar intake. Customer reviews are mostly about the deliciousness and strong chocolate flavor of these cookies. The product contains no preservatives and has a shelf life of 6 months.
If you are looking for premium cookies to enjoy during chai time, this product is for you. Mia&j's adrak ki chai biscuits are crunchy and spicy, made from butter, honey, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Each biscuit is packed separately to preserve its crispiness and is free from preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and flavors.
If you are looking for maida-free cookies, this may not be for you. People who are watching their weight should also stay away from it or consume it moderately as it contains 525 calories per 100 grams. Customers who bought this loved the spicy flavor and the unique taste of premium ingredients in it.
The Bread Company's Very Berry Quinoa Oatmeal cookies contain whole oats (20%), quinoa (12%), and cranberries (10%) as main ingredients. If you are looking for a change from the regular chocolate, spicy and salt biscuits, this product will amaze you with its berry flavors.
This product is free from preservatives, artificial flavorings, or colors of any sort. But if you are a health freak, watch out for the sugar and baking soda present in it. Customer reviews show people are happy about the fact that there are no hidden ingredients in these cookies.
Dr. BHADRE's Moong dal biscuits will be a tasty and healthy addition to your snack box. The ingredients present in these biscuits are moong dal (green gram), desi cow's ghee, desi cow's milk, wheat, and almond. You may have it with milk or tea as the milky flavor tastes delicious with both.
The almond present in it improves the strength of your mind and body. There is no presence of preservatives, maida, colors, baking soda, yeast, or flavors.
Sunfeast Farmlite is popular in the market for its high fiber content. You get 10.4 grams of fiber from 100 grams of these biscuits. Whole wheat flour, wheat bran, and wheat fiber make up about 47.7% of these biscuits, with corn, oats ragi, and jowar flours present in small amounts.
But if you are looking for biscuits with zero additives, this product is definitely not for you. It contains artificial flavors and flour treatment agents. You will also find ingredients such as maltodextrin and raising agents known for their adverse effects on the human body if taken for a long time.
Stack your snack box with varieties so you won't get bored eating the same kind. Whether you want to crunch on some while watching a movie or curb your cravings during the evenings, the below articles will help you choose the best ones you can buy online.
Click on the links below to read the buying guides for the best namkeen, banana chips, and popcorn in India. Each article also has a top 10 list to help you choose only the best ones available to buy online.
Whether you want to curb your carb cravings or want some snacks to compliment your evening chai with family, biscuits are the best option. With lots of cheap ingredients like refined wheat flour, maltodextrin, and invert sugar being used, cookies have become contributors to many health issues like obesity, cholesterol, and diabetes. Always check the package and confirm that the ingredients are natural and provide real health benefits to you.
Author - Arun F Xaviour
When you purchase products mentioned in the article, part of the sales may be returned to mybest.
The descriptions of each product is referenced from the content available from the manufacturer, e-commerce sites etc.
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