Zeera Biscuits (Savoury Cumin Butter Biscuits)
زیرے کے بسکٹ
Zeera (cumin) biscuits are the bakery biscuit for people who don't want something too sweet with their tea. They're crisp and buttery, just slightly sweet, with a pinch of salt and lots of toasted cumin seeds that crunch between your teeth and fill the kitchen with their aroma as they bake. They keep for weeks in a tin and disappear quickly. Bakers in Karachi and Lahore sell them by the kilo, often alongside nankhatai and khatai.
- ⏱ Total: 40 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 20 min
- Easy
- Serves 30
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan for 1–2 minutes until fragrant, then cool.
Beat the butter, powdered sugar and salt until creamy. Add the flour, baking powder and cumin and mix, adding just enough cold milk to bring it into a firm dough. Chill for 20 minutes.
Heat the oven to 175°C. Roll the dough 5 mm thick, cut into rounds or squares and prick with a fork. Place on a lined tray.
Bake for 15–18 minutes until the edges are light golden. Cool on the tray; they crisp up as they cool.
Serve with tea.
Kitchen notes
Toasting the cumin first makes a big difference to the flavour.
Don't over-mix once the flour is in; overworked dough makes hard biscuits.
Store in an airtight tin for up to 3 weeks.
A savoury tea biscuit
Zeera biscuits belong to the old bakery tradition of South Asia, where biscuits are sold loose by weight from glass jars. They’re especially popular with older generations, who dunk them in tea, and with anyone who prefers savoury snacks to sweet ones. In Pakistan, Karachi’s bakeries are particularly famous for them.
Butter and cumin
The dough is a simple butter biscuit, firm enough to roll, with just a little sugar. The cumin seeds, toasted first to wake up their oils, are folded in whole so they stay crunchy. A pinch of salt balances the sweetness and makes the cumin taste stronger.
Outside South Asia
All the ingredients are everyday staples. If you like savoury biscuits such as cheese straws or oatcakes, zeera biscuits will be a pleasant discovery: buttery, crumbly and fragrant.
Serving
Serve with doodh patti, masala chai or qehwa. They’re a good addition to a mixed biscuit plate with nankhatai and coconut macaroons.
Questions people ask
Are they sweet or salty?
Both, gently. They're lightly sweet with a noticeable pinch of salt, which is what makes them so moreish with tea.
Can I use ghee?
Yes. Ghee makes them crumblier and more fragrant, closer to some old bakery styles.
Can I add other spices?
Ajwain (carom) or a pinch of crushed black pepper work well alongside cumin.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 70
- Protein
- 1 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
