Walk down any biscuit aisle and you will now find a "gluten-free" section. But what is actually different about a gluten-free cookie — and is it better, worse or just different? Here is an honest comparison.
The key difference: the flour
Most regular cookies and biscuits in India are made with maida (refined wheat flour) or atta (whole wheat flour). Both contain gluten. Gluten-free cookies replace wheat with flours such as rice, millets (ragi, jowar, bajra), besan, almond flour or gluten-free oats. The flour choice shapes almost everything else about the cookie.
Texture
Gluten forms a network that gives regular cookies a little chew and structure. Without it, gluten-free cookies tend to be more crumbly, short and crisp — closer to a shortbread or a classic nankhatai. Good gluten-free bakers use flour blends and natural binders so the cookie holds together while keeping that melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Taste
Maida is fairly neutral, so regular biscuits rely on sugar, butter and flavourings. Millet and nut flours have their own character: ragi is earthy, jowar is mildly sweet, almond flour is rich. That means gluten-free cookies made from whole grains often taste more interesting — not less.
Nutrition: it depends on the recipe
"Gluten-free" does not automatically mean "healthy". A gluten-free cookie made from refined rice starch and lots of sugar is not nutritionally better than a regular one. On the other hand, cookies built on millets, nuts and whole grains usually provide more fibre and minerals than maida biscuits. Always check the ingredient list and nutrition panel rather than relying on the "gluten-free" claim alone.
Safety for people with celiac disease
This is where the difference really matters. For someone with celiac disease, a regular cookie — even a small one — can cause harm. A genuinely gluten-free cookie must use gluten-free ingredients and be made in a way that avoids cross-contact with wheat. In India, FSSAI allows the "gluten-free" label only on foods with 20 mg/kg of gluten or less. Read more in our label-reading guide.
Side-by-side
- Flour: regular — maida or atta; gluten-free — millets, rice, besan, almond, gluten-free oats
- Texture: regular — slightly chewy; gluten-free — shorter, crumblier, crisp
- Flavour: regular — neutral base; gluten-free — nutty, earthy, more varied
- Suitable for celiac disease: regular — no; certified gluten-free — yes
- Nutrition: depends on the recipe in both cases — check the label
Our approach
We set out to make gluten-free biscuits that people would choose for the taste, not just because they have to. Our cookies and biscuits are built on millets, oats and almond flour, are vegan-friendly and high in fibre, contain no preservatives, and every batch is lab-tested. Curious about the ingredients? See our guide to gluten-free flours and millets.
Gluten-free biscuits, baked in Delhi. Millet cookies, biscuits and granola — vegan-friendly, high fibre and lab-tested gluten-free.
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