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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- Outlook of biscuits and cookies in India, 2026
- Indians are consuming fewer snacks and biscuits/cookies, with health and money-saving playing a part
- Graph 1: changes in snack consumption compared to a year ago, 2025
- Graph 2: consumption frequency of biscuits/cookies in the last month, 2025 vs 2026
- Adventurous palates and cautious wallets are increasingly influencing biscuit/cookie purchases
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NOVELTY CAN DRIVE ENGAGEMENT
- Metro-dwelling consumers’ appetite for novelty in snacking is on the rise
- Scrolling is becoming a key discovery engine for packaged foods
- Graph 3: index over time for select search term on Google, 2025
- Upgrade biscuits/cookies into a multi-sensory, customisable, content-worthy experience for metro-dwelling consumers
- Graph 4: metro-dwelling consumers’ interest in innovations in biscuits/cookies, 2026
- Now: craft oversized cookies brimming with decadent fillings and ingredients
- Now: leave no crumbs when tapping into India’s viral youth pulse
- Now: tune into social chatter and capitalise on Christmas cookie surge
- Graph 5: volume of conversation on social media for the select search term, 2020-26
- Now: cash in on viral Christmas surge with themed cookie drops
- Now: surf the K-wave with flavours and collaborations
- Next: stay ahead of the curve by experimenting with trending Asian flavours
- Next: create hype with mystery flavours
- Next: add textural drama by blurring the line between chocolate and biscuits
- Future: temperature-activated textures will help build experiences
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THE PROTEIN OPPORTUNITY: BISCUITS/COOKIES AND WAFER BISCUITS
- Protein is booming across food and beverages, yet remains untapped in biscuits/cookies
- Graph 6: index over time for select search term on Google, 2021-26
- Graph 7: % of launches with ‘high/added protein’ claim in select categories, 2021-26
- Affluent metro and West region dwellers are prime target segments for protein-led innovations in biscuits/cookies
- Graph 8: high protein content as a factor when purchasing packaged biscuits/cookies, by region, city tier and current financial situation, 2026
- Capture protein-led growth by innovating with both biscuit and wafer formats to win India’s health-conscious, younger consumers
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PART 1: PROTEINISING BISCUITS/COOKIES
- Win India’s protein demand by delivering biscuits that combine high protein with low sugar, low calories and functional health benefits
- Graph 9: important features considered when purchasing high/added protein biscuits/cookies, by select consumer segment, 2026
- Now: low-sugar in protein biscuits/cookies are the white space
- Graph 10: % of respondents who chose ‘low in sugar content’ as one of their top three factors when shopping for food, 2021-26
- Graph 11: % of launches with select claims in high/added protein biscuits/cookies, 2021-26
- Now : win in protein biscuits by delivering low-sugar formulations without compromising on indulgent taste
- Now: capture demand by optimising protein-to-calorie ratios as calorie scrutiny rises
- Graph 12: volume of conversation on social media for the search term, 2023-26
- India’s ‘protein-first, fibre-next’ adoption in their wellness journey shows untapped potential in biscuits/cookies
- Graph 13: select repertoire of activities undertaken to lead a healthy lifestyle, 2025
- Now: give a protein upgrade to digestive biscuits/cookies
- Now: new brands can differentiate and win by owning fibre as a key driver of protein digestibility
- Now: drive morning occasion growth by positioning protein + fibre biscuits as smarter satiety solutions
- Graph 14: % of respondents who chose ‘boosts my energy’ in top three attributes typically sought-after in select meal occasions, 2025
- Now: offer ‘smarter satiety’ with protein + fibre biscuits for morning consumption
- Next: protein sources will become a differentiator for protein-forward biscuits/cookies
- Graph 15: interest in select protein sources in high/added protein biscuits, 2026
- Next: protein sources will become a differentiator for protein-forward biscuits/cookies
- Graph 16: Ingredient landscape of select protein-rich ingredients in biscuits/cookies, 2026
- Next: formulate biscuits/cookies with familiar protein-rich ingredients
- Next: capitalise on the growing awareness of creatine by incorporating it into protein-packed biscuits
- Graph 17: index over time for select search term on Google, 2023-26
- Graph 18: volume of conversations with select search term on various social media channels, 2023-26
- Next: capitalise on the growing awareness of creatine by incorporating it into protein-packed biscuits
- Future: protein biscuits/cookies will make bolder beauty and mental wellness claims
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PART 2: PROTEINISING WAFER BISCUITS
- New-age brands are surfing India’s protein snack wave
- Indian consumers are warming up to protein wafer biscuits
- Graph 19: consumption and interest in protein wafer bisuits, 2026
- Turn sensory upgrades into category growth
- Now: fix the aftertaste; own the difference
- Now: keep sweetness in check with savoury flavour profiles
- Now: aroma is a white space opportunity to enhance sensorial appeal in protein wafer biscuits
- Now: turn India’s protein gap into category growth with 10g+ protein wafer biscuits
- Next: drive protein wafer adoption with gut-friendly pre- and pro-biotic claims
- Graph 20: % of launches with select claims in protein supplements, 2021-26
- Next: blur category lines to expand relevance for sweet snacking occasions
- Future: multi-texture innovations will become a differentiator in protein wafer biscuits
- Future: biotech enzymes will drive the next wave of sugar reduction
- Key takeaways
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APPENDIX
- Report definition
- Consumer survey methodology
- TURF analysis
- Social data research methodology
While affordability, brand and familiar tastes remain key purchase drivers for biscuits/cookies in India, consumers increasingly value health features and novel experiences.
Therefore, this Report explores key innovations that appeal to novelty-seeking urban Indians, moving beyond simple flavour extensions.
This report also analyses the ‘protein wave’ in snacking, a trend that the biscuit/cookie category has yet to fully embrace. In doing so, this report identifies crucial opportunities for protein-led biscuits and outlines the features that will drive their consumption. Furthermore, with the protein wafer biscuit category expanding, this Report highlights the key attributes that can encourage trial and adoption among both new and existing consumers.
This report looks at the following areas:
- A comparative analysis of biscuit/cookie consumption frequency between 2025 and 2026
- A comparative analysis of factors influencing consumer purchasing decisions for biscuits/cookies between 2024 and 2026
- Identifying key purchase drivers and consumer interest in various protein sources for high/added protein biscuits/cookies
- Exploring consumption and interest surrounding protein wafer biscuits, including features that could stimulate increased consumption
- Innovations of interest in the biscuits/cookies category
Drive discovery and stand out with bold, visually striking multi-sensory innovations. Ride the protein wave and unlock daily consumption by positioning protein biscuits as great-tasting, low-sugar indulgences.
Tulsi Joshi, Principal Food & Drink Market Research Analyst, India
Market Definitions
Includes: sweet biscuits/cookies: cookies, digestive biscuits, butter cookies, wafers, some chocolate-covered biscuits/cookies and sandwich cookies. Savoury biscuits/crackers: savoury/unflavoured cream crackers and cheese crackers. The products can be baked or fried, and are usually grain flour-based.
Excludes: toasts, unpackaged/unwrapped biscuits/cookies and non-retail sales (ie those sold in cafes/made into other products such as desserts).
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