Ask 'which is the best cooking oil?' and you will get a hundred answers. The honest answer is that there is no single best oil. Traditional Indian kitchens never relied on just one. Our grandparents used groundnut oil for frying, sesame oil for tempering and pickles, coconut oil for Kerala-style dishes, and mustard oil in the north and east. Each oil suited a job.
This guide brings that habit back into a modern kitchen.
Quick guide: which oil for which dish
| Cooking | Best oil | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Deep frying (bajji, vada, puri) | Groundnut oil | Stable at frying temperatures; mild flavour |
| Everyday sabzi, dal, sambar | Groundnut or sunflower oil | Neutral enough for daily food |
| Tadka / tempering, chutneys, podi | Sesame (gingelly) oil | Rich nutty aroma lifts the dish |
| Pickles | Sesame or mustard oil | Traditional choice for long-keeping pickles |
| Kerala dishes, avial, thoran | Coconut oil | Sweet aroma that defines the cuisine |
| Bengali, Punjabi, North Indian dishes | Mustard oil | Sharp, pungent flavour |
| Light cooking, baking, salads | Sunflower oil | Mild and light |
Groundnut oil — the all-rounder
If you keep only one oil, make it groundnut. It handles daily cooking and deep frying well and has a gentle peanut aroma. Read more in our Groundnut Oil guide.
Sesame oil — the flavour oil
Known as gingelly, nallennai or til oil, sesame oil is India's oldest cooking oil. A spoon in your tempering or over hot rice with podi changes the whole dish. See our Sesame Oil guide.
Coconut oil — the South Indian staple
Essential for Kerala and coastal cooking, and also the traditional hair and skin oil. Read the Coconut Oil guide.
Mustard oil — bold and pungent
Kachi ghani mustard oil gives North and East Indian dishes their signature bite. See the Mustard Oil guide.
A simple rule: rotate your oils
Instead of searching for one perfect oil, keep two or three and rotate them. A practical setup for a South Indian home: groundnut oil for daily cooking and frying, sesame oil for tempering and pickles, and coconut oil for coconut-based dishes. This is exactly how traditional kitchens worked.
Whatever you choose, choose unrefined
The type of oil matters, but so does how it is made. Refined oils are processed with heat and chemicals and lose their natural aroma. Wood pressed oils keep the character of the seed. Learn the difference in Wood-Pressed vs Cold-Pressed vs Refined Oil.
All Vedic Taila oils are wood pressed below 35°C at our mill in Chandapura, Bangalore — unfiltered, with no preservatives.
Build your kitchen set: Groundnut Oil · Sesame Oil · Coconut Oil · Mustard Oil · Sunflower Oil
Free delivery in Bangalore on orders of 5 litres and above (any mix). Other states: free delivery on orders of ₹3,500 and above.