Top 15 Different Types of Cooking Oils Used in India

Vegetable oils are extracted from plants used for frying, baking and types of cooking of foods. There are wide variety of cooking oils used in India also known as edible oil such as canola oil (rapeseed oil),peanut oil, palm oil and corn oil.

Sesame Oil (तिल तेल)

Sesame Oil or Til Tel from sesame seeds is not only used as a cooking oil in India but also used in Ayurveda, cosmetic, skin and host list of health benefits. The edible vegetable oil is golden in colour in India with many variations in other East Asian countries.

Mustard Oil (सरसों तेल)

Mustard oil is a fatty vegetable oil made from mustard seeds and has a distinctive taste, used for traditionally cooking in India. The mustard plant is used as a spice in India, leaves eaten as mustard greens and India is fourth largest producer of Rapeseed and mustard oil seeds in the world. Image source.

Coconut Oil (नारियल तेल)

Coconut oil extracted from the mature coconuts and host high saturated fat content, also known as velichanna in Kerala. The coconut oil, coconut milk are an important ingredients of Kerala food and most commonly used in cuisines of Kerala or Malayali food.

Groundnut Oil/ Peanut Oil (मूंगफली तेल)

Peanut oil is known as groundnut oil derived from peanuts, often used for general cooking in in Southeast Asian countries. Groundnut Oil is one of the the most expensive cooking oil in India, Gujarat followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are top producer of groundnuts. Images.

Sunflower Seeds Oil (सूरजमुखी तेल)

Sunflower oil is most commonly used edible oil for cooking, containing different amounts of fatty acids. There are several varieties of sunflower species, seeds and oils, also an ingredient in sunflower butter.

Soybean Oil (सोयाबीन तेल)

Soybean oil is another most popular and most widely consumed cooking oils of India, used for frying and baking. The vegetable oil extracted from the soybean seeds, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are the largest producer of Soybean in India and Ruchi Soya was a leading manufacturer of edible oil.

Olive Oil (जैतून तेल)

Olive oil not only used in cooking in India but also has additional uses in some regions of the Mediterranean Basin like in salad dressing, soaps in cosmetics. There are list of popular brands of Olive oil in India such as Leonardo Olive Oil, Borges Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Oleev Extra Light Olive Oil and very popular Figaro Olive Oil.

Rice Bran Oil

Rice bran oil extracted from the outer brown layer of raw rice and very popular as a cooking oil in Indid as well as in several Asian countries. The edible oil also used in cosmetics and peanut oil also has a composition similar to Rice bran oil.

Safflower Oil

Safflower seed oil is a rich source of fatty acids, extracted from the seeds of Safflower plant and one of the oldest crops. Traditionally Safflower seed oil is colorless used mainly in cosmetics, salad dressing and and as a cooking oil and flowers of Safflower used in cooking as a substitute for saffron with some medicinal use.

Flaxseed Oil/Linseed Oil

Linseed oil is known as Flaxseed oil, obtained from seeds of the flax plant and can be used with the combinations of other oils. Flaxseed oil is available in varieties and one of the oldest commercial oils also used in painting, putty, wood finish and varnishing.

Corn Oil/Maize Oil

Corn oil or maize oil use is in cooking and also a key ingredient in some margarines which is made mainly of refined vegetable oil. KornDrop and Cornlite are two very popular brands of Corn Oil in India, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, Vitamin E and Omega 6.

Cottonseed Oil (बिनौला तेल)

Cottonseed oil extracted from the kernel from the seeds of cotton plants, In order to remove impurities it should be processed and refined before use. The Cottonseed oils are popular frying oil used for frying foods such as potato chips and other quick snack-foods.

Canola Oil (Rapeseed Oil)

Canola Oil is another well known vegetable oil available in India, Made from crushed canola seeds and also used as a source of biodiesel. Rapeseed is the source of Canola oil from the family of mustard and India is third largest producers of rapeseed and fourth largest producers of Canola Oil in the world.

Ramtil Oil (Niger Seed Oil)

Ramtil oil or Niger seed oil from the seed of Guizotia oleifera is an annual herb, grown for its edible oil in India. Niger seed or blackseeds are grown in India and very much similar to sunflower seeds in shape but are smaller in size and black.

Palm Oil

Palm oil extracted from the fruit of the oil palms, naturally reddish in color and a common cooking ingredient in many Southeast Asian countries. The edible vegetable oil along with coconut oil are use in the commercial food industry and Indonesia is the largest producer of palm oil in the world followed by Malaysia, Nigeria and Thailand.