Which Cooking Oil Is Best? A Practical, Evidence-Based Guide for Indian Kitchens
Last reviewed: 21 September 2026 · 8 trusted sources (listed at the end). Educational content only.
Quick answer: There is no single “best” oil. What matters most is how much you use (about 25–30 g, or 5–6 teaspoons, of total visible oil + ghee a day for a 2000 kcal diet), using mostly unsaturated oils (mustard, groundnut, rice bran, sesame, canola, olive, soybean), keeping ghee and butter small, avoiding vanaspati and repeatedly reused frying oil, and adding omega-3 foods.
Mustard oil vs refined oil. Ghee vs olive oil. “Seed oils are poison.” Social media fights about cooking oil every week — and most people end up more confused. Most of the confusion comes from mixing up two different questions:
- Which oil is stable at high heat? (a cooking question)
- Which fat is better for long-term heart health? (a health question)
The answers are not always the same. Let’s keep it simple and practical.
Rule 1: Quantity matters more than the brand
Even a good oil becomes a problem when you use too much. Every teaspoon of oil (5 ml, about 4.5 g) gives roughly 40 kcal — so 5–6 teaspoons is about 200–240 kcal from visible fat alone. ICMR-NIN’s 2024 Dietary Guidelines for Indians suggest about 27 g of fats and oils per day in a 2000 kcal diet, with total fat providing 20–30% of daily energy.
| Your daily intake (approx.) | Visible oil + ghee per day | In teaspoons |
|---|---|---|
| ~1600 kcal (many sedentary adults) | ~18–23 g (20–25 ml) | 4–5 tsp |
| ~2000 kcal (moderately active) | ~23–27 g (25–30 ml) | 5–6 tsp |
“Visible fat” means all the oil, ghee and butter you add — sabzi, tadka, frying, ghee on roti or rice. The ml figures are a practical estimate based on ICMR-NIN 2024; 1 ml of oil weighs a little less than 1 g.
Household check: A family of 4 using 80–100 ml of oil a day is using about 20–25 ml per person. Measure your oil with a spoon for just 3–4 days — many families are surprised by how much they actually use.
🛒 What I use: INKULTURE Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons set
A 5 ml teaspoon is the only way to know what you are actually pouring. Most people are surprised for the first few days.
You only need it for a week or two — after that your eye is trained.
Rule 2: What you replace matters
This is the most important science point. When saturated fat (from ghee, butter, palm oil, coconut oil) is replaced with unsaturated fat (from vegetable oils, nuts, seeds), LDL (“bad”) cholesterol usually falls.
- The American Heart Association’s review of clinical trials found that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat lowered heart disease by about 30% (Sacks et al., 2017).
- A Cochrane review found that cutting saturated fat reduced combined cardiovascular events by about 17% (Hooper et al., 2020).
- WHO (2023) recommends keeping saturated fat below 10% and trans fat below 1% of daily energy.
Important: If you cut ghee but replace it with sugar, maida, biscuits or namkeen, you lose this benefit. Replace with better fats and whole foods, not with refined carbs.
Rule 3: Right oil for the right job
| Use | Better options | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Daily cooking (tadka, sabzi, curry) | Mustard, groundnut, rice bran, sesame, canola, soybean; olive oil for suitable dishes | Use one main oil + one secondary oil; rotate weekly or monthly |
| Deep frying / very high heat | Refined groundnut, refined rice bran, refined canola, high-oleic sunflower or safflower | Refined oils have a higher smoke point and neutral taste |
| Low heat / raw use (chutney, salad, finishing) | Cold-pressed mustard or sesame oil, extra virgin olive oil; flaxseed oil only cold | Store away from heat and light — they spoil faster |
Easy rotation pairs: mustard + groundnut · rice bran + sesame · canola + mustard.
🛒 What I use: SignoraWare Borosilicate Glass Oil Dispenser with measurement markings
Markings on the bottle mean you can see the daily quantity going down, without measuring every spoon.
Glass rather than plastic, which matters for something that sits next to a hot stove.
Refined vs cold-pressed: the simple rule
Refined oils are cleaned and filtered, so they handle high heat better, store longer and taste neutral — useful for frying. Cold-pressed oils are extracted with less heat and keep more natural flavour and some antioxidants — better for low heat or raw use. Refined for high heat, cold-pressed for low heat. Neither is “poison”, and neither is a magic health food.
Rule 4: Don’t confuse “stable” with “healthy”
Ghee and coconut oil are quite stable at high heat because they are rich in saturated fat. But that same saturated fat can raise LDL cholesterol when eaten in large amounts. So:
- Ghee is fine in small amounts — about 0–1 teaspoon a day, within your total.
- Don’t make ghee, butter or coconut oil your main daily fat.
- Polyunsaturated oils are less heat-stable, but they help lower LDL when they replace saturated fat.
What about “seed oils” and inflammation?
Many reels claim sunflower, safflower and soybean oils cause “inflammation” because they contain omega-6 fat. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials found that adding linoleic acid (the main omega-6 fat) to the diet did not increase inflammation markers in healthy people (Johnson & Fritsche, 2012).
The bigger problems for most Indians are: too much total oil, too much fried and packaged food, too many calories, and too little omega-3.
Fix the balance by adding omega-3
- Rotate mustard or canola oil into your cooking (both contain plant omega-3).
- Vegetarians: add flaxseeds, chia seeds or walnuts (ICMR-NIN 2024 recommends omega-3 rich foods).
- Non-vegetarians: fatty fish about twice a week.
The real dangers: trans fat and reused oil
1. Trans fat
Industrial trans fats are clearly harmful to the heart. Since January 2022, FSSAI has limited industrial trans fat to 2% in oils and fats in India. Still, avoid vanaspati, cheap bakery shortenings and street food fried in old oil.
2. Reused frying oil
FSSAI advises reheating oil a maximum of 3 times — ideally only once. For home cooks, FSSAI suggests avoiding repeated frying: once-used oil can be filtered and used for curries within a day or two, instead of storing it for days.
Throw the oil away if: it gives blue-grey smoke, forms thick foam, turns dark and murky, becomes thick or sticky, or smells sharp. Never pour it down the drain — mix with sand, sawdust or paper and put it in the dustbin (FSSAI).
🛒 What I use: Stainless Steel Oil Strainer Pot with fine mesh and lid
Strains out the burnt bits, which are what turn reused oil harmful fastest.
Use filtered oil once more, soon, in a curry — never for repeated deep frying. Oil that smells off or foams should be thrown away.
A simple weekly oil plan
| Purpose | Example |
|---|---|
| Main daily cooking oil | Mustard oil or groundnut oil |
| Secondary (rotation) | Rice bran oil or sesame oil |
| Occasional frying | Refined groundnut or refined rice bran oil |
| Raw / finishing | Extra virgin olive oil or cold-pressed sesame oil |
| Ghee | 0–1 tsp a day, if you enjoy it |
| Fried food | Occasional, not daily |
Myths vs facts
Myth: “Cold-pressed oil is healthy, so I can use as much as I want.”
Fact: Every oil has the same calories — about 9 kcal per gram. Quantity still matters.
Myth: “Seed oils are toxic.”
Fact: Human trials do not show that normal amounts of omega-6 oils raise inflammation. Overuse of oil and fried food is the bigger problem.
Myth: “Desi ghee is completely safe in any amount because it is traditional.”
Fact: Ghee is high in saturated fat. Small amounts can fit into a healthy diet; large daily amounts can raise LDL cholesterol.
Key takeaways
- Control quantity first — about 5–6 teaspoons of total visible fat a day (less if you eat fewer calories).
- Use mostly unsaturated oils for daily cooking and rotate two oils.
- Refined oils for high heat; cold-pressed oils for low heat or raw use.
- Keep ghee small.
- Avoid vanaspati and old, repeatedly heated oil.
- Add omega-3 foods.
A healthy diet is not built on one magical oil. It is built on your overall eating pattern.
If you have heart disease, diabetes, high triglycerides, fatty liver or high cholesterol, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before making big changes to your diet.
Sources
- ICMR-NIN. Dietary Guidelines for Indians (2024) — 27 g fats & oils in a 2000 kcal day; limit ghee/butter; avoid vanaspati; include omega-3 foods
- WHO. Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline (2023) — saturated fat under 10% and trans fat under 1% of energy
- Sacks FM et al. Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease — AHA Presidential Advisory, Circulation (2017) — replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat lowered heart disease by about 30% in trials
- Hooper L et al. Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease, Cochrane Review (2020) — cutting saturated fat reduced combined cardiovascular events by about 17%
- Johnson GH, Fritsche K. Effect of dietary linoleic acid on markers of inflammation: systematic review of RCTs, J Acad Nutr Diet (2012) — omega-6 linoleic acid did not raise inflammation markers in healthy people
- FSSAI. Guidance Note: Handling and Disposal of Used Cooking Oil (2018) — reuse maximum 3 times, ideally once; discard oil above 25% total polar compounds
- FSSAI. Limit of industrial trans fat to 2% in oils and fats from January 2022 (2020) — India’s trans-fat regulation
- WHO. WHO updates guidelines on fats and carbohydrates (2023) — replace saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats
Medical disclaimer: This article is for education only and does not replace advice, diagnosis or treatment from your doctor. In an emergency, call 112. Read the full disclaimer.
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