Indian cooking asks a lot of oil. Pooris, bondas, bajjis and murukku all need sustained high heat. Choosing the wrong oil means smoke, off-flavours and oil that breaks down quickly.
Smoke point, and why it is only half the story
Smoke point is the temperature at which oil starts to visibly smoke and degrade. Deep frying generally happens between 175°C and 190°C, so you want comfortable headroom above that.
But smoke point alone is misleading. Oxidative stability — how well the oil resists breaking down over repeated heating — matters just as much. Oils high in saturated and monounsaturated fat are more stable. Oils high in polyunsaturated fat degrade faster, regardless of their smoke point.
Best cold pressed oils for deep frying
Groundnut oil — the traditional choice
Smoke point around 160–180°C when cold pressed, and high in monounsaturated fat, which makes it genuinely stable. It has a mild nutty character that suits savoury frying and does not overpower. This is what most South Indian households historically fried in.
Our cold pressed groundnut oil is wood pressed in small batches.
Coconut oil — the most stable
Over 80% saturated fat, which makes it the most oxidatively stable oil in an Indian kitchen. It resists breaking down through repeated heating better than anything else here. The trade-off is flavour — it carries a distinct coconut note that works beautifully in Kerala and coastal Karnataka cooking and less well elsewhere.
See our cold pressed coconut oil.
Sesame oil — good for shallow frying
Naturally rich in sesamol and sesamin, antioxidants that slow oxidation. Cold pressed sesame handles moderate heat well and is excellent for tempering and shallow frying, though its strong flavour makes it a deliberate choice rather than a neutral one.
Oils to be careful with
Cold pressed sunflower and safflower oil are high in polyunsaturated fat. Excellent for sauteing, dressings and everyday cooking — less suited to repeated deep frying, where they oxidise faster.
Cold pressed mustard oil has a relatively low smoke point in its unrefined form and a very assertive flavour. Traditional in Bengali and North Indian frying, where that pungency is wanted, but it is not a neutral frying oil.
How many times can you reuse frying oil?
FSSAI guidance is clear on this: cooking oil should not be reused once total polar compounds exceed 25%. In a home kitchen you cannot measure that, so use these signals instead.
Discard the oil when:
- It has darkened noticeably
- It smokes at a lower temperature than it used to
- It foams around the edges
- It has turned thick or sticky
- It smells sharp or stale
As a practical rule, two to three uses for the same batch, and never top up old oil with fresh.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the healthiest oil for deep frying in India?
Cold pressed groundnut and coconut oil are the most oxidatively stable choices for frying because they are high in monounsaturated and saturated fat respectively. Stability under heat matters more than smoke point alone.
Can I deep fry in cold pressed oil?
Yes, provided you pick the right one. Groundnut and coconut handle frying temperatures well. Sunflower, safflower and mustard are better suited to sauteing and tempering.
Is cold pressed oil smoke point lower than refined?
Yes. Refining removes the free fatty acids and particles that cause smoking, which raises the smoke point. Unrefined oil keeps them, so it smokes sooner — the same compounds that carry its flavour and nutrients.
Why does my oil foam when frying?
Foaming usually means the oil has degraded through repeated use, or that very wet food has been added. Persistent foaming is a signal to discard the batch.
Chennamma Ajji oils are cold pressed in small batches in Karnataka. FSSAI licence 1122632300006. Browse the range.