Best Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil Brands For Cooking: Tasted & Reviewed

Mustard oil or sarson ka tel (सरसों का तेल) is known for its signature pungency. A staple in most Indian kitchens, mustard oil is a big part of Bengali and Kashmiri cuisine.

We picked 6 commonly available kachhi ghani (cold-pressed) mustard oil brands. We cooked Bengali-style mustard fish with all of these. We noticed how clear, or cloudy each was before frying, we also observed features like color, pungency (often referred to as ‘jhaajh by Bengalis’), and flavor. After days of research and cooking, we found that one of the best mustard oil brands in India by flavor, pungency, and appearance is P Mark Kachhi Ghani Mustard Oil.

Related Reading – 12 Amazing Benefits Of Mustard Oil 

Quick details about the mustard oil brands are listed in the following table.

Here is all that you need to know about mustard oil brands in India.

1. Available Sizes 

Mustard oil is available in three types of packaging – 

• 1 Litre
• 5 Litre
• 10 Litre

2. Cold Pressing Type

Prepared by the process of cold-pressing, the kachi ghani variant of cooking oils is considered to be the best. In other words, kachhi ghani oil is extracted from the seeds cold-pressed, making it a pure and high-quality product compared to the processed variant. With the help of this low-heat extraction, the oil manages to retain its nutritional content, such as antioxidants and minerals.

3. Price Range

On average, a 1 Litre bottle of mustard oil is priced between Rs 180/- to Rs 225/-.

We picked widely available best Mustard Oil brands that are ‘kacchi ghani’, meaning cold-pressed oils. Mustard Oil is amongst the healthiest oils we can use in our kitchens; therefore, it was clear to us that we must pick only those brands that extract this oil via the method of cold-pressing or at low temperatures.

Subjecting mustard seeds to high temperatures at the time of extraction can lead to a loss in essential oils, making the final product lose much of its health benefits. All brands that are part of this review are also clear of Argemone Oil. A common adulterant in Mustard oil till a few decades back.

Adulteration With Argemone Oil – The adulteration of mustard oil due to the addition of argemone oil was a common practice. The addition of argemone oil deteriorates the purity of mustard oil itself. Thankfully, the brands that we reviewed contained an absolute nil percentage of argemone oil. In fact, as per the guidelines by FSSAI, mustard oil is not allowed to be adulterated with any foreign substances.

Our review parameters include – 

1. Color

Color is the first thing that someone notices while buying a bottle of mustard oil. Transparency is another feature. You want a clear and healthy mustard color.

2. Pungency

When mustard seeds are crushed, an enzyme called myronsinase is released which along with sinigrin (a glucosinolate) produces AITC. Allyl isothiocyanates’ are responsible for the pungency mustard oil is known for. 

We checked all the mustard oil brands for the signature pungent aroma. 

3. Flavor

We tasted all oils to check for bitterness, aftertaste, and a general ‘mustardy’ flavor.

4. Eye Irritation

That mild eye irritation you experience when eating mustard oil is supposed to point to the quality of the oil. Medium to intense eye irritation indicates that the oil is rich in essential oils. Similarly, pungency is indicative of purity. The more pungent the mustard oil, the better it is. Not to mention how traditional Indian recipes depend on this pungency to bring out the best flavors in some of our local cuisines.

This is, in fact, one of the key factors that help distinguish between pure and impure mustard oil. In fact, we would love to praise all of the brands as they all irritated the eye to some extent, meaning that they were all pure.

Our review process was divided into three stages – 

• Stage 1 – Appearance
• Stage 2 – Eye Irritation
• Stage 3 – Mishry Secret Sauce

During Stage 1 and 2 we checked all the brands for their color and characteristic eye-irritation. 

For Stage 3 i.e, Mishry Secret Sauce, we ordered some Rohu from Licious – a store known for delivering fresh meats and seafood. We marinated these fresh pieces of fish and marinated them in a basic salt, mustard oil, (all six brands used separately), turmeric, and chili marination. After being left for 1.5 hours (for marinating), the rohu pieces were dipped into each of the shortlisted brands of oil and fried.

After tasting each of the batches fried in different mustard oil, we arrived at our recommendations for the Best Mustard Oil Brand.

Why did we choose P Mark Mustard Oil and Patanjali Mustard Oil as our Top Pick? 

A good quality mustard oil should be clear, have a mustard color, and showcase the characteristic pungent aroma. Along with these, taste is a crucial factor.

After assessing all the above-mentioned factors, we chose P Mark Mustard Oil Kachi Ghani and Patanjali Fortified Mustard Oil as our top two recommendations. This is because both these brands displayed maximum pungency.

P Mark Mustard Oil Kachi Ghani and Patanjali Fortified Mustard Oil are our Top Picks in the best mustard oil review. Both our recommendations have the maximum pungency, are clear and taste the best.

Do you cook with mustard oil? Which is your brand of choice?

* If you do agree with our review, please give it a thumbs up! And, tell us which one is your favorite from this list. If you don’t, please tell us why!

* Food & Beverage is a constantly evolving segment with new products launched daily. Our endeavor here is to help shoppers buy better. If there’s a product you would like us to review tell us by clicking here.

* Our reviews are unbiased and all samples used during the reviews were paid for by us. Read our entire ethics statement here.

* No part of this review is sponsored by any brand. All expenses were borne by us.