Cold pressed oil is pressed mechanically at low heat and only filtered, so it keeps its natural colour, aroma and minor plant compounds. Refined oil is extracted at scale, then bleached and deodorised to be neutral and long-lasting. Choose cold pressed for flavour and everyday cooking; refined suits high-volume deep frying and a neutral taste.
Last updated: 6 Oct 2026 | Shop cold pressed groundnut oil
Most Indian kitchens are choosing between two very different bottles: the refined sunflower or soybean oil that fills supermarket shelves, and a cold pressed oil from a local mill. They look different, smell different and cost different. This page compares them criterion by criterion so you can decide based on how you actually cook, not on label claims.
We press cold pressed oil at our own wooden ghani mill in Nagpur, so we are not neutral. We have tried to be accurate about where refined oil still makes sense, and about where the evidence for health claims is stronger or weaker than marketing suggests.
Quick answer: which one should you choose?
- Choose cold pressed oil if you cook mostly at home, like the flavour of the oil in tadka and sabzi, and prefer an oil that has been pressed and filtered rather than industrially processed.
- Choose refined oil if you deep fry in large volume, need a flavour-neutral oil for baking or certain sweets, or rely on the longest possible shelf life.
- Use both if that suits your household: a cold pressed oil for daily cooking and a small bottle of neutral oil for the occasional big fry-up.
Cold pressed oil vs refined oil: side by side
| Factor | Cold pressed oil | Refined oil |
|---|---|---|
| How it is extracted | Mechanical pressing only | Often solvent extraction (hexane) at scale, after or instead of pressing |
| What happens next | Filtering and resting | Degumming, neutralising, bleaching and deodorising |
| Colour and aroma | Natural colour; clear aroma of the seed | Pale and near-odourless |
| Taste in food | Noticeable; part of the dish | Neutral |
| Minor compounds (vitamin E, sterols, polyphenols) | Largely retained | Reduced by the refining steps |
| Basic fat profile | Set by the seed | Same as the seed; refining does not change it |
| Smoke point | Generally lower | Generally higher |
| Shelf life | Shorter; use within the labelled date | Longest |
| Consistency between batches | Some natural variation | Very uniform |
| Cost per litre | Higher, because of lower yield and slower pressing | Lower, because of scale and higher yield |
| Best suited to | Everyday Indian cooking, tempering, shallow frying, raw use | High-volume deep frying, neutral-taste cooking |
How each one is made
Cold pressed oil is pressed mechanically from the seed. In our case that means a wooden ghani (kolhu) that turns slowly, so friction heat stays low. The oil is filtered to remove sediment, rested and bottled, with no solvent, bleaching or deodorising. “Cold pressed” describes a method rather than a tightly regulated standard, which is why it matters to know who presses the oil. You can see our process on our Nagpur oil mill page.
Refined oil usually starts with solvent extraction and is then degummed, neutralised with alkali, bleached with clay and deodorised with steam. The result is pale, odourless and uniform from one bottle to the next. We walk through each stage in what is refined oil and how it is made.
What the evidence says about health
The most reliable nutrition findings concern the type of fat, not the label. Oils that are mainly unsaturated, such as groundnut, sesame and mustard, are generally a better choice for the heart than saturated fat or industrial trans fat, whether the oil is refined or not. Refining does not change that basic fat profile.
What cold pressing changes is the minor components. Unrefined oils retain more of the vitamin E, plant sterols, polyphenols and aroma compounds that refining reduces. These matter, and they are one good reason to prefer unrefined oil, but they are present in small amounts. We do not claim that switching oils cures or prevents any disease, and you should be wary of anyone who does. A sensible way to put it: cold pressed oil is a less processed ingredient with more of its original character, used in moderate quantities as part of a balanced diet.
Refining can also form trace amounts of trans fat, although FSSAI caps industrial trans fat in oils and fats at 2 per cent of total fat. At home, the bigger drivers of oil quality are how hot you heat it and how often you reuse it.
Cooking and smoke point
Smoke point is the temperature at which an oil starts to break down and give off smoke. Refined oils generally smoke at higher temperatures because the free fatty acids and impurities that lower the smoke point have been removed. Cold pressed oils generally smoke lower, but ordinary Indian cooking sits comfortably within their range. In practice:
- Tadka, sabzi, dal, curry bases, rotis and parathas: cold pressed groundnut, sesame or mustard oil works well.
- Shallow frying (tikkis, cutlets, omelettes): fine. Heat the oil gently and stop short of heavy smoking.
- Deep frying: possible, but it uses a lot of oil at sustained high heat. Refined oil is the more heat-stable and economical choice at volume, and no oil should be reused again and again.
- Raw use, such as a drizzle of sesame oil over a chutney or mustard oil in a pickle: this is where cold pressed oil is at its best.
Why cold pressed oil costs more per litre
Wooden-ghani pressing is slow and takes less oil out of each kilo of seed than a solvent plant does. On a wooden ghani it takes roughly 2.5 to 3 kg of groundnuts to make one litre of oil, and the cake left behind still holds some oil. Add small-batch production and the cost per litre is naturally higher than a refinery's.
Pack size changes the maths. Larger packs usually work out cheaper per litre than small bottles, so compare price per litre rather than the figure on the label. If your household uses a lot of oil, a 5 litre or 10 litre pack of cold pressed groundnut oil is the practical format.
Shelf life and storage
Refined oil keeps longest. Cold pressed oil still contains natural compounds that can oxidise, so it has a shorter shelf life. Store it away from light and heat, keep the cap tight, and buy the pack size you will finish within the best-before date. Fresh cold pressed oil smells of its seed; an oil that smells sharp, paint-like or stale has gone off and should be discarded.
How to spot a genuine cold pressed oil
- Ask who presses it. A brand that owns its mill can tell you how, where and on what the oil is made. A brand that only bottles cannot.
- Check the aroma and colour. A genuine unrefined oil has a clear smell of its seed. A colourless, odourless oil sold as cold pressed deserves a second look.
- Look for traceability: a producer address, a batch or packing date, and a best-before date.
- Run simple checks, but do not over-trust them. No single home test is conclusive. Our guide to testing cold pressed oil at home explains what each test can and cannot tell you.
Our recommendation
For most home kitchens, one cold pressed groundnut oil for daily cooking, plus a cold pressed sesame oil or mustard oil for specific dishes, covers nearly everything. Keep a small bottle of neutral oil only if you regularly deep fry for large gatherings.
To go further, read the complete guide to wood-pressed, cold-pressed, kachi ghani and refined oil, the history of the method in what is lakdi ghani oil, or which oils suit which Indian dishes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between cold pressed oil and refined oil?
Cold pressed oil is pressed mechanically at low heat and then simply filtered. Refined oil is extracted at scale, often with a solvent, then degummed, neutralised, bleached and deodorised. The practical result is that cold pressed oil keeps its colour, aroma and minor plant compounds, while refined oil is neutral, pale and longer-lasting.
Is cold pressed oil healthier than refined oil?
Both have the same basic fat profile, because refining does not change it. Cold pressed oil retains more vitamin E, plant sterols and polyphenols, which is a genuine but modest advantage. No oil prevents or cures disease. Moderate quantities, varied oils and avoiding overheated or repeatedly reused oil matter more than the label alone.
Can I fry with cold pressed oil?
Yes, for everyday Indian cooking and shallow frying. Heat the oil gently and avoid heavy smoking. For deep frying in large volume, refined oil is more heat-stable and economical. Whichever oil you use, do not reuse frying oil repeatedly, because oil that has been heated many times breaks down and smells and tastes unpleasant.
Why does cold pressed oil cost more than refined oil?
A wooden ghani presses slowly and extracts less oil per kilo of seed than a solvent plant, so more seed goes into each litre. Small-batch production adds to the cost per litre. Larger packs usually cost less per litre than small bottles, so compare price per litre rather than the price on the label.
Does cold pressed oil go rancid faster than refined oil?
It has a shorter shelf life, because the natural compounds that give it flavour can also oxidise. Store the bottle away from light and heat, keep the cap tight, and use it within the best-before date. If the oil smells sharp, stale or paint-like, it has gone off and should be thrown away.
Is cold pressed on the label always genuine?
Not necessarily. The term is not tightly regulated, so it is worth checking who actually presses the oil. Look for a producer address, a batch or packing date and a clear aroma of the seed. A colourless, odourless oil sold as cold pressed deserves a second look before you buy.
Written by Dushyant Waghmare, founder — Parampara Naturals, who operates a wooden ghani oil mill in Nagpur.
Last updated: 6 Oct 2026