Palm Oil vs Groundnut Oil: Which Cooking Oil Is Actually Healthier?

Pick up almost any packet of namkeen, chips, or biscuits in India, flip it over, and read the oil. More often than not, you'll see one ingredient: palm oil. It's the most widely used edible oil on the planet — and there's a simple reason for that. It's cheap.

But cheap for the manufacturer doesn't always mean better for you. So how does palm oil really stack up against groundnut (peanut) oil — the oil we've built our entire brand around? Let's break it down honestly, without the health-blog scare tactics.

First, why is palm oil everywhere?

Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree, which produces more oil per acre than any other crop. That makes it remarkably inexpensive and shelf-stable, which is exactly why food companies love it. It stays solid at room temperature, resists going rancid, and keeps production costs low — a big deal when you're frying snacks by the tonne.

The catch is what makes palm oil so stable: it's high in saturated fat. Around 50% of palm oil is saturated fat, the type health authorities advise us to limit because of its link to raised LDL (“bad”) cholesterol when eaten in excess.

How groundnut oil compares

Groundnut oil — pressed from peanuts — has a very different fat profile. It's lower in saturated fat (roughly 18–20%) and much richer in heart-friendly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, the same family of fats found in olive oil. It's also naturally rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant.

There's a practical frying advantage too. Groundnut oil has a high smoke point (around 225°C), so it stays stable at the temperatures used to fry namkeen — giving a clean, crisp result without breaking down into harmful compounds.

Palm oil vs groundnut oil: a quick comparison

Saturated fat — Palm oil: ~50% (high). Groundnut oil: ~18–20% (lower).

Heart-friendly unsaturated fat — Palm oil: lower. Groundnut oil: higher (mono + polyunsaturated).

Smoke point — Palm oil: ~235°C. Groundnut oil: ~225°C (both fry well).

Cost — Palm oil: very low. Groundnut oil: noticeably higher.

Why brands choose it — Palm oil: cheap, shelf-stable. Groundnut oil: better fat profile, taste, tradition.

So which is actually healthier?

For everyday snacking, groundnut oil is the better choice for most people. Its lower saturated fat and higher share of unsaturated fats make it gentler on your heart over the long run — and that matters most for foods you reach for again and again, like namkeen.

Palm oil isn't a poison, and no single packet will harm you. But when it's the default oil in nearly everything you snack on, all that saturated fat quietly adds up. That's the real issue — not one packet, but the pattern.

Why we made our choice

At Rajasthan Healthy Food, we fry every namkeen in 100% pure groundnut oil — never palm oil. It costs us more. It always will. But we'd rather make a snack we're happy to feed our own families than shave a few rupees off the recipe.

No palm oil. No trans fat. No artificial preservatives. Just authentic Rajasthani taste, made the way good food should be. Because snacking smart shouldn't mean giving up the flavours you grew up loving.

Snack smart. Snack desi. Snack healthy.