Cooking oils and fats · IFCT 2017
Mustard oil: nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, mustard oil carries 67.09 g monounsaturated fat, 27.19 g polyunsaturated fat and just 5.72 g saturated fat, according to IFCT 2017. That is the least saturated fat of the 14 oils and fats in the tables. It also holds 11640 mg of plant omega-3, ranking 1st of 10 oils and 2nd of 203 foods.
About mustard oil
Mustard oil, sarson ka tel, is the cooking fat of eastern and northern India. Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Assam, Tripura, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Kashmir all cook with it, and Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh grow most of the mustard seed. The traditional kind is kachi ghani, pressed cold in a wooden or iron ghani so that it keeps its sharp, nose-tingling bite; refined versions are milder.
Its pungency is part of the food. Bengal cooks shorshe ilish, machher jhol, aloo posto and shukto in it, Assam uses it for masor tenga and khar, and Kashmir's rogan josh and dum aloo are traditionally made with it. Raw mustard oil is drizzled over jhal muri, litti chokha, baingan bharta and aloo chokha, and almost every North Indian mango or lime pickle is preserved in it. NNWA's recipes use it in 21 dishes.
Many cooks heat kachi ghani oil until it just smokes, then let it cool a little before adding spices. That step mellows the raw sharpness; refined mustard oil does not need it. The heat itself comes from allyl isothiocyanate, the same compound that makes mustard paste and wasabi sting the nose, formed when the crushed seed meets moisture.
What mustard oil brings to a meal
- 01
The least saturated fat of any oil
Mustard oil has 5.72 g saturated fat per 100 g, the lowest of the 14 oils and fats in IFCT 2017. Coconut oil, by contrast, is almost all saturated.
- 02
Most monounsaturated fat
At 67.09 g per 100 g, mustard oil leads every oil in the tables for monounsaturated fat. Groundnut oil comes next. A large part of this fat in traditional mustard oil is erucic acid, which IFCT does not list separately.
- 03
Top plant omega-3
It carries 11640 mg of alpha-linolenic acid per 100 g, 1st of 10 oils with a value and 2nd of 203 foods. That gives mustard oil a better balance of omega-3 to omega-6 than sunflower, safflower or corn oil.
- 04
Polyunsaturated fat
Mustard oil has 27.19 g polyunsaturated fat per 100 g, a moderate share that includes both omega-6 and the plant omega-3 above.
Mustard oil nutrition facts per 100 g
Every value IFCT 2017 reports for the edible portion, with the share of an adult's daily need that 100 g covers where ICMR-NIN sets a requirement.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Adult man | Adult woman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy and macronutrients | |||
| Energy | 884 kcal | 42% | 53% |
| Protein | 0 g | ||
| Carbohydrate (available) | 0 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 0 g | ||
| Total fat | 100 g | ||
| Water | 0 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 5.72 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 67.09 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 27.19 g | ||
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 11,640 mg | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero. IFCT 2017 reports no energy value for fats and oils, so the energy shown is calculated from the fat content at 37 kJ per gram.
Cite this page
NNWA Nutrition and Wellness Academy. Mustard oil: nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/oils-and-fats/mustard-oil/
Where mustard oil sits among Indian foods
Ranked per 100 g against the other 13 cooking oils and fats and every food in the tables.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | In cooking oils and fats | Among all foods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 11,640 mg | 1st of 10 | 2nd of 202 |
| Energy | 884 kcal | 6th of 14 | 6th of 257 |
How mustard oil is eaten
- Shorshe ilish and machher jhol: fish cooked in mustard oil with mustard paste, green chilli and turmeric, Bengali style.
- Pickles: raw mango, lime or chilli preserved in mustard oil with fennel, nigella and fenugreek.
- Raw drizzle: a few drops over jhal muri, aloo chokha, baingan bharta or litti for a sharp kick.
- Tadka for dal and sabzi: heated until it smokes lightly, cooled a moment, then panch phoron or cumin added.
- Kashmiri rogan josh and dum aloo: slow-cooked in mustard oil with fennel and dry ginger.
Recipes in the NNWA database that use it
Aloo Posto (Bengali Potato & Poppy Seed Curry)
East Indian · Side dish
Assamese Khar (Alkaline Raw Papaya & Lentil Dish)
Northeast Indian · Main course
Assamese Masor Tenga (Tangy Fish Curry)
Northeast Indian · Main course
Baingan Bharta
North Indian · Main course
Bengali Shukto (Mixed Vegetable Bitter Curry)
East Indian · Main course
Indian Chicken Curry
Pan-Indian · Main course
Before you plan around it
Like every oil, mustard oil is pure fat, about 884 kcal per 100 g, a figure calculated from its fat because IFCT 2017 does not report energy for fats, so measure it by the spoon rather than pouring from the bottle. Traditional varieties carry a lot of erucic acid; some countries sell mustard oil for external use only because of it, while Indian rules permit it and low-erucic seed is being bred. Loose mustard oil has been adulterated with argemone oil in the past, which caused outbreaks of illness, so buy sealed packs from known brands.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
What people ask about mustard oil
Is mustard oil good for the heart?
Its profile is favourable: per 100 g it has the least saturated fat of any oil in IFCT 2017, 5.72 g, and the most plant omega-3, 11640 mg. Like every oil it is pure fat, so the amount matters. People with heart disease should plan their fats with their doctor or dietitian.
Why do Indian cooks heat mustard oil until it smokes?
Heating kachi ghani mustard oil to its smoking point and letting it cool slightly removes its raw, harsh pungency and gives a rounder taste. It is a flavour step. Heating any oil repeatedly beyond smoking, as in reused frying oil, is best avoided.
What is erucic acid in mustard oil?
Erucic acid is a fatty acid found in large amounts in traditional mustard and rapeseed oils. High intakes caused heart changes in animal studies, which is why some countries restrict it. IFCT 2017 counts it within the 67.09 g of monounsaturated fat per 100 g but does not list it separately.
Is kachi ghani mustard oil better than refined?
Kachi ghani oil is cold-pressed and keeps the pungency and natural compounds of the seed. Refined oil is milder and more uniform. IFCT 2017 gives one fatty acid profile for mustard oil; the choice is mostly about taste and how you cook.
Related foods and tables
Mustard seeds
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Mustard leaves (sarson)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Hilsa (ilish)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Groundnut oil
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Soyabean oil
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Mustard oil vs Groundnut oil
Side by side, per 100 g.
Omega-3 (ALA) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by omega-3 (ala) per 100 g.
Calories (energy) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by calories (energy) per 100 g.
All cooking oils and fats
14 foods in this group, compared.
Learn to use this data
Certification in Nutrition
Reading food composition tables and turning them into meal plans is taught in this NNWA course.