Desi Ghee vs Palm Oil in Namkeen: What's Actually in Your Snack

When you pick up a packet of namkeen from a supermarket shelf, the ingredient list almost always says the same thing: "Edible Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil)." Most people read past it. But if you care about what you are eating — and why one namkeen tastes different from another — it is worth understanding what that difference means.

Kunjilal has been making namkeen in pure desi ghee since 1947. We are one of the very few namkeen brands in India that still does this. Here is why it matters.

What is palm oil and why do most brands use it?

Palm oil is extracted from the oil palm tree, now grown extensively in Malaysia and Indonesia. It dominates Indian food manufacturing for three reasons — it is cheap (one-third the cost of desi ghee), has a high smoke point for commercial frying, and gives snacks a longer shelf life.

For large-scale manufacturers, palm oil is the obvious choice.

What is desi ghee and why is it different?

Desi ghee is clarified butter made from Indian cow or buffalo milk, prepared by churning curd and simmering the butter to remove water and milk solids. What remains is a golden, fragrant fat with a rich, nutty flavour of its own.

Unlike palm oil, desi ghee is not neutral. It transforms whatever is cooked in it — rounder, richer, with a clean finish that palm oil cannot replicate.

How to taste the difference

Eat two pieces of namkeen — one made in palm oil, one in desi ghee — and pay attention after you swallow. Palm oil leaves a coating on your throat and fingers. Desi ghee leaves nothing. The flavour is complete, then gone.

This "mouth coating" difference is the most reliable indicator of the fat used.

What about health?

Desi ghee is composed primarily of short and medium chain saturated fatty acids, metabolised differently from the long-chain fatty acids in palm oil. Traditional Indian nutrition — and increasingly modern research — considers desi ghee easier to digest than refined vegetable oils.

More practically: desi ghee is a traditional food that has been part of Indian cooking for thousands of years. Palm oil entered Indian manufacturing in large quantities only in the last few decades.

Does it affect shelf life?

Yes. Palm oil namkeen lasts 6–9 months. Desi ghee namkeen lasts 60–90 days. The shorter shelf life is a direct result of using a more natural ingredient. We make in small batches and ship fresh.

Why Kunjilal uses only desi ghee

When Kunjilal was founded in 1947, desi ghee was the standard. When palm oil became dominant in the 1980s and 90s and virtually every competitor switched, Kunjilal did not. We tested it. Customers noticed immediately. The product tasted worse.

That decision has not changed. Every product, same recipe, since 1947.

Kunjilal Dalsev Wale — namkeen in pure desi ghee since 1947. Free pan-India delivery at kunjilal.com.