Black vs Yellow Mustard Oil

Match it to the dish

• Cooking Bengali fish curry or making pickles this week? Buy black mustard oil, it is what those recipes are traditionally built around.
• Cooking everyday sabzi or tempering? Buy yellow mustard oil, its milder flavour will not overwhelm a simple dish.
• Not sure what you will cook? Yellow is the safer general purpose buy for a household new to mustard oil.
• Already comfortable with yellow and want to try something more assertive? Black is the natural next bottle to pick up.
• If your kitchen leans East Indian or Bengali in its everyday cooking, black may actually be the more useful everyday bottle.

Our standards

Mustard oil buying questions

Which should a first time buyer choose?

Yellow, for its milder, more forgiving flavour across a wider range of everyday dishes.

Is it worth buying both from the start?

If your cooking already spans multiple regional styles, yes. Otherwise, start with one and add the other as needed.

Does one go further than the other in cooking?

Both are used in similar quantities, the difference is flavour intensity, not how much is needed per dish.

Can I use black mustard oil for everyday cooking too?

Yes, though its stronger flavour is more noticeable in simple dishes than yellow's would be.