Jaggery is an essential part of Indian diets – be it as a dessert, in a dessert, with some sarson ka saag or in a cup of milk and chai.
More and more people are switching to jaggery from refined sugar. Why is that? While there isn’t a huge difference between the calorie content of these two sweeteners, jaggery is a natural, unrefined sweetener and is considered comparatively healthier than refined white sugar. With the urban population turning towards organic produce, the demand for packaged jaggery powder has increased.
We picked and tested six contenders to find the best organic jaggery powder brands in India. After a dry inspection, dissolvability test and a ghee-gud roti test, we chose 24 Mantra Organic Jaggery Powder as the best there is.
Table of Contents
Organic Jaggery Powder Brands – Everything You Need To Know
Here is all that you need to know about Organic Jaggery Powder brands.
1. Available Variants
Jaggery powder is available in two categories – organic and regular. For this review, we picked brands from the organic segment.
2. Available Quantities
Jaggery powder is available in the following quantities –
- 250 grams
- 500 grams
- 1 kg
3. Price Range
On an average, 100 grams of organic jaggery powder is priced between Rs 16/- to Rs 25/-.
4. Shelf Life
The shelf life of packaged jaggery powder is between 6-12 months.
5. Packaging
Most brands come packed in a non-resealable pouch pack. A few brands also come in glass or plastic jars.
Related Reading – 14 Fabulous Benefits of Eating Jaggery
Quick Comparison of Organic Jaggery Powder Brands
Here is a tabular comparison of the brands we reviewed to find the best organic jaggery powder in India.
Organic Jaggery Powder Brands | Buy Now |
24 Mantra | On BigBasket |
Natureland | On BigBasket |
Organic Tattva | On BigBasket |
Pro Nature | – |
Nutriorg | On Amazon |
Our Review Factors
Our review process to test organic jaggery powder spanned over three days.
On day 1, we conducted a visual inspection that helped us check the labels for certifications, nutrition label, ingredient list and any other vital information we needed.
On day 2, we conducted the dry tasting and dissolvability test. The dry tasting helped us gauge the freshness and aroma. We also looked for any grittiness or ‘kirkirapan’ that it could have. For the dissolvability test we mixed ½ Tbsp of jaggery powder in 100 ml hot water. We did this because a large portion of the population stirs in jaggery powder in their chai or to make desi desserts.
During this phase, we also tried and tasted freshly powdered jaggery from a local supermarket that specialises in organic produce. All the brands were compared (for freshness) with this sample.
On day 3, we tested it on ghee-rotis. A popular way to consume jaggery in India is on a hot, ghee-smeared chapati. By doing so, we could taste the jaggery powder for its intended use.
Here are our review factors –
1. Certifications
All the brands we tested should be certified organic. Why is this important? An organic certification is only given after a rigorous process of checking and ensuring that the raw materials used in the production are free of pesticides, have no chemical fertilisers and/or induced hormones.
We scanned the packs for their certifications from recognised institutes and organisations.
What does it mean when the pack says it’s certified Organic?
A product that carries the USDA Organic stamp implies that at least 95% of the ingredients used are organic. The Jaivik Bharat logo signifies ‘Organic food from India’. The India Organic certification is a stamp for organically farmed food products that are manufactured in India.
2. Dissolvability
As gur/jaggery powder is widely consumed as a replacement of refined sugar in chai, we had to check it for its dissolving property. We checked how easy or hard is the jaggery powder to dissolve in a cup of hot water?
3. Texture + Color
Jaggery blocks can range from dark brown, amber to light yellow. Ideally, jaggery should be dark brown in color. A lighter color indicates adulteration.
Fine or powdered? Dark brown, amber or light? From texture to color we checked all the brands.
4. Taste
Jaggery is sweet and the flavor is best described as caramel-like. When caramelized, it becomes a bit bitter. The bitterness can increase with overcooking.
Another factor is saltiness. Check jaggery for mild natural saltiness. This is an indicator of preservation of natural minerals, but it means that it’s not fresh.
We checked all the brands for its taste, freshness and to see if there’s any after-taste.
5. Ingredients
Does the brand mention an ingredient list in the first place? If yes, what are the ingredients used to make jaggery powder? Is it made using sugar cane juice or palm? Any other ingredients mentioned or is this a single-ingredient product?
Best Organic Jaggery Powder Brands- Detailed Review
1. 24 Mantra Organic Jaggery Powder
Upon dry tasting we found this to be the tastiest, most aptly sweet jaggery powder. It has that natural caramel-like sweetness. At no point does it taste bitter or salty, like some jaggery powders can end up tasting.
This dissolves with ease (within 30-40 seconds) and leaves no thick particles.
In the ghee-chapati segment too, this tastes fresh and almost melts in your mouth when you take a bite.
- We liked the caramel color, aroma and taste of the jaggery powder.
- It dissolves with ease.
- The powder is fresh tasting and melts in your mouth.
- The caramel-like sweetness is apt.
- There isn’t anything we disliked about the product.
If you are looking for an organic jaggery powder that is fresh tasting and dissolves easily in tea, the one by 24 Mantra Organic is the best in this category.
2. Natureland Organics Jaggery Powder
The lumps have a soft bite and aren’t hard to chew. These have a pleasant sugarcane taste. While this majorly dissolves within 30-40 seconds, there are a few hard particles that eventually settle at the bottom.
During our chapati round, our experience diminished a little due to the clumps formed. The whole point of buying jaggery powder fails here. Nonetheless, this is tasty, fresh and has an apt amount of sweetness.
3. Organic Tattva Jaggery Powder
During our dry tasting stage, this jaggery powder showcased an apt amount of sweetness with a mild caramel taste. There is no aftertaste, bitterness or saltiness.
It dissolved with ease and no reside/free floating particles were seen.
The only reason Organic Tattva’s Jaggery Powder did not win was because of our day-three testing. The wholesome experience of eating a ghee smeared chapati with a generous amount of gud was lost. The sweetness was missing.
4. Pro Nature 100% Organic Jaggery Powder
There are two major reasons this did not win – taste and dissolving ability.
The powder dissolves the quickest, but there are a lot of small white particles floating around (see pic). During our chapati taste test, we felt that this tasted a lot like refined sugar. The caramel-like sweetness we look for in jaggery was missing.
- This did not fare well in the dissolving stage.
- The caramel-like sweetness characteristic to jaggery was missing.
- The jaggery powder is very sweet with a hint of bitterness.
5. Nutriorg Organic Jaggery Powder
The sweetness is moderate and has a salty aftertaste with a mild bitterness. The powder dissolves well but very minute particles of jaggery remain undissolved. The burnt, mildly bitter flavor was off-putting and didn’t taste good during the chapati round.
- The mild bitterness and saltiness are unpleasant.
- During the chapati round, the flavor was not upto the mark.
Our Top Picks & Recommendations
We were looking for certifications, caramel-like taste, powdered texture, dark color and easy dissolvability. From visual inspection, dissolving stage, dry tasting and chapati taste test (Mishry Secret Sauce), 24 Mantra Organic Jaggery Powder won consistently over all the stages.
The caramel color, aroma and taste is spot on. The jaggery powder by 24 Mantra Organic is aptly sweet, tastes fresh and melts in your mouth.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is organic jaggery good for weight loss?
Jaggery and sugar have similar calories but they differ minutely in their nutritional profiles. Jaggery should be used as a replacement for refined sugar and not as an additional sugar source. If you’re trying to lose weight, sugar might not be suggested by your dietician/nutritionist. If it is, keep quantities controlled.
2. Is this jaggery powder extracted from sugar cane or palm?
Only a few brands mention the core ingredient used to make jaggery. Organic Tattva jaggery powder is made from sugarcane juice.
3. What can you make with jaggery?
There are a lot of Indian desserts that make use of jaggery powder including gud ki kheer, ladoo, meethi roti, gud ka halwa and more. Apart from this, add it to your cup of chai and sprinkle some over your bowl of oats. You can also add it over freshly roasted makhanas, almonds and popcorn for a caramel-like taste.
4. Can this powder be used to prepare original Indian tea?
Yes. Jaggery powder is an excellent substitute for refined sugar in your cup of tea.
5. Is this jaggery powder sulphur free?
None of the packs mention if the jaggery is sulphur free or not.
Final Words
How do you use jaggery powder? Let us know in the comment section below.