Short answer: yes — peanut oil and groundnut oil are the same oil. "Peanut" and "groundnut" are two names for the same legume; the difference is regional vocabulary, not the ingredient. The distinction that actually matters isn't peanut-vs-groundnut — it's how the oil was made.
Why two names?
- "Groundnut" is the common term in India, the UK and much of the Commonwealth.
- "Peanut" is standard in the US.
Same plant (Arachis hypogaea), same oil. In India you'll also hear moongphali oil, sing tel or shengdana tel — all the same thing. So if a recipe says "peanut oil" and your bottle says "groundnut oil," you're fine.
The distinction that does matter
What changes the oil isn't the name — it's the processing:
- Cold-pressed / wood-pressed groundnut (peanut) oil — golden, aromatic, keeps the natural fat profile.
- Refined groundnut (peanut) oil — pale, neutral, very high smoke point, character removed.
That's the comparison worth making when you shop, not the peanut/groundnut label. (We break it down in Cold-Pressed vs Refined Oil.)
A note for Indian cooking
By either name, this oil has a long home in Indian kitchens — especially western India — because it's mild, high-heat and versatile. (Full rundown in The Complete Guide to Groundnut Oil.)
Where Beej fits
Whether you call it peanut or groundnut oil, Mt. Girnar Reserve Groundnut Oil is the version made properly: a single-origin high-oleic Girnar variety from Junagadh, vagai wood-pressed and single-pressed, lab-tested batch by batch, and 75%+ MUFA — a fat profile comparable to extra-virgin olive oil. Same everyday oil you know, made to a higher standard.
Groundnut oil, done right: Buy Mt. Girnar Reserve Groundnut Oil →