For thousands of years, the Indian people have been cooking some of the most amazing dishes in the world. Many of those dishes have been cooked using a kadai. The kadai or kadai is a famous cooking pan from India. Looking very similar in shape and size as a wok, the kadai is an excellent cooking tool to make your favorite Indian dishes as well as many other types of cuisine.
However, for the purposes of this review, we’ll explore the best kadai for Indian cooking. We’ve identified eight kadais that we believe are the very best and we’ll give you an honest review why we think this is.
On top of learning about the best kadais, we’ll also take you through our mini buying guide where we’ll let you know what you need to think about when buying a kadai pan. These considerations are based off of what other people tend to look for in a kadai to help you understand more about what you need to look for.
Best Pick
The Hawkins Futura Non-Stick Kadhai Deep-Fry Pan is our best pick kadhai because of its excellent design and fantastic functionality. We especially love that food does not stick to this kadhai and that it can still look sparkling new months after you begin using it. Overall, fantastic quality!
Budget Pick
Futura Kadhai with Stainless Steel Lid is our top budget choice for people shopping for an affordable kadhai. We particularly enjoyed that this kadhai did a great job of cooking our stir fry dishes evenly and quickly and that cleaning it after was very easy.
Quick Comparison: Top 8 Best Kadai for Indian Cooking
The Hawkins Futura Non-Stick Kadhai Deep-Fry Pan is our top pick for the best kadhai for Indian cooking for many different reasons. What’s funny about this kadhai is that it’s actually made in Germany but despite this, it is amazing to cook Indian food with.
The inside of this pan is made with a premium, non-stick surface, or coating, and this surface is what cooks Indian food to perfection. Underneath this non-stick surface is a very solid and anodized layer. This layer is a fast conductor of heat and because of this, is able to cook Indian food quickly and thoroughly.
When you’re cooking your Indian food, you’ll be very happy to know that you have a lot of space in this pan to work with. This model comes with a 2.5-liter capacity, meaning you can fit a whole lot of curry and other Indian dishes in here. For chefs looking for an even bigger kadhai, this model also comes in a 4-liter capacity too.
It should be noted that this kadhai is also constructed very well too. At first glance, it may look very heavy, but it really isn’t. It only weighs three pounds and it also comes with two very sturdy side handles, to help you transport this kadhai around your kitchen. The handles are reinforced by four very durable rivets or screws that comes with each handle. The handles are made of plastic and stay cool as you cook your Indian food.
What we liked: no matter what kind of Indian food we cooked in this kadhai, none of the food ever stuck to it. When you go to take the food out of the kadhai, the food just slides right off and when you look at your kadhai, it looks like it wasn’t even used. That’s how impressive its non-stick coating is!
What we didn’t like: there really isn’t much to complain about this kadhai but a small thing we noticed was that after some time, a few of the rivets started to get a bit loose but nothing major.Kadhai budget shoppers can count on the Futura Kadhai with Stainless Steel Lid to deliver excellent Indian cooking in a top-notch kadhai for a very affordable price. This 3.75-liter deep kadhai is deep enough to cook up an Indian feast.
The Futura Kadhai is a great choice for your Indian food cooking because of its very dense induction base. This is where the heat is evenly dispersed to cook your food thoroughly. It also utilizes a stainless, anodized surface to cook your food fast.
For the price, the design of this kadhai is stellar and you would be fooled thinking it doesn’t cost more. This kadhai is topped off by its stainless steel lid that is accentuated by its classy, rosewood handles both on the sides of the kadhai and on top of the lid. The handles are attached to the kadhai using rivets that are solidly screwed in.
As we mentioned already, this model of the Futura Kadhai has a capacity of 3.75 liters and you can also get one that has a capacity of 7.5 liters if you want something much bigger. If you’re just cooking Indian food for your family, the 3.75-liter kadhai is more than enough.
What’s great about this kadhai is that it is non-toxic and does not stain no matter how many times you use it to cook your curries. It’s deep enough and versatile to where you can also use this kadhai to deep fry your food as well.
What we liked: this is truly an excellent budget option to cook your Indian food and in particular, it does a great job cooking stir fry dishes to perfection! It’s also very easy to clean and maintain.
What we didn’t like: unfortunately, we did notice the non-stick coating slowly start to peel off after about a few months of heavy usage.
Futura is one of the best brands to produce kadhais and they make another appearance on our list with the Futura Non-Stick Kadhai. This Futura kadhai is known more for its non-stick surface that last much longer thanks to its solid anodized surface.
This firm anodized base is non-toxic and completely safe to cook any of your Indian food on. It has a habit of looking pristine and completely new after years of using because of this and it also won’t corrode or show visible signs of over-usage.
This non-stick kadhai sports 2.5 liters in capacity although you can opt for a 4-liter one if you want. To give you an idea the size of this kadhai and how much 2.5 liters is, this kadhai measures out to 15-inches wide from one handle to the other, 13.3-inches tall (with the lid on), and a diameter of 10-inches. The diameter is the measurement you’ll want to pay close attention to as this is basically the amount of cooking space you have in this kadhai. It’s not very heavy at all and weighs only 2.3 pounds.
In terms of the design, it looks very much like a regular kadhai and it comes with two side handles that are made of plastic, as well as a stainless steel lid. One thing people may not know is that this also comes with a 2-year guarantee card which is basically a 2-year warranty.
What we liked: we very much enjoy the solid and durable feel of this kadhai. It’s light in weight but yet, at the same time, feels very strong in our hands and we can see why this will last you a long time….
What we didn’t like: one thing people need to pay close attention to is that this particular kadhai, because of its round bottom, can only be used for kitchens that have gas stoves as its main heating element. Induction based stovetops will not work with this kadhai. We did not know this when we purchased it and we were only able to use this wok whenever we visited a friend or family member’s house.
For people looking for a kadai that offers a bit more personality to its design, the Prestige Omega Deluxe Granite Kadai is one that gives off that vibe. That’s because this kadai has a very elegant yet edgy feel to it with its granite design. This granite finishing definitely makes this kadai one of the most interesting looking kadais on our list.
There’s nothing particularly different about a granite-finish on the coating than a hard anodized one. Granite is sturdy and durable and also has a non-stick surface allowing you to cook as much Indian food in here without it sticking to the pan. In fact, many people are quite surprised at how durable this granite layer is and even more surprised at how resistant it is to scratches. The outside of this kadai is just as impressive as the outer layer is made of strong metal.
Despite this difference in the material, this kadai is great for cooking your favorite Indian stir fry dishes, curries, and even deep fried goodies. It has a 3.25-liter capacity, giving you ample space to cook whatever you want in here. It has two strong handles to go along with a lid.
One thing many people love about this kadai is that it can be used on both a gas stovetop and an induction stovetop. Some kadais may only work on gas stovetops as it needs that intense heat to operate well, but not this Prestige Kadai. As for customer satisfaction, Prestige offers anyone who purchases this kadai a 2-year warranty.
What we liked: we really enjoyed how easy it was to clean this kadai. We could wash it by hand or if we felt tired, we could put it in the dishwasher to clean as it is dishwasher safe.
What we didn’t like: one thing that we didn’t like is that our lid broke after about the fourth or fifth time using it and we think it was because of the heat. Upon looking to see if other people have experienced this as well, we found quite a few people who had this happen to them.
Switching back to another anodized kadhai choice, we present to you the Hard Anodised Kadhai. An anodized metal in a kadhai is very important and is frequently used in many kadhai because of its solid and level surface. Since it’s made of metal (usually aluminum), this helps to conduct and trap heat in the pan very well to cook your food at a nice and even temperature. And that’s what this Hard Anodised Kadhai brings.
This anodized kadhai is 3.25-milimeters thick and is made of that aluminum body we just talked about. This aluminum, or any anodized metal, will make sure that the food is heated even throughout without burning and sticking to the pan. Another great thing about anodized metal that is included in this kadhai is that anodized surfaces are usually fairly scratch resistant and chip resistant.
This particular kadhai only comes in a 1.6-liter size, which is small but is the perfect choice for couples. They also have larger options including a 5.5-liter and 7-liter kadhais. Like most other kadhais, this one comes with two side handles that are attached by rivets on the inside of the kadhai. Lastly, it’s finished off with a cover with a handle on top.
What we liked: we particularly enjoyed cooking in this size kadhai. We’ve tried the kadhais that have a capacity of over three liters and found that one to be too much for our liking. However, with the 1.6-liter size, we found that it was big enough to cook Indian food for us (a couple) including some leftovers.
What we didn’t like: as it is somewhat of a common occurrence with these lids, the cover for this kadhai also cracked on us while we had it over our kadhai. We feel like when cooking your Indian food, it’s best not to have the cover on when your stovetop is on the highest heat setting. Thus, we would recommend only putting the cover on for much lower temperatures and even on the sim setting.
The Prestige Manttra Omega Select Plus Kadhai is another Prestige kadhai that we believe does a fantastic job at cooking Indian food. Right away, you can tell that this kadhai is different in that it has a much more sleek and contemporary design than the other kadhais we’ve seen.
Despite this upscale design, it still has excellent features and does the job of cooking your food very well. Starting with its very long-lasting build, this kadhai features three layers of solid metal that is topped off by a non-stick coating so that your food doesn’t stick to the pan when it’s cooking.
This non-stick coating also prevents food residue from building up inside the pot and making it hard to clean off or even worse, burning and damaging the kadhai. The surface of this kadhai, like other kadhais, are strong and resistant to scratches that are commonly produced by spoons or spatulas.
This kadhai doesn’t feature the traditional sizes where a capacity in liters is given. Rather, this kadhai offers different sizes and this one is their large size. Its diameter is 270-milimeters and it also provides a stainless steel cover that is 11-inches round.
What we liked: we were very impressed by the smart and lustrous design of this kadhai. It’s, by far, the most elegantly designed kadhai of all the ones on our list and deserves to be in kitchens that are modern and contemporary. It also works very well while you’re cooking with it, which is obviously, still the most important part.
What we didn’t like: unfortunately, we dispute their advertisement of this being a non-stick kadhai as we experienced our food to stick to this kadhai in the first time we used this kadhai. You have to clean it immediately after using it as well or else the food parts that get stuck to the kadhai will be very stubborn to remove.
This Valentine’s Day, why not give your partner the gift of an excellent kadai? That’s what this Non-Stick Coating Kadai wants you to do as it comes in a velvety red outer color that is sure to be the perfect gift next Valentine’s Day!
This kadai is extremely light in weight and weighs just under 1.5 pounds. It has a length and width of 9-inches and a height of 3-inches. It is slightly less thick than other more premium kadais at only 2.6mm. However, like other premium kadais, this one also uses an sturdy aluminum body that conducts heat very well and can quickly and evenly cook Indian food.
It’s somewhat unique in that it’s one of the few kadais that offers a non-stick surface on both the inside and outside of the kadai. There’s a few benefits here with the most obvious one being that food won’t stick to the pan and should slide right off. The other benefit is that it will also make cleaning this kadai much easier since there won’t be any resistance.
In terms of the design, this red-bodied kadai also comes with two side handles that are both heat resistant and strong in that the rivets won’t loosen with time. Let your Indian food cook on a sim while covering it with its steel lid.
What we liked: if you plan on giving this to your partner for Valentine’s Day, this kadai makes for an excellent gift and is great for cooking for two people. If you’re not looking to cook for an entire family, we highly recommend this as a great gift idea.
What we didn’t like: one thing we were disappointed to learn when using it was that it does not work at all with an induction stovetop and thus, can only be used by gas stovetops.
If you’re looking for a pure, no-frills kind of kadhai, you need to takea look at the King International Aluminium Kadhai. This kadhai is the perfect option for people just looking for a regular kadhai to use to cook their Indian food. This kadhai is the best choice because of its one material design.
This kadhai is made of nothing but high-quality aluminum. Because of this aluminum build, it heats up much faster and more evenly throughout the kadhai and this is great for you because you can have a lot of Indian food in here and everything will be cooked well and thoroughly.
In terms of its size, this kadhai is rated as a much smaller option measuring out to a width of eight inches with a height of three inches. If you want to make Indian food for a large party or even a family, this kadhai will likely be too small for your needs.
This kadhai also comes with easy-to-hold side handles that are also made of aluminum. While you’re cooking with your kadhai, it’s best to grip a side or both side handles using an oven mitt or something insulated.
What we liked: we love the ruggedness and old-fashioned style of this kadhai. It’s just a really simple yet effective way to cook your Indian food and it does a fantastic job at preventing food bits from getting stuck to the pan.
What we didn’t like: we didn’t like that this kadhai did not come with a lid! It’s one of a few kadhais we saw that didn’t offer a lid and a lid would have been helpful in some Indian recipes.
Things to Consider Before Buying Best Kadai for Indian Cooking
Size
The size of the kadai is one of the most important features and something everyone needs to pay attention to. This is because kadais often come in different sizes and these sizes can vary quite a bit. The size of the kadai is often measured by its capacity. The capacity is how much liquid it would take to fill up the entire kadai.
As you know from reading our product reviews, the size of a kadai can vary and we’ve tried our best to introduce to ones of different sizes. Smaller kadais are ones that are usually less than 2.5-liters in capacity. A medium-sized kadai, one big enough for a family, is anywhere between 2.5-5-liters capacity. A large kadai is one that a restaurant may use to cook food in more batches but these ones are usually 5-liters and more in capacity.
Material
The material of your kadai is likely the most important thing you want to think about before buying one yourself. That’s because not all kadais cook food the same way. The best kadais are made of an anodized aluminum or any other metal. Anodized pans are great because they heat up the entire pan up quickly and they conduct heat very well.
What this means is that your food won’t have to be in your kadai for long because of the extra hot kadai and the fact that heat disperses throughout the kadai quickly and evenly. This means that if you’re cooking a stir-fry dish, the food will be cooked quickly and thoroughly.
Another less common material for a kadai is granite and we saw that in one of our products. It doesn’t cook nearly as well or as quickly as an aluminum pan, but it does cook your Indian food well enough and is by far, the best-looking kadai on our list.
Non-Stick
One of the biggest things you’ll want to see in a kadai is whether or not the surface is non-stick. This is incredibly important because nothing can be more frustrating that having your food stick to the kadai.
What ends up happening is that the food can get burnt and these stubborn bits that get stuck can be really hard to clean off. Fortunately, just about every kadai you find is non-stick but be sure to do your homework and ensure the non-stick kadai you’re looking at stays that way for a long time.
Lid
The lid is something that is less important but important nonetheless. If there’s an Indian dish you need to simmer for a long time, you might want to keep your lid on it. Lids are usually made in two ways: one, is a stainless steel lid. These lids are obviously the best ones you can find as it is indestructible and a dependable lid.
The other lid is one that is made of glass. This can be a good lid because you can see what’s going on with your dish through the glass. The only downside however, is that glass lids can often break or crack and this tends to happen when you put a cover on your kadai but your heating level is still on high.
Final Thoughts
Cooking Indian food can be a challenge but with the best kadai for Indian cooking, it doesn’t have to be that way anymore. The kadai is the best cooking tool you can use to make your favorite curries and Indian dishes.
It’s very dynamic in that you can use it to cook curry, stir-fry dishes, rice dishes, and you it’s deep enough where you can also deep-fry Indian food as well. Simply put, the kadai is a kitchen instrument every kitchen needs to have, especially if you enjoy cooking Indian food on a regular basis!
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