Buying good quality saffron online is tricky. There are many good saffron brands in India but on the other hand, there are even more fake sellers selling cheap, fake, and adultered saffron. So, how do you know which saffron brand to choose, how to identify real vs fake saffron, and what should you look for when buying saffron? All of it we are answering in this article for you.
Below we are sharing the top saffron brands in India for quality saffron online and what exactly you should look for when buying saffron to ensure you are buying real saffron and not a fake one.
Table of Contents:
Saffron Buying Guide 2024
Top 7 Best Saffron Brands in India in 2024
Real vs Fake Saffron Differences
Saffron Buying Guide: Things to look before buying saffron
Buy all-red Saffron Threads:
You may see sometimes some saffron threads comes with a yellow end part, also called “style.” These yellow styles that you see are not actual saffron threads. In fact, they are supposed to be discarded. However, some manufacturers leave them as is to increase the weight of saffron and some do not bother removing it. Go for buying pure all-red saffron that is free from yellow styles, stamens, and other impurities.
2. Check the Grade of the Saffron before buying - Grade A+ is best
Each saffron is graded according to Crocin (color), Picrocrocin (flavor), and Safranal (aroma) levels based on laboratory tests. Buying higher grade saffrons such as Grade A+ ensures you are buying the best quality ISO3632 Certified saffron.
3. Go for saffron threads instead of Saffron powder or dust
Saffron powder or dust can be easily manipulated by mixing different ingredients such as salt, and sugar, discarded remains from the saffrons, and other such impurities. Also, it is not as easy to identify real vs fake saffron powder by its appearance and color.
4. Consider the type of saffron variety you are buying
Currently, there are many saffrons available in the market such as Kashmiri saffron, Afghani saffron, Persian saffron, Greek saffron, and more. Kashmiri saffron is considered the best and it comes in 2 varieties, Mongra and Lacha.
If you are looking to buy the best saffron quality in India with the most color strength, aroma, flavor & nutritional value, choose the Kashmiri Mongra variety of saffron. It is the most expensive & superior saffron variety that comes with a lot of health benefits.
5. Stay away from “cheap” saffron
Any seller selling you “real saffron” at prices even below industry standards should send you clear signals of fake, adultered, mixed, impure saffron. Saffron production is extremely labor intensive (one has to pluck approx 1,70,000 Crocus Sativus flowers to make only about 1kg of saffron) Hence, real saffron is expensive.
After buying saffron, be sure to store it in a cool, dark place and in a glass, airtight container to keep its freshness alive for a long time. Plastic containers or bags may affect the saffron taste or fragrance.
Real saffron has many health benefits from immunity boost, menstruation, and skin brightening to reducing cramps and high blood pressure. But these benefits only come with buying actual real saffron. To help you make that tough decision a bit easier, below we have listed down some of the top saffron brands in India known for buying quality saffron.
Best Saffron Brands in India 2024 for Best Quality Saffron online
Lion Saffron
Lion Saffron is a 63-years old family-owned business in Kashmir that specialize in providing the Lacha variety of Kashmiri saffron (Grade A) to Indian families and household. The saffron brand is highly popular and is one of the best saffron brands in India that swears by its unprocessed, Grade A saffron at an affordable price. The brand also claims to not involve any middlemen in between to keep Lion’s saffron price affordable for all.
Features and Benefits of Lion Saffron
The Lion Saffron’s Lacha saffron due to its cost-effectiveness is ideal for daily consumption for men, women, and children
Can be used for daily skin care including uptan, face masks, and toners
Can be used for performing religious activities
Naturally harvested, processed, and dried
The Grade A++ saffron is excellent for pregnancy, cooking, and improved wellness
The Mongra Kesar of Lion Saffron is an exquisite variety harvested in Kishtwar, Jammu
What makes Lion Saffron worth buying?
Options to choose from top saffron varieties like Grade A & Grade A++ pure all-red Kashmiri Saffron
Lion Saffron assures 100% pure and natural saffron
No added allergens and Lab tested and certified
Good quality, authentic Kesar available at an affordable price
Saffron per gram (g) price: Starts at approx Rs.283 to Rs.329
Saffron online prices:
3 Gram Lion Saffron 62% OFF on Amazon - Buy Pure Saffron on Amazon (Best Value)
2 Gram Lion Saffron 41% OFF on Flipkart - Buy Lion Mongra Saffron on Flipkart
Amazon currently is offering some good deals on Lion Saffron products so you can consider exploring all Lion Saffron products on Amazon
Upkarma Ayurveda Saffron
Upakarma Saffron is one of the best, authentic saffron brands in India that is known to provide real, high-quality saffron. There are many benefits that Upakaram Saffron provides from be it improving learning to brightening dull skin. The Kesar provided by Upakarma is a Kashmiri Kesar, of Grade A+ quality. The saffron/Kesar is handpicked from Kashmir fields, ensuring little to no breakage of saffron threads. Though a bit pricier as compared to Lion Saffron, Upakarma Saffron is easily among our top picks for best saffron brands.
Features and Benefits of Upakarma Saffron
Can be used in beauty face masks, tea, or different cuisines
Anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal
Helps boost immunity and digestion, reducing dark spots and clearing skin
Packed with hygiene and preserving freshness and purity
Each Upakarma Saffron thread is handpicked by experts to ensure no breakage of saffron threads
What makes Upakarma Saffron worth buying?
Grade A+ premium quality Kesar
Handpicked straight from the fields of Kashmir
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Certified
Pure Kesar
Lab tested for ensuing quality saffron
Saffron per gram (g) price: Starts at approx Rs.379
Saffron online prices:
Currently, the price of 1 gram of Upakarma saffron is the same across all platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart, and Upakaram’s own website. So, it is up to you where you wish to buy the Upakram Ayurveda saffron.
Buy Upakram saffron on Amazon!
Buy Upakarma saffron on Flipkart!
Buy Upakarma saffron on Upakarma Ayurveda!
You can also consider checking out our Amazon latest home and kitchen deals. Currently, the Lifelong Air Fryer is available at 71% OFF!
Baby Brand Saffron
Next up on our list of top saffron brands in India is Baby Brand saffron. Baby Brand Saffron has 50 years of legacy providing the finest quality handpicked saffron to their customers right at their doorstep. The saffron Baby Brand provides is NABL Accredited which means every saffron is tested and calibrated (including medically) for quality and standard before it reaches you. In 2017, the brand also recently built an automated saffron processing factory sprawling 25,000 sq.m in Neemrana to make the best quality saffron available in India.
Baby Brand Saffron provides multiple options to choose from, single-use Saffron pack, 1 gm saffron pack, premium box saffron, saffron gift box, bulk saffron boxes up to 50 gm, and powdered saffron.
Features and Benefits of Baby Brand Saffron
What makes Baby Brand Saffron worth buying?
Hygienically packed saffron
ISO & HACCP Certified Kesar
Free from floral impurities such as floral waste, pollens, dirt, stamen/Patti, etc which helps ensure you get 100% pure premium quality saffron
NABL Accredited lab testing
The brand assures to provide 100% pure and handpicked saffron
Saffron per gram (g) price: Starts at approx Rs.290 to Rs.390
Saffron online prices:
Currently, Baby Brand saffron is available at the most discounted price of Rs.209 on Amazon as compared to Flipkart and Baby Brand’s website.
Buy 1 gram of Baby Brand saffron on Amazon at Rs.209!
Buy Baby Brand saffron on Flipkart at Rs.302!
Buy Baby Brand saffron on Baby Brand official!
Rasayanam Ayurveda Saffron
Rasayanam Saffron is among the best saffron brands in India offering premium quality, ISO-certified, pure saffron with no added preservatives and additives. If you are looking to buy high-quality saffron in its most natural, pure, and premium form, I would recommend going with the Rasayanam Saffron brand. The brand mainly deals in Mongra Kashmiri Grade A1 Saffron which is again, considered among the best quality saffron variety that is safe and suitable for pregnant women as well.
Features and Benefits of Rasayanam Ayurveda Saffron
Suitable for different uses such as religious rituals, for pregnant women, and for increasing immunity
Vegetarian Kesar or Jafron with a long-lasting aroma
Improves digestion and prevents high blood pressure
Relieves morning sickness and morning cramps
Reduces hair fall
Safe to consume for both men and women
What makes Rasayanam Saffron worth buying?
Mongra Kashmiri Saffron Grade A1 quality handpicked from the finest farmland of Pampore, Jammu, and Kashmir
Every batch shipped goes through several saffron quality checks
Grade A1 certified as per ISO 3632 standards
100% natural saffron with no added color, preservatives, or additives
Saffron per gram (g) price: Starts at approx Rs.469
Saffron online prices:
Currently, Amazon is offering Rasayanam pure premium quality saffron at the lowest price of Rs.445 as compared to Rs.469 on Flipkart and Rasayanam official website.
Buy 1 gram Rasayanam Ayurveda saffron on Amazon at Rs.445!
Buy Rasayanam Ayurveda saffron on Flipkart at Rs.469!
Buy Rasayanam Ayurveda saffron on Rasayanam Ayurveda official!
House of Saffron Brand
House of Saffron brand in India is another top saffron brand that has been providing high-quality saffron in India and exporting it to international markets of USA, Canada, Japan, EU, Middle East, and South East Asia. The brand provides premium quality pure Kashmiri saffron GradeA++ ISO 3632 Certified produced in the Pampore, Kashmir region. The best part about the House of Saffron brand is their 100% pure and natural saffron production.
Features and Benefits of the House of Saffron Brand
Reduce Dark Circles
Naturally Counteracts Ageing
Reduces Acne
Can be used as a Face Pack.
Can be used in food products like Milk, Royal Hyderabadi Biryani, Rice, Kheer, Thandai, Ice Creams, Kulfi, Sweets, and Bakery Products
Suitable for pregnant women
What makes the House of Saffron Brand worth buying?
Authentically sourced from farms in Pampore, Kashmir, India without involving any middlemen.
Graded & Tested to ISO3632 Standard
Rich Aroma & Flavour
Excellent Color
Comes in Pilfer Proof Packaging
No Preservatives, No Artificial Ingredients 100% Pure & Natural
Saffron per gram (g) price: Starts at approx Rs.450
Saffron online prices:
Currently, the price of House of Saffron is more or less the same across Amazon & Flipkart. You can also consider buying it from HouseofSaffron's official website.
Buy 1 gram of House of Saffron on Amazon at Rs.476!
Buy House of Saffron on Flipkart at Rs.474!
Buy Saffron on House of Saffron official!
Vedkarma Ayurveda Brand
Reaching the end of our list of top saffron brands in India, how could we miss out on the Vedkarma Ayurveda saffron brand? Though the brand is only 3 years old, it deserves to be on this list because of its special attention to providing quality standard products produced alongside qualified doctors. The products also first go through 7 stages of testing before being out for consumption which helps ensure the utmost quality.
Features and Benefits of the Vedkarma Ayurveda Brand
What makes Vedkarma Ayurveda Brand worth buying?
100% Organic Saffron
No artificial color or flavour
High in aroma
Finest trims, long all-red saffron threads
Lab tested
Choose from different options: Kashmiri saffron, Persian saffron, Spanish saffron
Saffron per gram (g) price: Starts at approx Rs.349
Saffron online prices:
Though the prices are cheaper on Flipkart, the sellers are not the original brand. So we would recommend you buy it directly from the official brand website or official brand store present on Amazon to ensure you get an original saffron product. You can buy it on Amazon from the official Vedkarma saffron brand store or purchase saffron on Vedkarma official.
Buy 2 grams Vedkarma Saffron on Amazon at Rs.623!
Buy 1 gram Vedkarma Saffron on Flipkart at Rs.278!
Buy 2 grams Saffron on Vedkarma official at Rs.565! (on sale)
Keynote Saffron Brand
Last but not least, the Keynote Saffron brand is yet another popular and considered one of the best saffron brands to buy original, high-quality, Grade A Mongra Kashmiri saffron online. Unlike some other saffron brands mentioned in this list, Keynote provides its Kashmiri Mongra saffron in vacuum-packed glass jars to ensure freshness and quality. The saffron brand is also certified by NABL Laboratory IS5453 Standard which helps ensure you get genuine, good-quality saffron.
Features and Benefits of the Keynote Saffron Brand
Each pack of Kashmir Saffron is stamped with three essential figures. Crocin (color), Picrocrocin (flavor), and Safranal (aroma) levels based on laboratory tests
Can be used in cooking, desserts, and beverages
What makes Keynote Saffron Brand worth buying?
No added chemicals or additives
ISO Grade A Mongra Kashmiri saffron
Sourced from a single origin in Pampore, Kashmir
100% Pure Original Kashmir Saffron Threads
Vacuum-packed in an air-tight glass bottle
Saffron per gram (g) price: Starts at approx Rs.520
Saffron online prices:
Currently, the Keynote Saffron Brand is available at the most discounted price of Rs.495 on Amazon.
Buy 1 gram Keynote Saffron on Amazon at Rs.495!
Buy 1 gram of Saffron on Keynote official at Rs.520!
These were some of the best saffron brands in India currently that offer high-quality saffron online. But, what if you are still not sure if the saffron you have bought is real or not? There are some ways and differences between real vs fake saffron that can help you identify the genuineness of the saffron you have bought.
Real vs Fake Saffron Differences: Easy steps to identify real vs fake saffron
To ensure you have bought the best quality real saffron, you first need to know the difference between real saffron and fake saffron. Luckily, most fake saffron can be easily identified by a set of features such as appearance, smell, and color.
So have a look at how real saffron differs from fake saffron in terms of appearance, smell, color and other characteristics.
Real Saffron Qualities |
Fake Saffron Qualities |
Leaves color slowly when immersed in water (though this could be relative) |
Leaves colour instantly when immersed in water |
Leaves a yellow-golden colour |
Leaves more of crimson red colour (there could a little bit of yellow mixed in it as well but primarily it will look crimson red or orange) |
Real saffron when rubbed does not turn into powder or dust. Most of the filaments of real saffron won’t break. |
When rubbed, fake saffron turns into dust or liquid or most of the thread breaks |
Real Saffron smells sweet but does not taste sweet and it has a slightly bitter taste |
Fake Saffron will either lack flavour completely or will have a metallic-bitter taste |
Real saffrons threads have a unique scent to them that should feel sweet, floral and natural |
Fake saffrons may not have any scent or may have artificial chemical sort of scent |
100% Pure premium quality saffron will be all-red |
Saffron that is not 100% pure will have yellow styles attached to the filaments. The more yellow filaments and styles you have in your Kesar, the more cheaply harvested it is. |
Real saffron threads naturally have more colour strength in them.
A real saffron will keep on continuing to leave colour
|
Fake saffron threads are artificially dyed and hence have limited colour strength in them.
A fake saffron thread will leave very minimal to no colour
|
These days, saffron in India is manipulated by several ways such as by adding fat to the saffron threads to increase their weight, by using food colours to dye saffron threads or even using silk, safflower, coconut filaments and horse hair in place of real saffron filaments to make more profit.
Some fake saffron sellers and cheaters go even one step further by adding salt or sugar to saffron powder. Hence, if you are considering buying saffron and want to increase your chances of buying real saffron of the highest quality, go with Saffron filaments than saffron powder. As saffron filaments are easier to identify as real or fake as compared to saffron dust or powder.
So, this was all about buying saffron online, what to look for when buying saffron, the differences between real vs fake saffron and the top best saffron brands in India to buy high-quality saffron from.
We hope this article helps you in some way. If you have more questions, please feel free to share them with us below and we would be more than happy to answer them:)