Palm Jaggery (Karupatti)

What is palm jaggery?

Palm jaggery is the sap of the palm tree, collected and boiled down until it sets into a dark, dense jaggery. In Tamil Nadu it is called karupatti or panai vellam; ours comes from around Tirunelveli, in the south of the state. It is darker than most cane jaggery, with a smoky, toffee-like taste that is the point of using it.

Palm jaggery in other languages

“Karupatti” refers to palm jaggery only. Black jaggery, a darker cane jaggery, is sometimes confused with it, but it is made from sugarcane, not palm sap — see black jaggery.

Palm jaggery vs cane jaggery

Palm jaggery costs more because palm sap is collected by hand, a little at a time, and only in season. For everyday sweetening the cane powder is the economical choice; palm jaggery is for the dishes where its flavour matters. Our palm vs cane jaggery guide compares them in more detail.

How to use karupatti

• Karupatti coffee — dissolve a spoon of crushed palm jaggery in hot milk and water, then add the decoction. Start with less than you would use of sugar; the flavour is strong.
• Sweet pongal and payasam — melt it into a syrup, strain, and stir into little millet sweet pongal or millet payasam.
• Traditional sweets — kozhukattai filling, adhirasam, paniyaram and ellu urundai.
• Laddoos — for a darker ragi laddu.

Palm jaggery sets hard. Break it with the back of a heavy spoon, grate it, or warm it in a little water until it melts, then strain the syrup to remove any fibre.

Because its flavour is stronger than cane jaggery, a good way to start is to replace half the sugar or cane jaggery in a familiar recipe with palm jaggery and taste. Many families keep both: cane jaggery powder for daily tea and cooking, and a block of karupatti for coffee and festival sweets.

Palm jaggery, palm sugar and palm candy

“Palm sugar” is a loose name. In India it usually means palm jaggery, the dark, set jaggery on this page; in other countries it can mean a lighter, granulated sugar made from coconut or other palms. Palm sugar candy (panakarkandu) is different again: crystals made from palm sap, sold in small lumps. We sell palm jaggery only.

What to look for when you buy palm jaggery

Good palm jaggery is dark brown, sometimes almost black, and smells of the palm — smoky and a little like caramel. Texture varies: some is hard enough to need a heavy spoon, some is softer and crumbly, and both are normal. Because colour and texture change with the season and the batch, they cannot tell you on their own how the jaggery was made, so buy from a seller who says plainly what is in it. Ours is only palm sap, boiled down, with nothing added — no sugar, colour or chemicals.

Palm jaggery is usually sold in blocks or cup-shaped pieces. If you buy it in bulk, keep only a week’s worth in the kitchen jar and leave the rest sealed, so it does not pick up moisture each time the jar is opened.

Palm jaggery price per kg

Our palm jaggery comes in 500 g ₹225, 1 kg ₹450, which works out to ₹450 per kg at today’s price. The cane jaggery powder is ₹109 per kg.

Is palm jaggery better for blood sugar?

Palm jaggery is often sold as “low GI” or safe for diabetics. We do not make that claim. Jaggery is still sugar: it raises blood sugar much as white sugar does, so treat it as a sweetener for flavour and tradition, not as a health food. If you have diabetes or are watching your blood sugar, count it as sugar and follow your doctor’s advice.

Storage and shelf life

Keep jaggery in an airtight container in a cool, dry place and use a dry spoon. It takes up moisture, so in humid weather it can turn sticky or set in lumps — that is normal. Use it within about three months of opening. It comes in a plastic pouch; move it to a jar once opened.

Delivery

Free delivery in Bangalore · Ships across India in 2–10 business days (charges at checkout). Cash on delivery in Bangalore; prepaid elsewhere in India.