As one of the fastest-growing emerging economies and home to about 18% of the world population, India is a perfect area of interest to analyze household behavior when it comes to energy choices. We aim to map the spectrum of choices involved in cooking-energy consumption in Indian households and explain the determinants of such energy choices. We also try to consider household fuel heterogeneity as a premise to describe the energy transition in general. For this purpose, we utilize data collected from the household Consumption Expenditure Survey conducted by the Government of India's National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). On analyzing the per capita fuel expenditure for household cooking fuels classified into traditional, transition, and advanced fuels in this study, we find that households that use primitive fuels or the fuels covered under the lowest rung of the "energy ladder" spend higher on fuel expenses compared to advanced fuel users with respect to their spending on food and non-food products. Further, when we focus on female-headed households, advanced fuels are preferred over primitive ones. It implies that in designing policies for reducing primary fuels' use and effects, women's role in a household-decision-environment must not be ignored. Similarly, the heads of households' education level, apart from gender, also play a significant role. Our findings could contribute towards making energy policies for household fuel transition in the context of emerging economies like India more robust and inclusive.​