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Waste cooking oil (WCO) is typically cheaper than diesel fuel and has much less impact on food-chain, so its use as biodiesel can reduce the cost of diesel run operations. Restaurants in Rajkot city generate500 gm to 5 kg of WCO per day. Recycling part of the waste cooking oils in the form of biodiesel can reduce the need of diesel fuel and also reduce import bill of country. Alkaline catalysts transesterification of waste cooking oils, collected within Rajkot City, with methanol was carried out in a laboratory. The effects of methanol/waste cooking oils ratio, potassium hydroxide concentration and temperature on the biodiesel conversion were investigated. Biodiesel yield of 88-90% was obtained at the methanol/oil ratios of 7:1-8:1, temperatures of 30-50 ℃ and 8 gm KOH. Biodiesel and its blends with diesel were characterized for their physical properties referring to a substitute for diesel fuel. The results showed that the biodiesel experienced a higher but much narrower boiling range than conventional diesel. Blends with a percentage of the biodiesel below 30 vol% had their physical properties within EN14214 standard, which indicated that these could be used in engines without a major modification.