The present research work focuses on the influence of different oxygenated fuel additives as ignition improvers on performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine fueled with tamarind seed methyl ester (TSME 20) biodiesel blend. Three oxygenated fuel additives are considered in this study, namely Diethyl ether (DEE), Di-methyl carbonate (DMC) and N-amyl alcohol (NAA) at various concentrations (5% and 10%) on volume basis. The experiments were conducted on the four-stroke single cylinder water cooled diesel engine at constant speed (1500 rpm) with different loads of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% for the diesel and duel additive biodiesel blends. From the experimental outcomes, TSME20 with DEE fuel additive generated enhanced performance and lower tailpipe emissions among the other tested fuels. However, the specific fuel consumption and the oxides of nitrogen were marginally increased. Hence, the use of oxygenated fuels to TSME20 biodiesel blend could be seriously considered as a potential alternative to diesel that can effectively address global energy crisis as well as ensure environmental conservation.