The results of new experimental and theoretical investigations of puffing and micro-explosion of rapeseed oil/water droplets placed in ethanol and propane/butane mixture flames are presented. It is pointed out that time to puffing/micro-explosion increases with increasing initial droplet radii in both flames. This time is always shorter for a propane/butane mixture flame (with maximal temperature 1,450 K) than for an ethanol flame (with maximal temperature 1,120 K). The experimental results are interpreted in terms of a simplified model of the phenomenon, in which it is assumed that a spherical water subdroplet is placed exactly in the centre of a spherical fuel droplet. The start of puffing/micro-explosion is linked with the time instant when the temperature at the water/rapeseed oil interface reaches the water nucleation temperature. The contributions of thermal radiation and supporting wire are taken into account for the first time for the analysis of the phenomena. It is shown that the model predictions agree with experimental data. © 2021 The Combustion Institute