The Healthiest Oils for Cooking
Whether you’re sautéing, blending, frying, dipping, or whisking, one often wonders which oils to use. Certain oils contain higher smoking points, while others are a big no-no. Infusing your dishes with the correct oils not only improves the flavor + appearance of your food, the health benefits are surprisingly potent.
Below you’ll find sixteen oils listed commonly used in cooking + food prep. I’ll breakdown each oil’s smoke point, fat content, common uses, and a brief synopsis of how each oil should or shouldn’t be utilized.
I’m also linking my fave oils in each category for you to purchase + try! It’s fun, for me anyway, to have a broad selection of oils in the pantry or displayed on your counter for experimenting.
Make sure you purchase food grade, not therapeutic grade, oils for consumption.
EVOO
Smoke Point: 320-374°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 14% Poly, 73% Mono, 13% Vitamin E, 7% Vitamin K
Shelf Life: 20 months
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil is one of the top three oils used in households today. Since it has a lower smoke point than many oils listed below, it can emit toxic smoke. It’s best to use EVOO for dipping, dressings, or as a finishing oil for foods such as hummus, soups, pastas, and slow-roasting (180°F) vegetables. Some even use light olive oil for baking. I recommend not using EVOO for pan frying, baking, or high-temp sautéing.
give these a try:
cold-pressed evoo | greek evoo | bulk evoo
unrefined coconut oil
Smoke Point: 350°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 54% Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCT) & 46% Essential Fatty Acids (EFA)
Shelf Life: 18 months
Coconut Oil is another of the top three most used oils used in households. Food grade coconut oil solidifies when kept around 76°F or colder but melts similarly to lard when heated. The nutty flavor is a healthy substitute for butter when sautéing vegetables or meats. I also pour it over popcorn + add it to protein shakes! Virgin vs. extra-virgin is nothing more than a marketing trick.
give these a try:
organic coconut oil | coconut oil packets | top-selling coconut oil
avocado oil
Smoke Point: 520°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 76% mono, 12% poly, 12% saturates
Shelf Life: 12 months
Avocado Oil still stands as my go-to for high-heat cooking. It has the highest smoke point of any other cooking oil, is incredibly healthy, has a mellow flavor so it won’t interfere with other ingredients, and it’s easy to find these days! A+++
give these a try:
my favorite avocado oil | top-selling avocado oil | tasty avocado oil
unrefined sesame oil
Smoke Point: 350°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 39% mono, 41% poly, 20% saturates
Shelf Life: 6 months
Used in Asian and Chinese dishes for centuries, Unrefined Sesame Oil has incredible flavor and a nutty aroma; toasted and non-toasted are both yummy. It does have a higher price tag, so it’s not commonly used as an all-purpose oil. Added to soups, rice, and salads, the health benefits have been noted in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
give these a try:
pure sesame oil | toasted sesame oil
canola (rapeseed) oil
Smoke Point: 375-450°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 60% mono, 20% poly, 20% ala
Shelf Life: 6-12 months
Canola Oil has been on my grocery list + in my pantry for decades. I normally opt for canola oil when I fry (albeit rare) since it’s affordable and versatile. One thing it’s not, however, is healthy. It contains high amounts erucic acid. You can read about the health risks — I might blog about them — but with other options available these days, you’re better off choosing animal fats such as ghee, lard, or even coconut oil.
give these a try:
my favorite ghee | wagyu beef tallow | lard
grapeseed oil
Smoke Point: 420°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 70% poly, 20% mono, 10% saturates
Shelf Life: 3-6 months
Grapeseed Oil gets a bad wrap due to its high polyunsaturated fatty acid level for cooking. If you’d like to reap the health benefits of grapeseed oil, add it to your dressings or baked goods. There really are healthier options for high-heat cooking despite this oil having a high smoke point.
give this one a try:
expeller-pressed grapeseed oil
truffle oil
Smoke Point: do not heat
Fatty Acid Comp: same as olive oils
Shelf Life: 18 months
Truffle Oil isn’t used for cooking with heat. I use a white truffle oil that’s comprised of olive oil infused with white truffles. Incredibly fragrant + delicious, we dip breads, drizzle over hummus or fresh fruits/roasted vegetables, and even popcorn. It’s a gourmet item that also makes a great gift. When i visit friends, I usually take a bottle of avocado oil + a bottle of truffle oil (in case they aren’t fans of truffle-infused oil).
give these a try:
white truffle oil | black truffle oil
vegetable oil
Smoke Point: 425°F
Fatty Acid Comp: no standard as each blend varies
Shelf Life: 24 months
Highly refined and processed, Vegetable Oil is very common used. It lacks flavor and nutrients, so it’s widely known being one of the two main oils for deep-frying; the other being peanut oil. As previously stated, there are healthier options, such as olive or coconut, but when you’re frying a turkey, as an example, vegetable oil is more economical.
give this classic a try:
best-selling vegetable oil
peanut oil
Smoke Point: 450°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 50% mono, 30% poly, 20% saturates
Shelf Life: 12 months
A Thanksgiving staple, Peanut Oil is stocked by the box for frying turkeys year-after-year. One of the most flavorful oils, peanut oil is about midstream regarding healthy oils—you can do better, you can do worse. The high levels of omega-6 tend to cause inflammation. Still, one of the best ays to buy peanut oil is in bulk.
give this one a try:
bulk peanut oil
safflower oil
Smoke Point: 414°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 75% mono, 13% poly, 12% saturates
Shelf Life: 24 months
Safflower Oil is one of the prettiest in my opinion—almost clear, light, and flavorless. I incorporate safflower oil into my Cinnamon Honey Butter. Many people use this oil instead of olive oil because of its higher smoke point. I definitely believe it’s a healthier option for high-heat cooking.
give these a try:
my fave safflower oil | economical safflower oil
sunflower oil
Smoke Point: 440°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 66% poly, 20% mono, 14% saturates
Shelf Life: 24 months
Sunflower Oil is used similarly to EVOO. Another oil with a high smoke point, it’s ideal for high-heat cooking but also high in polyunsaturated fats. A healthy option it is not, so, if you do opt to use sunflower oil, I would recommend vinaigrettes, mayos, or lightly sautéing veggies.
give this one a try:
organic sunflower oil
walnut oil
Smoke Point: 320°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 72% poly, 13% mono, 15% saturates
Shelf Life: 6-12 months
Best used uncooked or in cold dishes, Walnut Oil is perfect for marinating fish or steak, adding to boiled pastas, or even in desserts. With a low smoke point, it tends to become bitter when heated. I’m new to using walnut oil and have been pleasantly surprised.
give these a try:
organic toasted walnut oil | cold-pressed walnut oil
flaxseed oil
Smoke Point: 225°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 68% poly, 19% mono, 13% saturates
Shelf Life: 6 months
Flaxseed Oil is one of the healthiest oils you can purchase. As listed above, it has a low smoke point. It’s been used for seasoning cast iron skillets and pans because it belongs to a family of “drying oils” which have a sealing factor. Making dessert sauces is an excellent use for this oil, as well as drizzling it over various cooked potato dishes and salads.
give this one a try:
organic flaxseed oil
almond oil
Smoke Point: 430°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 70% mono, 18% poly, 12% saturates
Shelf Life: 6-12 months
I heart Almond Oil; almond anything to be honest. My favorite extract is almond, and my favorite liqueur is almond. I digress. Whether you opt for roasted or sweet, these oils are healthier substitutes for salted butter and shortening in baking. Refined almond oil can has a high smoke point (listed above), while cold-pressed almond oil is best used for cold dishes.
give these a try:
roasted almond oil | sweet almond oil
pumpkin seed oil
Smoke Point: 250°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 64% Poly, 12% mono, 24% saturates
Shelf Life: 6-12 months
Pumpkin Seed Oil has more healing properties than I realized. While this post isn’t about topical oils, I will be blogging about it on my sister site, Acquaplum. Cooking with heat is not recommended with pumpkin seed oil, although warming it to drizzle over ice cream, baked breads, roasted veggies, and creamy soups.
give these a try:
toasted pumpkin seed oil | cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil | styrian pumpkin seed oil
red palm fruit oil
Smoke Point: 300°F
Fatty Acid Comp: 37% mono, 14% poly, 49% saturates
Shelf Life: 12-36 months
Red Palm Oil is really trending these days. People are using this oil to make dairy-free melted cheddar cheese! How cool is that? Medium cooking temps are ideal, and it’s said to have a carrot-like flavor to it. Red palm oil gets its red color from carotenes, which include beta-carotene and lycopene.
give this one a try:
organic red palm fruit oil
I still plan to add a few more nut oils such as Pecan Oil, Hazelnut Oil, Pistachio Oil, as well as Garlic Oil and Pesto Oil.