10 of the Healthiest Cooking Oils, Explained
If you’re searching for the healthiest cooking oils, know this: Olive oil isn’t your only option. Yes, we all know and love olive oil, but here’s the thing: It may not be the best choice, depending on what you’re cooking.
Different oils have different qualities that make them better for certain uses. Some are best for baking, some are best for frying, and some are best in salad dressings. But which is best for which? Keep reading to learn the healthiest oils to cook with, plus when exactly to use them.
First, a primer on how to choose the healthiest cooking oil based on what you’re making.
Before you pick an oil to use, it's important to assess the needs of your recipe and the oil’s smoke point. If you aren't sure what a smoke point is, Elizabeth Ann Shaw, M.S., R.D.N., C.L.T., explains that it's simply the point at which an oil begins to smoke and become ineffective. Here’s the smoke point you want if you’re...
Frying: If you're trying to fry something, you'll want to opt for an oil with a neutral flavor and a high smoke point. Oils with high smoke points are typically those that are more refined, because their heat-sensitive impurities are often removed through chemical processing, bleaching, filtering, or high-temperature heating. A high smoke point is typically one above 375 degrees F, as that's the temperature you usually fry at. Oils with high smoke points include: canola oil, pure olive oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil, and peanut oil.
Baking: If you're looking for something to bake with, it's best to opt for a neutral oil. Think: canola oil, coconut oil, and vegetable oil.
Sautéing and searing: You should choose a more flavorful oil with a lower smoke point. Good options include: canola oil, extra-virgin olive oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, and sesame oil.
Dressing: As for dressing, the flavorful stuff is always best. Go for extra-virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil.
One final disclaimer: Even the “good fats” in some of the oils listed below are still fats, so just because an oil is healthy, doesn’t mean you should down it like it’s calorie free. OK, with that said, here are the healthiest cooking oils to keep in your cupboard.
1. Canola oil
I don't know about you, but I grew up thinking canola oil was one step away from propane—AKA, really friggin bad for you. Shaw begs to differ. She says people often think of it as unhealthy because they associate it with fried food. And though yes, canola oil's high smoke point (400 degrees F) and neutral flavor makes it an excellent vehicle for frying, it isn't actually all that bad for you on its own. The reason it has a high smoke point is because it is chemically processed, but that doesn’t have much of an effect on its health qualities.
Much like most of the other healthy oils on this list, it's low in saturated fats, and can be used for roasting, frying, and baking. Because it has a neutral taste that doesn't do much for your food in the flavor department, cooks don't usually recommend using it for sautéing.
Best for: Frying, roasting, and baking
Not recommended for: Sautéing and salad dressings
2. Extra-virgin olive oil
Lisa Sasson, clinical associate professor of nutrition at NYU Steinhardt, is obsessed with extra-virgin olive oil, and who can blame her? It's high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and a quality bottle can truly take you on a taste bud adventure. There's one catch with extra-virgin versus other grades of olive oil: It has a relatively low smoke point (325 to 375 degrees F), which means you may not want to use it for frying or roasting at temperatures above that smoke point.
Additionally, cooking a good EVOO will break down its structural integrity which messes with both its flavor and nutrition, so you may want to save your fancy bottle for drizzling and finishing dishes. Find out just how to find your perfect bottle here.
Best for: Sautéing and drizzling
Not recommend for: Frying or roasting above 375 degrees F
3. Pure olive oil
If you love frying things in olive oil (which, like, who doesn't?) you'll want to use the pure stuff instead of EVOO. Pure olive oil has a smoke point of 465 degrees F, which can stand up to that frying heat. Unfortunately, it's not quite as flavorful, because it's chemically processed. It also doesn't have as many heart-healthy fats as high-quality extra-virgin. But that’s the tradeoff for being able to use it for heavy duty cooking.
Best for: Frying
Not recommended for: Salad dressings
4. Avocado oil
According to Sasson, "avocado oil is the new kid on the block." Much like coconut oil, it is beloved by the clean-eating community and surrounded by that same health food halo. However, unlike coconut oil, it doesn't have quite as much saturated fat (only 1.6 grams per tablespoon). It is, however, packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and it has a high smoke point (375 to 400 degrees F) and neutral flavor without being chemically processed like canola and vegetable oil. It's a bit more expensive than those more processed oils, but if you're interested in avoiding refined foods, want that high smoke point, and don't mind the splurge, then this is a great alternative.
Best for: Frying
Not recommended for: Budget cooking
5. Vegetable oil
Vegetable oil is kind of a sister to canola oil. It's also chemically processed, has a similarly high smoke point (400 to 450 degrees F), and is neutral flavor. Again, these characteristics make it good for roasting, frying, and baking. Sasson and Shaw say it’s not the healthiest oil ever since the chemical processing depletes the natural mineral content—and that's why it has that high smoke point.
Best for: Frying, roasting, and baking
Not recommended for: Sautéing and salad dressings
6. Safflower oil
If you're still skeptical of vegetable and canola oils, may I recommend safflower oil. Shaw says that safflower oil is low in saturated fats, high in omega-9 fatty acids, and it has a neutral flavor and high smoke point. In fact, at 510 degrees F, it has the highest smoke point of all the oils listed. Safflower oil is sold both chemically processed and cold-pressed like olive oil, and either version you opt for will have that same high smoke point.
Best for: Frying and sautéing
Not recommended for: Salad dressings
7. Peanut oil
Peanut oil is one of the more flavorful oils out there. Meaning, you should probably only use it if you want your food to be peanut flavored. Sasson recommends adding it to peanut butter cookies, or using it to sautée stir-frys. It also has a high smoke point (450 degrees F) so you can even use it to fry foods like tempura. Like vegetable and canola oil, it is also chemically processed and low in saturated fat.
Best for: Frying and sautéing
Not recommended for: Foods that shouldn't taste like peanut
8. Sesame oil
Another highly flavorful oil, this one goes a long way, says Sasson. "Sesame oil adds so much to a dish, so you don't need [to use] a lot," she explains. It’s a great alternative to peanut oil if you have a peanut allergy (or just aren't fond of that peanut flavor). And like extra-virgin olive oil, it's cold-pressed rather than chemically processed. So while it may not have the highest smoke point ever (350 to 410 degrees F), it's a good unrefined option, if that's what you're looking for.
Best for: Sautéing
Not recommended for: Foods that shouldn't taste like sesame
9. Flaxseed oil
This oil has a couple interesting characteristics: For one, it's high in omega-3 fatty acids, so you may want to look into using it more often if you don't eat a lot of omega-3 rich fish, says Sasson. That said, you absolutely can't cook with it, because it's incredibly sensitive to heat and oxidizes quickly, she notes. For this reason, she says you'll want to use it in salad dressings and drizzle it over dips like hummus. Buy small bottles so you can use it up quickly, and be extra sure to store it in a cool dark place.
Best for: Drizzling and salad dressings
Not recommended for: Cooking
10. Coconut oil
I don’t mean to burst any bubbles, but coconut oil isn’t quite the miracle cream it’s advertised as. Well, actually, as a cream, it is kind of a miracle worker (there are so many ways to use it for beauty), but when it comes to preparing meals, we can’t suggest a free pass to eat as much as you want.
In fact, by some measures, it’s about as healthy as butter. Shaw tells SELF that, much like butter, the reason it’s solid at room temperature is because it has a high content of saturated fat—12 grams per 1 tablespoon. There’s a lot of debate over whether or not saturated fat is good or bad for you, so this intel doesn’t mean you should totally rule out coconut oil. Walter C Millet, M.D. explains in a Harvard health letter that coconut oil, unlike most other saturated fats, raises both your “good” and “bad” cholesterol, and since it’s the ratio of those that matters most to heart health, it gives the oil an edge over butter or lard.
But overall, Lisa R. Young, Ph.D., R.D., C.D.N., tells SELF you’re better off using other oils, like extra-virgin olive oil. The exception: baking. That creamy, fatty quality makes coconut oil a great vegan butter alternative for baked goods. If you do want to use it for other methods like sautéing or roasting, know that it has a relatively low smoke point of 350 degrees F.
Best for: Baking
Not recommended for: Frying
Related:
Originally Appeared on Self
