4 Healthy Oils Beyond Olive Oil to Eat Every Week, According to a Dietitian

Olive oil is often recommended for those following a Mediterranean diet lifestyle—here are four alternative oils that you can easily swap in.

Reviewed by Dietitian Maria Laura Haddad-Garcia

The Mediterranean diet is well-known for its heart-healthy benefits, and is consistently rated as one of the top diets to follow for better health by U.S. News and World Report. Historically, the recommendations for following the Mediterranean diet have focused on the foods and dishes from countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea—but it's the meal pattern that matters. The principles of the diet can be applied to any type of cuisine.

Olive oil is one food often recognized as a healthy Mediterranean diet staple—and for good reason. Olive oil has numerous benefits, like supporting heart health and reducing inflammation. But it's not the only oil worth using—there are many other healthy, delicious options that are staples in cuisines across the globe. Find out what makes for a healthy oil, plus four dietitian-approved picks to add to your weekly rotation.

What Makes for a Healthy Oil?

There are many cooking oils on grocery store shelves nowadays, and it can be hard to decipher what to buy. A healthy oil is one that has a good balance of saturated and unsaturated fats. Olive oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, peanut oil and canola oil are examples of such healthy oils. Saturated fats aren't bad in principle, but modern diets tend to include too much saturated fat and not enough unsaturated fat. While saturated fats are mainly found in animal products, like meat and cheese, they also naturally occur in plant-based foods.

Incorporating more unsaturated fats—monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in particular—in your diet comes with benefits. They've been shown to benefit heart health and gut health and decrease inflammation throughout the body. These healthy fats are often found in plant-based oils, including some of the ones on this list, as well as foods like avocado, trout, salmon, nuts and seeds.

Something to note is that not all cooking oils can be used in the same way. Some have a lower smoke point, which refers to the temperature at which oils begin burning, making them better for low-temperature cooking and for use in cold dishes, like in a vinaigrette. Others have a high smoke point, making them better for high-heat applications, like frying. Choose a cooking oil that offers versatility so it can be used in many ways—like some of the examples below.

For reference, a 1-tablespoon serving of olive oil provides:

• 126 calories

• 14 grams total fat

• 2 g saturated fat

• 10 g monounsaturated fat

• 1 g polyunsaturated fat

Here are four comparable cooking oils with a similar nutrition profile to olive oil that you can include in your kitchen.

4 Healthy Oils to Eat Every Week

Avocado Oil

A 1-tablespoon serving of avocado oil offers:

• 124 calories

• 14 g total fat

• 2 g saturated fat

• 10 g monounsaturated fat

• 2 g polyunsaturated fat

Avocados are native to Central America, with their popularity now spread globally. Aside from Mexico and other Central American countries, you can find different avocado varieties grown in the U.S., New Zealand and more. Extracted from the avocado fruit, avocado oil has a high smoke point suitable for high-heat cooking like searing and browning but also works well in salads and condiments. Unrefined avocado oil offers a rich and nutty flavor. Try it in our Quinoa Avocado Salad and Parmesan-Crusted Cod with Tartar Sauce.

While avocado oil has a lower amount of vitamin E (a type of monounsaturated fat) than olive oil, it is still a good source of antioxidant nutrients, like tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, that may offer health-protective benefits, per a 2019 article in Molecules. Smaller research studies have been conducted to determine the effects of avocado oil on heart health. One study published in 2017 in the Journal of Functional Foods noted that participants who replaced butter with avocado oil in a meal had lowered LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels (two markers of heart health).

Sesame Oil

A 1-tablespoon serving of sesame oil provides:

• 124 calories

• 14 g total fat

• 2 g saturated fat

• 6 g monounsaturated fat

• 6 g polyunsaturated fat

Sesame oil is commonly used in East Asian and South Indian cooking. The oil comes in two forms: neutral and toasted. Neutral sesame oil is made with raw seeds, perfect for high-heat cooking. Toasted sesame oil is made from seeds that are toasted before the oil is extracted, offering a rich aroma and flavor—the darker the oil, the stronger its flavor and aroma.

There is growing research into sesame seeds as a functional food offering potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects, mainly due to three compounds—sesamin, sesamol and sesamolin. Specifically, according to a 2020 article in the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, sesamin has been noted to inhibit the formation of pro-inflammatory compounds, and sesamol may be linked to lowering LDL levels while retaining HDL levels, thus benefiting heart health, per a 2023 review in Molecules. The third compound, sesamolin, may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, according to a 2021 review in Molecules. However, more research is needed to confirm these specific health benefits of sesame seeds.

Sesame oil is also fantastic for medium-heat cooking methods, such as sautéing, stir-frying and baking. Light sesame oil is an excellent choice if you are looking for a neutral-flavor oil. The flavor and aroma of toasted sesame oil are amplified, making it perfectly suited for our Sesame Kohlrabi & Chicken Salad or stir-fries, like our Sautéed Spinach with Toasted Sesame Oil and Spaghetti Squash & Pork Stir-Fry. Toasted sesame oil also brings a perfect added touch to noodle dishes, such as our Slow-Cooker Shrimp Noodle Bowls. A small portion of toasted sesame oil goes a long way, amplifying the flavors of sauces and dressings, like our Hoisin-Sesame Dressing and Ginger-Sesame Vinaigrette, and salads and poke bowls, such as our Tofu, Snow Pea & Carrot Wild Rice Salad and Salmon & Avocado Poke Bowl.

Peanut Oil

A 1-tablespoon serving of peanut oil provides:

• 124 calories

• 14 g total fat

• 2 g saturated fat

• 8 g monounsaturated fat

• 3 g polyunsaturated fat

Peanut oil is known for its high vitamin E content, which protects the body's cells from damaging free radicals that could contribute to heart disease and certain types of cancer, per a 2021 article in Agriculture. This high-smoke point cooking oil is commonly used in traditional cuisines of Southeast Asia, West Africa and the American South. According to 2020 research published in LWT - Food Science and Technology, peanut oil also offers comparable amounts of unsaturated fats to olive oil, making it a heart-healthy choice. With the wide varieties of peanut oil available, your best bet is to go for the unrefined oil that has retained its natural flavor, aroma and nutrients.

Peanut oil extracted from raw peanuts is well-suited for medium- to high-heat cooking with its high smoke point and neutral taste. Like toasted sesame oil, roasted peanut oil has a peanutty flavor and aroma. It goes well with sautés, like our Pad Thai recipe. Drizzle it over our Carrot-Peanut Noodle Salad, make dips like our Thai Chile-Curry Dip or use it in sauces, dressings and marinades.

Canola Oil

A 1-tablespoon serving of canola oil contains:

• 124 calories

• 14 g total fat

• 1 g saturated fat

• 9 g monounsaturated fat

• 4 g polyunsaturated fat

Canola oil has gotten a bad reputation over the years, due to its wide use in ultra-processed foods and the spread of false claims on social platforms. But the claims that canola oil is bad for you aren't backed up by science. Canola oil on its own is a versatile and budget-friendly cooking oil with a high smoke point that is perfect for many cooking applications. It is also a staple in traditional Nordic diets of Denmark, Finland and Sweden that focus on rye, fish, vegetables and berries. Research, such as a 2019 review in Nutrients, notes that canola oil could offer anti-inflammatory properties and heart-health benefits, similar to the benefits from olive oil in the Mediterranean diet. Canola oil can be used in recipes like waffle batters, fruit desserts or aioli.

The Bottom Line

You can apply the principles of the Mediterranean diet to any type of cuisine, and oils are an excellent ingredient to start with. Cooking oils like avocado, sesame, peanut and canola offer similar nutritional value and potential health benefits to olive oil. Whether you use these cooking oils every day or swap them occasionally for olive oil, they're healthy ingredients that make it easy to incorporate the principles of the Mediterranean diet into your lifestyle.