No single vegetable or plant source makes a universally healthiest cooking oil. For most everyday cooking, choose a liquid, nontropical plant oil rich in unsaturated fat in place of fats higher in saturated fat. Olive, canola, soybean, avocado, sunflower and safflower oils are all reasonable options; the best fit depends on how you cook, the flavor you want and how much you use.
What makes a cooking oil a healthier choice?
The key is often what the oil replaces. The American Heart Association recommends replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats as part of a healthy eating pattern. Its list of nontropical vegetable oils lower in saturated fat includes canola, corn, grapeseed, olive, peanut, safflower, sesame, soybean and sunflower oil: American Heart Association: 4 Ways to Get Good Fats.
That guidance does not establish one oil as the healthiest for everyone. Oils differ in their fatty-acid profiles, flavors and cooking performance, but the available guidance does not provide a comparative clinical ranking of every cooking oil by health outcome. Harvard Health’s 2025 discussion also says seed oils are mostly unsaturated and that canola and soybean oils are not inherently unhealthy; their effects depend on how they are used and on the overall diet: Harvard Health: Seeding doubt: The truth about cooking oils.
How common oils differ
Plant oils are not nutritionally identical. Harvard Health describes olive, avocado and safflower oils as high in monounsaturated fats, and corn and soybean oils as high in polyunsaturated fats. Soybean and canola oils also provide alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid. These distinctions help you choose among oils, but do not amount to a universal health ranking. For an overview, see Harvard Health: Expand your healthy cooking oil choices.
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- Higher Smoke Point Than Olive Oil or Coconut Oil — At 500°F, this naturally refined avocado oil handles higher heat than olive oil (around 375°F), coconut oil (around 350°F), or sesame oil (around 410°F) without smoking, foaming, or breaking down. That makes Chosen Foods avocado oil the better choice for searing steaks, deep-frying crispy chicken, blackening fish, charring roasted veggies, stir-frying, or any high-heat cooking technique where olive oil or coconut oil would smoke out your kitchen and leave a burnt aftertaste.
- 10 Grams of Good Fats from Avocados Per Serving — Naturally rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats — the same good fats found in fresh avocados, olives, and nuts. Plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, and made without soy or canola oil. Just one simple ingredient: 100% pure avocado oil. From a Certified B Corporation on a mission to replace bad fats with the good fats of pure avocado oil across the kitchen pantry, one bottle, one recipe, one home cook at a time.
- Clean Swap for Canola Oil and All Seed Oils — A direct 1:1 upgrade from canola oil, vegetable oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, or corn oil. Wherever a recipe calls for neutral cooking oil, swap in this bottle of avocado oil and never miss the seed oils. Naturally refined for a clean neutral taste that lets your ingredients shine — not the oil itself. A better-for-you cooking oil that fits seamlessly into the recipes you already love, from family weeknight dinners to weekend baking projects and meal-prep Sundays.
Which oil suits your cooking method?
| Cooking use | Suitable options | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Sautéing, stir-frying, roasting or baking | Canola, avocado, corn, grapeseed, regular or light olive, peanut, rice bran, safflower, soybean and sunflower oils | Canola is a versatile choice. Match the oil to the dish and the heat; smoke point alone is not a complete way to choose. |
| Dressings, drizzling or finishing | Extra-virgin or virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, some nut oils and sesame oil | These can bring distinctive flavors that may be lost or altered at high heat. |
Harvard Health discusses cooking uses and oil selection in Choosing heart-healthy oils for home cooking. Use flavor as well as cooking method to decide: a neutral oil may suit a dish where you do not want an assertive taste, while olive, sesame or nut oils can be chosen when their flavor is part of the result.
How to choose olive oil by label
Extra-virgin olive oil is an unrefined, flavorful grade. Refined olive oil is milder and sturdier for cooking. “Light” olive oil describes its lighter color, not fewer calories. Choose based on the flavor and cooking job rather than reading “light” as a reduced-calorie claim. More on olive-oil grades is in Harvard Health’s guide to cooking oil choices.
Rank #2
- America's #1 Avocado Oil for Cooking — Every batch of Chosen Foods avocado oil is independently tested to confirm 100% pure avocado oil with no fillers or seed oil blends. Our purity standard was verified by UC Davis as one of only two avocado oil brands to pass their rigorous quality test. This bottle delivers the clean, neutral taste and consistent high-heat performance that has made Chosen Foods the avocado oil of choice for home cooks, professional chefs, and clean-eating households across the United States.
- Use This Avocado Oil for Cooking Every Day, Every Way — With a clean neutral taste and impressive 500°F smoke point, this bottle of avocado oil for cooking is built for how you actually cook. Sauté weeknight veggies, sear weekend steaks, roast sheet-pan dinners, grill burgers, fry crispy eggs, bake muffins, drizzle over a finished salad, or blend into homemade marinades. One versatile cooking oil that handles every job in the kitchen from breakfast to dinner — no swapping bottles required, no seed oil shortcuts.
- Higher Smoke Point Than Olive Oil or Coconut Oil — At 500°F, this naturally refined avocado oil handles higher heat than olive oil (around 375°F), coconut oil (around 350°F), or sesame oil (around 410°F) without smoking, foaming, or breaking down. That makes Chosen Foods avocado oil the better choice for searing steaks, deep-frying crispy chicken, blackening fish, charring roasted veggies, stir-frying, or any high-heat cooking technique where olive oil or coconut oil would smoke out your kitchen and leave a burnt aftertaste.
- 10 Grams of Good Fats from Avocados Per Serving — Naturally rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats — the same good fats found in fresh avocados, olives, and nuts. Plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, and made without soy or canola oil. Just one simple ingredient: 100% pure avocado oil. From a Certified B Corporation on a mission to replace bad fats with the good fats of pure avocado oil across the kitchen pantry, one bottle, one recipe, one home cook at a time.
- Clean Swap for Canola Oil and All Seed Oils — A direct 1:1 upgrade from canola oil, vegetable oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, or corn oil. Wherever a recipe calls for neutral cooking oil, swap in this bottle of avocado oil and never miss the seed oils. Naturally refined for a clean neutral taste that lets your ingredients shine — not the oil itself. A better-for-you cooking oil that fits seamlessly into the recipes you already love, from family weeknight dinners to weekend baking projects and meal-prep Sundays.
How much oil to use
Unsaturated fat is still energy-dense. Harvard Health Publishing estimates that a tablespoon of olive or canola oil contains about 120 calories. Use the amount that suits the recipe rather than assuming a plant oil has no meaningful calorie contribution. The estimate appears in its 2021 oil guide.
The FDA-qualified claim discussed by Harvard Health applies to oils containing at least 70% oleic acid: daily consumption may reduce heart-disease risk when those oils replace oils high in saturated fat. It is a replacement claim, not a reason to add more oil to the diet. See Harvard Health’s explanation.
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- America's #1 Avocado Oil - We test every batch of oil to make sure our products only contain 100% Pure Avocado Oil. Additionally, our oil’s purity was confirmed in an independent study done by UC Davis, and we were one of the two brands that passed the purity test. We encourage you to explore and learn more about our unwavering commitment to purity.
- 100% Committed to 100% Purity - Our avocados are pressed to extract the maximum amount of oil, which is then filtered to separate the oil from the solids. The pure avocado oil is naturally refined at a specialized facility, where the temperature is lowered, and impurities are removed to ensure high quality and stability. Finally, the oil is inspected, bottled, and prepared for shipment to customers.
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- [ NON‑GMO & KOSHER CERTIFIED ] – Non‑GMO Project Verified and Kosher certified; supports diverse dietary needs with reliable sourcing and consistent quality in every bottle.
- [ HIGH SMOKE POINT & MULTIPURPOSE ] – Refined for high smoke point cooking; suitable for frying, roasting, sautéing, or grilling; performs well under heat without overpowering flavour.
- [ VERSATILE EVERYDAY OIL ] – A mild, neutral-tasting oil made for salad dressings, baking, or finishing touches; suitable for paleo, keto, and Whole30-style meals; a true kitchen staple.
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- One 33.8 fluid-ounce bottle of Avocado Oil
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A practical way to decide
- Start with the replacement. Choose a nontropical liquid plant oil instead of a fat higher in saturated fat when that fits your meal.
- Match the oil to the heat. For routine sautéing, roasting, stir-frying and baking, canola is one versatile option; several other oils also suit these methods.
- Choose for flavor. Use a distinctive oil when its taste improves a dressing or finished dish, or a more neutral option when you do not want the oil to stand out.
- Use an appropriate amount. Even oils rich in unsaturated fats contribute calories.
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