Extra Virgin Olive Oil – The Champion
Picture this: you’re walking through a Mediterranean olive grove at sunset, and there’s a reason why people in these regions live longer, healthier lives. Olive oil is the healthiest all-around cooking oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the absolute best among the healthiest cooking oils. What makes it so special isn’t just marketing hype – it’s real science.
Olive oil has been proven to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and raise HDL (good cholesterol) levels when it’s used to replace saturated fat, such as butter. It also contains beta-carotene and vitamins A, E, D and K, plus many more healthful nutrients that have beneficial effects on almost every bodily function. Extra-virgin olive oil (also known as EVOO) has the lowest oxidation rate of any cooking oil, too. Translation: It’s less prone to promoting free radicals – chemicals that are highly reactive and can damage cells.
The beauty of EVOO lies in its processing method. It ranks at the top because it’s cold-pressed, unrefined and loaded with powerful antioxidants that many other oils lose during heavy processing. Think of it as the wine of cooking oils – the less processed, the better for your health.
Avocado Oil – The High Heat Hero
If olive oil is the Mediterranean prince, then avocado oil is the versatile warrior that can handle whatever you throw at it. Avocado oil has a smoke point of approximately 520°F (271°C), making it great for high heat cooking like deep frying. You won’t find a cooking oil with a higher smoke point than avocado oil! Suitable for high-heat cooking, avocado oil won’t make your kitchen smoky when you’re pan frying or searing meat or other foods.
It has a nutritional composition similar to olive oil, with a high percentage of the heart-healthy fat oleic acid. Avocado oil is nutritionally similar to olive oil. It may have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and heart-health benefits. What’s really cool is how it enhances your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from other foods. Research from the National Library of Medicine shows that avocado oil’s healthy fats and antioxidants help keep your heart strong, reduce cell damage and enhance nutrient absorption.
The neutral taste makes it perfect for baking when you don’t want any competing flavors. Avocado oil is ideal for baking because it has very little flavor. Just remember, quality comes at a price – avocado oil can be one of the more expensive oils.
Sesame Oil – The Antioxidant Powerhouse
Don’t underestimate this nutty-flavored oil that’s been a staple in Asian cooking for centuries. Sesame oil has a medium-high smoke point of approximately 410°F (210°C). It’s high in the heart-healthy antioxidants sesamol and sesaminol, which may have various benefits, including potential neuroprotective effects against certain diseases like Parkinson’s.
What caught researchers’ attention is how sesame oil affects blood sugar management. Plus, one small study among 46 people with type 2 diabetes found that using sesame oil for 90 days significantly improved fasting blood sugar and long-term biomarkers of blood sugar management. The compounds in sesame oil don’t just protect your heart – they might protect your brain too.
Sesame oil works well for sautéing, general purpose cooking, and even as a salad dressing. It offers a mild nutty flavor that can work well in a number of stovetop dishes. A little goes a long way, making it both economical and flavorful for everyday cooking.
Safflower Oil – The Underrated Performer
Here’s an oil that quietly flies under the radar while delivering impressive performance. Often overlooked on trendy oil lists, safflower oil quietly holds its own in the world of high-heat cooking. It ranks among the healthiest cooking oils for its heart-friendly unsaturated fats, impressive vitamin E content and rare ability to retain nutrients even when exposed to high temperatures.
There are two types to know: high-linoleic and high-oleic. The high-oleic variety is the better pick for cooking, especially for deep-frying, pan-searing or roasting dishes like battered fish or crispy baked tofu. With a smoke point of around 450°F and a clean, neutral taste, safflower oil adds texture without overpowering flavor.
Safflower oil has a high smoke point and neutral flavor. High oleic safflower oil may have anti-inflammatory properties, and promote heart health and blood sugar management. Safflower oil has a the second-highest smoke point on this list, making it a great option for high-heat cooking needs. It’s like having a reliable friend who always comes through when you need them most.
Peanut Oil – The Restaurant Favorite
Ever wonder why your favorite restaurant’s fried foods taste so crispy and delicious? There’s a good chance they’re using peanut oil. Peanut oil is great for frying and stir-frying because it can withstand high heat before it starts to break down. It generally has a neutral or slightly nutty flavor. The most popular oil among restaurants tends to be peanut oil thanks to its high smoke point, which allows food to be cooked quickly with a crispy coating with limited oil absorption. Peanut oil also has a mild flavor, especially the refined types.
Peanut oil is also a good source of vitamin E and antioxidants as well as heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, but is best used in moderation. The key here is moderation – while it has health benefits, it’s still a calorie-dense oil that should be used thoughtfully in your cooking routine.
What sets peanut oil apart is its stability under heat, making it perfect for those high-temperature cooking methods where other oils might break down and produce harmful compounds. It’s the workhouse of the cooking oil world – dependable, effective, and gets the job done without much fuss.
Canola Oil – The Controversial Middle Ground
Here’s where things get interesting and opinions start to divide. Canola oil is low in saturated fats and can be heated to a range of 400 to 450 degrees. It also has a more subtle flavor than some of the other cooking oils. Canola oil contains plenty of healthy omega-3 fats. Sounds good so far, right?
But there’s a catch that makes some health experts pause. One downside to the oil is that it can start to taste or smell slightly fishy as it ages. Generally, canola oil lasts six months to a year after opening and about two years unopened. Canola oil is generally highly processed and can undergo the use of chemical solvents like hexane, which is why less refined oils tend to be more popular among health enthusiasts.
The processing concerns aside, canola oil is a decent source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the main vegetarian source of essential omega-3 fatty acids. Like EPA and DHA (the omega-3 fats found in fatty fish), ALA has anti-inflammatory and other effects thought to benefit cardiovascular health. Canola oil also contains phytosterols, which are compounds that occur naturally in plants that may help lower cholesterol. It’s not evil, but it’s not exceptional either.
Coconut Oil – The Polarizing Trendsetter
Oh, coconut oil – the oil that launched a thousand wellness blogs and divided nutritionists worldwide. A survey found that 72% of Americans rated coconut oil as “healthy,” though only 37% of nutrition experts agreed. That gap tells you everything you need to know about the controversy surrounding this tropical oil.
Coconut oil is 100% fat, 80-90% of which is saturated fat. This gives it a firm texture at cold or room temperatures. Depending on who you ask, coconut oil should either be avoided or embraced in moderation. The main point of conflict is its high saturated fat content; unlike other plant-based oils, coconut oil is primarily a saturated fat. Not everyone agrees that such a concentrated source of saturated fat is a no-go for health, but some experts, including the American Heart Association, argue that replacing foods that are high in saturated fat with healthier options can lower blood cholesterol levels and improve lipid profiles.
The authors concluded that because of coconut oil’s effects on raising blood cholesterol including harmful LDL and in some cases triglycerides, and because its cholesterol-raising effects were comparable to other saturated fats, the oil should not be viewed as a heart-healthy food and should be limited in the diet. In a meta-analysis of 16 clinical trials, coconut oil was found to increase both LDL and HDL cholesterol levels in participants, compared with nontropical vegetable oils (e.g., sunflower, canola, olive). Coconut oil increased total cholesterol by about 15 points, LDL by 10 points, and HDL by 4 points.
The smoke point issue makes it less versatile too. It’s smoke point is about 350 degrees F (177 C). The resulting oil has a smoke point of about 350 degrees Fahrenheit (F), which can be used for quick sautéing or baking but is not ideal for high-heat cooking.
Palm Oil – The Environmental Concern
Palm oil occupies a strange space in the cooking oil world – nutritionally decent but environmentally problematic. Refined palm oil is often used for sautéing or frying because it has a high smoke point of 450°F (232°C) and remains stable under high heat. The smoke point for palm oil is a much higher 450 degrees F (232 C).
Palm oil is 100% fat, half of which is saturated. It also contains vitamin E. Red palm oil contains antioxidants called carotenoids, which your body can convert into vitamin A. Research suggests that palm oil is a healthier choice than coconut oil for cardiovascular health due to its lower saturated fat content.
But here’s the complicated part: Palm oil has been credited with providing protection against heart disease. Although some study results have been mixed, this oil generally appears to have beneficial effects on heart disease risk factors, including lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol. The nutritional profile isn’t terrible, but the environmental impact of palm oil production raises serious sustainability concerns that many health-conscious consumers consider when making their choices.
Corn Oil – The Processed Problem
Corn oil represents everything that’s concerning about highly processed oils. While corn oil does contain some healthy fats and vitamins, it is heavily processed and refined. It’s also full of omega-6 fatty acids, more so than most other vegetable oils. Corn oil can withstand moderately high heat cooking such as sauteing and frying and is a popular choice for making tortilla chips and other snack chips. It’s one of the more cost-effective oils due to the subsidization of corn in the United States – in fact, corn is the most abundant crop in the US!
The omega-6 issue is significant because chronic, low-grade inflammation is the root cause of many diseases common to Western society. This inflammation is the result of, in part, an imbalance in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Both are essential fatty acids, but omega-6 is highly inflammatory when it outnumbers omega-3’s and it is consumed in large amounts in the standard American diet.
Critics tend to focus on eight specific oils, sometimes referred to as the “hateful eight”: soybean, canola, corn, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, rice bran and grapeseed. The processing methods and the inflammatory potential make corn oil a less desirable choice for health-conscious cooking.
Soybean Oil – The Ubiquitous Troublemaker
Here’s the plot twist that might shock you: that bottle labeled “vegetable oil” in your pantry? Though many of the bottles feature colorful vegetables on the label, the main ingredient in most vegetable oils is actually just one vegetable – soybeans. In fact, soybean oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the U.S. food system. Soybean oil is one of the most frequently consumed oils in the U.S. because of its use in fast food and packaged goods.
The health concerns go beyond just omega-6 overload. Recent studies have found that chemicals in soybean oil could increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease and anxiety by affecting the function of the hypothalamus in the brain. Soybean oil is high in omega-6 fatty acids, which in excess can promote inflammation in the body. This inflammation has been linked to chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.
Like many vegetable oils, soybean oil is highly refined. This production process makes soybean oil more prone to becoming oxidized – and when we have a lot of oxidized compounds in our body, we put ourselves at risk for multiple diseases. To name a few: heart disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The processing methods and widespread use in processed foods make soybean oil a concerning choice for regular consumption.
What makes this particularly troubling is how omnipresent it is in our food supply. Almost 30% of Americans say that they actively avoid seed oils, which include soybean oil, according to a 2025 report from the International Food Information Council. But the report highlights that there’s clear consumer confusion around seed oils, and that, largely, people base their opinion on information from friends and family and social media – sources that are not necessarily backed by nutrition science.
The real issue isn’t necessarily soybean oil in isolation, but rather its dominance in processed foods and restaurant cooking. Instead of focusing on which oils you eat, Gardner says focus on your overall diet. Gardner, Berry and Brenna all agree that means cutting back on ultra-processed foods and cooking at home more. And make sure to get plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds and omega-3s from foods like fish. And if you use some seed oil to make a salad dressing that encourages you to eat more vegetables, Gardner says – that’s a win for health.
When you step back and look at the bigger picture, the choice of cooking oil matters, but it’s just one piece of a much larger nutritional puzzle. The best approach isn’t necessarily to fear certain oils entirely, but to choose wisely based on your cooking needs and overall health goals. Remember, even the healthiest oils should be used in moderation – according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025, adult men and women eating a 2,000-calorie daily diet should consume no more than 6 teaspoons of oil each day, or just 27 grams.
What’s your go-to cooking oil going to be now that you know the real story behind each one?
