# What is the healthiest oil to cook with? Olive, avocado, canola and seed oils compared

Your feed may say seed oils are poison and butter is back. The research tells a calmer story. Here’s how the common oils compare, and which to use for what.

Source: https://nourishandstrong.com/healthiest-cooking-oil
Published: 2026-11-06
Updated: 2026-11-06
By: the Nourish & Strong team
General information, not medical advice.

**The short answer:** extra virgin olive oil is the best everyday choice, because it has the strongest evidence behind it, including a large randomized trial. Canola is a good lower-cost option with the least saturated fat of the common oils, and refined avocado oil suits very high heat. The evidence doesn’t show that seed oils are harmful. Butter and coconut oil are the fats to limit.

Every oil here has about 120 calories a tablespoon, so the difference comes down to the type of fat. Unsaturated fats are linked with lower disease risk. Saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol.

## How do cooking oils compare?

Here are the fats in one tablespoon of each, using USDA data, next to a published smoke point chart.

| Fat | Saturated | Mono | Poly | Smoke point |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Olive oil | 1.9g | 9.8g | 1.4g | 374°F extra virgin, about 450°F light |
| Avocado oil | 1.6g | 9.9g | 1.9g | 520°F refined |
| Canola oil | 1.0g | 8.9g | 3.9g | 435°F |
| Peanut oil | 2.3g | 6.2g | 4.3g | 450°F refined, 320°F unrefined |
| Soybean oil | 2.1g | 3.1g | 7.9g | 450°F |
| Corn oil | 1.8g | 3.8g | 7.4g | 410°F |
| Sunflower oil, regular | 1.4g | 2.7g | 8.9g | 410°F |
| Sunflower oil, high oleic | 1.4g | 11.7g | 0.5g | Not listed on the chart |
| Coconut oil | 11.2g | 0.9g | 0.2g | 350°F unrefined |
| Butter | 7.3g | 3.0g | 0.4g | 302°F |

Sources: fats from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), calculated using USDA tablespoon weights. Smoke points from the ThermoWorks chart. Treat smoke points as rough guides, since they change with refining, oil quality and how they’re measured.

The oil with the most mono fat and the oil with the least saturated fat are different, so no single row wins everything. That’s where long-term studies help.

## Why is olive oil at the top of most lists?

Olive oil has the rare backing of a large randomized trial. In PREDIMED, 7,447 people at high heart risk in Spain followed a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet with nuts, or a reduced-fat diet. After about five years, major cardiovascular events happened in 3.8% of the olive oil group and 4.4% of the reduced-fat group. That trial tested a whole way of eating, though, and the oil was one part of it.

Long-running US studies point the same way. People who had more than half a tablespoon of olive oil a day had a 19% lower risk of dying from heart disease than people who rarely used it. These studies show a link, which isn’t proof of cause. People who use more olive oil may differ in other ways too.

Olive oil isn’t the only winner. A 2025 study of 221,054 US adults linked higher intake of canola, soybean and olive oil with lower mortality.

## Is avocado oil better than olive oil?

For health, we found no good evidence that it is. The fats are very close, as the table shows, and Cleveland Clinic calls the two similar. The difference is the evidence. Olive oil has PREDIMED. Avocado oil wasn’t among the oils tracked in the big US studies above, and we didn’t find a trial of that size for it.

Avocado oil’s main advantage is heat. Refined avocado oil has the highest smoke point on the chart, so it’s handy for searing and grilling. It also has a mild flavor. Unrefined oil may keep more protective antioxidants, Cleveland Clinic notes.

## Are seed oils bad for you?

The best evidence doesn’t show that they are, though the worries are worth a fair hearing. Seed oils include canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower, rice bran and peanut oil. Here are the three main claims.

- **"Omega-6 fats cause inflammation."** The idea makes sense on paper, because your body can turn omega-6 linoleic acid into compounds involved in inflammation. But a review of 15 controlled trials found no significant rise in a wide range of inflammation markers in healthy people who ate more of it. A 2025 study of nearly 1,900 people linked higher blood levels with lower inflammation, though it can’t prove cause.
- **"They’re made with chemicals."** Most refined oils are extracted with a solvent called hexane. Harvard estimates that about 0.8mg per kilogram of oil remains, and sees very little reason for concern. Deodorizing creates small amounts of trans fat too. Harvard notes that beef fat and milk fat contain natural trans fat at similar levels.
- **"They’re in all the junk food."** This one is true. Cleveland Clinic points out that most seed oils we eat come in packaged and fast foods, and says that’s where most of the danger lies. Its dietitian says the issue is less about the oils themselves than the ultra-processed foods they’re in.

Critics do have some points. A Cochrane review of 19 trials found that eating more omega-6 may make little or no difference to deaths or heart events, based on low-quality evidence. So these fats aren’t a proven heart medicine. Cleveland Clinic’s dietitian also says omega-6 fats are already plentiful in Western diets. The same advice is to eat these oils in moderation, and not to heat them to high temperatures or reuse them. The current US Dietary Guidelines favor olive oil and say more high-quality research is needed on which fats are best.

Still, in a study of more than 126,000 US adults, those eating the most omega-6 fats had a 15% lower risk of death than those eating the least. That’s a link too, but it runs against the claim that these fats are harmful. If you like cutting out packaged food, go ahead. That’s a useful change. There’s no need to throw out your canola oil, though.

## Does smoke point matter? Can you cook with olive oil?

Yes, you can cook with olive oil. The smoke point is the temperature at which oil gives off a thin stream of smoke. It marks the start of breakdown, and it can bring unpleasant fumes and flavors. Extra virgin olive oil smokes at a lower temperature than refined oils. One lab test put it at 187°C, or about 369°F.

Smoke point has limits as a guide. A 2025 study of 48 virgin olive oils found that it depends mainly on free fatty acids, and that measuring it still relies on someone judging the smoke by eye. The same paper says frying oils are generally expected to smoke above 200°C, or about 392°F, and that an oil’s smoke point falls as it’s used.

Here’s how to use that at home:

- **Dressings, drizzling and medium-heat sautéing:** extra virgin olive oil.
- **Everyday cooking and baking:** canola or a light olive oil, which have a milder taste.
- **Searing and deep frying:** refined avocado oil. Peanut and canola also have high smoke points, if you’re comfortable using seed oils at that heat.
- **If the pan smokes:** turn down the heat, or start over with fresh oil.
- **After frying:** don’t reuse the oil again and again.

## Is coconut oil or butter healthier?

Neither one is a good everyday choice for your heart. A tablespoon of coconut oil has 11.2g of saturated fat and butter has 7.3g, and US guidelines cap saturated fat at about 22g on a 2,000-calorie day. Cleveland Clinic says coconut oil raises LDL. The NHS lists butter, ghee, coconut oil and palm oil among foods to cut back on if you’re lowering your cholesterol.

The newest US guidelines do list butter and beef tallow as options, while keeping the 10% limit on saturated fat. You can still enjoy a little butter on toast. As a daily cooking fat, though, swapping it may pay off. In that 2025 study, replacing 10g of butter a day, about two-thirds of a tablespoon, with plant oils was linked with a 17% lower risk of death. Food is rarely all or nothing, as we found when we asked [whether full-fat dairy is healthy](https://nourishandstrong.com/is-full-fat-dairy-healthy).

## What should you do next?

Keep it simple. Buy one bottle of extra virgin olive oil for everyday use and one mild oil for high heat. Measure a tablespoon once so you can see how much you’re pouring.

If your cholesterol is high, oil is only one piece. Our guide to [foods that lower cholesterol](https://nourishandstrong.com/foods-that-lower-cholesterol) shows what else moves your numbers, and our guide on [how to lower blood pressure](https://nourishandstrong.com/how-to-lower-blood-pressure) covers the rest of your heart health. Olive oil goes well on [sheet pan salmon](https://nourishandstrong.com/sheet-pan-salmon) too. If you’d like more meals planned for you, try our [free 7-day meal plan](https://nourishandstrong.com/free-plan).

## Quick questions

### What is the healthiest oil to fry with?

Choose an oil that stays stable at frying heat. Refined avocado, peanut and canola oils all smoke well above 392°F, the level generally recommended for frying. Canola has the least saturated fat of the three. Don’t keep reusing frying oil, because its smoke point falls with use.

### Is canola oil bad for you?

The evidence doesn’t show that it is. Canola has the least saturated fat of the common oils, at about 1g per tablespoon. A 2025 study of more than 221,000 US adults linked higher canola intake with lower mortality. Harvard sees little reason for concern about trace hexane.

### Is olive oil a seed oil?

No. Olive oil is pressed from the olive fruit, and it isn’t on the usual list of seed oils. Avocado oil isn’t on that list either. Canola, corn, soybean, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, cottonseed, rice bran and peanut oil are the ones usually meant.

### Does olive oil lower cholesterol?

It helps most when it replaces saturated fats such as butter. Harvard says swapping butter or lard for liquid vegetable oils lowers LDL, and the NHS recommends olive oil for people lowering their cholesterol. Adding extra oil on top of your usual meals isn’t the same as making that swap.

### Is vegetable oil the same as canola oil?

Not always. Vegetable oil is a broad name, so check the ingredient list to see which oil is in the bottle. It could be soybean oil, which is much higher in polyunsaturated fat than canola. Both can fit a healthy diet, and both are low in saturated fat.

### Is coconut oil healthy?

It’s best kept as an occasional flavor. A tablespoon has 11.2g of saturated fat, about half of the 22g limit on a 2,000-calorie day. Cleveland Clinic says it raises LDL, and the NHS advises eating less of it if you’re lowering your cholesterol.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have high cholesterol or heart disease, or take a cholesterol medicine, talk with your doctor before making changes.

## Sources

- [USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: oils and butter](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/)
- [ThermoWorks: Oil smoke points temperature chart](https://blog.thermoworks.com/oil-smoke-point-temps/)
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- [Hooper L et al. Omega-6 fats for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2018](https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011094.pub4)
- [ScienceDaily: Myth-busting study shows controversial seed oils reduce inflammation (June 2025)](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250621103446.htm)
- [EUFIC: Do seed oils cause inflammation?](https://www.eufic.org/en/misinformation/article/do-seed-oils-cause-inflammation)
- [Cleveland Clinic: Seed oils, are they actually toxic?](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/seed-oils-are-they-actually-toxic)
- [Cleveland Clinic: Yes, avocado oil is good for you](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-avocado-oil-good-for-you)
- [Cleveland Clinic: Which is healthier, coconut oil or olive oil?](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/olive-oil-vs-coconut-oil-which-is-heart-healthier)
- [Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Concerns about canola oil](https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/2015/04/13/ask-the-expert-concerns-about-canola-oil/)
- [Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Fats and cholesterol](https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/)
- [Harvard Health: 11 foods that lower cholesterol](https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/11-foods-that-lower-cholesterol-4BTQX4EV)
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- [Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030](https://cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf)
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- [NHS: How to lower your cholesterol](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/how-to-lower-your-cholesterol/)