10 x the healthiest oils and how to use them

Healthy oils: alternative for sunflower oil

Are you looking for an alternative to sunflower oil? Before you choose an oil, it is good to look at what you want to prepare. If you want to fry something in oil, it is good to choose an oil with a neutral taste and a high smoke point. The smoke point is the point at which an oil’s composition and nutrients begin to break down. We share ten healthy oils and how to use them.

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Rapeseed oil

Many people see canola oil as an unhealthy oil because they associate it with fried foods. Canola oil does indeed have a high smoke point and its neutral flavor make it an excellent oil for frying, but it is not an unhealthy oil. Like most of the other healthy oils on this list, canola oil is low in saturated fats.

Best for: baking, roasting and frying.

Read also: What is rapeseed oil and what can you do with it?

Extra virgin olive oil

This oil is full of unsaturated fats and omega 3 (good for your heart!) and a good quality bottle can really take you on a taste adventure. Extra virgin olive oil has a relatively low smoke point, you can bake with it, but you can taste just a little more of those deep flavors of olive oil by adding it to a salad or dipping it in bread.

A true connoisseur knows how to taste it. Just slurp! Do you cough or do you think it has a spicy aftertaste? That’s fine, delicious even. You can often find the tastiest at the olive farmer himself, why not take a trip to Italy?

Best for: baking and salad dressings.

Also read: This is the difference between olive oil and extra virgin olive oil

Pure olive oil

If you like cooking things in olive oil, use pure olive oil. Pure olive oil has a high smoke point and does not contain as many unsaturated fats as the high quality extra virgin, but you can bake and fry well with it.

Best for: baking and frying

coconut oil

We don’t want to burst the bubble, but coconut oil is not the miracle oil as portrayed. When it comes to preparing meals (coconut oil does a lot of good for skin and hair), coconut oil is no healthier than extra virgin olive oil. In fact, about as healthy as butter, it’s just as solid at room temperature because it’s high in saturated fat — 12 grams per 1 tablespoon. Unlike most other saturated fats, coconut oil raises your good and bad cholesterol levels. The creamy, greasy quality makes coconut oil a good (vegan) alternative for frying in butter.

Best for: baking and roasting

Avocado oil

Like coconut oil, avocado oil is loved by the clean eating community. Unlike coconut oil, this oil contains few saturated fats (only 1.6 grams per tablespoon). It is full of good unsaturated fats, has a high smoke point and a neutral taste. Avocado oil is not chemically processed like canola and vegetable oil. It’s more expensive than the other oils, but if you’re interested in avoiding refined foods, this is a great alternative.

Best for: baking and frying

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is a sister of rapeseed oil. It is also chemically processed, has an equally high smoke point and is neutral in taste. These characteristics make vegetable oil good for baking, roasting and frying. However, it is not the healthiest oil because it has been chemically processed.

Best for: baking, roasting and roasting

Healthy oils: safflower oil

Maybe you’ve heard of it. If you’re skeptical about vegetable and canola oils, consider safflower oil. Safflower oil is low in saturated fats and high in healthy omega-9 fatty acids, has a neutral flavor and a high smoke point. Safflower oil is sold both chemically processed and cold-pressed.

Best for: frying and roasting

peanut oil

Peanut oil is one of the more flavorful oils with a high smoke point. The oil is made from peanuts, and that’s what it smells like. This oil is delicious for stir-frying (Oriental dishes), baking cookies or, for example, frying tempura. Peanut oil is chemically processed and low in saturated fat.

Best for: frying and baking

Read also: What is peanut oil and what can you do with it?

Sesame oil

Another very flavorful oil is sesame oil. This oil can add a lot to dishes. If you have a peanut allergy (or just don’t like a peanut flavor), this is a great alternative to peanut oil, it’s cold pressed and not chemically processed. However, sesame oil does not have a high smoke point.

Best for: baking and roasting

Read also: What is sesame oil and what can you do with it?

Flaxseed oil

This oil has a few interesting features: it is high in omega-3 fatty acids and it is a healthy supplement if you do not eat a lot of fish. However, you cannot cook with it, because linseed oil is incredibly sensitive to heat and oxidizes quickly. You can use linseed oil to drizzle over dips such as hummus or to make a salad dressing.

Best for: salad dressings

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