What Are the Healthiest Oils to Cook with and Which Ones Should You Avoid?

Your body needs fat to help it absorb nutrients and to get essential fatty acids that it can't make itself. The healthiest oils to cook with include olive oil, avocado oil, and sesame oil and oils to avoid include coconut oil, palm oil, and corn oil.

Walking down the supermarket aisle, you’ll notice that there are tons of options to choose from when it comes to cooking oil. When it comes to cooking with heat, cooking oils are an essential part of the preparation. However, not all cooking oils are created equal. Here are some of the healthiest oils to choose from and others you should avoid.

Since cooking oils are high in fat, people usually think they must avoid them. However, it’s important to understand the difference between good and bad fats. Bad fats, the unhealthy kinds, include saturated and trans fats. Less than 7% of your daily calories from fat should come from saturated fats, and you should try to eliminate trans fats entirely. Sources of saturated fats include:

• Dairy products, like cheese, yogurt, butter, and whole milk
• Poultry skin
• lard, bacon
• Fatty, red meats

Your body needs fat to help it absorb nutrients and to get essential fatty acids that it can’t make itself. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are the good kinds that can be found in healthy cooking oils and can help lower your cholesterol.

Cooking oils are natural oils found in several plants, usually in the seed, fruit, or nut. Through mechanical methods, the oil is squeezed out and then pressed. Cooking oils can then be refined by adding chemicals and heat to improve the color, taste, and shelf life. This also helps to remove any impurities within the oil. Refining can sometimes destroy the beneficial properties of the oil, so look for oils that are labeled “unrefined” or “cold-pressed” to get the most nutrients.

Cooking at high temperatures can cause the plant oil to break down and create chemicals that can harm your health. Because of this, you need to know the oil’s smoke point or when it starts to create fumes and free radicals. Different cooking oils have different smoke points, so you may select different oils for different methods of cooking.

Here are the best cooking oils to choose from that have heart-healthy fats.

Olive oil. This oil is usually at the top of the list when discussing the healthiest oils. It’s versatile and has a low smoke point, so it can be used to cook in many ways, like baking, frying, or sautéing. Extra virgin olive oil contains nutrients, heart-healthy fats, and antioxidants that are good for your health.

Avocado oil. This oil has many of the same health benefits as olive oil and an even higher smoke point, making it a good choice for frying, roasting, or sautéing. Avocado oil is a good source of polyphenols, carotenoids, and monosaturated fats, which support good brain and heart health.

Sesame oil. Popular in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern cuisines, sesame oil has a high smoke point and a good amount of both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. It can have a slightly nutty taste, so it isn't as neutral in flavor as some other oils on this list. This is a good all-purpose oil that’s also a good source of vitamin K.

Canola oil. Canola oil comes from rapeseed and is high in monounsaturated fats. It has a medium-to-high smoke point and a neutral taste, so it can be used to prepare dishes in a number of ways. Studies have found that canola oil can lower bad LDL cholesterol and insulin resistance.

Sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is high in polyunsaturated fats and omega-6, which can lower cholesterol levels and reduce your overall risk of heart disease. It has a high smoke point, so it’s good for a number of cooking methods. Sunflower oil has a neutral taste compared to many other oils.

Now here are some of the worst cooking oils that you should avoid using.

Palm oil. This oil comes from the fruit of the African palm and is high in vitamin E. Even so, it is nearly 40% saturated fat, the bad kind that can build up in your blood vessels, leading to complications like heart attacks and heart disease. Besides being bad for your health, palm oil production is linked to deforestation and abusive employment practices in the countries where it is made, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Coconut oil. Coconut has a sweet taste and can be used as a vegan substitute for butter in baking. It’s solid at room temperature, which signals that it’s high in saturated fat, even more than palm oil. However, it’s also high in lauric acid, a compound that raises both good and bad cholesterol.

Corn oil. This oil is popular because it's widely available, but it’s highly processed and doesn’t contain any nutrients. During production, corn oil is hydrogenated to give it longer shelf life. It’s also higher in trans fats than many other types of vegetable oils.

The healthy oils mentioned are good choices for sautéing and pan frying, as well as other basic cooking techniques. Deep-frying is possible with some, but it’s not a very healthy cooking technique as oils are high in fat and calories. Healthy oils are also useful for drizzling on dishes or for creating your own dressings.

Cooking oils are best used within 12 months or before the date on the label. Don’t buy oil in large amounts unless you know that you’re going to be able to use it all within this timeframe. After buying cooking oil, store it in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Oils usually keep best in glass bottles or aluminum containers.

Be mindful of your cooking oil’s smoke point since it will start to degrade once it reaches this temperature. If you get distracted and your oil starts to burn, it’s best to get rid of it and start again with fresh oil. You shouldn’t reuse or reheat cooking oils for this reason. If you notice that your oil has a strange smell, don’t use it since it might be rancid.

Opt for oils in their natural form. Many spray oils claim to have no trans-fat, but this isn’t necessarily true. Manufacturers are allowed to round down to zero if the spray has less than half a gram per serving.