The best healthy cooking oils (essentials guide)
There’s plenty of healthy cooking oils available on the market, so to make it easy we’ve created a guide for just the essentials. You’re always free to try a new cooking oil as they are all unique and add their own tastes and textures. Here’s the cooking oils to stock in your kitchen at all times based on cook temperature:
Cooking oils for high heat cooking + frying
- Pure olive oil – different from Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) based on the way it is processed. If you’re cooking at high heat, you’ll want to use pure, refined, or light olive oil.
- Avocado oil – this oil also has a high smoke point which makes it ideal for frying your favorite foods. It’s very light in flavor and consistency.
Low heat healthy cooking oils good for sautéing
- Extra virgin olive oil – cold processed, and ideal for low heat cooking. There’s another option I love— it’s a high price point, but the only EVOO I keep in my house is this one. It’s amazing for sautéing garlic, onion, and vegetables. A little goes a long way.
- Cold pressed Sesame oil – you can go with toasted or cold pressed Sesame oil, and it’s good to note that this oil has a nuttier taste. Sesame oil is great for Asian inspired dishes or use it to give any dish a more robust flavor. Do not over heat—overheating this oil can create a bitter flavor.
Oils for no heat, seasoning, and dressings
- Cold pressed Flaxseed oil – this is the perfect oil for topping your salads and mix with other condiments or sauces. It’s highly nutritious —high in Omega 3’–and good for seasoning already cooked vegetables.
- Extra virgin olive oil – Extra Virgin Olive Oil is great for tossing grilled veggies in. I recommend to try topping your pasta or dressing your salad this Sicilian olive oil—it’s smooth, flavorful, and delicious. My partner, who’s Italian, introduced me to this olive oil and I’m always trying to find excuses to eat it. Sprinkling it over a piece of dark chocolate is divine.
The cooking oils to keep out of your kitchen? Grapeseed oil, Canola oil, Vegetable oil, Palm oil, Soybean oil, and Corn oil. Read more to see why you should avoid these oils.
Swap out your cooking oils with the healthy cooking oils above and you’ll be well on your way to making tasty nutritious meals. Since cooking oil is often the starting point of your meal, it’s a good idea to have a couple of these readily available.
