8 Substitutes for Vegetable Oil + 3 Tips

Diana Barkley (Senior Editor)

Some archaeologists say that olive oil was first produced in the Middle East nearly 8000 years ago. As home cooks, we’ve had a very long history of using oils to prepare food. Other kinds of vegetable oils were first made by extracting oil from different veggies some time in the 1600s.

There are many different vegetable cooking oil types, including olive, palm, sunflower, canola, safflower, coconut, peanut, corn, palm-kernel, cottonseed, and soybean oils.

With so many different vegetable oils to choose from, you’re not likely to ever run out. But say you’re in the middle of whipping up your favorite cake recipe, which calls for vegetable oil, and you don’t have any at home. In this article we’ll explore what you can use instead of your favorite vegetable oil.

We’ll also cover the difference between standard ‘vegetable’ oil you can buy in your local grocery store and olive oil, and what’s better for baking and cooking.

Facts about Vegetable Oil

Facts about Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oils can be derived from a huge range of different plants, including corn, sunflower, canola, palm, olive, and soybean. Some are healthier than others, for example olive oil and canola oil, which are said to help reduce levels of bad cholesterol and lower your risk of heart disease.

Vegetable oil is essential for cooking, frying, baking, and even dressing salads. Different oils have different smoke points, which is when they begin to smoke and potentially release harmful substances.

Fun fact: vegetable oils are even used beyond your home kitchen. They’re also used to make things like cosmetics, biodiesel, soaps, and pharmaceuticals. In certain chemical industries, vegetable oils also serve as raw materials, surfactants, and even lubricants.

What Vegetable Oil Is

Most standard vegetable oil you can buy in the US will be made from corn, canola, soybean, palm, or sunflower oils. Palm oil has long gotten a bad reputation for being bad for you, so reading the label of your vegetable oil before you buy it is always a good idea.

This is because palm oil contains lots of saturated fat, which may increase your risk of heart disease and boost ‘bad’ cholesterol levels. Interestingly, palm kernel oil and even coconut oil are just as bad.

Fun fact: palm oil is made from the fruit of oil palms, while palm kernel oil is extracted from the crushed kernels.

What Vegetable Oil Is Good For in Cooking and Baking

Vegetable oil is used for so many things in the kitchen: from frying to stir-frying, roasting, making salad dressings, grilling, and baking. High-heat tolerant oils are especially useful for deep fat frying and grilling.

In salad dressings, they add a little balance to vinegar or lemon juice, and pair well with different herbs and spices. In baking they add moisture and texture, keeping cakes, muffins, brownies, cookies and more moist and deliciously chewy.

Can You Substitute Olive Oil For Vegetable Oil?

In short, yes. Olive oil has a lower smoke point than some vegetable oils, but this shouldn’t affect your baking as most cakes bake at around 350 F. The smoke point refers to the temperature when oils may release harmful compounds as they begin to break down and smoke.

This makes olive oil a technically better alternative to standard vegetable oils, such as coconut oil. Olive oil has a smoke point of around 390-470 F. Coconut may begin to smoke at 350 F, and corn oil at around 352 F.

Interestingly, extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point of 320 F, making it less suitable for baking. Extra virgin olive oil also tends to taste more like olives, which may add too much of an unwanted flavor to your baking.

Can You Substitute Canola Oil For Vegetable Oil?

Yes. Canola, or rapeseed oil, has a smoke point of around 400 F. It’s a popular oil to use, and rich in vitamins such as vitamin K and E. It also contains plenty of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, which are great for you.

Where flavor is concerned, canola is a good choice as it’s fairly neutral, making it an excellent choice for baking. It’s also a very good option for frying, thanks to the aforementioned high smoke point.

Fun fact: canola and walnut oils are amongst the few oils that are especially rich in omega 3, which may help lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol in your body. All of the above makes canola oil an ideal substitute for your standard vegetable oils.

Best Substitutes for Vegetable Oil

Best Substitutes for Vegetable Oil

Whether you’ve run out of vegetable oil just before you’re starting to bake something scrumptious, or you’re wanting to replace it with a healthier alternative, we’ve got you covered.

Here are some of the very best substitutes for vegetable oil, including information on each replacement’s smoke point (important, depending on what you’re cooking or baking) and any notable health benefits.

Canola or Rapeseed Oil

Canola oil, which is also known as rapeseed oil, is considered a neutral, high-heat cooking oil. This makes it an ideal substitute for vegetable oil in both cooking and baking, as it won’t really alter the flavors of your dishes.

Canola oil has a smoke point of between 400-450 F, so it’s suitable for just about anything you choose to make, including baking and even deep frying.

Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil is another popular alternative to vegetable oil as it’s particularly good for you. Grapeseed oil is said to reduce your risk of developing heart disease and blood clots, may improve insulin resistance and reduce inflammation, and contains high levels of vitamin E.

Grapeseed oil has a smoke point of around 420 F, so it’s ideal for baking and frying, too.

Peanut Oil

Peanut oil is high in ‘good’ or monounsaturated fats and low in ‘bad’ or saturated fats, making it an excellent choice if you’re looking to lower your cholesterol levels. It’s said to potentially help reduce the build up of fats in your blood vessels, may help prevent heart diseases, and contains plenty of vitamin E.

Peanut oil is apparently popular in modern Southern cooking, and for good reason: it has a very high smoke point of around 450 F, and adds a lovely, slightly nutty flavor. The only downside is that you obviously cannot use it if you are allergic to peanuts.

Apparently refined peanut oil shouldn’t cause an allergic reaction for ‘most’ people who have a peanut allergy — but we wouldn’t risk it.

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil is another neutral oil that is high in polyunsaturated or ‘good’ fats. It’s helpful for lowering cholesterol and may help prevent heart disease. It’s high in vitamin E and has a high smoke point of 450 F.

Sunflower oil doesn’t add much (if any) taste to your cooking and baking, so it’s ideal as a vegetable oil alternative. As compared with peanut oil, which has the same smoke point, there is conflicting evidence as to which oil is actually better for you. We think both are a good choice.

Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is perhaps a less common but still valuable substitute for vegetable oil. It’s known for adding a richer flavor, though perhaps not quite as rich as butter. Avocado oil is rich in oleic acid, which is good for you. It may improve heart health and lower levels of bad cholesterol in your body.

Avocado oil is also said to be high in lutein and may even reduce symptoms of arthritis. Avocado oil also has a massively high smoke point of 520 F, which you’d probably never reach with any type of cooking or baking, but is still pretty impressive.

Pure avocado oil is fairly neutral in flavor, with a slightly nutty taste. It doesn’t taste as ‘grassy’ as avocados, so is suitable for most dishes.

Vegetable Oil Substitute For Baking

Vegetable Oil Substitute For Baking

Baking, as we all know, is a fairly exact science. Substituting anything in your favorite baked goods and desserts could easily end in disaster. This is why, if you have a recipe asking for vegetable oil, you’ll want a substitute that doesn’t affect the texture or flavor of your chosen dish.

The three alternatives below will, if anything, improve your baking.

Ghee

Ghee is made by melting regular butter, then removing the milk solids. This results in a product that contains less lactose than plain butter. It’s not healthier than butter, but has a higher smoke point, meaning it’s ideal for baking.

While butter may burn and begin to smoke at 350 F, ghee may actually withstand a higher heat of up to 485 F. Of course most bakes only need around 350 F, but it makes ghee an excellent alternative.

In terms of taste, ghee tastes like a richer version of butter — butterier, if you will. The only downsides are that ghee can be harder to find (unless you make your own), and is frequently pricier than butter or vegetable oil.

Butter

Many people prefer butter to vegetable oil when it comes to baking. That is because butter is said to provide better texture (baked goods ‘melt in your mouth’ more) and flavor. Where vegetable oil can taste neutral and a little flat, butter adds a beautiful richness and, well, buttery flavor.

Butter has a smoke point of around 350 F, while vegetable oils can reach far higher. Most sweet bakes, cakes, and cookies will only need around 350 F oven temperature, while roasting nuts, for example, will need a higher temperature.

Health-wise, it really depends which vegetable oil you’re replacing with butter, but you can compare using the section above.

Light Olive Oil

Here is the thing: regular or extra virgin olive oil is not ideal as a substitute for vegetable oil in baking due to the flavors it adds. Unless you want your cookies and cakes to have a slightly olive-y hint, steer clear.

Light olive oil has a lighter taste and color, so it works better as a substitute, though it still wouldn’t be our first choice. Generally speaking, olive oil does contain lots of antioxidants, vitamin E, and vitamin K.

It also contains plenty of ‘good’, monounsaturated fat and only a little saturated fat. This makes it a fairly healthy alternative to vegetable oil in baking.

Substitutes for Vegetable Oil in Brownies

Substitutes for Vegetable Oil in Brownies

All of the above are excellent substitutes for vegetable oil in brownies. With that said, our top two are avocado oil or butter. Avocado oil is particularly good as it’s rich in unsaturated fatty acids, may reduce inflammation in your body, and contains a range of helpful nutrients.

Butter gets a bad reputation, but is actually good for you as well. Yes, it is high in saturated fatty acids, which aren’t good for you, but it also contains a range of nutrients including calcium, which is good for your bones.

We also prefer butter over overprocessed unnatural ingredients — particularly if you can get your hands on a high quality butter that’s been produced locally.

As far as brownies are concerned, butter actually means they’ll get a more fudgy, softer texture and that signature buttery flavor. This makes butter (or ghee, if you can get your hands on it) our top overall substitute for vegetable oil when making brownies.

Top tip: if health is a concern, why not substitute the vegetable oil in your recipe with a 50/50 mix of avocado oil and butter?

Tips for Substituting Vegetable Oil

Tips for Substituting Vegetable Oil

All of the above substitutes are great alternatives for vegetable oil. Yet they do all subtly differ in flavor, fat contents, and smoke points. Here are a few tips for making the most of your substitutes and using the right one for the right recipe.

Compare the Nutritional Profiles and Smoke Points of the Substitutes

If you’re diet-conscious or have any food allergies, it may be worth looking at the nutritional profiles of your available vegetable oil substitutes. Smoke points are also useful, although most standard baking and frying recipes don’t call for a higher temperature than approximately 350 F.

Deep fat frying requires a higher temperature than some oils and standard butter can stand, so be mindful of that. Those with a peanut allergy should also probably avoid peanut oil — do bear in mind any intolerances or allergies in general.

Choose an Oil or Fat that Suits Your Recipe

Butter and ghee are particularly good for baking, as they add a decadent, buttery flavor to your dishes and improve texture. Brownies especially benefit from added butter. On the other hand, if you’re deep fat frying something, you’ll want an oil with a higher smoke point, such as peanut oil or avocado oil.

Choose a vegetable oil substitute that suits your recipe, and make sure you pay attention to amounts too. In baking, a 1:1 substitute usually works well, but you may find you need more or less depending on the dish you’re making.

Consider Different Flavors of Vegetable Oil Substitutes

Again, you’ll want to be mindful of the recipe you’re making when it comes to choosing the best vegetable oil substitute. There are many neutral oils, but butter does add a certain ‘buttery’ flavor, and peanut or avocado oils add a little bit of nuttiness to your dishes.

Experiment with what suits best, and taste your available oils before adding them, if possible.

Reasons for Substituting Vegetable Oil

As with any home baking or cooking, your reasons for substituting anything, including vegetable oil, are all fine and valid. You may just wish to experiment with different oils, and that’s perfectly fine.

Regardless, here are the top three reasons we’ve found for why you might wish to try an alternative to vegetable oil in your cooking and baking.

You’ve Just Run Out and Need an Alternative for a Recipe

This is probably the most common reason why people seek a substitute in their cooking. Fortunately, when it comes to vegetable oil you really are in luck, as it’s an easy ingredient to substitute. As you’ll know by now, there are plenty of delicious and even healthy alternatives to vegetable oil which you can use.

You Have Health Concerns

Not all cooking oils are made the same. Some are healthier than others, providing more ‘good’ fats and added vitamins, for example. Similarly, if you have an allergy or intolerance to a certain oil, trying another will be worthwhile for you.

If you have health concerns, you’ll want to compare the different vegetable oils in our article and see what suits you best. Also look at the labels of any available substitutes, and choose what suits your requirements.

You’re Trying a New Recipe

Say you’ve always deep- fried your favorite chicken using vegetable oil, and now you’ve heard that peanut oil is an excellent alternative. Or you’ve always made your favorite cookies with vegetable oil but your best friend swears by ghee.

Why not try it? Different fat contents and smoke points all affect the final outcome of your cooking, so trying new ingredients may well work in your favor.