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The Spruce Eats / Amelia Manley
Avocado oil is quickly becoming one of the go-to oils for professional and at-home chefs around the world. It’s rich in monounsaturated fats, neutral in taste, and ideal for high heat, so you can use it for almost any type of cooking, separating it from the tried-and-true olive oil. But as with olive oils, avocado oils run the gamut from meh to incredible. Unless you know what you’re looking for, it can be difficult to narrow down the options and find the right one out of all the categories of options out there.
Best Overall
Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil
Naturally refined
Mellow taste
Spray bottle version is available
Expeller-pressed instead of cold-pressed
Chosen Foods built its entire brand around harnessing the power of avocados, so it’s no wonder its 100% Pure Avocado Oil earned our best overall spot. It’s non-GMO and naturally refined to give you a neutral taste without any additives. We don't love that it is expeller-pressed instead of cold-pressed, but this isn't a deal breaker.
Chosen Foods' avocados, which come from Mexico are never sprayed with any pesticides and are irrigated only with rainwater. The end result is a smooth avocado oil that’s ideal for cooking, baking, and finishing. It doesn't have an overpowering taste, either, allowing the flavors of the food or seasonings to shine. It's even mellow enough to use as skincare without a harsh smell.
In addition to a handful of sizes, we also love this one because there is a spray bottle version that dispenses avocado oil in quick, accurate sprays. It only takes a few seconds of spraying to get enough oil out, and even after over six months of use, it is still over half full.
Size: 8.4, 16.9, 25.4, 33.8, and 42.3 ounces | Processing: Expeller-pressed | Origin: Mexico
Best Cold-Pressed
Avohass Avocado Oil
Cold-pressed
Certified organic
Extra virgin (unrefined)
Small bottle
Avohass avocado oil is one of the only truly cold-pressed avocado oils on the market. The oil is extracted from the best unbruised grade-A California avocados at their peak ripeness, without the use of any heat or chemicals. The end result is a vibrant green avocado oil that’s rich, smooth, and buttery. Also, the oil is extra-virgin and organic-certified, which means it’s really one of the highest-quality oils you can get.
Because the oil isn’t refined, the smoke point is a little lower—400 degrees Fahrenheit—but it’s still a suitable option for most types of cooking, such as sautéing, stir-frying, and roasting. If you want a little more adventure, Avohass also offers lime-, garlic-, and chili-flavored avocado oils. This option comes in a smaller bottle, though, so you may go through it faster than others.
Size: 8.5 ounces | Processing: Cold-pressed | Origin: California
Best Organic
Nutiva Organic Avocado Oil
Fully organic
Harvested with regenerative farming
Steam-refined
Comes in a plastic bottle
Like other brands, Nutiva is committed to making high-quality avocado oil without any pesticides or glyphosate. But, because of Nutiva’s stringent guidelines and partnership with organic avocado farmers, it's also earned a USDA organic seal that can give you peace of mind that the avocado oil you’re using is the cleanest and purest. The oil is steam-refined to create a neutral flavor profile that’s ideal for cooking, baking, grilling, sautéeing, and roasting.
If that wasn’t enough, the avocados in Nutiva’s avocado oil come from small organic farms in Ethiopia that use regenerative farming practices and provide organic farming education to local farmers, so any purchase you make is truly making a global impact.
One con about this option is that it used to come in a glass bottle, which is ideal for keeping air and moisture out of oil, but now comes in a plastic bottle. Thus, it may be helpful to invest in a reusable glass oil container—here are a few of our favorite options.
Size: 11 and 16 ounces | Processing: Steam-refined | Origin: Ethiopia
Best for Cooking
BetterBody Foods Avocado Oil
High smoke point
Really neutral flavor
Inexpensive
Comes in a plastic bottle
BetterBody Foods uses a natural refining process to create a non-GMO-verified avocado oil with a high smoke point of 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it ideal for any type of cooking, including really high-heat methods. The refining process also creates a mild, neutral flavor and a smooth finish that complements any dish without overpowering it. You can add this avocado oil to chicken, steak, and roasted vegetables, or you can use it to replace the butter or oil in baked goods.
This avocado oil also comes in a plastic bottle, but its inexpensive price plus an additional nearly 2-pound value size bottle, keeps it as a good option for cooking.
Size: 16.9 and 33.8 ounces | Processing: Not indicated | Origin: Not indicated
Best for Frying
La Tourangelle Avocado Oil
Subtle and fruity flavor
Lightweight
Pouring spout
Refrigerate after opening
La Tourangelle recommends storing this Avocado Oil in the refrigerator after opening it, and while that may not be as convenient as storing it in the pantry as oil isn't usually kept there, we recommend this option for any deep-frying job—large or small.
The bottle is a hefty 16.9 ounces, which means you get just over a pound of oil in each. Filling up a pan or even just using a few tablespoons won't cost you a lot—plus, the bottle has a wide pour spout allowing you to quickly dispense as much oil as you need. The flavor of this oil is described as subtle, light, and fruity, so if you are looking for an alternative to vegetable oil, canola oil, or even olive oil or butter, this one is great.
Size: 16.9 ounces | Processing: Expeller-pressed | Origin: California
Best for Salads
Olivado Extra Virgin Avocado Oil
Product of New Zealand
Cold-pressed
Made in small batches
Small bottle
Avocado oil isn't just used for cooking and baking, but is a great option for drizzling on vegetables and salads. This one is made in small batches in Northland, New Zealand—the warmest part of the country. During the cold pressing process, Olivado makes sure the temperature does not go over 122 degrees Fahrenheit so all the flavor and nutrients stay in the oil.
Thanks to its smooth and light taste, adding this avocado oil to any bed of leafy greens won't change the flavor much. It is one of the most versatile oils—make it the base of a homemade dressing and you can customize it with lemon, mustard, or any other ingredients and flavors you'd like.
Size: 8.45 ounces | Processing: Cold-pressed | Origin: New Zealand
Final Verdict
You can’t go wrong with the Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil. It's expeller-pressed and naturally refined for a neutral taste with zero additives. If you're looking for a good oil for frying, try out La Tourangelle Avocado Oil—the bottle's price and wide mouth for efficient pouring make it a great option.
What to Look for in Avocado Oil
Extraction Method
The extraction method is an important part of an oil’s taste and overall quality. Higher-quality oils are usually cold-pressed or steam-refined. Expeller pressing is another extraction method that uses mechanical means to make avocado oil rather than chemicals or heat. Try to avoid oils that are chemically extracted or exposed to high heat during the extraction process. As a general rule, if an oil doesn’t specify a higher-quality extraction method, it’s usually a good indication that chemical or heat extraction was used.
The extraction and refining process can also affect the smoke point. Refined oils have a higher smoke point than less processed extra-virgin oils. If you want to use avocado oil primarily for high-heat cooking, you’re better off with refined oil. If you prefer a stronger taste and want to use avocado oil as a finishing oil over vegetables or on salads, an extra-virgin oil is your best bet.
Packaging
Like all high-fat oils, avocado oil can break down and become rancid when exposed to light. Most high-quality oils are packaged in dark bottles to protect them from light and increase their shelf life. When choosing an avocado oil, opt for one that’s packaged in a dark bottle, if possible. If not, it’s even more important to store the avocado oil in a dark place, away from light exposure.
Ingredients
Some inferior avocado oils are mixed with other, less expensive (and lower quality) oils. These oils are often marketed as “blends,” but not always. Check the ingredient list and make sure avocado oil is the only ingredient listed.
FAQs
Is avocado oil good for you?
Just like avocados, avocado oil is good for you. Made up of mostly monounsaturated fats, avocado oil has been shown to help improve heart health, contribute to healthy vision, and help your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
"Avocado oil is better for you than vegetable oil, and is better to use for high-heat cooking than vegetable oil, but it has a stronger flavor," says Kathy Davis, the owner of oil shop The Seasoned Olive.
What is avocado oil good for?
Avocado oil is good for just about anything you’d use other oils for. "It is pretty interchangeable with olive oil except it has a higher smoke point, so it is better if you need to cook at a higher heat," Davis says.
Unlike coconut oil, which has a strong tropical taste, even unrefined avocado is fairly neutral-tasting, so you can cook and bake with it. It’s also more than 50 percent monounsaturated fat, which is incredibly stable during cooking and storage. Because of this, you can even use avocado oil for deep and shallow frying.
Can you substitute avocado oil for vegetable oil? What about olive oil?
Since it has a neutral taste and a high smoke point, you can substitute avocado oil for both vegetable and olive oil in cooking and baking.
Does avocado oil go bad?
Since it’s low in polyunsaturated fats, avocado oil doesn’t go bad as quickly as some other types of oils, but it can turn rancid if not stored properly. If stored correctly, an unopened bottle of avocado oil will last about a year. Once it’s opened, you should try to use it within four to six months for the freshest flavor.
Does avocado oil have a high smoke point?
Yes, avocado oil has a high smoke point. Depending on how it’s processed, the smoke point of avocado oil can range from 375 degrees Fahrenheit to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Refined oils have higher smoke points than unrefined, cold-pressed, and/or extra virgin avocado oils.
How should you store avocado oil?
Because avocado is so high in fat, it’s best to store it in a cool, dark place like a pantry or cabinet. You don’t have to refrigerate the oil, but make sure it stays at room temperature and doesn’t get too hot. If the avocado oil isn’t packaged in a dark bottle, it’s also important to keep it away from light which can make the oil go rancid.
How We Selected
To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best avocado oils on the market, evaluating their key features—like pressing method, taste, and price—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Lindsay Boyers is a certified holistic nutritionist with extensive nutrition knowledge and food and beverage testing experience. She’s developed over 1,000 original recipes and is constantly on a mission to find the healthiest, best-tasting options and ingredients across all food and drink categories.
An update to this piece was completed by Amanda McDonald, an editor at The Spruce Eats who has over seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing about all things food — from what new products are at the grocery store to chef-approved hacks that keep tricky leftovers fresh for days. She updated this article to include the most up-to-date information.
Sources
- Kathy Davis, owner of The Seasoned Olive