The process of making unrefined avocado oil is similar to that of olive oil, but the skin and the seed are removed first. "After this, the flesh is ground to a paste and then malaxed for 40 to 60 minutes at 45 to 50°C," the American Oil Chemist Society writes. (Note: Malaxing just means mixing the paste). "This is a higher malaxing temperature than used for olive oil extraction, but it is still considered to be cold-pressed extraction for avocado oil," they add. After it's mixed, the paste will undergo a filtration process, like olive oil, to separate the pulp. The final result: what you see on the shelves.
Buying the right kind.
When buying an extra-virgin avocado oil, there may be more to pay attention to than just "extra-virgin" and "unrefined" labels. A recent Food Control study found most avocado oils in the U.S. market are stale or impure. In other words, it has either lost its flavor before hitting the shelves, or it was mixed with other types of vegetable oil (think safflower, sunflower, and soybean).
To make sure avocado is high-quality, the researchers recommend looking for these three things:
- Taste: Authentic, fresh, virgin avocado oil should taste grassy, buttery, and similar to mushrooms. A rancid oil will mimic the smell of playdough.
- Color: Virgin avocado oil should be green, compared to a light yellow refined avocado oil.
- Quality: Check the oil's harvest date, which is a better indicator than the "best before" date. Buying smaller bottles that you can finish before the expiration date is recommended.
Avocado oil nutrients.
"Similar to olive oil, avocado oil is high in monounsaturated fats, low in saturated fat, and contains moderate amounts of vitamin E," registered dietitian Mascha Davis, R.D., MPH, previously told mbg. It's also high in antioxidants and carotenoids, which help to lower inflammation and support eye health, respectively.
Here's a more comprehensive nutritional breakdown of 1 tablespoon of avocado oil, according to the USDA:
- Calories: 124
- Monounsaturated fat: 9.88 g
- Polyunsaturated fat: 1.89 g
- Saturated fat: 1.62 g
- Total fat: 14 g
- Vitamin E: 0 mg
- Vitamin K: 0 µg
Olive oil vs. avocado oil: Which is healthier?
Despite the similarities in making olive oil and avocado oil, their health benefits and cooking uses vary—and one may even be better than the other.
Antioxidant content.
Both avocado oil and olive oil contain free-radical-fighting antioxidants, but according to the USDA data, olive oil contains more vitamin E. This is especially true when the two oils are heated. One 2012 study says olive oil contains about 10 mg more vitamin E than avocado oil and withheld heat for a longer period of time.
So the winner in terms of antioxidants? Olive oil, but just slightly.
Smoke point.
"Every type of cooking oil has a different smoke point, which is the temperature at which an oil begins to smoke," holistic nutritionist Kelly LeVeque previously told mbg. "Heating an oil beyond its smoke point causes it to oxidize, resulting in the release of harmful free radicals and other compounds."
In other words, regardless of the nutritional value at baseline, when an oil is heated beyond its smoke point, its benefits are compromised. Based on the smoke points below, olive oil is best for low-heat foods, but avocado oil get a little steamier.
- Olive oil: 325 to 375°F
- Avocado oil: 480 to 520°F
Healthy fats.
Fat content is generally where one oil would beat out another in terms of health, but that's not the case here. Both olive oil and avocado oil are high in healthy monounsaturated fats, with only slight, nonsignificant differences.
They're also both low in polyunsaturated fats, which can become stored in the body over time, leading to inflammation, family physician and New York Times bestselling author Cate Shanahan, M.D., said in a mindbodygreen podcast episode.
The best ways to use them.
Because of the smoke point, avocado oil is better used for high-heat cooking. Things like baking, roasting, searing, and grilling would all work well with avocado oil. Whereas olive oil is best for drizzling on salads or pasta dishes, short sautés, or simply dipping bread into.
The bottom line.
Both olive oil and avocado oil contain similar levels of healthy versus unhealthy fats, but when it comes to their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant levels, olive oil may be slightly better for you. Just make sure you're buying the cold-pressed, unrefined, extra-virgin kind. And if you're cooking anything at higher than 375 degrees, opt for avocado oil.
