What's the Best Oil for Frying? Here's How to Choose the Right One (2024)

One in particular makes the crispiest fried chicken.

By Cory Fernandez
What's the Best Oil for Frying? Here's How to Choose the Right One (1)

Is there anything better than fried foods? From beer-battered fish to a basket of French fries, it's hard to beat something crispy and golden fresh from the fryer. But if you're planning to whip up Ree Drummond's chicken fried steak anytime soon, you may be wondering—what's the best oil for frying? The truth is that it depends on what you're frying and how you're frying it. If you're not sure which oil to pick, keep reading. We've rounded up everything you need to know about the best oil for frying.

You can find numerous types of oil on supermarket shelves. You'll always spot neutral oils like canola and vegetable and flavorful oils such as extra-virgin olive oil, but these days, specialty oils are easy to find too. From grapeseed and coconut oils to avocado and sunflower oils, there's plenty to choose from! But knowing which of these is best for frying comes down to two major factors: flavor and smoke point. Smoke point refers to the point at which an oil burns. That means, if you're frying chicken at 365 degrees, you'll need to use an oil that surpasses that smoke point. Take a look at the oils below before you fry up your next batch.

1

Vegetable Oil: Best All-Purpose Oil for Frying

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Think of vegetable oil as a multipurpose oil. It's great for all different methods of frying and all kinds of foods like breaded chicken and fries. Typically a blend of oils, it has a high smoke point of 400 to 450 degrees, and it has a pretty neutral flavor, which deepens the flavor of the food.

SHOP DEEP FRYERS

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Peanut Oil: Best Oil for Deep-Frying

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Peanut oil is similar to vegetable oil in that it is great for a lot of different uses and has a high smoke point of about 450 degrees. Peanut oil is a particularly popular choice for deep-frying. If you're making a deep-fried dish that calls for vegetable oil and you're running low, peanut oil would be a great substitute.

3

Corn Oil: Best All-Purpose Oil for Frying

What's the Best Oil for Frying? Here's How to Choose the Right One (4)

Corn oil is a kind of vegetable oil—and it has a high smoke point like most other vegetable oils (around 450 degrees). It's good for deep-frying or shallow-frying in a skillet. Additionally, corn oil is inexpensive and is a relatively neutral-flavored oil, so it doesn't impart flavor to dishes in the same way olive oil would.

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4

Olive Oil: Best Oil for Pan-Frying

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Chances are you probably have a bottle of olive oil at home right now. Olive oil is a great go-to oil for most shallow-frying needs. It has a lower smoke point than some of the other oils (around 375 degrees) so it's better suited for things like sautéing vegetables or pan-frying thin cuts of meat. Keep in mind that it's not neutral-tasting—it will add some flavor to your dishes.

5

Canola Oil: Best All-Purpose Oil for Frying

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Canola oil is an incredibly versatile neutral-flavored cooking oil. It's great for all different kinds of frying methods, but it is also a good choice for roasting vegetables or making dressing. At about 400 degrees, the smoke point of canola oil is fine for deep-frying—a lot of deep-fried foods need an oil temperature of 325 to 375 degrees.

SHOP DUTCH OVENS

6

Coconut Oil: Best Oil for Sautéing

What's the Best Oil for Frying? Here's How to Choose the Right One (7)

Coconut oil is a good option for sautéing vegetables and even light pan-frying. It's not ideal for deep-frying though: Coconut oil has a smoke point of 350 to 400 degrees. Keep in mind that refined coconut oil generally has a higher smoke point than unrefined coconut oil.

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What's the Best Oil for Frying? Here's How to Choose the Right One (2024)

FAQs

What's the Best Oil for Frying? Here's How to Choose the Right One? ›

The healthiest oil to cook with is olive oil. It's versatile, being used in everything from frying to finishing. It's also rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, and polyphenols, all of which have shown protective effects against cancer and liver, heart, and neurodegenerative diseases (27, 28).

What is the healthiest oil for frying? ›

The healthiest oil to cook with is olive oil. It's versatile, being used in everything from frying to finishing. It's also rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, and polyphenols, all of which have shown protective effects against cancer and liver, heart, and neurodegenerative diseases (27, 28).

What is the absolute best oil to cook with? ›

5 Healthy Cooking Oils and How to Use Them
  • Olive Oil. Experts agree extra-virgin olive oil is one of the healthiest oils around. ...
  • Avocado Oil. Avocado oil is ideal for cooking, sautéing, broiling and stir-frying, says Hartnett. ...
  • Flaxseed Oil. ...
  • Sesame Oil. ...
  • Canola Oil.
Sep 25, 2023

What oil should you not use for deep-frying? ›

Flaxseed, Walnut, and Sesame Oil: These oils are not recommended for deep frying in a commercial deep fryer.

What is the best oil to use for frying? ›

Canola oil is a neutral oil that's cheap to buy in bulk, so this is a go-to for many chefs when deep-frying for a crowd. It has a high smoke point, and it works well for deep- and shallow-frying dishes.

What is the most unhealthy oil to fry in? ›

The oils which should be avoided for cooking are oils like soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, and safflower. These oils have unstable fats and will decimate the nutritional properties of your food. Oh, and they'll give you a big fat health risk in the meantime.

What oil does McDonald's use? ›

Once in our kitchens, we cook them in our canola-blend oil so you can have them crispy and hot—just the way you like them. Want to hear more about our fry ingredients? Get the down low on how we flavor our fries.

What is the number one best cooking oil? ›

Virgin olive oils, including extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), are considered the highest in quality, as they're unrefined and more concentrated in protective compounds, such as vitamin E and polyphenols, compared to refined olive oil.

What oil do Chinese chefs use? ›

Chinese cooks normally use soybean oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil, all of which have a high smoke point. Peanut oil usually has a pleasant nutty flavor and is suitable not only for stir-frying but also for deep-frying. Canola oil, which has a high smoke point but a neutral flavor, is also a good choice.

What oil do professional chefs use? ›

Grapeseed oil is light green in color and prized by restaurant chefs for its high smoke point (420°)—but also for its clean, plays-well-with-others taste. It's often used in vinaigrettes because it's less expensive than EVOO and allows other ingredients (like specialty oils or herbs) to shine through.

What oil do restaurants use to deep fry? ›

The most common type of oil that restaurants use for deep frying is canola oil. Many chefs favor using canola oil due to its low prices in bulk, polyunsaturated fat and high smoke point of 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why is olive oil bad for deep frying? ›

Olive oil and light tasting olive oil have a higher smoke point of up to 468 °F.) In fact, more and more research is dispelling the notion that you can't use olive oil for higher temperature cooking like frying. In his recent book, "Cook, Taste, Learn," Guy Crosby, Ph.

What oil is best for frying chicken? ›

Canola Oil

Benefits: With a high smoke point and neutral flavor, canola oil is excellent for frying chicken. As an added bonus, it has high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which makes it healthier than other options.

What oil do KFC use? ›

KFC products are fried in oil which may contain the following: Canola Oil and Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, an Antifoaming Agent Added OR Low Linolenic Soybean Oil, TBHQ, and Citric Ac...

What is the healthiest frying oil? ›

Avocado oil contains large quantities of Omega-9 and Omega-3 fatty acids and is particularly high in oleic acid. Unsaturated fatty acids like these have been shown to lower bad cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. This makes avocado oil the healthiest choice when frying.

Which frying oil last longer? ›

The best oils for frying tend to be those high in saturated fats, such as peanut oil, vegetable shortening, or lard. They'll not only have the longest lifespan, but they'll also produce the crispest results.

Which oil is best for heart and cholesterol? ›

Oils for Healthy Cholesterol Levels

Sesame oil is cholesterol-free but has a lower smoke point than other oils. It is an oil best for cholesterol. It also has a balanced fat content, with 2 g of saturated fat and nearly 5 g of monounsaturated fat per tablespoon.

What's the best cooking oil for your heart? ›

Olive oil is one of the healthiest options when considering which oil is best for a heart patient.

Is frying in olive oil healthy? ›

Olive Oil is a Healthy Frying Opton

Olive oil has been named “the healthiest fat on Earth,” in part because of its unique ability to reduce the risk of heart disease. If you want to keep fried foods a part of the rotation, make sure to use a good fat, such as a high-quality olive oil.

What is the healthiest way to fry food? ›

Use air fryers. Air fryers are a great way to make fried food healthier. Air fryers use hot air to cook food, so they don't require oil. This means that air-fried food is lower in fat and calories than traditional fried food.

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