When it comes to air frying foods, some cooks reach for the closest vegetable oil in their kitchen cabinets. However, that particular cooking oil might not always be the right choice. Air fryers are designed to operate at high temperatures. For this reason, it’s best to use oil that has a high smoke point. This way, it won’t start burning once it reaches high temperatures. The smoke point of cooking oils varies significantly. If you’re not sure of what to purchase, we’ve got you covered! Check out the best oil for air fryers.
Top 5 Picks For The Best Oil To Use In an Air Fryer
The cooking oils we’ve reviewed here all have high smoke points. So, finding the ideal oil mainly depends on its nutritional properties and your preferred flavor. Check out the 5 best oils you can use to air-fry:
1. Betterbody Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil
The 100% Pure Avocado Oil comes highly recommended for air frying, and for a good reason. Usually, avocado oil has one of the highest smoke points ranging from 375° to 400°F. However, this particular oil is naturally refined, a process that allows it to reach a smoke point of up to 500°F.
The fact that it’s refined naturally also results in healthier cooking oil. It doesn’t have any GMO or gluten elements, making it the perfect addition to the paleo diet or Whole30 program.
Even though you’ll be using just a tiny amount of the oil, it has a pretty good flavor. This makes it suitable for air-frying as well as stir-frying, sautéing, baking, cooking, and more. You can also add a tiny amount of it when making sauces, dressings, and marinades.
Pros
- An all-purpose vegetable oil ideal for stir-frying and other cooking techniques
- An excellent source of monounsaturated fat
- Zero gluten and GMO ingredients
Cons
- Comes in a plastic bottle
2. Native Harvest Expeller Peanut Oil
This is another oil that’s reputable for its high smoke point, making it ideal for air-frying. The Native Harvest Expeller is formulated using 100% purely refined peanut oil. Thus, you don’t have to worry about unnecessary additives.
Instead, it’s rich in monounsaturated or ‘good’ fat and low in saturated or bad fat. In addition to the healthy fats, this oil is also chock full of antioxidants, vitamin E, and phytosterols.
Unlike most processed oils, the Native Harvest Expeller is manufactured using a cold-pressing technique. This results in an oil that is of higher quality and purity.
Another thing you’ll love about this oil entails its slight, nutty flavor. This makes it a superb complement for African and Asian recipes. Furthermore, the oil comes in a range of sizes, making it ideal for different consumers. Choose between 1,2,3,4,5,8 and 12-packs.
Pros
- Cold-pressed oil to improve quality and purity
- Available in multiple sizes.
- Slight nutty flavor ideal for African and Asian dishes
Cons
- Packaging made from PETE plastic
- Container not indicated as BPA-free
3. Pompeian Grapeseed Oil
Available in a light-green color, the Pompeian Grapeseed Oil is perfect for air-frying your favorite food. In fact, it’s one of the most prized vegetable oils by restaurant chefs due to its high smoke point of up to 420°F.
It also helps that this oil is manufactured by the Olive Oil People, which is a group of olive farmers and craftsmen, who have been in this industry since 1906. As such, you’re guaranteed that it’s of premium quality. To be specific, it’s formulated with grapes imported from France.
Pompeian Grapeseed Oil is rich in an array of nutrients. These include vitamin E, Omega 7, among other fatty acids. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that boosts your immune system, while omega 7 is really good for your heart health.
The cooking oil also has a light flavor, which won’t interfere with the taste of other ingredients. Plus, it can be used in other cooking techniques such as deep-frying, baking, and sautéing.
Pros
- Made using premium quality grapes
- Does not disrupt the flavor of other ingredients
- Rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids
Cons
- No lid to seal the bottle once you open it
- A bit on the pricey side
4. FLORA Organic Sunflower Oil
As strange as this might sound, it’s actually possible to extract high-quality cooking oil from the tiny sunflower seeds. A good case in point is the Organic Sunflower Oil manufactured by Flora.
This oil is backed by several certifications, including Kosher, non-GMO, and Gluten-Free. What this means is that its ingredients have been tested and found safe for human consumption.
The Organic sunflower oil comes in two bottle sizes: an 8.5-ounce and 17-ounce. We recommend the 17-ounce package as it provides greater value for your money.
Also, the oil is rich in a variety of nutrients. According to the manufacturer, it contains a significant amount of omega fatty acids, beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin K, and antioxidants.
Its rich nutrient profile can be attributed to the cold pressing method used for oil extraction. This entails grinding sunflower seeds using traditional presses. This helps in maintaining the peak nutritional value of this oil. In other words, the manufacturer does not apply any heat or utilize chemicals that could interfere with the oil’s integrity.
Also worth mentioning is the creative packaging of this sunflower oil. The manufacturer uses a technique known as nitrogen flushing. Since nitrogen does not react with other foods, it’s used in place of oxygen to improve preservation.
Pros
- Cold-pressed oil to improve quality and purity
- Rich in essential nutrients
- Has a slightly nutty flavor
- Every bottle is nitrogen flushed to increase its shelf life
- Available in different sizes
- Amber glass container
Cons
- The taste is a bit bitter
- Slightly expensive
5. Happy Belly Canola Oil
If you’ve been using just one type of oil for your air-fried dishes, you can switch things up using the Happy Belly Canola Oil.
Extracted from canola seeds, this oil is a fantastic choice due to its exceptional nutritional value. It’s rich in monounsaturated fat and low in unhealthy fats. In fact, it doesn’t contain any trans fats, which are known to increase one’s risk of heart disease and stroke.
Thanks to its high smoke point of about 400F, Happy Bella Oil is suitable for nearly all types of cooking. Whether you’re stir-frying, sauteing, or baking, this oil will come in handy. The best part is that it comes in a generous 128-fluid ounce bottle.
Pros
- Does not contain any trans fats or cholesterol
- Ideal for both frying and cooking
- Large capacity bottle
- A budget-buy
Cons
- Pouring from the 1-gallon container is tiring and a bit messy
Guide to Choosing the Best Oil for Air Fryer
The oil aisle can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re looking for one that’s suitable for air-frying. The easiest way to go about this is to focus on a few key points. These are:
Smoke Point
The smoke point is the temperature at which a given oil starts to burn or smoke. It reaches this level before attaining its boiling point.
When picking an oil for your air fryer, it’s advisable to go for one with a high smoke point. This is because heating oils beyond their smoke points, causes them to break down and lose their nutritional value. Let’s not forget that your food will likely end up with a burnt flavor.
Thankfully, there are several oils with high smoke points, such as:
Oil Smoking point (°F)
- Avocado oil 520
- Safflower oil 510
- Rice bran oil 490
- Refined/light olive oil 465
- Peanut oil 450
- Soybean oil 450
- Corn oil 450
- Refined coconut oil 450
Nutrition
You should also keep in mind that oils are calorie-rich fat. Although the majority are good sources of the ‘healthy fats’, mainly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, a few have considerable amounts of ‘bad’ fat.
This means that in addition to checking the smoke point, you should also pay attention to the nutrient label. Steer clear from processed oils high in unhealthy fats.
As is the case with air-frying, only use a tiny amount of oil when cooking. This helps you to further cut down on calories and fat intake.
Flavor
The flavors of different oils differ significantly. While some have a mild taste, others have more prominent flavors.
The latter can affect the taste of your dish, especially if used in large quantities. If you don’t want your air-fried meal to end up with a particular flavor, stick to neutral oils such as corn, safflower, or canola.
Conclusion
Air-frying is one of the most preferred cooking techniques. This is because it involves using little to no oil when cooking. However, there may be times when you have to add a reasonable amount of oil to prevent food from drying out or sticking on the air fryer.
In such instances, we recommend oils with high smoking points like avocado, sunflower, safflower, canola, grapeseed, among others. This way, the oil will be able to tolerate the high heat of air-frying. Cook your way to a healthy meal by investing in the best oil for air fryers.
As a personal recommendation, I’d say Happy Belly Canola Oil takes the top spot. It’s a versatile oil that goes easily with any type of cooking, has a high smoke point, and a remarkable nutritional profile. Bon Appetit!