Canola Oil vs. Vegetable Oil: Which Is Healthier?

Quick! You are standing at the stove ready to cook dinner and are faced with an oil dilemma: Do you reach for canola oil or vegetable oil? They're both plant-based, have a similar color and consistency, and feature a neutral flavor. But are they comparable when it comes to nutrition?

What Is the Difference Between Canola Oil and Vegetable Oil?

Canola oil and vegetable oil are two common cooking and baking staples. Next time you plan to cook something on your stove or whip up a batch of brownies, consider the ways these two options can affect the nutritional profile of your dish.

Canola Oil

Canola oil comes from the seeds of the canola plant. Its neutral flavor makes it a versatile ingredient, and it has a medium-high smoke point compared with other oils , which means it's a good choice when sautéing a stir-fry or roasting in the oven.

Smoke point is important as it indicates how high you can heat the oil before it starts to lose nutrients and produce toxic chemicals.

If an oil starts smoking while you're cooking, dispose of it and start over.

Canola oil primarily contains unsaturated fat , which can help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and inflammation.

It's a good source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which can help lower levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.

One study showed that canola oil improved cardiometabolic risk factors when compared with other common oils such as olive oil.

One of the polyunsaturated fats found in canola oil is called linolenic acid. "Research shows that it can help to decrease total cholesterol and atherogenic cholesterol, especially when replacing a high saturated fat oil," says Michelle Routhenstein, RD , a New York City–based preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished.com.

While canola oil contains saturated fat (which can increase heart disease risk and contribute to weight gain), its level, at 7 percent, is the lowest among common cooking oils.

Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oil is a catchall term to describe this ingredient, which is a blend of many oils - canola, corn, cottonseed, olive, safflower, soybean, sesame, sunflower, or any other vegetable oil or combination of oils.

That means vegetable oil is highly processed and its nutritional content varies, Routhenstein says. It's mainly made up of polyunsaturated fat, which is a "good" fat.

But it also has a higher saturated fat content than canola oil because the oils that may be included have higher saturated fat, such as 15 percent for soybean oil, 14 percent for sunflower, and 13 percent for corn.

David Kahana, MD , a board-certified doctor in medical nutrition and a formulator for 1MD Nutrition in Los Angeles, says too much vegetable oil can promote inflammation. The belief is that omega-6 fatty acids (which are higher in vegetable oil than canola oil) can alter cell behavior and harm cells in the heart and blood vessels when consumed in excess, though that's been debated by researchers.

For instance, a review found that linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) consumption decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease for healthy individuals.

But another review published in September 2018 in Open Heart found it promotes oxidative stress and inflammation, and may contribute to coronary heart disease.

The consensus seems to be that it's best to limit intake to less than 10 percent of daily calories (200 calories if you're on a standard 2,000-calorie daily diet) and avoid consuming it in larger amounts.

Nutrition Facts: Canola Oil vs. Vegetable Oil

Here's a closer look at the nutrients in 1 tablespoon (tbsp) of canola oil and vegetable oil.

Canola Oil (1 tbsp) Vegetable Oil (1 tbsp) Calories 124 124 Fat 14 grams (g) 14 g Protein 0 g 0 g Carbohydrates 0 g 0 g Fiber 0 g 0 g

As you can see, the main nutrition measurements for canola and vegetable oil are identical. But in the context of their health impact, that doesn't mean they're equals.

The Takeaway: Is Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil Healthier?

Canola oil has a slight edge over vegetable oil, but neither is perfect. Although oils are a staple in many recipes, consider limiting them in your diet because they are highly processed and calorie dense. If you can afford it, one healthier choice is extra-virgin olive oil.

Tips on Adding Canola Oil to Your Healthy Diet

That said, if you wish to use canola oil, Routhenstein has these suggestions for incorporating this neutral-tasting oil:

• Add it to the pan while cooking your meals and sides on the stove.
• Stir it into salad dressing as an alternative to bottled dressings, many of which can contain added sugar and excess sodium.
• Use it as a base for marinades as a potentially healthier option than packaged varieties.
• Drizzle it over dishes such as cooked vegetables for extra fat.

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Sources

1. Canola Oil. Canola Council of Canada .
2. Choosing and Using Cooking Oils: What to Use and When. Cleveland Clinic . January 17, 2023.
3. Cooking With Fats and Oils: Can They Withstand the Heat. Colorado State University . April 2019.
4. Polyunsaturated Fats. American Heart Association . October 25, 2023.
5. Amiri M et al. The Effects of Canola Oil on Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis With Dose-Response Analysis of Controlled Clinical Trials. Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases . November 2020.
6. Froyen E et al. The Effects of Linoleic Acid Consumption on Lipid Risk Markers for Cardiovascular Disease in Healthy Individuals: A Review of Human Intervention Trials. Nutrients . August 2020.
7. Facts About Saturated Fats. MedlinePlus . June 22, 2022.
8. Vegetable Oil Commodity Fact Sheet. U.S. Agency for International Development .
9. Omega-6 Fatty Acids. MedlinePlus . February 8, 2022.
10. DiNicolantonio JJ et al. Omega-6 Vegetable Oils as a Driver of Coronary Heart Disease: The Oxidized Linoleic Acid Hypothesis. Open Heart . September 2018.
11. Oil, Canola. U.S. Department of Agriculture . April 1, 2019.
12. Vegetable Oil, NFS. U.S. Department of Agriculture . October 30, 2020.