Canola Oil and Vegetable Oil: Which One is the Healthier Choice?

Whether you’re baking, roasting vegetables or roasting chicken, oil is a staple that you always need to have on hand. And if you’re a recipe follower, you’ve probably noticed that canola or vegetable oil is often requested. They may look and smell almost identical, but are they really that similar? And in the canola vs. vegetable oil health debate, who wins?

Both canola and vegetable oils are good choices for everything from baking cookies to frying fish, but there are some key differences in how they are used, their nutrition, and their potential health effects. To help you confidently choose the right oil for your needs, we’ve broken down the key differences, their health benefits, and any considerations to keep in mind the next time you’re in the oil aisle.

Read on, then check out these 10 top quality cooking oils on grocery shelves.

How canola and vegetable oil are made

One of the most obvious differences between canola and vegetable oil is where they come from and how they are produced.

Canola oil comes from the seeds of the canola plant, a plant that produces beautiful yellow flowers and pods filled with oily black seeds. Although canola plants were originally grown from canola, a crop used for industrial oil, rapeseed oil has its own distinct properties. To be classified as rapeseed oil, it must contain less than 2% erucic acid-a fatty acid linked to potential heart problems. Heat and chemical solvents are usually used to extract the oil from the seeds, although you can find “cold-pressed” canola oil that does not use heat in processing.

Vegetable oil can be extracted from any type of seed or plant, and many oils are classified as vegetable oils, such as canola, soybean, avocado, olive, sunflower, and more. When you buy an oil labeled as “vegetable oil”, it usually contains 100% soybean oil but can be combined with other vegetable oils. Oil is extracted from the soybeans with pressure, heat and chemical solvents. It is then highly refined to remove any impurities before it is safe to eat.

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Nutritional comparison of both oils

Here’s how the nutrition stats between rape against. vegetable oil (soybean oil) stack up, according to the USDA Nutritional Food Database:

Canola oil

Vegetable oil

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Health benefits of each oil

While canola oil and vegetable oil have similar calories and total amounts of fat per serving, you will find that canola oil has a fatty acid profile that is more beneficial for heart health and may offer more cardiovascular protective benefits. Vegetable oil is still low in saturated fat, has some heart-protective properties, and contains antioxidant-rich vitamins and minerals that support bone health.

Benefits of rapeseed oil

Canola oil contains a mixture of fats but is particularly high in monounsaturated fat (9 grams per tablespoon). According to a review from 2022 i Missouri medicinereplacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats is linked to better health outcomes, such as reduced body fat, lower body weight and improved insulin sensitivity.

Although research on canola oil’s specific effects on heart health and metabolism is inconclusive, a 2019 review in Advances in Nutrition found a small association between canola oil and modest weight loss. In contrast, other studies show mixed results in terms of clear benefits.

One tablespoon of rapeseed oil provides 16% of your daily value of vitamin Ean antioxidant that helps protect your cells from oxidative stress caused by fat oxidation in the body.

Benefits of vegetable oil

Vegetable oil, usually made from soybean oil, has a similar total fat content to canola oil but is higher in polyunsaturated fats (8 grams per tablespoon). This includes a small amount of ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid, and a larger portion of omega-6 fatty acids.

Despite previous concerns that omega-6 fatty acids may be inflammatory, a 2022 review in Nutrition found no clear evidence that omega-6 fats increase inflammation and oxidative stress. In fact, when used to replace saturated fats, omega-6s are linked to lower blood cholesterol levels. Soybean oil is also good source of plant sterolswhich can help reduce cholesterol levels even more.

One tablespoon of vegetable oil provides 21% of your daily value of vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin crucial for blood clotting and bone health. Vitamin K not only helps with bone calcification, but can also prevent calcification in unwanted places, like your arteries.

Are there any risks?

Although both canola and vegetable oils can offer some health benefits when used in moderation, there are a few reasons why you may want to limit how much you use in your cooking or choices in your store-bought foods.

Health considerations for canola oil

Like all fats, canola oil contributes 9 calories per gram, making it easy to eat more calories than your body needs if you’re not careful. Although it can help lower cholesterol when replacing saturated fat, too much fat in your diet—canola oil included—can potentially contribute to weight gain, heart disease and even some types of cancer.

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Vegetable oil benefits health

Although research is moving away from the idea that omega-6 fatty acids are intrinsic inflammatory, having too much of them compared to omega-3 may not be ideal. Balancing your intake of these fats by including more omega-3-rich foods may be a healthier approach.

Because vegetable oil (often made from soybeans) is highly refined, it is usually safe for people with soy allergiesbecause the refining process removes proteins. However, always check with your allergist to be sure. One thing to note is that phytoestrogens, compounds found in soybeans, can sometimes make their way into the oil. In large amounts, these can affect hormone levels. Animal studies suggest that excess soybean oil can indirectly increase testosteronebut how this applies to humans is not entirely clear yet.

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Taste and cooking properties

Both canola oil and vegetable oil have a neutral flavor and can be used for a variety of cooking and baking purposes without distracting from the other flavors used.

Cooking with rapeseed oil

Because canola oil has a very light, neutral taste, it can be used in everything from cakes and sweet bread to frying fish or roasting vegetables. It’s also a great option for things like marinades and dressings when you don’t want the flavor of the oil to overpower the other ingredients

Cooking with vegetable oil

Vegetable oil also has a neutral taste, as the refining process removes most of the nuttiness found in soy. Any flavors you can pick up are mild enough to blend into most dishes. Vegetable oil works well for baking, frying or roasting.

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Canola Oil vs. Vegetable Oil: Is One Healthier Than the Other?

Both canola and vegetable oils have their advantages over oils high in saturated fat, but they should still be used in moderation.

Canola oil is higher in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help fight inflammation, and it’s a better source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps reduce oxidative stress. This makes canola oil a strong choice for heart health and for managing inflammation.

On the other hand, vegetable oil is rich in plant sterols and vitamin K, which can help lower cholesterol and support bone health. If these are your primary goals, small amounts of vegetable oil may be the better option.

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