Substitutions
Pressed olive oil that has been refined and usually blended with a little virgin oil, giving a mild flavour and a smoke point around 400-465°F (200-240°C).
What it does in a recipe: Everyday cooking fat with light olive character and enough heat tolerance for sautéing, roasting and shallow frying. Pick the swap that covers that job - the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Pure olive oil, Light olive oil, Refined olive oil
Quick answer
Avocado oil
1 cup olive oil = 1 cup avocado oilAll substitutes, best first
1 cup olive oil = 1 cup avocado oilA monounsaturated oil with a similar mouthfeel and an even higher smoke point, so it handles every job olive oil does.
Trade-offMilder and slightly buttery. In a vinaigrette where olive oil was the flavour, the dressing loses its backbone.
1 cup olive oil = 1 cup canola, sunflower or grapeseed oilEqual fat by volume with a comparable smoke point, so heat transfer and browning behave the same.
Trade-offCompletely flavourless, which is an advantage in a cake and a real loss in anything Mediterranean where olive oil is part of the seasoning.
1 cup olive oil = 1 cup extra-virgin olive oilThe same oil at an earlier stage of processing, so it is identical as a fat and differs only in flavour and heat tolerance.
MethodKeep the pan below a hard smoke. Extra-virgin oil starts breaking down around 350-410°F (175-210°C) depending on quality, lower than refined olive oil.
Trade-offPeppery and grassy, sometimes bitter when heated hard. Wonderful in a dressing, distracting in a plain cake.
1 cup olive oil = 1 1/4 cups melted butterButter is around 80-85% fat, so a quarter more of it supplies the fat that a cup of oil would have.
Trade-offRicher and better for browning, but the milk solids burn well below olive oil's smoke point, so it is unsuitable for high-heat searing or frying.
Allergen checkButter brings dairy into a dish that did not have it. For anyone avoiding milk, stay with the oil.
The bottle labelled simply olive oil or pure olive oil is refined and has a higher smoke point than extra-virgin. It is the right choice for roasting and frying, and a waste of money for a finishing drizzle.
At a glance
| Category | Fats & oils |
|---|---|
| Job in a recipe | Everyday cooking fat with light olive character and enough heat tolerance for sautéing, roasting and shallow frying |
| Suits | Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free, Alcohol-free |
| Swaps available for | Alcohol-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeGluten-freeNut-freeSoy-freeVeganVegetarian |
| Number of substitutes | 4 |
Questions
1 cup olive oil = 1 cup avocado oil. A monounsaturated oil with a similar mouthfeel and an even higher smoke point, so it handles every job olive oil does. Milder and slightly buttery. In a vinaigrette where olive oil was the flavour, the dressing loses its backbone.
1 cup olive oil = 1 cup canola, sunflower or grapeseed oil. Equal fat by volume with a comparable smoke point, so heat transfer and browning behave the same. Completely flavourless, which is an advantage in a cake and a real loss in anything Mediterranean where olive oil is part of the seasoning.
1 cup olive oil = 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil. The same oil at an earlier stage of processing, so it is identical as a fat and differs only in flavour and heat tolerance. Peppery and grassy, sometimes bitter when heated hard. Wonderful in a dressing, distracting in a plain cake.
1 cup olive oil = 1 1/4 cups melted butter. Butter is around 80-85% fat, so a quarter more of it supplies the fat that a cup of oil would have. Richer and better for browning, but the milk solids burn well below olive oil's smoke point, so it is unsuitable for high-heat searing or frying.
Related
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter - confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.