Coconut Oil vs Olive Oil

Coconut oil vs olive oil: which is healthier? Can you substitute one for the other? Here’s what to know about these cooking oils.

Coconut Oil Vs Olive Oil: Overview

Olive oil is a heart-healthy cooking oil that I recommend using as your primary cooking oil (especially since I’m an expert in Mediterranean diet recipes). But coconut oil is a great backup oil that’s especially suited for vegan baking. Here’s a quick background:

• Olive oil is oil that’s extracted from olives, and this Mediterranean food is one of the healthiest cooking oils in the world. The uses for olive oil in cooking are endless: you can use it for sautéing and roasting vegetables, making marinades, drizzling on raw vegetables, or making salad dressings. It can be used in baked recipes, but it does have a strong fruity flavor (I like this olive oil banana bread).
• Unrefined coconut oil or virgin coconut oil comes from fresh coconut meat that is cold pressed. It has a strong coconut flavor and you can heat it up to 350°F. It’s good for recipes where you want a coconut flavor, like granola or banana bread.
• Refined coconut oil  Refined coconut oil comes from dried coconut meat that goes through a refining process to make it more suitable for cooking. As a result, refined coconut oil has a neutral flavor, meaning you can use it as a substitute for butter in vegan baking without making the recipe taste like coconut. It also has a higher smoke point of 400–450°F, so it’s great for high-heat sautéing and baking. Because coconut oil is solid at room temperature, it’s not used for salad dressings or drizzling.

Which Oil Is Healthier?

Both the New York Times and Harvard Medical School agree: there’s a clear winner. Here’s what to know:

• Olive oil is healthier than coconut oil. Why? Coconut oil has 6 times the amount of saturated fat as olive oil. High saturated fat has been linked to increased levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL), which can increase the risk of heart disease. Olive oil has “good” fats or monounsaturated fats, which can have a beneficial effect on your heart when eaten in moderation. So olive oil is heart healthy; coconut oil is not.
• Can you still use coconut oil? Yes! Coconut oil is essentially equivalent to other cooking oils: it may even have advantages over butter (source). But there is currently not enough data on coconut oil to support its use as a primary fat in our diets (source).

Can You Substitute Coconut Oil For Olive Oil?

You can! Here are my tips:

• In baking: You can swap coconut oil for olive oil, and vice versa in a 1:1 ratio. Melt the coconut oil first and let it cool a bit: this is so that it doesn’t clump up into solid chunks when it’s mixed with cold ingredients like milk. Keep flavor in mind: extra virgin olive oil is fruity and a little peppery, if you’re using it in place of coconut oil in baking. I like looking for a light-tasting olive oil (it’s often marked on the bottle).
• For sautéing and roasting: Either one works for sautéing and roasting at medium to medium-high heat.
• For dressings: Use with olive oil here. Coconut oil turns solid at temperatures below 76°F, so it will become solid in refrigerated dressings or salads.

For me, olive oil is my everyday oil I use in just about everything, and I use coconut oil for vegan baking.

Olive Oil Recipes

• Baked Salmon
• Pan Fried Broccoli
• Ultimate Sauteed Vegetables
• Pan Fried Potatoes or Roasted Potatoes
• How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing or Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Healthy Banana Bread with Olive Oil
• Blueberry Tart with Olive Oil Crust
• Fudgy Olive Oil Brownies

Coconut Oil Recipes

• Coconut Oil Peanut Butter Cookies
• Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
• Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Apple Coconut Oil Muffins
• Coconut Oil Cornbread
• Coconut Oil Pie Crust
• Classic Vegan Apple Pie
• Coconut Oil Chocolate Cake