SaurabhPeanut oil is hailed as one of the best oils for deep frying due to its high smoke point. It is also one of the few oils that smell and taste great, which makes your cooking taste even better. But not everyone has access to peanut oil.
This oil is rich in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Therefore, it may help lower risks for heart disease, improve insulin sensitivity, aid in weight loss, stop cancer, and much more. When used topically, it can help with skin disorders such as eczema, scalp crusting, etc.
Despite these benefits, peanut oil is not safe for everyone, especially for those who have peanut allergies. It may cause anaphylaxis which is dangerous and can be deadly. Inflammation is also a concern because of its high omega-6 content. It is also prone to oxidation, which may boost the risk of some diseases.
Peanut oil has a high smoke point of 437°F (225° C). This is why it is most commonly used in frying food.
Maybe your local grocery store is out of peanut oil. Maybe you’re just allergic to peanuts. Either way, you need a peanut oil substitute. That’s why this article sums up all the possible cooking oil replacement options you can ever hope for.
The best peanut oil substitutes include canola oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, refined olive oil, corn oil, almond oil, or some of the following substitutes.
You can use the next replacements for deep frying, sautéing, making confits, and basically every other culinary use for cooking oil. That said, let’s help you find a great substitute for peanut oil.
Best Peanut Oil Substitutes
Peanut oil, also known as groundnut oil, is derived from the edible seeds of the peanut plant.
Peanut oil has many potential health benefits. However, some experts have also issued warnings against its use due to its potential side effects. They advise using alternative types instead.
If you’re trying to cut out peanut oil from your diet, perhaps you don’t want to risk your peanut allergy or peanuts making you break out, there are alternatives available.
1. Canola Oil
Widely available and inexpensive, canola oil is a great substitute for peanut oil. It has a neutral flavor, making it a good option for salad dressing.
The smoke point of canola oil is around 400º F, which is slightly lower than peanut oil but still high enough to use for deep frying or stir-frying.
2. Safflower Oil
Made from the seeds of the safflower plant, refined safflower oil has a very high smoke point (510º F) and almost no detectable flavor.
It’s a good oil for deep-frying or high heat cooking. However, It is usually more expensive than peanut oil.
3. Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is easy to find in stores and fairly affordable. It has a neutral flavor, making it a good option for most recipes. Its smoke point is around 440º F.
4. Refined, Light, Or Blended Olive Oil
Light, also known as refined or blended olive oil, is different than extra virgin olive oil. Refined olive oil undergoes additional processing that usually involves high heat and/or chemicals that diminish the flavor and odor of the olive oil.
Sometimes, extra virgin olive oil is blended back in to add flavor. You can also find a refined olive oil that is blended with canola or other vegetable oils.
The neutral flavor and fairly high smoke point (around 460º F) of light olive oil can make refined/light olive oil a fine substitute for peanut oil.
5. Corn Oil
Cheap and easy to find, corn oil is also a good alternative to peanut oil. The flavor is neutral. It can be used with high heat and the smoke point is the same as peanut oil (450º F).
6. Almond Oil
This is a pricier alternative, but it is by far a much healthier choice compared to other oils on this list. It contains healthy fats that lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.
Almond oil is available in two varieties: cold-pressed and refined. Cold-pressed is perfect for dressings and sauces whereas refined is best suited for frying.
You’ll love the nutty flavor that this edible oil will bring to your dishes.
7. Grapeseed Oil
Due to this being an expensive oil, I would recommend substituting this for dishes that require a little bit of oil. You’ll normally see this as the oil of choice in chefs’ kitchens due to its clean taste.
It’s versatile and can be used in a multitude of cooking techniques and because of its clean taste, it can also be used as a more affordable alternative for olive oil to drizzle on salads.
8. Walnut Oil
Again, as noted on the tin, this oil is extracted from walnuts. Like almond oil, this is an expensive substitute for peanut oil but is perfect for dressings.
This oil has a rich texture and bold flavor that makes a fantastic addition to flavoring fish, chicken, and steak. It also works wonderfully in baking recipes where you are wanting to enhance more of a nutty flavor.
Just be careful when heating walnut oil as it can easily become bitter, which is not ideal for cooking! For this reason, I recommend using this for dishes that have already been cooked or that don’t require any cooking at all.
9. Vegetable Oil
If you’re worried about your budget and want a cheap alternative to peanut oil, then vegetable oil is a great option for you. Just take note that you will need to choose one wisely because it is not the healthiest oil available.
Vegetable oil is usually a general classification used to categorize certain oils. However, it is often a mix or a blend of different types of oils combined. It is a generic oil, usually, an inexpensive option, used for all kinds of cooking.
The issue with this though is the difficulty of knowing the exact ingredients used in developing the oil, such as which types of plants were used to extract the oil and how they were processed.
And because of this, the amount of saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and monounsaturated fat varies a lot depending on which oils were included in the blend.
Some people say that vegetable oil is not a healthy option.
If you prefer to use it though, just make sure that you check the level of saturated fat stated on the nutrition label on the back of the packaging. Anything more than 20 grams of saturated fat per 100 grams should be avoided.
You can make this your default oil because vegetable oil is inexpensive.
It also has a high smoke point of 450° F, it is best used for stir-frying and deep-frying food, such as fried chicken. It is likewise a standard oil in a lot of pro kitchens because it is almost flavorless.
10. Sesame Oil
This is the best peanut oil substitute when it comes to flavor. It is particularly good when used in Asian-style cuisine. Great for sautéing, deep-frying, or stir-frying, sesame oil offers a mildly nutty flavor, similar to peanut oil.
As it often brings a livelier flavor, toasted sesame oil is not the best peanut oil substitute. Instead, go for the regular kind, as subtlety is key. Like peanut oil, sesame oil has a high smoke point – around 210ºC/410ºF – so it’s very heat stable.
11. Soybean Oil
If you like neutral-tasting oil as a substitute for peanut oil, then soybean oil is a good choice. Soybean oil is a famous form of vegetable oil that’s extracted from soybean seeds. Its color is either a dark yellow or faint green.
Compared to most vegetable oils, soybean oil is known to be healthier because it has a high load of essential fatty acids such as omega 3, stearic acid, and oleic acid. Omega-3 is known to decrease harmful levels of cholesterol and lessen the chance of inflammation.
The smoke point of refined soybean oil is similar to peanut oil, which is 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Its high smoke point makes soybean oil perfect for deep frying, sauteing, and baking. Due to its neutral flavor, this oil may be too light for salad dressings.
To substitute soybean oil for peanut oil, use equal amounts as required by a recipe.
If a recipe asks for one cup of peanut oil, substitute one cup of soybean oil. When using this oil, make sure that you have no soy allergy, or else you’ll end up with serious allergic reactions.
12. Avocado Oil
This oil can be a good alternative to peanut oil because of its high amount of monounsaturated fats and high smoke point.
Avocado is rich in oleic acid. And oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat that, according to a study, lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering bad cholesterol in the body. The lutein found in avocado oil e essential for good eye health.
Compared to other vegetable oil, this oil has the highest smoke point at 520 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes avocado oil perfect for all-purpose cooking, especially deep frying. Similar to peanut oil, avocado oil imparts a nutty flavor to your food, so it can also be great for drizzling.
Not only does avocado oil fight free radical damage in your food, but it also resists free radical damage in your body. Compared to olive oil, avocado oil has more vitamin E, and triple the number of carotenoids that help fight cancer.
When added to a fresh salad of spinach, carrots, or lettuce, the absorption of carotenoids is increased by 200-400%.
Peanut Oil Substitute For Deep-Frying
The best peanut oil substitutes for deep-frying include canola oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, refined olive oil, corn oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, walnut oil, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, and avocado oil.
Peanut Oil Substitute For Deep Frying Turkey
Oils like safflower, soybean, sesame seed, grapeseed, canola, olive, corn, sunflower, and peanut oil all have a high smoke point and are therefore safe for deep-frying. Roasting a turkey can take hours, so if you want a quicker option, you can deep-fry the turkey in oil instead.
Peanut Oil Substitute For Vegetable Oil
If you don’t have any vegetable oil on hand, you can substitute another neutral high-heat oil. Canola, safflower, peanut, or grapeseed oils are all great choices. Refined versions can reach even higher temperatures than unrefined ones.
Related Questions
Can Peanut Oil Substitute For Sesame Oil?
Peanut oil is a common substitute for sesame oil, especially for people with a sesame allergy. (However, if you have a peanut allergy, you may want to avoid this oil and try a different one instead.)
Can I Use Olive Oil In Place Of Peanut Oil?
Olive oil only works as a peanut oil substitute for stir-fries, shallow or pan-frying, and regular cooking. It isn’t a good idea to use olive oil for deep frying as it has a lower smoke point.
Can You Substitute Vegetable Oil For Peanut Oil?
You can use them interchangeably. The characteristics of peanut oil are similar to vegetable oil, making it a great substitute.
It’s particularly good for frying, thanks to its high smoking point. Contrary to its name, peanut oil does not taste like its namesake and is prized for its neutral flavor.
Summary
If you’re simply looking to match the cooking characteristics of peanut oil, there are a lot of good options that will fit the bill nicely.
When it comes to replicating the roasty, toasty, nutty flavor, and aroma of peanut oil, there’s nothing quite like it. Luckily, it is a fairly subtle flavor. And when used for high heat applications a good bit of that flavor is lost anyway.
If a recipe calls for peanut oil and you don’t have it, can’t find it, or just don’t want to spend the money on it, you can use a substitute and no one won’t know the difference. Lastly, if you think it makes sense for the dish, throw chopped peanuts on at the end to really cover your tracks.
