Vegetable Oil vs. Canola Oil: What is the Difference?

Canola oil can be used interchangeably in many recipes, including deep-frying, stir-frying, and baking. “Typically, both canola oil and vegetable oil have a mild, neutral, and light taste,”Meghan Merideth, RDN and LDN, co-founder Adventures in Food.

While the two oils are very similar in many ways, there are some subtle differences. “While they can be interchangeable in recipes, canola oil does have additional health benefits,”Angela Pateman, Marketing Lead for Wesson Oil.

What is vegetable oils?

“Vegetable oil is really a catch-all term for any plant-based oil. Vegetable oils can be just one plant-based oil or it can be a blend of several different plant-based oils which may include soybean, sunflower, canola, corn, cottonseed, and safflower,”Trebotich. However, the majority of commercial vegetable oils are made from soybean oil.

Soybean oil can be obtained by cracking soybeans and heating them up. After pressing, the oil is extracted and refined. The resulting oil can be called “light and neutral, which focuses the taste on the food rather than the oil,”Pateman. Vegetable oils have a medium-high smoke points and can be used for deep-frying, baking, grilling and roasting. They can also be used as a marinade, dressing, sauce or salad dressing.

What is canola?

The canola seed is pressed from the seeds of the canola tree, which is a type of rapeseed. It’s a member the mustard family. Although rapeseed oil can be made from the rapeseed plants, it is bitter tasting and high in erucic acids (which are believed to have adverse effects on health). “After years and years of crossbreeding different rapeseed plants, they were able to create plants that were much much lower in these compounds,”Trebotich. This new type of rapeseed is called the canola seed and is used in making canola oil.

“The neutral taste and high smoke point make canola the oil of choice for chefs worldwide,”Pateman. It can be used in the same manner as vegetable oil for baking, frying and grilling.

Are they interchangeable?

Trebotich and Pateman both agree that vegetable oil and canola can be interchangeably due to their mild flavors, light colors, and similar smoke points. In the final dish, you won’t notice any difference.

Smoke point

The smoke point refers to the temperature at which oil begins to emit visible smoke. Oils with high smoke levels can be used to cook high-heat dishes like stir-frying or frying, but without creating smoke in your kitchen.

Depending on the way it is processed, canola oils have a smoke temperature of 400° Fahrenheit to 425° Fahrenheit. Depending on the type of oil used, vegetable oil may have a smoke temperature of 425° Fahrenheit to 46° Fahrenheit. Their smoke points are above most home cooking temperatures—for example, most deep-frying is done at around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. These oils can be used in a variety of cooking techniques.

Flavor

Both vegetable oil and canola oil have a neutral, mild flavor. The vegetable oil mixture can make the flavor slightly different. “For instance, if the vegetable oil is blended with corn oil it may have a darker color and richer flavor.”Soybean oil is the most popular vegetable oil. It’s mild in color and lighter than canola oil.

If you don’t like the taste of oil, use vegetable oil or canola oil. They will let the other ingredients shine through because of their neutral flavor.

Nutrition

“Nutritionally, canola oil and vegetable oil are very similar,”Trebotich. Both oils provide 120 calories per tablespoon and are low in trans fat. Although both oils are low in saturated fat, canola has just one gram per teaspoon.

“You want to choose oils that are lower in saturated and trans fats and higher in unsaturated fats, since unsaturated fats have been proven to have a much more positive impact on your health including improvements in cell function and overall heart health,”Trebotich. Trebotich: This is why you’ll often see them. “heart-healthy”The front of the canola oil bottles will bear the stamp.

“Canola oil has the lowest saturated fat and high monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat (good fats) compared to other vegetable oils and is incredibly versatile in the kitchen,”Pateman.

Insider’s Takeaway

Canola oil is very similar to vegetable oil. Both oils have neutral flavors and a high smoke point. This makes them ideal for many cooking styles. Canola oil has a slightly lower saturated fat level than vegetable oil. It is possible to swap between the two oils in recipes without making a noticeable difference.