Discover the best olive oil substitute and other alternatives for your cooking needs in this helpful guide.
Key Takeaways:
Olive oil is loved for its great taste, versatility, and health benefits. Many people drizzle olive oil on salads or use it for sautéing or baking. It’s also a key part of Mediterranean cooking and is known for its heart-healthy fats and antioxidants!
But sometimes, we need substitutes for olive oil when we prefer a milder flavor, need an oil with a higher smoke point, or simply run out. If you’re looking for an alternative, there are plenty of options to explore, including algae oil from Algae Cooking Club, which offers a unique, healthy substitute.
We’ll highlight the best substitutes for olive oil below and how they may be used in different recipes.
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from pressing whole olives, the fruit of the olive tree, primarily found in the Mediterranean region. It is widely used in cooking, whether for sautéing, light or shallow frying or as a dressing for salads and dishes.
There are different types of olive oils, including extra virgin, virgin, and refined — and each varies in flavor, quality, and best uses — with extra virgin olive oil being the least processed and most flavorful.
Besides its rich flavor, olive oil is popular for its health benefits, especially its high content of monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. It contains at least 36 different phenolic compounds, with tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol being the most notable.
These compounds have powerful antioxidant properties, which help lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation, slow tumor growth, and even prevent some allergic reactions and heart disease ❶.
If you're looking for the best substitute for olive oil, algae oil is a great choice. Both oils are rich in heart-healthy fats, but algae oil has even more oleic acid than olive oil. Alage oil contains about 93% oleic acid, while olive oil typically contains about 55-83% oleic acid depending on the variety and quality.
In addition to its heart-healthy fats, algae oil has a much higher smoke point and a neutral flavor and is generally considered more sustainable compared to traditional oils.
As a rich source of this healthy fat, algae oil has positive effects on cholesterol levels, specifically its ability to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Research has shown that oleic acid can reduce the activity of enzymes involved in lipogenesis (the process of converting excess carbohydrates and proteins into fatty acids, which are then stored as fat) and cholesterologenesis (the process of cholesterol synthesis) ❷.
While olive oil is known for its oleic acid content, algae oil offers even more of it in each serving.
Algae oil is a better choice for cooking at high temperatures. This means it can handle higher heat without breaking down or creating harmful substances.
Algae Cooking Club’s algae oil has an impressive smoke point of 535°F so that home cooks and chefs can achieve richer flavors and textures without the risk of burning or imparting off flavors to dishes.
This high smoke point is approximately 125°F higher than that of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Olive oil can burn and lose its flavor and health benefits when heated too much.
While olive oil has a distinct, fruity taste that can enhance the flavor of certain foods, it may not work well in every recipe. For example, it can overpower delicate dishes, such as light salads or seafood, where a more neutral oil might be more suitable.
On the other hand, algae oil's mild taste allows it to blend seamlessly into a wide range of cuisines — American, Mediterranean, Asian, Mexican Cuisine, and more — without overpowering other ingredients. It is an excellent choice for baking as well since it keeps baked goods moist and tasty without changing the flavor of cakes, muffins, and breads.
Algae oil is seen as more sustainable than olive oil for several reasons. First, algae grow quickly and can produce oil in a much shorter time than olive trees, which take years to mature. This fast growth means that algae can provide more oil from less land.
Additionally, algae can be grown in different environments, like saltwater or areas that aren’t good for farming, which helps save valuable land and freshwater. Algae farming can also help absorb carbon dioxide, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In contrast, growing olives often requires a lot of water and land, which can harm local ecosystems.
While algae is the best olive oil substitute, several other oils can be good substitutes, too:
Each of these alternatives offers unique qualities that can enhance your dishes in different ways!
Related Article: Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Differences & Alternatives
There are plenty of great substitutes to choose from when you need an alternative to olive oil. Algae oil, however, is a top alternative — thanks to its heart-healthy fats, high smoke point, neutral flavor, and sustainability.
If you're looking to incorporate algae oil into your cooking, be sure to check out Algae Cooking Club. We also offer a diverse array of delicious dishes in our recipe section to showcase the versatility of algae oil.
Tiffany Joy Yamut is a registered nurse with a focus on health and wellness. With over 10 years of writing experience, she combines her expertise in diet and nutrition coaching to help others adopt healthier lifestyles through balanced eating habits. A foodie at heart, Tiffany believes that food is essential to feeling your best.
