Olive Oil vs. Avocado Oil

Dear Nutritionist,

Can you please help me understand why we use one and not the other?

Can we substitute Olive Oil? I ran out of Avocado Oil, after my amazing Brussel Sprout Caesar salad yesterday; used olive oil for dinner recipe.

Thanks!

Hi Kelly! Super great question – Both avocado oil and olive oil are excellent choices to incorporate into a healthy diet. They are very comparable, both containing similar levels of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. The main difference is in their smoke points – A smoke point is the temperature at which your cooking oil will stop shimmering and start smoking. Avocado oil has a higher smoke point temperature than olive oil and olive oil starts to break down and degrade at a lower temperature. Unrefined avocado oil has a smoke point of about 480°F, while extra-virgin olive oil hovers around 350°F. We generally recommend using Avocado oil to roast and/or saute…while olive oil is great for lower temp cooking or topping already cooked food/salads. Hope this helps!