When they’re not loaded up with citrus and piled onto your tortilla chips or spread onto your sourdough toast, you might find avocados repurposed as avocado oil. It can be used in salad dressings or marinades, or you can (and should) use it for roasting, pan-frying, and barbecuing as it is renowned for its high smoke point (up to about 500 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the type). Avocado oil is also lauded for its potential health benefits. Its high vitamin E content is purportedly good for eye health, immune function, and reducing cancer risk.
These are wonderful qualities, but we here at Sporked really just care about the flavor. But, given the subtlety of avocados’ flavor, it should come as no surprise that avocado oil doesn’t pack a ton of it. In fact, many of the best avocado oil brands pride themselves on their neutral scent and taste. But that didn’t stop me from conducting a taste test in search of the best avocado oils.
And you know what I learned about neutral avocado oils? The whole “neutral” thing makes them really hard to taste test. But not impossible. I got creative in my quest for the best avocado oils. I dragged a piece of bread through the oils. I tried it straight off my fingers. I even recruited a friend to spoon-feed me avocado oils while I was blindfolded. For some reason, they denied my request to let me lick it off of their fingers.
The great news is, if you’re looking for an oil without a flavor, most avocado oils will fall under that category. The less great news is that my gullet is pretty uncomfortably lubed up from throwing back spoonfuls of oil. But we live, we learn, and now I can rattle off more on the nuances of avocado oils than I ever saw myself knowing. If that doesn’t make me more fun at parties, there’s always my host gift: a bottle of avocado oil (minus a spoonful). Here’s our official ranking of the best avocado oil. You’re all welcome.
The following article contains affiliate links that may generate a small commission to us when you make a purchase through the link. Learn more about how we work with affiliates here.
- Madhava
-
Madhava set itself apart from the crowd from the first pour. Where other avocado oils came out swinging for the fences, failing to hide their eagerness at being released from their (normally) glass bottle confinement, Madhava came sauntering out like it knows the party don’t start till it walks in. Though it’s neutral in flavor and the color is clear, the oil demands attention with its luxurious viscosity. It’s oh so velvety. How fitting that the bottle is lean and tall, like a runway model. Heads up that this oil is on the pricier side, though.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Benissimo
-
I have small hands. They’re not debilitatingly small—I’m not running across my laptop keyboard like that giant FAO Schwarz piano, but they are small enough that it makes me nervous to single-hand pour bottles of oil that are upwards of $20. This was a very stressful test. And it may seem like an insignificant thing, but Benissimo’s ergonomically designed and sized bottle was enough to win a spot in our best avocado oil ranking. It’s thin enough to fit nicely into my hand, but not so tall that it becomes unwieldy. The neck, lip, and spout are similar enough in size that I don’t get any of that pesky oil cling or spillage. And the oil itself is thin enough that it runs responsively to the pour but not so thin that it comes out like a gusher. Maybe it’s a small win, but it’s the little things that count sometimes.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Better Body Foods
-
Avocados are expensive. Avocado oils are expensive. Everything is expensive. In better news, some of the best avocado oil is also one of the more affordable avocado oils. Better Body Foods offers a commendable bang for your buck. The plastic packaging may not make you feel quite so fancy, but the oil is neutral with a high smoke point, and the lower price point might free you up to use it more liberally (like in baking). At under $10 a bottle, it’s less than half the price of a lot of other options you’ll find, and will absolutely get the job done. Unless the job is spending more than $10. But that’s a weird job.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- La Tourangelle
-
If you’re looking for a truly neutral oil, this is not the best avocado oil brand for you. It doesn’t rival a rich, complex olive oil in flavor, but it’s pleasant nonetheless. It’s a little nutty, a little buttery, and tastes about as strongly of avocados as a LaCroix does any fruit. A blend of avocado oils, the extra virgin avocado oil gives it some flavor and the refined avocado oil helps increase the smoke point. It’s probably not the best avocado oil brand for super high-heat cooking, but that’d mask the subtle flavor anyway. Bonus points for the thoughtful packaging. The container is made of tin instead of glass, which blocks out light and also makes it easier to ship. They’ve thought of everything!
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Chosen Foods
-
A lot of the avocado oils I tried fell into the “pretty good across all counts” category, but Chosen Foods pulled ahead by just a nose. The flavor truly is neutral and the 500 degree smoke point makes it a great choice as a pantry staple. Life is short, so go forth and maillard all of your foods. The company boasts a non-GMO and glyphosate residue free product and, although I personally sampled the pourable oil, I love that they offer a spray bottle option for easy coverage. Truly, my only knock on this one is that the bottle is awkward in my small hands, but that doesn’t stop it from being named the best brand of avocado oil you can buy.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
Best Full Bodied
Best Design
Best Value
Best Flavorful
Best of the Best
Other avocado oils we tasted: Great Value, Iberia, 365 Brand, Spectrum Natural, Primal
The post Best Avocado Oil to Buy appeared first on Sporked.