Canola Oil: Vegan Cooking Guide
Rapeseed oil (called canola oil in North America) is the workhorse cooking oil of British vegan kitchens. Its neutral flavour, high smoke point and lower saturated fat than olive oil make it ideal for roasting, frying and baking where you don't want the oil to compete with other flavours.
How to Use Canola Oil
Use for high-heat roasting (220°C), deep frying and baking where you want a neutral base. Cold-pressed British rapeseed oil has a lovely nutty flavour worth using in dressings - look for local brands.
Nutrition
The best omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of any cooking oil, plus vitamin E and K; very low in saturated fat.
Chef's Tips
- Cold-pressed rapeseed oil from British farms is a much better value alternative to expensive 'superfood' oils.
- Its high smoke point (230°C) makes it the safest choice for very high-heat cooking like wok frying.
- In baking, rapeseed oil produces moist, tender cakes without the waxy mouthfeel coconut oil can leave.
→ Find the best substitutes for canola oil
Vegan Recipes Using Canola Oil
Learn to cook with canola oil on video
Our Cook Like A Pro course covers vegan cooking techniques including how to get the most from plant-based proteins, flavour bases and dairy alternatives. Watch step-by-step with chefs Rupert Worden and Lisa Hinze.
Explore the course Browse all US ingredients