Avocado oil is a cooking oil pressed from the flesh of the avocado. It is widely used in the United States and less so in Germany. This article covers where the oil comes from, how it tastes, and how to use it in the kitchen – for frying, on salads and in dressings.
Avocado oil – where it comes from and how to use it
The avocado comes from southern Mexico. Between the 14th and the early 16th century the Aztecs already used the fruit for various purposes. Avocados are botanically berries. They grow on trees and soften only after they are picked. The oil is pressed from the flesh. About 15 to 20 fruits go into 250 ml of oil.
The taste is mild and buttery. In the kitchen it works for cooking, frying and as a dressing, for example on salads. The yellow-green color stays visible in the dish. As a cooking oil it is an alternative to olive oil and coconut oil.
What is in avocado oil?
Most of the oil is unsaturated fat. Depending on quality, 70 to 80 percent is given as omega-9 fat. It is pressed from the flesh of the fruit.
In the kitchen: frying and cooking with avocado oil
Avocado oil is useful in several ways. Use it as a salad dressing or as a finishing drizzle. Vegans and vegetarians often use it in place of butter. It can also replace egg when you coat food before frying. For recipes, the magazine Springlane has a collection. It goes well on tomato bruschetta, on a fried egg with salt and pepper, and on hot soup.
You can also fry and cook with it. Cold-pressed sunflower oil starts to smoke at about 105 °C, cold-pressed olive oil at about 130 to 175 °C. For virgin avocado oil a smoke point of about 250 to 260 °C is quoted. Sunflower oil only reaches a figure like that when it has been refined. Virgin avocado oil reaches this smoke point without refining.
We use avocado oil as a salad oil, as the base of a dip and in marinades and dressings. The flavor is mild, so it does not cover the taste of the other ingredients. Roast vegetables brushed with a little avocado oil are a simple side dish.
Buying avocado oil: what to look for
Avocado oil is not in every supermarket. Look for “kaltgepresst” or “expeller pressed” on the label. The oil is sensitive to light, so it is often sold in tins or dark bottles. Keep it cool, dry and away from light. Unopened, it usually keeps for about 24 months. Once opened, use it within about 6 months.
In short
- Avocado oil is a plant oil and an alternative to olive oil and coconut oil.
- It tastes mild and buttery and suits salads, sauces, marinades and dips.
- A smoke point of about 250 to 260 °C is quoted for virgin avocado oil, which is why it is used for frying. That is a general figure, not automatically the figure for the bottle in our shop.
- When you buy it, look for “cold pressed”, and store it cool, dry and dark.
Matching products in our shop
One avocado product is currently for sale:
- Cold-pressed avocado oil by Biona Organic – organic avocado oil. The product page describes it for salads, dressings and cooking at low temperatures.
The Napa Valley Avocado Oil and the Lemon & Avocado Oil Aioli by Stonewall Kitchen, which this article used to link, are no longer in the shop.
