Smoke Point Chart for Cooking Oils, and Why It Is Not the Whole Story

Smoke point is the most quoted number for any cooking oil, and a useful one: an oil that smokes at your cooking temperature will taste burnt and break down quickly. But it is easy to read too much into it. This guide gives the smoke points of our refined oils in one chart, explains which unrefined oils to keep away from high heat, and shows why, for commercial frying, an oil’s stability matters at least as much.

What smoke point means

The smoke point is the temperature at which oil, heated under controlled conditions, starts to give off a continuous wisp of smoke. It is different from the flash point, the higher temperature at which the oil’s vapors can ignite. Smoke is a sign that the oil is breaking down, and cooking past the smoke point gives food acrid flavors and wears the oil out faster.

Smoke point is not a fixed property. The same oil can vary considerably depending on its grade, its age, how it was refined and filtered, and the crop it came from. Refining raises the smoke point by removing free fatty acids and other minor compounds that smoke early, which is why refined oils sit well above their unrefined versions.

Smoke point chart: refined oils

Oil (refined grade)	Smoke point °C	Smoke point °F	Good for
Safflower	About 265	About 510	Very high-heat frying and searing
High-oleic canola	About 246	About 475	All-day commercial frying
Rice bran	About 232	About 450	Tempura, stir-frying, light crisp frying
High-oleic sunflower, high-oleic soybean	About 230	About 450	Long fry life, snacks, food production
Palm olein, deep frying oil	About 230	About 450	Deep frying, fries and snacks
Sunflower, soybean, corn, blended vegetable oil	About 230	About 450	Frying, sautéing, baking, general cooking
Peanut	About 230	About 450	Fried chicken, wok cooking
Sesame (refined, not toasted)	About 230	About 450	Stir-frying
RBD palm oil	About 230	About 450	Baking, shortening, frying
Canola, cottonseed	About 220–230	About 430–450	Sautéing, roasting, frying
Coconut (RBD)	About 204–232	About 400–450	Baking, popcorn, frying
Hazelnut	About 221	About 430	Sautéing and baking
Almond, grapeseed	About 216	About 420	Sautéing, baking, dressings
Macadamia	About 210	About 410	Sautéing and frying
Walnut	About 204	About 400	Light sautéing and baking

Values are typical for fresh refined oil, as stated on each oil page. Refined avocado oil also has one of the highest smoke points of any cooking oil. For olive oil, the North American Olive Oil Association gives about 177–210 °C (350–410 °F) for extra virgin olive oil and about 199–242 °C (390–468 °F) for refined “olive oil” and “extra light” olive oil.

Unrefined and specialty oils: use them for flavor, not heat

Cold-pressed, virgin and roasted oils keep more of the compounds that give them flavor and color, and smoke at lower temperatures than refined oils. Use them where their taste counts:

Oil	Best use
Flaxseed, perilla, chia seed, hemp seed	Cold use only: dressings, dips, drizzling and supplements. Rich in omega-3, which breaks down quickly with heat.
Camelina	Dressings and light cooking. More stable than other omega-3-rich oils, but not a deep-frying oil.
Cold-pressed walnut, pumpkin seed, pistachio, argan	Finishing, dressings and dips, added after cooking.
Toasted sesame	A seasoning oil, added at the end of cooking.
Black seed, wheat germ	Cold use and nutritional products.
Extra virgin olive	Dressings, finishing and everyday cooking at moderate heat.
Virgin coconut	Baking and moderate-heat cooking; about 177 °C (350 °F).
Red palm	Sautéing, stews and moderate frying; long deep frying destroys its color and carotenes.

Why smoke point is not the whole story

For commercial frying, smoke point mainly tells you whether an oil can reach frying temperature without smoking. Almost every refined oil can: most frying is done at about 160–180 °C (320–355 °F), well below the 220–265 °C smoke points in the chart. What separates a good frying oil from an average one is how slowly it breaks down over hours of use.

• Stability depends on fatty acids. Oils rich in monounsaturated oleic acid, or in saturated fat, break down far more slowly than oils rich in polyunsaturated fats, especially omega-3. The North American Olive Oil Association notes that smoke point does not correlate with how quickly an oil breaks down when heated. That is why high-oleic oils and palm olein outlast standard oils in a fryer even though their smoke points are similar. Our guide to high-oleic oil explains why.
• Smoke point falls as oil is used. Each hour of frying creates free fatty acids and breakdown products that lower the smoke point. Oil that smokes at normal frying temperature is a sign it is time to change it.
• Food and handling matter. Crumbs, batter, salt and water from food all speed up breakdown. Filtering daily and topping up with fresh oil keep the smoke point up for longer.

Choosing an oil for the heat you use

• All-day deep frying: a stable, refined oil such as high-oleic sunflower or canola, palm olein or our deep frying oil. See our guide to the best oil for commercial deep frying.
• Searing, wok and high-heat cooking: refined safflower, rice bran, peanut or refined sesame oil.
• Sautéing, roasting and baking: refined canola, sunflower, soybean or corn oil, or a refined nut oil for flavor.
• Dressings, dips and finishing: cold-pressed and extra virgin oils. See our guide to refined vs cold-pressed oil.

Every oil page lists the smoke point and full specification for its grades. Add the oils you need to your quote list, and tell us how you cook if you would like a recommendation.

Sources

• North American Olive Oil Association: Understanding cooking oil smoke points
• Oklahoma State University Extension: Properties of high oleic seed oils
• Codex General Standard for Fats and Oils, FAO