Olive Oil vs Vegetable Oil: Difference and Comparison

For the longest period, purchasing cooking oil required purchasing vegetable oil. Vegetable oil can be used anywhere – deep cooking, sautéing, barbecuing, baking, soaking.

However, going to the local supermarket now is an entirely different experience. People confuse Olive oil with Vegetable Oil, considering both of them as the same. 

Key Takeaways

1. Olive oil is made from olives, whereas vegetable oil can be made from various sources, such as soybean, corn, or canola.
2. Olive oil has a distinctive flavor and is more expensive than vegetable oil.
3. Vegetable oil is more versatile and has a higher smoke point than olive oil, making it suitable for high-heat cooking.

Olive Oil vs Vegetable Oil

Olive oil is a particular type of oil made by pressing entire olives, it has a distinct flavor and is thought to be healthier than other vegetable oils. The word “vegetable oil” refers to any oil made from a plant source, such as sunflower, corn, or canola.

Olive oil is considered liquid fat made by squeezing entire olives as well as obtaining the oil from olives, a staple tree product of the Mediterranean Area. It’s a popular component in grilling, frying, and ranch dressing.

This is also employed in skincare, medicines, and cleansers, as well as being a source of fuel for ancient oil lamps, and seems to have religious significance.

Vegetable oil should be any oil obtained from natural plant sources, whether it comes from seeds, crops, nuts, or vegetables. It’s nearly always soya oil whenever one encounters a bottle labelled “vegetable oil.”

In contrast to animal fats, including butter and margarine, the word “vegetable oil” is frequently seen as a shortcut to refer to just about any canola oil made from plant materials.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Olive Oil	Vegetable Oil
Used for	Olive oil is commonly used in dishes that have a lot of flavor.	Vegetable oil is used in foods that have a delicate flavor.
Used at Temperature	Searing at medium heat should be done with olive oil.	Whereas, Vegetable oil is utilized for extremely high temperatures.
Antioxidants and Fatty Acids	Olive oil is full of antioxidants and therefore is frequently consumed by dieters.	On the other hand, vegetable oil is high in omega-6 fatty acids.
Nutrition	Olive oil is very well famous for its excellent concentration of monounsaturated fats, that have been caused by low inflammation as well as better heart function.	In comparison to olive oil, vegetable oil has comparable number of calories, fat intake, as well as other main nutrients listed on nutritional information.
Better for Cooking	If one wants to incorporate extra flavor as well as medical benefits into veggies and livestock for simmer and some other recipes, using extra virgin olive oil is the best option.	On the other hand, vegetable oil would suffice for sautéing veggies and meats, but that will not offer taste or medical benefits.

What is Olive Oil?

Olive oil, made from olive fruit, is commonly used during recipes that call for a lot of seasoning because the oil has a distinctive taste. And it is used in both cookery and salad dressings.

Olives are abundant in essential fatty acids as well as polyphenols, both of which are recognized to have heart-healthy properties.

Furthermore, it is full of antioxidants. Olive oil isn’t used during cooking; it’s utilized in cosmetics. During pharaonic days, people know about olive oil’s skin advantages.

Olive oil has a greener color than other oils. Spain produces over 50% of the world’s olive oil; additional notable manufacturers include Italy, Tunisia, Greece, as well as Turkey.

Greece has the largest per capita expenditure, followed by Italy and Spain. The content of olive oil differs depending on the cultivar, elevation, harvest period, as well as extraction procedure.

It is mostly composed of oleic acid (up to 83%), containing minuscule quantities of many other fatty acids such as linoleic acid (up until 21%) as well as palmitic acid (up to 20 percent).

What is Vegetable Oil?

Vegetable oils, commonly referred to as vegetable fats, are oils obtained from plants’ seeds and other parts. Vegetable fats, including animal fats, contain triglyceride combinations.

Seed fats include soybean oil, grape seed oil, as well as cocoa butter.

Fats based on numerous portions of fruits include olive oil, palm oil, as well as rice bran oil. In everyday language, vegetable oil might relate solely to fluid vegetable fats around room temperature.

Vegetable oils are eatable; mineral oils seem to be non-edible oils generated primarily through petroleum.

Soybean oil products are commonly used as a substitute for vegetable oil in the United States.

Unsaturated vegetable oils could be partially or completely “hydrogenated,” producing oils with a higher melting point, including some that, like vegetable preserving, retain stability at room temperature. 

This hydrogenation method entails “sparging” the oil using hydrogen under high temperatures and pressures within the presence of catalysts, a granular nickel complex including such Raney nickel.

Main Differences Between Olive Oil and Vegetable Oil

1. Olive oil contains 14 percent saturated fat as well as 73 percent trans fatty acids, but coconut oil contains the most saturated fat. Canola, as well as soybean oils, have always had the fewest number of saturated fatty acids but also have a greater proportion of monosaturated fats.
2. Olive oil is rich in minerals such as iron and vitamin A and C, including unsaturated fats, all of which are natural antioxidants. Whereas Vegetable Oil, on the other hand, is pretty high in polyunsaturated fatty acids known as Omega-6.
3. Olive oil is full of antioxidants and therefore is frequently consumed by dieters. On the other hand, vegetable oil is high in omega-6 fatty acids.
4. Olive oil is used in recipes with strong flavours, whilst vegetable oil is employed in dishes with sensitive flavourings.
5. Extra-virgin, virgin, luminous, olive, and olive pulps oil represent several varieties of olive oil. Whereas vegetable oils include palm oil, soya oil, canola oil, and many others.

References

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejlt.200800004
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956713514003570

Last Updated : 11 June, 2023