Grapeseed Oil vs Avocado Oil | Which Should You Use?

Avocado oil contains good monounsaturated fats and has the highest smoke point among oils. This means that avocado oil maintains its nutrients even when you cook at high heat. However, grapeseed oil is also healthy, can be used for many purposes, and is cheaper than avocado oil.

In this article, I will explain the main differences between grapeseed and avocado oil and address their key advantages and disadvantages. Read on to find out which oil type is best for your cooking.

Is Avocado Oil or Grapeseed Oil Better? 

Avocado oil is better than grapeseed oil in terms of the good fats it contains and a higher smoke point that allows you to use it while cooking at temperatures up to 520°F (271°C). Grapeseed oil must be consumed in small amounts because of the fats it contains. It also has a medium smoke point. 

Avocado oil can be considered the better option as it has an advantage in the most critical characteristics like smoke point and fat content. 

However, the advantage is really not that significant in practice, and it wouldn’t be right to say that grapeseed oil is worse in some way. It is still healthy, contains useful microelements, and is suitable for most cooking methods and dishes. It is also cheaper than avocado oil. 

It would be more informative to answer this question by summarizing the pros and cons of these two oils, so you can decide which one would work better for your needs.

Avocado Oil

Pros

• Mostly consists of monounsaturated healthy fats that are more stable, even at high temperatures, and good for heart health.
• Contains essential vitamins, including A, D, E, and K, that improve overall health.
• Contains lutein, an antioxidant that is good for eye health and can only be obtained through your diet.
• Has a neutral flavor that doesn’t drastically impact the taste of your dish but is also not entirely bland and can add a pleasant, very light avocado flavor to a dressing.
• Has a thicker, slightly creamy consistency that also works great for sauces.
• It has the highest smoke point of all oils, which means it can be used universally for cooking purposes.

Cons 

• Avocado oil is on the expensive end among other oils as it is made from avocado flesh, and at least 8 avocados are needed to produce just one small bottle of the product.
• The slight flavor it has makes avocado oil not entirely neutral, which can be a drawback in some instances, for example, while baking.
• Is not as common and thus more challenging to find than other oil types, like olive or sunflower oil.

Grapeseed Oil

Pros

• Has a neutral taste, so it can be used in various dishes without affecting the flavor. 
• Contains vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant, protecting the cells of your body from damage.
• Has multiple positive effects on your skin, improving its condition, keeping it healthy, and possibly enhancing wound healing.
• Has a clear neutral flavor that doesn’t impact the taste of your dish, making it a perfect oil for many cooking methods.
• As a byproduct of winemaking, grapeseed oil is not as expensive as avocado oil, so you can consider it an almost-as-good and more affordable substitute.

Cons 

• Contains polyunsaturated and not monounsaturated fat, which is slightly less good for you and shouldn’t be consumed in large quantities, though still healthy.
• It has a medium smoke point, which works well for many purposes but still limits what you can and can’t do with it.

Grapeseed Oil and Avocado Oil Compared

Let’s start with a complete overview of these two oils and look at them in comparison. It will help us determine in what ways they are similar and what important differences between them deserve our attention.

Source Ingredients: Seeds vs. Pulp

The obvious difference between grapeseed and avocado oil is the source ingredient which affects everything from nutrition to flavor that we’ll discuss shortly.

Grapeseed oil is actually a byproduct of winemaking. It is produced from the seeds that are left after grapes are processed for future wine. The oil is extracted by pressing the seeds. However, each seed gives very little oil, which is why a lot of raw material is needed.

Avocado oil, on the other hand, is made not from seeds but from avocado pulp. The avocados’ skin is removed, and then they are pressed. The oil is then separated from the avocado flesh in a centrifuge. 

Nutrition Value: Healthy Fats and Vitamins

Grapeseed oil is primarily polyunsaturated fat (69.9 grams, or 2.5 ounces), while avocado oil is rich in monounsaturated fat (70.6 grams, or 2.5 ounces). 

The most important aspect of the nutritional value of oils is what fats are prevalent. Oils are always high in fats and calories, and while we often associate these words with something harmful to our health, it’s not necessarily so.

Fats are not all the same. Although some of them do negatively impact our health, others are actually beneficial to your body if consumed in reasonable quantities.

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are good fats that are necessary for your body. Saturated fat, however, is not good for you, so limit your consumption of products that contain a lot of it.

Now that we’ve covered the basics about good and bad fats, let us discuss which of them can be found in grapeseed oil and avocado oil to determine whether there is anything to worry about.

Although avocado oil contains slightly more saturated fat than grapeseed oil, both have pretty low amounts. Avocado oil has about 11.56 grams (0.4 ounces) per 100g (3.52 ounces), and grapeseed oil has 9.6 grams (0.34 ounces) per 100 g (3.52 ounces). 

As I’ve mentioned, these fats are typically nothing to worry about. It is recommended to consume up to 22 grams (0.8 ounces) of polyunsaturated fat and up to 44 grams (1.6 ounces) of monounsaturated fat a day. 

As long as you watch how much of these you eat, they will only benefit your health and the balance of nutrients in your body.

However, monounsaturated fats are more stable and can be consumed in larger quantities, so avocado oil is somewhat healthier in that aspect. It has oleic acid (omega-9) that is considered beneficial for heart health as it can reduce the levels of harmful cholesterol.

Still, it’s not only about the fats and calories. Natural oils are rich in other nutrients and microelements you should also pay attention to. Avocado oil and grapeseed oil are both rich in vitamins that are necessary for the body.

Avocado oil, in particular, is rich in the carotenoid lutein, which is good for eye health but not produced by our bodies, which makes it an important addition to your health. The oil also supports your body when processing fat-soluble vitamins, ensuring that you get to maximize your nutrient absorption. 

Grapeseed oil is not as nutrient-rich as avocado oil, but it is a good source of fatty acids that help with inflammation in the body and improve overall metabolism. It’s an excellent oil to cook with if you’re trying to lose weight.

Is Avocado or Grapeseed Oil Better for Your Skin? 

Avocado oil is slightly better than grapeseed oil for your skin if you have dry skin. However, both oils are great for improving skin tone and quality. Avocado oil contains vitamins A, D, E, and K, while grapeseed oil is rich in vitamin E and omega-6 acids, which are good for healthy skin. 

Both avocado and grapeseed oils are rich in antioxidants that improve the discoloration of the skin. Avocado oil also supports the collagen in your skin, which improves overall skin elasticity and keeps you looking younger.

The monosaturated fats in avocado oil and grapeseed oil are both effective in keeping your skin moisturized. However, avocado oil has more monosaturated fats, as we’ve discussed. These fats make avocado oil slightly better for dry skin and conditions like eczema. 

The omega-6 acids in grapeseed oil make it a great source of healthy fats, an element of diet that helps improve heart health in addition to being good for your skin.

Flavor Qualities: Neutral Oils

Grapeseed oil can have a slightly noticeable grape flavor, but it mostly tastes plain and neutral. This means it won’t have any significant effect on the flavor of your dish. It is light and doesn’t interfere with the intended taste of what you’re cooking, which is a plus in many situations.

Avocado oil, on the other hand, has a more prominent flavor. Refined and unrefined oils differ in this matter, but both have a noticeable avocado taste to them which lets you easily guess what it’s made from.

Natural oils often differ in flavor depending on what they are made from. While some can have only a slight trace of the taste of raw material or none at all, others have distinguished flavors that may or may not benefit your cooking.

The mild flavor of avocado oil has to do with it being produced from avocado flesh, the yummiest part of the fruit. While its taste is fresh and not intrusive, you will likely recognize it. The oil is also slightly thicker, with a creamy texture also typical of avocado fruit.

However, while avocado oil has more flavor than grapeseed oil, both can be considered neutral and won’t make a drastic difference to the taste of the dish. If you like avocado, the gentle taste of it in your oil can add to the overall flavor, but it won’t be as evident that you’ve used it.

To summarize, neither of the oils has a strong taste you should worry about or acknowledge in your recipes. If you’d like to use the type of oil that doesn’t interfere with flavor, you can pick either of the two and have no worries.

Smoke Point

Grapeseed oil belongs to medium-heat oils, which means it is suitable for most cooking methods. Its smoke point is 390°F (199°C), which doesn’t allow for extreme heat but is sufficient for many basic cooking purposes.

Avocado oil, however, has a smoke point higher than that of any other cooking oil. It’s around 520°F (271°C), which means you don’t have to worry about temperatures at all while using it. If there’s an oil to withstand the heat needed for your dish, it would be this one.

Smoke point is one of the most important things to consider when choosing oil. The smoke point is the temperature up to which you can use the oil without any health risks or occurrence of reactions that change its structure and qualities. 

Each oil type has a specified smoke point where the fats break down, which has multiple negative effects on your cooking. The nutrient balance changes, which means you get less of the healthy fats and vitamins in the oil. The flavor changes, too, causing your food to taste different from what was intended.

Oils with a higher smoke point, such as sunflower oil, can be used for almost any type of high-heat cooking, including roasting, frying, and baking. Those with a lower smoke point, on the other hand, such as extra virgin olive oil, work best for dressings and sauces.

The extremely high smoke point of avocado oil is definitely a big advantage. It is compatible with the widest range of cooking methods and doesn’t limit you in any way. In contrast, you can use grapeseed oil for baking, frying, and sauteing, but only up to a certain limit.

Still, the smoke point of grapeseed oil is high enough to suit most of your cooking needs and won’t be a real problem on a daily basis. So, it is safe to say that there is not much significant difference for most people between these two oils in terms of the heat they can withstand.

Conclusion

Both grapeseed oil and avocado oil are healthy options that you can use for baking or frying or making dressings and sauces. Both oils are good for your skin and overall health and supplement the body’s necessary vitamins. 

Still, avocado oil is slightly better nutrients-wise and has a very high smoke point which makes it more versatile. Grapeseed oil, on the other hand, is cheaper as it is a byproduct of winemaking, and it’s still a healthy oil that is rich in nutrients and suitable for many purposes.

Thanks for stoppin’ by!