List of vegetable oils

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Vegetable oils are triglycerides extracted from plants. Some of these oils have been part of human culture for millennia. Edible vegetable oils are used in food, both in cooking and as supplements. Many oils, edible and otherwise, are burned as fuel, such as in oil lamps and as a substitute for petroleum based fuels. Some of the many other uses include wood finishing, oil painting, and skin care.

The term "vegetable oil" can be narrowly defined as referring only to substances that are liquid at room temperature, or broadly defined without regard to a substance's state (liquid or solid) at a given temperature. While a large majority of the entries in this list fit the narrower of these definitions, some do not qualify as vegetable oils according to all understandings of the term.

Vegetable oils can be classified in several ways. For instance, by their use or by the method used to extract them. In this article, vegetable oils are grouped in common classes of use.

There are several types of plant oils, distinguished by the method used to extract the oil from the plant. The relevant part of the plant may be placed under pressure to extract the oil, giving an expressed (or pressed) oil. The oils included in this list are of this type. Oils may also be extracted from plants by dissolving parts of plants in water or another solvent. The solution may be separated from the plant material and concentrated, giving an extracted or leached oil. The mixture may also be separated by distilling the oil away from the plant material. Oils extracted by this latter method are called essential oils. Essential oils often have different properties and uses than pressed or leached vegetable oils. Finally, macerated oils are made by infusing parts of plants in a base oil, a process called liquid–liquid extraction.

Most, but not all vegetable oils are extracted from the fruits or seeds of plants. For instance, palm oil is extracted from palm fruits, while soybean oil is extracted from soybean seeds. Vegetable oils may also be classified by grouping oils extracted from similar plants, such as "nut oils". Although most plants contain some oil, only the oil from certain major oil crops complemented by a few dozen minor oil crops is widely used and traded.

Oils from plants are used for several different purposes. Edible vegetable oils may be used for cooking, or as food additives. Many vegetable oils, edible and otherwise, are burned as fuel, for instance as a substitute for petroleum based fuels. Some may be also used for cosmetics, medical purposes, wood finishing, oil painting and other industrial purposes.

These oils make up a significant fraction of worldwide edible oil production. All are also used as fuel oils. Coconut oil, a cooking oil, with medical and industrial applications as well. Extracted from the kernel or meat of the fruit of the coconut palm. Common in the tropics, and unusual in composition, with medium chain fatty acids dominant. Corn oil, one of the principal oils sold as salad and cooking oil. Cottonseed oil, used as a salad and cooking oil, both domestically and industrially. Olive oil, used in cooking, cosmetics, soaps, and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps. Palm oil, the most widely produced tropical oil. Popular in West African and Brazilian cuisine. Also used to make biofuel. Peanut oil (Ground nut oil), a clear oil with some applications as a salad dressing, and, due to its high smoke point, especially used for frying. Rapeseed oil, including Canola oil, the most sold cooking oil all around the world; used as a salad and cooking oil, both domestically and industrially. Sesame oil, cold pressed as light cooking oil, hot pressed for a darker and stronger flavor. Soybean oil, produced as a byproduct of processing soy meal. Sunflower oil, a common cooking oil, also used to make biodiesel.

A number of citrus plants yield pressed oils. Some, such as lemon and orange oil, are used as essential oils, which is uncommon for pressed oils. Grapefruit seed oil, extracted from the seeds of grapefruit (Citrus × paradisi). Grapefruit seed oil was extracted experimentally in 1930 and was shown to be suitable for making soap. Lemon oil, similar in fragrance to the fruit. One of a small number of cold pressed essential oils. Used as a flavoring agent and in aromatherapy. Orange oil, like lemon oil, cold pressed rather than distilled. Consists of 90% d Limonene. Used as a fragrance, in cleaning products and in flavoring foods.

Members of the Cucurbitaceae include gourds, melons, pumpkins, and squashes. Seeds from these plants are noted for their oil content, but little information is available on methods of extracting the oil. In most cases, the plants are grown as food, with dietary use of the oils as a byproduct of using the seeds as food. Bitter gourd oil, from the seeds of Momordica charantia. High in α Eleostearic acid. Of current research interest for its potential anti carcinogenic properties. Bottle gourd oil, extracted from the seeds of the Lagenaria siceraria, widely grown in tropical regions. Used as an edible oil. Buffalo gourd oil, from the seeds of the Cucurbita foetidissima, a vine with a rank odor, native to southwest North America. Butternut squash seed oil, from the seeds of Cucurbita moschata, has a nutty flavor that is used for salad dressings, marinades, and sautéeing. Egusi seed oil, from the seeds of Melothria sphaerocarpa (syn. Cucumeropsis mannii), is particularly rich in linoleic acid. Pumpkin seed oil, a specialty cooking oil, produced in Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. Used mostly in salad dressings. Watermelon seed oil, pressed from the seeds of Citrullus vulgaris. Traditionally used in cooking in West Africa.

A number of oils are used as food supplements (or "nutraceuticals"), for their nutrient content or purported medicinal effect. Borage seed oil, blackcurrant seed oil, and evening primrose oil all have a significant amount of gamma Linolenic acid (GLA) (about 23%, 15–20% and 7–10%, respectively), and it is this that has drawn the interest of researchers. Açaí oil, from the fruit of several species of the Açaí palm (Euterpe) grown in the Amazon region. Black seed oil, pressed from Nigella sativa seeds, has a long history of medicinal use, including in ancient Greek, Asian, and Islamic medicine, as well as being a topic of current medical research. Blackcurrant seed oil, from the seeds of Ribes nigrum, used as a food supplement. High in gamma Linolenic, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Borage seed oil, from the seeds of Borago officinalis. the most important plant source of gamma Linolenic acid, particularly because it does not contain alpha Linolenic acid. Flaxseed oil (called linseed oil when used as a drying oil), from the seeds of Linum usitatissimum. High in omega 3 and lignans, which can be used medicinally. A good dietary equivalent to fish oil. Easily turns rancid.

The oils listed immediately below are all (primarily) used for other purposes all but tung oil are edible but have been considered for use as biofuel. Castor oil, lower cost than many candidates. Kinematic viscosity may be an issue. Coconut oil (copra oil), promising for local use in places that produce coconuts. Colza oil, from Brassica rapa, var. oleifera (turnip) is closely related to rapeseed (or canola) oil. It is a major source of biodiesel in Germany. Corn oil, appealing because of the abundance of maize as a crop. Cottonseed oil, the subject of study for cost effectiveness as a biodiesel feedstock. False flax oil, from Camelina sativa, used in Europe in oil lamps until the 18th century. Mustard oil, shown to be comparable to Canola oil as a biofuel. Palm oil, very popular for biofuel, but the environmental impact from growing large quantities of oil palms has recently called the use of palm oil into question. Peanut oil, used in one of the first demonstrations of the Diesel engine in 1900. Rapeseed oil, the most common base oil used in Europe in biodiesel production. Rice bran oil, appealing because of lower cost than many other vegetable oils. Widely grown in Asia. Safflower oil, explored recently as a biofuel in Montana. Salicornia oil, from the seeds of Salicornia bigelovii, a halophyte (salt loving plant) native to Mexico. Soybean oil, not economical as a fuel crop, but appealing as a byproduct of soybean crops for other uses. Tigernut oil has been described by researchers in China as having "great potential as a biodiesel fuel." Several factories in China produce biodiesel from tung oil.

These oils are extracted from plants that are cultivated solely for producing oil based biofuel. These, plus the major oils described above, have received much more attention as fuel oils than other plant oils. Copaiba, an oleoresin tapped from species of genus Copaifera. Used in Brazil as a cosmetic product and a major source of biodiesel. Jatropha oil, widely used in India as a fuel oil. Has attracted strong proponents for use as a biofuel. Jojoba oil, from the Simmondsia chinensis, a desert shrub. Milk bush, popularized by chemist Melvin Calvin in the 1950s. Researched in the 1980s by Petrobras, the Brazilian national petroleum company. Nahor oil, pressed from the kernels of Mesua ferrea, is used in India as a lamp oil. Paradise oil, from the seeds of Simarouba glauca, has received interest in India as a feed stock for biodiesel. Petroleum nut oil, from the Petroleum nut (Pittosporum resiniferum) native to the Philippines. The Philippine government once explored the use of the petroleum nut as a biofuel. Pongamia oil (also known as Honge oil), extracted from Millettia pinnata and pioneered as a biofuel by Udipi Shrinivasa in Bangalore, India.

Drying oils are vegetable oils that dry to a hard finish at normal room temperature. Such oils are used as the basis of oil paints, and in other paint and wood finishing applications. In addition to the oils listed here, walnut, sunflower and safflower oil are also considered to be drying oils. Dammar oil, from the Canarium strictum, used in paint as an oil drying agent. Can also be used as a lamp oil. Linseed oil's properties as a polymer make it highly suitable for wood finishing, for use in oil paints, as a plasticizer and hardener in putty and in making linoleum. When used in food or medicinally, linseed oil is called flaxseed oil. Poppyseed oil, similar in usage to linseed oil but with better color stability. Tung oil, used as an industrial lubricant and highly effective drying agent. Also used as a substitute for linseed oil. Vernonia oil is produced from the seeds of the Vernonia galamensis. It is composed of 73–80% vernolic acid, which can be used to make epoxies for manufacturing adhesives, varnishes and paints, and industrial coatings.