Avocado oil vs olive oil: calories compared

People asking this usually want to know which oil to cook with and which is better for the heart. Calories tie at about 120 per tablespoon. Olive oil has the evidence, and avocado oil mostly does not.

In a network meta-analysis of 54 randomized trials, olive oil lowered LDL cholesterol against butter, as did most liquid oils, even coconut oil, by about 9 to 16 mg/dL (0.23 to 0.42 mmol/L). Avocado oil was not among the oils listed, and we found no human trial of it as a cooking fat. A review of 23 studies did not support the idea that frying foods generally raises heart disease risk. We have no smoke point data for either oil.

Both help you absorb carotenoids from vegetables. At one salad meal, olive oil raised total carotenoid absorption 55 percent more than coconut oil in 16 adults, and avocado oil matched whole avocado in 11. One caution: in a lab analysis, three products sold as avocado oil clustered with soybean oil, a sign of adulteration.

For heart evidence, pick olive oil, in place of butter rather than on top. The FDA's qualified claim for high-oleic oils, on evidence it calls supportive but not conclusive, covers about 1.5 tablespoons (20 g) a day only in place of fats higher in saturated fat.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level A A 2018 network meta-analysis of 54 randomized trials found liquid plant oils such as olive, rapeseed and sunflower lowered LDL by 8.9 to 16 mg/dL (0.23 to 0.42 mmol/L) compared with butter. J Lipid Res, 2018
2. Level A A network meta-analysis of 54 trials found olive oil, like most liquid plant oils, lowered LDL cholesterol by roughly 8.9 to 16 mg/dL (0.23 to 0.42 mmol/L) compared with butter, per 10% of energy swapped. J Lipid Res, 2018
3. Level C A systematic review of 23 studies found no support for the idea that frying in vegetable oils generally raises heart disease risk. Br J Nutr, 2015
4. Level B In 16 adults eating the same salad, 0.99 oz (28 g) of olive oil raised total carotenoid absorption by 55.2% compared with coconut oil. Am J Clin Nutr, 2023
5. Level C Adding 24 g avocado oil to a salad raised absorption of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lutein similarly to 5.3 oz (150 g) of avocado, which gave up to 15 times the avocado-free salad. Unlu NZ et al., J Nutr 2005;135(3):431-436
6. Level D An NMR analysis of commercial and lab-made avocado oils found three products sold as avocado oil clustered with soybean oil, indicating adulteration. Molecules, 2021, Analysis and Authentication of Avocado Oil Using High Resolution NMR Spectroscopy
7. Level E The US FDA allows a qualified claim that about 1.5 tablespoons (20 g) a day of high-oleic oils such as olive oil may reduce heart disease risk when they replace saturated fat. FDA, qualified health claim petition for oleic acid and coronary heart disease, 2018
8. Level A A 2019 network meta-analysis of 13 trials with 611 people found virgin olive oils lowered systolic pressure by about 3 mm Hg compared with refined olive oil, with no difference in diastolic pressure. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2019

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Avocado oil vs olive oil: nearly all the evidence is for olive oil
• Avocado oil: a cooking fat with almost no research of its own
• Olive oil: what the cohorts see and the trials do not

What the studies say

• Is avocado oil good for cholesterol? Untested itself, but its oil family lowers LDL
• Does olive oil help with weight loss? Slightly, by under a kilogram in trials
• Does olive oil lower blood pressure? Added to a normal diet, trials find no effect
• Does olive oil lower cholesterol? Only when it replaces butter or lard

Rankings and guides

• Calories: what it does and what the evidence shows
• Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?
• Dietary fat: what it does and how much you need
• Olive oil: full nutrition facts

More comparisons

• Avocado oil vs grapeseed oil

• Avocado oil: USDA FoodData Central, Oil, avocado, FDC ID 173573 · all forms of avocado oil
• Olive oil: USDA FoodData Central, Oil, olive, salad or cooking, FDC ID 171413 · full profile · all forms of olive oil

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.