Corn oil or vegetable oil: which is healthier?

If a recipe names one and you have the other, swap them one to one. A tablespoon of either weighs 14 g in US survey data. No study we found compared them for frying or baking.

In the USDA records on this page, corn oil and the generic US vegetable oil both carry about 13.4 g of saturated fat per 3.5 oz (100 g). UK tables average several oils into 6.6 g for vegetable oil, against 14.4 g for corn oil, so it depends on your bottle. An umbrella review found that coconut and palm oil raised LDL cholesterol, on low to very low certainty evidence.

In a 21-day crossover trial in 54 adults with high LDL, corn oil lowered LDL by 10.9%, against 3.5% on extra virgin olive oil. In the longest test, the Minnesota Coronary Experiment, a corn oil diet cut cholesterol and showed no mortality benefit. In a one-year trial in 251 adults with raised cholesterol, cooking with corn, peanut or blended oil made no difference to blood lipids. A 2026 review found the claim that the linoleic acid in seed oils raises inflammation without foundation.

Use whichever you have. If LDL cholesterol is your concern, check the ingredient line and pass over a bottle built mainly on palm or coconut oil.

Neither oil has been tested against the other. The useful check is the ingredient line, because an umbrella review found coconut and palm oil raised LDL cholesterol, on low to very low certainty evidence. A one-year trial in 251 adults with raised cholesterol found no difference in blood lipids between cooking with corn, peanut or blended oil.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level C In US dietary survey data, one tablespoon of corn oil weighs 14 g, about 126 calories. USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 82102000 (fdc_id 2710183), Corn oil
2. Level E The US dietary survey database counts one tablespoon of vegetable oil as 14 g and one cup as 224 g. USDA FNDDS, Vegetable oil, NFS, food code 82101000 (fdc_id 2710180)
3. Level E UK composition tables list average vegetable oil at 99.9 g fat and 899 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), with 59.3 g monounsaturated, 29.3 g polyunsaturated and 6.6 g saturated fat. CoFID 2021 (Public Health England), code 17-686 Oil, vegetable, average
4. Level C Per 100 g, UK corn oil has 51.3 g polyunsaturated, 29.9 g monounsaturated and 14.4 g saturated fat with 17.2 mg vitamin E, while US Foundation samples give 22.6 mg vitamin E. CoFID 2021 (Public Health England), code 17-033; USDA FoodData Central Foundation, FDC 748323
5. Level A An umbrella review of 48 reviews covering 206 meta-analyses found oils rich in unsaturated fat lowered total and LDL cholesterol, while coconut and palm oil raised them, at moderate to very low certainty. Adv Nutr, 2024
6. Level B In a double-blind crossover feeding trial in 54 adults with high cholesterol, 4 tablespoons of corn oil a day for 21 days cut LDL cholesterol by 10.9% versus 3.5% with extra virgin olive oil. J Clin Lipidol, 2015
7. Level A In the Minnesota Coronary Experiment, a corn oil diet cut serum cholesterol by 13.8% but brought no mortality benefit, and a meta-analysis of 5 such trials in 10808 people found no drop in heart deaths. BMJ, 2016
8. Level B In a one-year trial in 251 Chinese adults with moderately high cholesterol, cooking with corn oil, peanut oil or a blended oil made no difference to blood lipids, glucose or CRP. Food Funct, 2020
9. Level C A 2026 scoping review of human studies found claims that seed oils and linoleic acid harm the heart or raise inflammation lack scientific foundation. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2026

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

• Corn oil: lower LDL in short trials, no mortality benefit in the long one
• Vegetable oil: modest cholesterol drops, and no support for the seed oil scare

Rankings and guides

• Fiber: what it does and how much you need
• Sodium: what it does and how much you need
• Which foods are highest in potassium?

• Corn oil: USDA FoodData Central, Oil, corn, FDC ID 748323 · all forms of corn oil
• Vegetable oil: USDA FoodData Central, Vegetable oil, NFS, FDC ID 2710180 · all forms of vegetable 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.