Peanut oil, also known as groundnut oil or arachis oil, is a vegetable oil derived from peanuts. The oil usually has a mild or neutral flavor [1] but, if made with roasted peanuts, has a stronger peanut flavor and aroma. [2] [3] It is often used in American, Chinese, Indian, African and Southeast Asian cuisine, both for general cooking and in the case of roasted oil, for added flavor. Peanut oil has a high smoke point relative to many other cooking oils, so it is commonly used for frying foods.
 China | 1.84 |
 India | 0.78 |
 Nigeria | 0.36 |
 Pakistan | 0.26 |
 Myanmar | 0.19 |
 Sudan | 0.14 |
 United States | 0.13 |
| World | 4.75 |
Due to war shortages of other oils, the use of readily available peanut oil increased in the United States during World War II. [5]
In 2021, world production of peanut oil (reported as groundnut oil) was 4.75 million tonnes, led by China with 39% of the total (table). India was a major secondary producer.
Unrefined peanut oil is used as a flavorant for dishes akin to sesame oil. Refined peanut oil is commonly used for frying volume batches of foods like French fries and has a smoke point of 450 °F/232 °C. [6]
Unrefined peanut oil is commonly used for cooking due to its natural flavor and nutritional benefits. It's also used in skincare products for its moisturizing properties.
Unrefined peanut oil is often used in salad dressings and marinades for its rich, nutty taste.
At the 1900 Paris Exhibition, the Otto Company, at the request of the French Government, demonstrated that peanut oil could be used as a source of fuel for the diesel engine; this was one of the earliest demonstrations of biodiesel technology. [7]
Peanut oil, as with other vegetable oils, can be used to make soap by the process of saponification. [8] Peanut oil is safe for use as a massage oil.[ citation needed ]
The oil is 93% fat, composed of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat (57% of total), linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fat (20%), and palmitic acid, a saturated fat (16%). [9]
In a reference amount of 100 g (3.5 oz), peanut oil is a rich source of vitamin E, providing 101% of the Daily Value (table). There is no protein or carbohydrate content, and no other micronutrients in significant amounts (table).
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 3,699 kJ (884 kcal) | ||||||||||||
0 g | |||||||||||||
100 g | |||||||||||||
| Saturated | 16 g | ||||||||||||
| Monounsaturated | 57 g | ||||||||||||
| Polyunsaturated | 20 g | ||||||||||||
0 g | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [10] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [11] | |||||||||||||
| Type of fat | Total fat (g) | Saturated fat (g) | Monounsaturated fat (g) | Polyunsaturated fat (g) | Smoke point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butter [12] | 81 | 51 | 21 | 3 | 150 °C (302 °F) [13] |
| Canola oil [14] | 100 | 6–7 | 62–64 | 24–26 | 205 °C (401 °F) [15] [16] |
| Coconut oil [17] | 99 | 83 | 6 | 2 | 177 °C (351 °F) |
| Corn oil [18] | 100 | 13–14 | 27–29 | 52–54 | 230 °C (446 °F) [13] |
| Lard [19] | 100 | 39 | 45 | 11 | 190 °C (374 °F) [13] |
| Peanut oil [20] | 100 | 16 | 57 | 20 | 225 °C (437 °F) [13] |
| Olive oil [21] | 100 | 13–19 | 59–74 | 6–16 | 190 °C (374 °F) [13] |
| Rice bran oil | 100 | 25 | 38 | 37 | 250 °C (482 °F) [22] |
| Soybean oil [23] | 100 | 15 | 22 | 57–58 | 257 °C (495 °F) [13] |
| Suet [24] | 94 | 52 | 32 | 3 | 200 °C (392 °F) |
| Ghee [25] | 99 | 62 | 29 | 4 | 204 °C (399 °F) |
| Sunflower oil [26] | 100 | 10 | 20 | 66 | 225 °C (437 °F) [13] |
| Sunflower oil (high oleic) | 100 | 12 | 84 [15] | 4 [15] | |
| Vegetable shortening [27] | 100 | 25 | 41 | 28 | 165 °C (329 °F) [13] |
If quality control is neglected, peanuts that contain the mold that produces highly toxic aflatoxin can end up contaminating the oil derived from them. [28]
Those allergic to peanuts can consume highly refined peanut oil, but should avoid first-press, organic oil. [29] Most highly refined peanut oils remove the peanut allergens and have been shown to be safe for "the vast majority of peanut-allergic individuals". [30] However, cold-pressed peanut oils may not remove the allergens and thus could be highly dangerous to people with peanut allergy. [31]
Since the degree of processing for any particular product is often unclear, many believe that "avoidance is prudent". [32] [33]
The peanut, also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large commercial producers, both as grain legume and as an oil crop. Atypically among legumes, peanut pods develop underground leading botanist Carl Linnaeus to name peanuts hypogaea, which means "under the earth".
Suet is the raw, hard fat of beef, lamb or mutton found around the loins and kidneys.
Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of edible plants. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are mixtures of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fats from seeds. Olive oil, palm oil, and rice bran oil are examples of fats from other parts of plants. In common usage, vegetable oil may refer exclusively to vegetable fats which are liquid at room temperature. Vegetable oils are usually edible.
Coconut oil is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat below around 25 °C (77 °F), and a clear thin liquid oil at higher temperatures. Unrefined varieties have a distinct coconut aroma. Coconut oil is used as a food oil, and in industrial applications for cosmetics and detergent production. The oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids.
A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all single bonds between the carbon atoms. A fat known as a glyceride is made of two kinds of smaller molecules: a short glycerol backbone and fatty acids that each contain a long linear or branched chain of carbon (C) atoms. Along the chain, some carbon atoms are linked by single bonds (-C-C-) and others are linked by double bonds (-C=C-). A double bond along the carbon chain can react with a pair of hydrogen atoms to change into a single -C-C- bond, with each H atom now bonded to one of the two C atoms. Glyceride fats without any carbon chain double bonds are called saturated because they are "saturated with" hydrogen atoms, having no double bonds available to react with more hydrogen.
Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sweeteners, or emulsifiers. Consumed in many countries, it is the most commonly used of the nut butters, a group that also includes cashew butter and almond butter.
Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil, is a colourless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant. The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction.
Hemp oil is oil obtained by pressing hemp seeds. Cold pressed, unrefined hemp oil is dark to clear light green in color, with a nutty flavor. The darker the color, the grassier the flavour. It should not be confused with hash oil, a tetrahydrocannabinol-containing oil made from the Cannabis flower.
Grape seed oil is a vegetable oil derived from the seeds of grapes. Grape seeds are a winemaking by-product, and oil made from the seeds is commonly used as an edible oil.
Cottonseed oil is cooking oil from the seeds of cotton plants of various species, mainly Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium herbaceum, that are grown for cotton fiber, animal feed, and oil.
Oleic acid is a fatty acid that occurs naturally in various animal and vegetable fats and oils. It is an odorless, colorless oil, although commercial samples may be yellowish due to the presence of impurities. In chemical terms, oleic acid is classified as a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid, abbreviated with a lipid number of 18:1 cis-9, and a main product of Δ9-desaturase. It has the formula CH3−(CH2)7−CH=CH−(CH2)7−COOH. The name derives from the Latin word oleum, which means oil. It is the most common fatty acid in nature. The salts and esters of oleic acid are called oleates. It is a common component of oils, and thus occurs in many types of food, as well as in soap.
Shortening is any fat that is a solid at room temperature and is used to make crumbly pastry and other food products.
Omega−6 fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon-carbon double bond in the n−6 position, that is, the sixth bond, counting from the methyl end.
Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. The oil is one of the earliest-known crop-based oils. Worldwide mass modern production is limited due to the inefficient manual harvesting process required to extract the oil. Oil made from raw seeds, which may or may not be cold-pressed, is used as a cooking oil. Oil made from toasted seeds is used for its distinctive nutty aroma and taste, although it may be unsuitable for frying, which makes it taste burnt and bitter.
Rice bran oil is the oil extracted from the hard outer brown layer of rice called bran. It is known for its high smoke point of 232 °C (450 °F) and mild flavor, making it suitable for high-temperature cooking methods such as stir frying and deep frying. It is popular as a cooking oil in East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, Southern China and Malaysia.
Corn oil or maize oil (British) is oil extracted from the germ of corn (maize). Its main use is in cooking, where its high smoke point makes refined corn oil a valuable frying oil. It is also a key ingredient in some margarines. Corn oil is generally less expensive than most other types of vegetable oils.
Sunflower oil is the non-volatile oil pressed from the seeds of the sunflower. Sunflower oil is commonly used in food as a frying oil, and in cosmetic formulations as an emollient.
Avocado oil is an edible oil extracted from the pulp of avocados, the fruit of Persea americana. It is used as an edible oil both raw and for cooking, where it is noted for its high smoke point. It is also used for lubrication and in cosmetics.
Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig. It is distinguished from tallow, a similar product derived from fat of cattle or sheep.
Cooking oil is a plant or animal liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. Oil allows higher cooking temperatures than water, making cooking faster and more flavorful, while likewise distributing heat, reducing burning and uneven cooking. It sometimes imparts its own flavor. Cooking oil is also used in food preparation and flavoring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips.
