Canola oil is predominantly a monounsaturated fat. About 63% of its fatty acids are monounsaturated, placing it in the same category as olive oil. The remaining fat splits between polyunsaturated fat (roughly 30%) and a small amount of saturated fat (7%), giving canola one of the lowest saturated fat levels of any common cooking oil.
Full Fatty Acid Breakdown
A closer look at canola oil’s fat profile shows why it’s often grouped with heart-healthy oils. Monounsaturated fat, specifically oleic acid, makes up the bulk at 63%. This is the same type of fat that gives olive oil its reputation for cardiovascular benefits.
The polyunsaturated portion contains two essential fatty acids your body can’t produce on its own. Linoleic acid, an omega-6 fat, accounts for about 21.7% of canola oil’s total fat. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fat, makes up roughly 9.6%. That translates to about 1 gram of plant-based omega-3 per tablespoon, which is notably higher than most other cooking oils. The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio lands close to 2:1, a balance that nutrition researchers generally view as favorable.
Saturated fat rounds out the profile at just 7%. For comparison, olive oil contains about 15% saturated fat, soybean oil sits around 15%, and butter comes in at 66%.
How Canola Compares to Other Cooking Oils
Canola oil occupies a middle ground between olive oil and neutral seed oils like soybean or sunflower. It shares olive oil’s high monounsaturated fat content but delivers more omega-3s and less saturated fat. Its flavor is much milder, which makes it more versatile in cooking where you don’t want the taste of olive oil coming through.
Compared to coconut oil, the difference is dramatic. Coconut oil is roughly 82% saturated fat. Canola’s 7% saturated fat content is the lowest among commonly used cooking oils. The American Heart Association’s 2026 dietary guidance specifically names canola oil alongside olive and soybean oils as examples of heart-healthy liquid plant oils, while categorizing coconut oil and palm oil with animal fats like butter and beef tallow due to their high saturated fat content.
What Those Fats Do in Your Body
Monounsaturated fats help lower LDL cholesterol (the kind associated with plaque buildup in arteries) when they replace saturated fats in your diet. Because canola oil is nearly two-thirds monounsaturated fat, swapping it for butter or coconut oil in cooking can meaningfully shift the type of fat you consume.
The omega-3 content in canola oil is the plant-based form, ALA, which is different from the EPA and DHA found in fish. Your body converts only a small percentage of ALA into those more active forms. Still, 1 gram of ALA per tablespoon is a meaningful contribution, especially if you don’t eat much fish. Most Americans fall short on omega-3 intake overall, and canola oil is one of the easiest ways to add a modest amount through everyday cooking.
Where Canola Oil Comes From
Canola oil comes from the seeds of the canola plant, a variety of rapeseed that was developed through traditional crossbreeding in Canada during the 1970s. Standard rapeseed oil contains high levels of erucic acid, a fatty acid that raised health concerns in animal studies. Canola was specifically bred to eliminate most of that compound. Under both FDA regulations and international standards, canola oil must contain no more than 2% erucic acid to carry the name “canola.” Modern canola oil easily meets that threshold.
Cooking Stability and Smoke Point
Refined canola oil has a smoke point of about 236°C (457°F), which is high enough for deep frying, stir-frying, sautéing, and grilling. That high smoke point comes from the refining process, which strips out impurities that would otherwise burn at lower temperatures.
Because canola oil is high in unsaturated fats, it is more prone to oxidation than heavily saturated fats like coconut oil or lard. When heated repeatedly at frying temperatures (around 400°F), canola oil’s peroxide values, a measure of oxidation, can nearly double over the course of 40 frying cycles. For home cooking, where you’re typically using oil once or twice, this isn’t a practical concern. If you do reuse frying oil, fresh oil performs significantly better than oil that’s been through multiple rounds of high heat.
Vitamins in Canola Oil
One tablespoon of canola oil provides about 2.4 mg of vitamin E and 17 mcg of vitamin K. The vitamin E acts as a fat-soluble antioxidant that helps protect cells from damage. The vitamin K contributes to blood clotting and bone health. Neither amount is enormous on its own, but because most people use cooking oil daily, it adds up over the course of a week. For context, the daily recommended intake for vitamin E is 15 mg for adults, so a couple of tablespoons of canola oil covers roughly a third of that.