My diet:

Fully hydrogenated oil

No E-numberFats & oilsOrigin: Plant
Get a personal answer

Pick your family’s diets in the bar above.

Every diet

VeganYes

The oils that get fully hydrogenated on labels are vegetable oils. An animal fat would be named as such.

Gluten-freeYes
HalalYes
KosherYes
KetoYes

Fully hydrogenated oil is fat.

Low-FODMAPYes
The short answer
Fully hydrogenated oil is a hard plant fat used in small amounts to stiffen peanut butter and frosting. It is vegan if the oil under it is a vegetable oil. It is not the trans-fat ingredient regulators banned.
Use in moderation

Safe in small amounts; may bother some people or raise blood sugar.

E-numberNone
Comes fromPlant
What it doesFats & oils
Glycemic index—
Daily limitNot set
Also calledFully hydrogenated oil, Fully hydrogenated soybean oil

Rules by country

🇺🇸 US FDANot evaluated as an additive
🇪🇺 European UnionNot evaluated as an additive
🇨🇦 Health CanadaNot evaluated as an additive
CaliforniaNo extra rules

Fully hydrogenated oils stayed on the market when the FDA removed partially hydrogenated oils. The 2015 decision was about the partial process, which leaves industrial trans fat. A label that says fully hydrogenated is naming the other process.

Daily limit: Experts haven’t set a number because normal food amounts are far below any level of concern.

What is it?

The starting oil is usually soybean, cottonseed or palm. The reaction runs until almost no unsaturated fat is left. Makers then blend that hard fat back into liquid oil so a spread stays spreadable without the old trans fat.

Where it comes from: Full hydrogenation bubbles hydrogen through a liquid oil until the double bonds are gone. The oil turns into a hard, waxy saturated fat. Because those bonds are saturated rather than twisted, the finished fat is not a trans-fat ingredient.

Why it’s in food

  • Stops peanut butter separating
  • Firms a frosting
  • Builds a trans-free shortening
  • Holds a coating

Often found in

Peanut butterFrostingCoffee creamersWhipped toppingsPastry margarineCookie fillings

Also listed as: Fully hydrogenated oil, Fully hydrogenated soybean oil, Fully hydrogenated cottonseed oil, Fully hydrogenated vegetable oil, Fully hydrogenated rapeseed oil

Health & gut impact

Not the trans-fat banBenefit

Partial hydrogenation leaves a large share of trans fat. Full hydrogenation finishes the reaction, so the trans intermediates are gone and the fat is saturated instead.

FDA final determination that partially hydrogenated oils are not GRAS (2015)

It is still a hard saturated fatConcern

Removing the trans fat does not make the fat behave like olive oil. Fully hydrogenated oil is as saturated as a fat can be, and recipes use it for texture.

Hydrogenation chemistry of edible oils

What can I use instead?

Cocoa butter

Ratio: A naturally hard plant fat

Best for: Coatings and candy

Palm oil

Ratio: A semi-solid fat that needs no hydrogenation

Best for: Cookies and noodles

Related

More fats & oils:

Beef tallowBeef tallow is cattle fat. It is not vegan. It is gluten-free and used for high-heat frying. Halal and kosher versions exist only when the animal and the plant are certified.Use in moderationButterButter is a dairy fat. It is not vegan. It is gluten-free, and a normal pat is low enough in lactose that many low-FODMAP plans allow it. Peanut butter and cocoa butter are not this food.Use in moderationCanola oilCanola oil is a neutral cooking oil from low-erucic rapeseed. Canola oil is vegan and gluten-free. The old worry about erucic acid applies to industrial rapeseed, not to the canola sold as food.Generally safeCocoa butterCocoa butter is the vegan fat of the cocoa bean. It is what makes chocolate snap and then melt. It is gluten-free and keto-friendly, and it is not a dairy butter.Generally safe

Common questions

Is fully hydrogenated oil banned?

No. The ban and the FDA's 'not GRAS' decision target partially hydrogenated oils. Fully hydrogenated oils are still used.

Does fully hydrogenated oil contain trans fat?

Only traces. The point of running the reaction all the way is to saturate the bonds instead of leaving them in the trans shape.

Is Fully hydrogenated oil safe?

Use in moderation (64/100). Fully hydrogenated oils stayed on the market when the FDA removed partially hydrogenated oils. The 2015 decision was about the partial process, which leaves industrial trans fat. A label that says fully hydrogenated is naming the other process.

Is Fully hydrogenated oil vegan?

Yes. The oils that get fully hydrogenated on labels are vegetable oils. An animal fat would be named as such.

Spotted a mistake on this page? Report it ›

Scientific sources & regulatory citations
  • FDA final determination that partially hydrogenated oils are not GRAS (2015)
  • Hydrogenation chemistry of edible oils