My diet:

Palm kernel oil

No E-numberFats & oilsOrigin: Plant
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Every diet

VeganYes

Palm kernel oil is a seed fat.

Gluten-freeYes
HalalYes
KosherYes
KetoYes

Palm kernel oil contains no carbohydrate.

Low-FODMAPYes
The short answer
Palm kernel oil is a hard plant fat from the palm seed. It is vegan. Candy coatings and coffee creamers use it because it melts cleanly and stays solid on the shelf.
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 calledPalm kernel oil, Palm seed 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

Palm kernel oil is a food fat, not an E-number. Labels that say palm oil and labels that say palm kernel oil are naming two different parts of the same fruit.

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

What is it?

The kernel is cracked out of the nut, then crushed. Refining makes a white fat. Fractionating it splits a stearin, which is harder, from an olein, which is softer.

Where it comes from: Palm kernel oil is pressed from the seed inside the oil-palm fruit, not from the orange flesh. It is a lauric fat, in the same family as coconut oil, and it is firmer and more saturated than palm oil.

Why it’s in food

  • Sets a candy coating
  • Whitened a creamer
  • Firms a frosting
  • Replaces cocoa butter in a coating

Often found in

Chocolate-flavored coatingsCoffee creamersWhipped toppingsCookiesIce cream coatingsInstant noodles

Also listed as: Palm kernel oil, Palm seed oil, PKO

Health & gut impact

More saturated than palm oilConcern

Palm kernel oil is mostly saturated lauric fat. It is closer to coconut oil than to the palm fruit oil beside it on some labels.

Fatty-acid composition of palm kernel oil

A different ingredient from palm oilUnder study

Reading palm on a label is not enough. Kernel oil and fruit oil behave differently in the pan and in the blood-lipid studies.

Codex distinction between palm oil and palm kernel oil

What can I use instead?

Coconut oil

Ratio: The closest everyday lauric fat

Best for: Baking and sautéing

Cocoa butter

Ratio: A confectionery fat with a different melt

Best for: Real chocolate

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

Why do labels list palm kernel oil separately?

Because it is not palm oil. The kernel fat is harder and higher in lauric acid.

Is palm kernel oil dairy?

No. The word butter sometimes appears in a coating made with it. The fat itself is from a seed.

Is Palm kernel oil safe?

Use in moderation (58/100). Palm kernel oil is a food fat, not an E-number. Labels that say palm oil and labels that say palm kernel oil are naming two different parts of the same fruit.

Is Palm kernel oil vegan?

Yes. Palm kernel oil is a seed fat.

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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
  • Fatty-acid composition of palm kernel oil
  • Codex distinction between palm oil and palm kernel oil