My diet:

Palm oil

No E-numberFats & oilsOrigin: Plant
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Every diet

VeganYes

Palm oil is pressed from fruit.

Gluten-freeYes
HalalYes
KosherYes
KetoYes

Palm oil is fat, with no carbohydrate to count.

Low-FODMAPYes
The short answer
Palm oil is a plant fat from the oil palm, about half saturated. It is vegan. It is solid at room temperature, which is why cookies and instant noodles use it in place of partially hydrogenated oil.
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 oil, Palm fruit 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 oil is a food, not an additive with an E-number, so none of the three regulators has evaluated it as an additive. The safety question is the saturated fat in a diet that uses it every day, not a contaminant limit.

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

What is it?

Refined palm oil is pale and nearly flavorless. Red palm oil tastes more of the fruit and is sold as a cooking fat in West African and Brazilian kitchens. The fruit oil is a different product from palm kernel oil, which comes from the seed.

Where it comes from: Palm oil is pressed from the flesh of the oil-palm fruit. Red palm oil keeps the orange carotenoids. The pale oil in cookies and crackers has been refined, bleached and deodorized.

Why it’s in food

  • Fries and seasons
  • Makes pastry short
  • Replaces trans fat
  • Carries spices in a sauce

Often found in

CookiesCrackersInstant noodlesMargarinePeanut butterPlant-based butter

Also listed as: Palm oil, Palm fruit oil, Red palm oil, Refined palm oil, Organic palm oil

Health & gut impact

Saturated fatConcern

About half the fat in palm oil is saturated, mostly palmitic acid. Swapping it in for oils richer in unsaturated fat raises LDL cholesterol in feeding trials.

Sacks and colleagues, American Heart Association presidential advisory on dietary fats (2017)

Carotenoids in the red oilBenefit

Unrefined red palm oil carries beta-carotene and tocotrienols. Refining strips most of that color out, so a cracker ingredient line does not deliver those compounds.

Processing of crude red palm oil

What can I use instead?

Sunflower oil

Ratio: Use the same volume when the recipe can stay liquid

Best for: Sautéing and dressings

Cocoa butter

Ratio: A firmer fat, for confectionery rather than frying

Best for: 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

Is palm oil vegan?

Yes. It is pressed from a fruit. The vegan question is separate from the forest question, which is about how the plantation was grown.

Is palm oil the same as palm kernel oil?

No. Palm oil comes from the fruit flesh. Palm kernel oil comes from the seed inside and is richer in lauric acid, closer to coconut oil.

Is Palm oil safe?

Use in moderation (62/100). Palm oil is a food, not an additive with an E-number, so none of the three regulators has evaluated it as an additive. The safety question is the saturated fat in a diet that uses it every day, not a contaminant limit.

Is Palm oil vegan?

Yes. Palm oil is pressed from fruit.

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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
  • Sacks and colleagues, American Heart Association presidential advisory on dietary fats (2017)
  • Processing of crude red palm oil