Have you ever made a recipe that called for vegetable oil, and in the midst of pouring the oil into the measuring cup, you’ve thought, “Hmm… I wonder if I could use something healthier in place of this?” As an avid baker, I run into this question a lot. [Spoiler alert: I no longer even keep "vegetable oil" in my house, so you can see where this discussion is going…]

The Short Answer: Yes, You Can Swap Canola Oil in For Vegetable Oil

The short answer is, yes, you can replace vegetable oil with a number of different options, including canola oil.

Can you use substitute canola oil for vegetable oil?  To answer this, we'll have to explain more about what vegetable oil actually is (and no, it's not made from the vegetables you're thinking of).  We'll also explain what makes vegetable oil ideal for your cooking and how canola oil may work differently -- or exactly the same.

But first, see the short answer below!

Do you ever find yourself wondering what the true meaning of Expeller Pressed Canola is? Or maybe you have just heard the term a lot lately. This is because it is one of the most popular edible oils, as we find the food industry leaning more towards healthy and natural ingredients. 

We will begin by first defining what expeller pressed canola oil is so you can really determine whether it is right for your manufactured food.

The term "high oleic" can be applied to many different types of oils: canola, sunflower, safflower, and more. High oleic oils continue to see a spike in popularity, especially in the natural food manufacturing industry. 

Why high oleic oils?  High oleic oils are a premium option that have a healthier fat composition, a longer shelf life, a higher heat tolerance and an extended fry life. For these reasons and many more, this ingredient is a perfect fit for natural chips, popcorn, and other baked or fried snacks. 

Canola and sunflower oil are both commonly used oils in the natural food industry. They are light in color and flavor, and you'll find them used in products like baked goods, snacks, granolas, bars and used for frying. 

Similar as they are they also have their differences. Today we will dive into the rundown of what is the same and what the difference is when it comes to these two oils. 

Do you find you are interested in canola oil but need to know a little bit more about it? Look no further! Here are 15 quick tips about canola oil you need to know.

There is a lot of misinformation about canola oil out there. Part of the problem is the concerns that people have with canola only apply with some of the canola oil in existence — and their same concerns also apply to lots of other oils that people don’t talk as much about. To understand the full story you have to know when the claims about canola oil are true and when they are false.

Let's tackle some myths and truths about organic canola oil and how they relate to their conventional GMO vs. organic counterparts.

Yes, There is Non-GMO Canola!

Our readers write to us almost every day to ask why they saw canola in a Non-GMO Project Verified product. There’s a fairly pervasive misconception that all canola is genetically modified, but this is not true! Non-GMO canola does exist; when you see canola in a product bearing the Butterfly, you can rest assured that it’s non-GMO canola because we test (major) high-risk crops that go into your food.

Canola’s story starts with the rapeseed plant, which is a member of the Brassicaceae family like cabbage, beets, mustard, and turnips. The name of this plant comes from rapum, the Latin word for turnip. While we think of this as a Canadian crop, rapeseed has been a traditional part of Asian cuisines for more than 4,000 years. It did not become widespread in Canada until it was used to make industrial engine lubricant during the Second World War.

In the 1970s, researchers at the University of Manitoba started working to alleviate two potential problems with rapeseed: erucic acid (which has been connected to heart problems) and glucosinolate (which just tastes bitter or pungent). By repeatedly crossing rapeseed plants that were lower and lower in these compounds, scientists used traditional breeding methods to create canola: a rapeseed variety that is very low in erucic acid and glucosinolate. The first canola variety emerged under the name Tower canola in 1974. To be clear, Tower canola was a non-GMO crop. GMOs had not been developed yet!

Canola Oil is commonly used in food manufacturing. But did you know that there are a few different kinds of canola oil available? If you’re overseeing the procurement for your next manufactured food product, you’ll need to compare each type of canola oil to decide which is going to be the right fit.

Today we will compare the two common options -- expeller pressed canola oil vs. regular (often called ‘conventional’) canola oil. We’ll look at how they’re made, along with what makes expeller pressed canola oil different, especially for healthy companies like yours.

There’s so much misinformation about canola oil out there. Part of the problem is that the issues people find with it are only sometimes true. To understand the full story, you have to know when the claims about canola oil are actually true and when they are false.

Today, I’ll be tackling some myths and truths about organic canola oil in particular, and how they relate to their conventional (GMO) vs. organic counterparts.

There’s so much misinformation about canola oil out there. Part of the problem is that the issues people find with it are only sometimes true. To understand the full story, you have to know when the claims about canola oil are actually true and when they are false.

Today, I’ll be tackling some myths and truths about non-gmo canola oil in particular, and how they relate to their conventional and organic counterparts.

Canola oil can get a pretty bad rap sometimes. You may hear that it’s solvent expelled with chemicals… Or that it’s made from seeds that start with the word “rape”… That alone and it’s not looking too good for canola oil!

Here’s the thing: the poor reputation typically comes from information about conventional oils in particular — how they’re made, where they come from and misinformation about where the seeds originated from. The same information that applies to conventional canola doesn’t necessarily apply to non-gmo and organic canola, and THIS is exactly where the confusion can set in.

Non-gmo and organic versions of canola oil are typically healthier, expeller pressed versions that use no chemical solvents to produce the oil. A lot of the downsides of canola oil that some people claim drastically diminish when you look at organic or non-gmo canola oil, so I think it’s only fair to look at the whole picture.

Why would a natural food manufacturer choose something other than Extra Virgin Olive Oil? Especially something like a blend — a mix of EVOO and other milder oils like canola, soybean, or sunflower?

If you are in the food manufacturing world, you will understand that there’s a lot at play when it comes to these decisions: it’s not just about consumer perception and which oil is the highest quality. It’s also about the taste profile of the oil and how it affects your final product. It’s about about the price of your ingredients, and about quality certifications available (like Non-GMO Project Verified or Organic Certified). There’s a lot of things at play!

So why do some manufacturers opt for a blend of olive oil and canola, or olive oil and sunflower, over something like 100% Extra Virgin?

Let’s talk about the canola plant.

The history of how the canola plant came to be is important: a key misunderstanding that people have about canola oil is that it can’t be organic or non-gmo because it was genetically modified from a rapeseed plant to become a canola plant. They believe that being genetically modified is a basic pre-requisite for existing.

This is not true, and is a misunderstanding of the timeline of events and what occurred.

The history of the canola plant will help illustrate the story of what really happened and why non-gmo and organic canola seeds, grown without genetic modification, really do exist.

Why are expeller pressed oils all the rage these days? Because frankly, they’re produced in a healthier-for-you, more natural way. And that — being healthy and natural in general — is the real thing that’s all the rage these days.

Most people don’t know how plain old seed oils are produced, so it’s often hard for a typical consumer to compare. They don’t know that the industry standard for oil — in fact, the vast majority of oil available in the world — is produced using chemical solvents.

The difference between the industry standard and expeller pressed oil lies in how the oil is removed from the seeds. Once you start learning more, however, it may be hard to choose anything but an expeller pressed oil.