Corn oil alternatives may be necessary if you run out of this cooking oil unexpectedly or need an even healthier option. There are quite a few other oils that share its mild flavor and relatively high smoke point. Some of the best corn oil substitutes include:
Your best bet: Avocado oil
As you might have guessed from the name, avocado oil comes from the avocado fruit that grows on a tree belonging to the laurel family. This is the same plant family that provides us with bay leaves, but avocado oil tastes nothing like the bay leaf. It is often described as buttery, which is an adjective sometimes used for corn oil.
Avocados are an ancient fruit with numerous health benefits, many of which are found in the extracted oil. It shares some of these health benefits with corn oil. The benefits include the fact that it contains a lot of oleic acid and lutein. The oleic acid can help to lower cholesterol while the lutein is beneficial for eye health.
Along with the health benefits, avocado oil shares a high smoke point with corn oil. The smoke point is the temperature that cooking oil begins to burn and break down to toxic compounds. The higher an oil’s smoke point, the safer it is to consume if you are cooking at high temperatures.
While corn oil’s smoke point is close to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, avocado oil’s is often listed as being much higher. Some sources have it being over 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
A decent second choice: Peanut oil
Peanut oil is extracted from the peanut legume. Like corn oil, it has many properties that make it a versatile high-temperature cooking oil. The most important is the mild flavor of refined peanut oil along with its high smoke point.
Nutritionally speaking, peanut oil has a lot in common with corn oil since it is rich in the antioxidant vitamin E as well as in the polyunsaturated fat that is so important for reducing cholesterol levels. Peanut oil is also a good source of monounsaturated fat that can lower bad cholesterol. Peanut oil and corn oil are widely regarded as two of the best oils for deep-frying and stir-frying because of their smoke points, but you can use them in low-heat preparations and raw dishes as well.
In a pinch: Canola oil
One of the most affordable and widely used cooking oils, canola oil is made from a kind of rapeseed. It is still referred to as rapeseed oil in some parts of Europe.
Unlike standard rapeseed, the canola seed has a low erucic acid content and low glucosinolate content. As a result, the oil has a mild flavor and long shelf life and is lacking some carcinogens making it a healthier oil. These properties all make canola oil a good substitute for corn oil along with the fact that it has a moderately high smoke point. You can use canola oil as a replacement for corn oil in any recipe, and you won’t see a difference in flavor or appearance.
Other alternatives
Grapeseed oil comes from the seeds of wine grapes and has many of the same healthy properties as corn oil. Grapeseed oil contains a lot of polyunsaturated fat and vitamin E, both of which can be beneficial for treating serious diseases like heart disease and cancer. It also has a high smoke point and a very mild flavor profile, just like corn oil.