Peanut oil, a fine and tasteless oil generally used for cooking, salads, and frying, is extracted from the seed known as a nut. The nut used for making peanut oil comes from the peanut plant. Also, it can be used for making medicines. The cold-pressed variety has a mild peanut flavor. It comes with low saturates and moderately high monounsaturated.
Apart from being commonly used as cooking oil, it can be to apply to the skin. It can relieve joint pain, arthritis, eczema, dry skin, etc. Peanut oil can be used for making skincare products and baby care products. The high monounsaturated good fat and saturated bad fat prevent heart disease and lower cholesterol.
Best use: high-heat cooking (especially deep-frying and stir-frying)
Substitutes: grapeseed oil, soybean, safflower
Guide to Peanut Oil
Peanut Oil vs. Canola Oil
Oils with higher monounsaturated fats, like peanut oil and canola oil, are the healthiest oil options. They help to lower your bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein. On the other side, it increases good cholesterol. To under the best use of both oils in different situations or food, the smoke point, composition, and flavors can help you choose one.
Canola Oil
Canola oil is one of the oils that contain the highest monounsaturated fat content. The monounsaturated fat and saturated fat in canola oil are 62 percent and 7 percent, respectively. The remaining content is 31 percent of polyunsaturated fat. After olive oil and sunflower oil, the next healthiest oil in terms of heart health is canola oil. It can be used for baking, frying, and salad dressing.
Canola oil is neutral in taste because it is obtained from rapeseed, the relative of mustard. Since rapeseed is typically sprayed with pesticides, ensure that you buy an organic expeller-pressed canola oil from different brands. You will find canola oil already added to the foods like frozen fish fillets and baked chips.
The smoke point of canola oil is high, around 205 degrees, so it makes good all-purpose cooking oil. After heating canola oil, it becomes unstable. Never reuse it.
For more information, check out our article on Guide to Canola Oil.
Peanut Oil
Peanut oil is slightly less healthy than canola oil. It contains 18 percent of saturated fats. Besides, peanut oil has 48 percent of monounsaturated fats and 34 percent of polyunsaturated fats. Peanut oil, an all-purpose oil, is rich in monounsaturated fat. Peanut oil is popular for deep frying because of its high smoke point of 232 degrees.
Most commercial brands you see in grocery stores are chemically treated. In specialty stores and online stores, you will get expeller-pressed peanut oil brands. Peanut oil has a longer shelf life than other oils. It is recommended as the best oil for Asian cuisine, especially stir-fries.
Nutrient Composition of Peanut Oil
One tablespoon of peanut oils consists of the following nutrients:
| Nutrient | Value |
| Calories | 119 |
| Fat | 14g |
| Saturated Fat | 2.3g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 6.2g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 4.3g |
| Vitamin E | 11% of RDI |
| Phytosterols | 27.9mg |
The main type of monounsaturated fat in peanut oil is known as omega-9 or oleic acid. Also, it contains high amounts of omega-6 fatty acid and linoleic acid. There are smaller amounts of palmitic acid that are saturated fat.
A high amount of omega-6 fatty acid is not good because it causes inflammation that links to various health problems. The monounsaturated fats in peanut oil make it the best for frying and high-heat cooking.
Peanut Oil Benefits
1. Antioxidant and Strengthens Immune System
One tablespoon of peanut oil contains 11 percent of recommended daily intake of vitamin E. the main role of vitamin E is that it is an antioxidant that contains a lot of health benefits related to the protection of the body from free radical damage. It also reduces the risk of heart disease.
Vitamin E also helps to keep the immune system strong. Hence, your body will protect you from viruses and bacteria. It is also essential for red blood cell formation, preventing blood clots and cell signaling.
This powerful antioxidant reduces certain cataracts, cancers, risk of heart diseases, and age-related mental decline.
2. Reduces Heart Disease Risk
Peanut oil has a high content of MUFA and PUFA that are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, respectively. Both fats help to reduce heart disease by 30 percent. MUFA and PUFA reduce LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
3. Improves Insulin Sensitivity
The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats also improve the blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Consuming fat with carbohydrates slows down the absorption of sugar levels in the digestive tract. It raises blood sugar levels. If you are using peanut oil in cooking, frying, and baking, there are higher chances that the MUFA and PUFA will control the blood sugar levels.
4. Non-Allergic
If you are allergic to peanuts, there is good news for you. In the peanut oil-making process, the allergenic component is removed. The manufacturers remove the allergenic component in highly processed peanut oil to make it useful for everyone. Most of the food chains use highly processed peanut oil.
However, gourmet peanut oil, also known as cold-pressed, extruded, and expelled peanut oil, should be avoided by those who have a peanut allergy.
5. Anti-Cancer Potential
Peanut oil has unsaturated fats and bioactive compounds that act as cancer-preventive components. Peanut oil contains phytosterols and beta-sitosterol that protect your body from prostate, colon, and breast cancer. Natural plant compounds can inhibit carcinogen products and cell growth.
Consuming phytosterols by using peanut oil in cooking, frying, and baking can have a positive link to increased activity of antioxidant enzymes. Hence, it reduces oxidative stress.
6. Lowers Blood Pressure
Resveratrol in peanut oil has an important function in the body. Various hormones interact with resveratrol that affects the blood vessels like angiotensin. Angiotensin constricts the arteries and vessels. Resveratrol neutralizes the effects on hormones and decreases blood pressure if you are a blood pressure patient. Lowering the blood pressure means reducing the stress on the cardiovascular system.
Uses of Peanut Oil in Skincare
Moisturizing Properties
Peanut oil has a traditional use in moisturizing. It relieves the conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. The thick and oily texture of oil leaves a glow on the skin and treats the dryness by deeply moisturizing the skin. Due to its occlusive, emollient, and moisturizing properties, it is added to various skin care products.
Moisture Retaining
A moisturizing compound in peanut oil helps slow down the skin’s water loss. It does not let the water evaporate from the skin by forming a protective film on it. The main compound responsible for the occlusive property is lanolin, present in peanut oil.
Moisture Attracting
The humid humectants used in skincare products reduce the drying effect due to soap and alcohol. It attracts and extracts the water molecules from the air and keeps them close to the skin’s surface. Peanut oil has a rich triglyceride content that makes it an excellent humectant.
Skin Smoothening
A type of moisturizer that keeps the skin soft and conditioned without using moisture is known as emollients. To keep the skin soft, they fill the gaps between the skin cells that cause dryness. It makes the skin flexible and gets rid of the dry patches. Oleic acid, stearic acid, and linolenic acid are the major components that make peanut oil a rich emollient.
Cleansing Properties
Instead of using alcohol cleansing, you can use peanut oil for deep cleansing. Using peanut oil for cleansing does not leave your skin dehydrated because of its moisturizing properties. It dissolves the makeup, dirt, sebum, and blackheads. Also, it is an effective oil that protects your skin against acne breakouts.
Anti-Aging Properties
Vitamin E and phenols in peanut oil help you to naturalize the free radicals that mean your skin will fight to age. It repairs the damaged cells and makes your skin radiant and healthy.
Peanut Oil Smoke Point
The Smoke Point of Peanut Oil: 450°F
The temperate at which an oil starts to smoke is its smoke point. At this temperature, the oil quickly burns the food and turns bitter. Vegetable oils like safflower oil, soybean oil, grapeseed oil, and peanut oil have the highest smoke point.
On the other hand, extra virgin olive oil is a better choice for low-heat cooking, finishing touches, or salad dressing due to its lower smoke point, i.e., 410°F.
Side Effects of Peanut Oil
When applied to the skin: peanut oil is safe to use unless you are allergic to peanuts. In that case, peanut oil can cause serious allergic reactions.
When taken by mouth: peanut oil can use allergy. So, always consult the physician before taking such medication.
Precautions and Warnings
Allergy to soybeans, peanuts, and any other related plants: peanut oil is not for people allergic to soybeans, peanuts, and any other members of the Fabaceae plant family, as it can cause consequential allergic reactions.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: there is a need for more information to know if peanut oil is safe to use in substantial amounts as medicine while breastfeeding or pregnant.
Peanut Oil Substitutes
Nutty flavor: if you are looking for a nutty substitute for roasted, cold-pressed, or virgin peanut oils, choose walnut oil or almond oil. They are best for drizzling and also add flavor to your meals.
High-heat cooking: if you are looking for another oil, choose grapeseed oil, soybean, or safflower oil. These oils have a neutral flavor and a high smoke point which you need for high-heat cooking.
Where to Buy Peanut Oil?
You can buy special peanut oils (like virgin, roasted, cold-pressed) online or at specialty grocery stores. Moreover, you can also find refined peanut oil at a grocery store, and it is also available at Chinese grocery stores; you can purchase it from there, too.
Peanut Oil – A Good Groundnut Oil or Arachis Oil
Peanut oil is also known as groundnut oil or Arachis oil because it is derived from the edible seeds of the peanut plant. The seeds or peanuts that develop underground give it the name of groundnuts. If you use canola, olive, palm, or almond oil, you can switch to peanut oil because of its health benefits. If you want to use it for your skincare, it is the best oil you are looking for!