Best Oil for Air Fryer: 8 Cooking Oils Ranked

There are many trendy kitchen gadgets, but arguably none quite so cultish as the air fryer. It's the kind of device that has your friends looking at you in bewilderment when you tell them you don't have one, and you wonder how revolutionary this mini-oven can really be when you already have an oven and a microwave. Then you get one, and you find yourself telling everyone who will listen how revolutionary air fryers are, and how you never use your oven anymore!

There are many reasons people love air fryers:

• Convenience
• Time
• Energy efficiency
• Taste and texture
• Health benefits

You can get the perfect crunchy potato with little to no added oil. Bacon and other oily foods astound you with the amount of oil that drips off, which means fewer calories on your plate.

The thing about oil, however, is that it adds flavor and improves texture. So what is the best oil for an air fryer?

Macadamia oil.

• Light and neutral. It lets the food taste like the food.
• High smoke point. A tested 450°F, comfortably above the 400°F most air fryers top out at.
• You only need a little. A teaspoon to a tablespoon per batch. Macadamia oil is expensive, which makes the air fryer the perfect use for it.

And whatever oil you choose, skip the can. The most popular "air fryer oil" in America is aerosol spray, and it is the one thing most appliance experts tell you not to use. The propellants and soy lecithin in spray oils bake onto the nonstick basket and turn it gummy within months.

Quick Answer: The best oils for an air fryer have a smoke point above 400°F and a low share of omega-6 polyunsaturated fat, which breaks down fastest under heat. Macadamia oil (450°F, about 2% linoleic acid) and refined avocado oil (about 520°F) are the top choices. Extra virgin olive oil works at moderate temperatures. Avoid aerosol sprays, which damage nonstick baskets.

What makes a good air fryer oil?

An air fryer is a small convection oven. It blows very hot air around food at high speed, and the thin coat of oil on the surface is what turns crisp. That surface oil is exposed to heat and oxygen at the same time, which is exactly the condition that makes oils oxidize.

Two numbers matter:

• Smoke point. The temperature where the oil starts visibly breaking down. You want a comfortable margin above your air fryer's highest setting, which is usually 400°F.
• Stability. How resistant the oil is to oxidation under heat. This depends mostly on the fat profile. Monounsaturated fats (the type in olive and macadamia oil) and saturated fats are stable. Polyunsaturated fats, especially linoleic acid, the main omega-6 in seed oils, are the least stable.

Smoke point gets all the attention, but stability is the better predictor of what ends up on your plate. We rank oils by stability in detail in Most Stable Cooking Oils Ranked.

8 air fryer oils, ranked

Smoke points vary by brand and refining, so treat them as typical ranges. Linoleic acid shares are approximate percentages of total fat, based on USDA FoodData Central values.

Notice that soybean oil has a higher smoke point than olive oil but sits at the bottom of the table. That is the trap in smoke-point-only rankings: an oil can stay below its smoke point and still oxidize, because half of it is the least stable fat in your kitchen.

Can you use olive oil in an air fryer?

Yes, within limits. Extra virgin olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat and holds up better than its smoke point suggests, thanks to its natural antioxidants. At 350 to 375°F it performs well.

The problem is the top end. Plenty of air fryer recipes call for 400°F, which is at or above the smoke point of many extra virgin olive oils. For roasted vegetables at 375°F, olive oil is a good choice. For crisping wings or fries at 400°F, a higher-heat oil gives you more margin.

Is avocado oil good for the air fryer?

Refined avocado oil has one of the highest smoke points of any cooking oil, which is why it is the most recommended air fryer oil online. The catch is quality. A 2020 study from the UC Davis Food Science department found that 82% of avocado oil samples tested were either oxidized before their expiration date or mixed with other oils. You may be buying a blend with cheaper seed oils, or an oil that went off before you opened it.

If you use avocado oil, buy from a brand that publishes third-party purity testing.

Why macadamia oil ranks first

For air frying, macadamia oil combines the three things you want in one bottle.

It handles the heat. House of Macadamias oil has a tested smoke point of 450°F, a 50-degree margin above most air fryers' maximum setting.

It is the most stable liquid oil. About 80% of the fat is monounsaturated, the same heart-healthy type found in olive oil, and only about 2% is linoleic acid. That is less omega-6 than any other common liquid cooking oil, including olive and avocado oil.

It does not fight your food. The flavor is light and neutral, so it works on fries, chicken, salmon and vegetables without tasting like olive oil or coconut.

For high-heat air frying

If you want one oil for everything your air fryer does, macadamia oil is the one that does not need a caveat. House of Macadamias cold-presses its oil from single-origin South African macadamias, with no blending and no additives. [Our extra virgin macadamia oil is available here]

How to oil food for the air fryer (without spray)

You need far less oil than you think. A tablespoon is enough for a full basket of fries.

1. Oil the food, not the basket. Toss vegetables or protein in a bowl with the oil so every surface is coated.
2. Use a refillable mister if you want a spray. A pump mister filled with your own oil gives the same fine coat with no propellant or lecithin.
3. Brush delicate items. Fish fillets and breaded foods coat more evenly with a pastry brush.
4. Shake halfway. Shaking the basket redistributes oil and browns food evenly.
5. Wipe the basket after each use. Oil that stays on the basket polymerizes into a sticky layer over time.

What oils should you avoid in an air fryer?

Skip aerosol cooking sprays such as PAM, which contain lecithin and propellants that build up on nonstick coatings. Be cautious with unrefined oils that have low smoke points, such as unrefined sesame, walnut or flaxseed oil, which are better used for finishing. And if you are trying to reduce seed oils, soybean, corn, sunflower and "vegetable" oil blends offer the least stability for the heat they are exposed to. For more on why that matters, read Do Seed Oils Stay in Your Body?

FAQ

What is the healthiest oil to use in an air fryer? Macadamia oil and good-quality avocado oil are the healthiest options for air frying. Both are mostly monounsaturated fat and have smoke points above 400°F. Macadamia oil is lower in omega-6 (about 2% vs about 12%).

Can you use olive oil in an air fryer? Yes, at 375°F and below. Extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point of roughly 375 to 410°F, so for recipes at 400°F a higher-heat oil like macadamia or avocado gives more margin.

Is it bad to use PAM in an air fryer? Most appliance experts advise against it. Aerosol sprays contain soy lecithin and propellants that bake onto the nonstick basket and leave a sticky residue that is hard to remove. A refillable oil mister is a better alternative.

How much oil do you need in an air fryer? Usually one teaspoon to one tablespoon per batch. Toss the food in the oil in a bowl before it goes into the basket.

Is macadamia oil good for air frying? Yes. Macadamia oil has a 450°F smoke point, a light, neutral flavor, and the lowest omega-6 content of any common liquid cooking oil, which makes it one of the most stable choices for high-heat air frying.

Do you need oil in an air fryer at all? No, but a small amount improves browning and crispness, especially on potatoes and vegetables. Foods with their own fat, like chicken thighs or bacon, need none.

The takeaway

The oil you use matters more in an air fryer than in a pan, because the fan exposes every bit of it to heat and air at once. Swap the spray can for a bottle of stable oil and a bowl, and both your food and your basket will last longer.

References

1. Wang SC, Green HS. Avocado oil quality and purity study. UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology, 2020 (published in Food Control).
2. USDA FoodData Central. Fatty acid profiles for macadamia, avocado, olive, canola, soybean, coconut oils, beef tallow and ghee.
3. The Kitchn. Why you should never use cooking spray with your air fryer.
4. House of Macadamias. Third-party smoke point testing, extra virgin macadamia oil smoke point 234 Degrees Celsius (450°F)