The Hunt for the Perfect Palm Oil Substitute

June 17, 2026•Emily Tam

Guide to palm oil substitutes and alternative cooking oils

If you had to name the single most widely used oil on the planet, what would you guess? Olive oil? Vegetable oil? The answer might surprise you: it's palm oil. And it's everywhere.

Palm oil shows up in roughly more than 50% of the packaged products we use, from food and snacks to shampoo, lipstick, and toothpaste. That is a staggering footprint for a single ingredient. So why are so many people, brands, and researchers now actively searching for palm oil substitutes? And what are the real alternatives out there? Let's dig in.

Why palm oil is so widely used

Palm oil earns its ubiquity for a few practical reasons. It is semi-solid at room temperature, which gives foods a stable texture and a longer shelf life. It has a high smoke point that makes it suitable for processed and fried foods. And compared to most other oils, it is remarkably inexpensive to produce per acre of land.

It also has a long and complicated history. When Europeans first encountered palm oil on the Guinea coast centuries ago, it was already being used as food, lighting fuel, and soap. As trade and industrialization expanded, so did palm oil cultivation, spreading across Africa, Southeast Asia, and beyond. Today, Indonesia and Malaysia produce the vast majority of the world's supply.

Palm oil and the environment

Here is where the conversation gets complicated. Palm oil production, at its current scale, has been linked to significant deforestation, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss. Species like orangutans have lost vast stretches of their natural habitat, and some projections suggest orangutans could face extinction within 50 years if habitat loss continues at this pace.

That said, palm oil is also a genuine economic engine for lower-income countries, providing millions of jobs and livelihoods. This is not a black-and-white issue. Eliminating palm oil entirely could, paradoxically, cause more environmental harm if replaced by crops that require even more land to produce the same yield.

Organizations like the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) are actively working to develop certification standards and reduce deforestation tied to palm oil farming. The goal is not necessarily to eliminate palm oil but to use it more responsibly while simultaneously developing viable alternatives.

What are the main palm oil substitutes?

Researchers, food manufacturers, and home cooks have been exploring a range of alternatives. Each comes with its own trade-offs in terms of flavor, performance, sustainability, and cost.

Avocado oil

Avocado oil has emerged as one of the most talked-about alternatives in food production and cooking. Pressed from the flesh of ripe avocados, it has a high smoke point and a mild, buttery flavor that works well across a wide range of applications. It performs well at high heat, which makes it a strong candidate for cooking and food manufacturing.

You can read more about how avocado oil stacks up against other oils in our post on avocado oil vs. tallow and avocado oil vs. olive oil.

Canola and sunflower oil

Canola oil, technically known as LEAR (low-erucic-acid rapeseed) oil, is one of the most affordable and widely available cooking oils. Its relatively neutral flavor and versatility make it a practical option for food manufacturers exploring palm oil alternatives. Sunflower oil is another commonly used substitute, with a light taste and good performance at moderate temperatures.

Both are widely used in processed foods, though each has its own profile worth understanding before making a switch at scale.

Heterotrophic algal oil

This one is fascinating, even if it is not yet ready for your kitchen pantry. Scientists have been developing oils derived from algae that offer minimal environmental impact. Algal oil production requires significantly less land than traditional oil crops, which makes it an exciting long-term possibility. The main barriers right now are cost and scale, but the research is progressing.

Annatto (achiote) oil

Annatto oil is made by infusing annatto seeds in a neutral oil, typically olive oil. It mimics the warm, reddish-orange color that palm oil naturally contributes to foods. It does not replicate palm oil's texture or taste, but for applications where color is the primary function, annatto oil is a creative and accessible alternative.

Ghee

Ghee is clarified butter with the milk solids removed, leaving a rich, golden fat that is a staple in Indian cuisine. When blended with other oils, ghee can help replicate some of the textural properties of palm oil while reducing the overall amount of palm oil required. The reddish pigment of red palm oil would be lost in this swap, but the functional characteristics can be preserved to a degree.

Cocoa butter

Cocoa butter is solid at room temperature, much like palm oil, which gives it similar properties in baking, confectionery, and cosmetics. It has a naturally long shelf life and a pleasant, subtle chocolatey aroma. It works best in sweet applications and body care products rather than savory cooking or frying.

Olive oil

Olive oil has been used for thousands of years in cooking, soap-making, and personal care. As a palm oil substitute, it excels in applications where liquid oil works well, such as dressings, low-heat cooking, and soap formulations. It lathers well and is relatively sustainable compared to many modern alternatives.

Why Jackson's uses avocado oil

At Jackson's, every single chip and snack is cooked exclusively in avocado oil. Not palm oil. Not any other oil. Avocado oil, always.

That commitment goes back to the very beginning, when the Reamer family started making snacks for their son Jackson. Avocado oil was part of the recipe from day one, and it still is. Every bag of Jackson's Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips, every kettle chip, every Super Veggie Straw, is cooked in avocado oil. Real sweet potatoes or real veggies, avocado oil, and seasoning.

Bon Appétit called Jackson's sweet potato chips "the ultimate editor-approved treat," and Good Housekeeping has highlighted them for their flavor and nutrition. When a snack earns that kind of recognition, the ingredients behind it matter.

Jackson's snacks are gluten-free, vegan, kosher, Non-GMO Project Verified, and free from the top 9 allergens.

The bigger picture on palm oil substitutes

Finding a single perfect substitute for palm oil at a global scale is genuinely difficult. Palm oil's combination of stability, versatility, affordability, and high yield per acre has made it nearly irreplaceable in industrial food production. Any substitute that requires significantly more land or water to produce the same amount of oil may not actually reduce the environmental impact.

The most promising path forward appears to be a combination of approaches:

Expanding certification programs for sustainably sourced palm oil
Investing in emerging alternatives like algal oil
Blending palm oil with other oils to reduce overall usage
Supporting brands that make intentional choices about the oils they use

Wrapping up

The search for a viable palm oil substitute is genuinely one of the more complex challenges in modern food production and sustainability. It touches on environmental science, global economics, food technology, and everyday consumer choices all at once.

What you can do on your end is pay attention to the oils in the products you buy. Check the ingredient label. Ask what oil was used to cook your snacks. And when you want a chip that skips the palm oil question entirely and goes straight to avocado oil, Jackson's has you covered.

Real food ingredients. Avocado oil. Seasoning. That is the Jackson's formula, and it is not going anywhere.

About the author

Emily Tam

Marketing Manager

Self-proclaimed equal opportunity snacker: sweet, savory, crunchy, chewy, refusing to choose. Fueled by a deep, unwavering love for all things food.

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