Can You Fry with Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Short answer: yes. Extra virgin olive oil is fine for shallow frying and light frying at medium heat, and good fresh oil can handle deep frying too. Where it makes less sense is long, very hot deep frying of big batches that get reused, both for cost and because reused oil loses its benefits.

جی ہاں، ایکسٹرا ورجن زیتون کا تیل درمیانی آنچ پر فرائنگ اور بھوننے کے لیے استعمال کیا جا سکتا ہے۔ بہت زیادہ درجہ حرارت پر لمبی ڈیپ فرائنگ اور بار بار ایک ہی تیل استعمال کرنے سے گریز کریں۔

Why olive oil can take the heat

Two things decide how an oil behaves in a hot pan: when it starts to smoke, and how quickly it breaks down.

• Smoke point. Fresh extra virgin olive oil starts to smoke at around 190 to 210°C. Shallow frying happens at about 160 to 180°C, and most deep frying at 170 to 190°C, so a good oil sits above both.
• Stability. Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat and carries its own antioxidants. In heating studies it has held up better than several seed oils, such as sunflower, that are high in polyunsaturated fat, even though those oils have higher listed smoke points.

Old or poor-quality olive oil smokes at a lower temperature, which is where the bad reputation came from.

Frying desi food in olive oil

• Shallow frying works well: aloo tikki, shami kababs, fried eggs, fish, bhindi, parathas.
• Pakoras and samosas: you can deep fry them in olive oil, and they come out crisp and less greasy. For big batches it is expensive, so many families keep olive oil for everyday cooking and use another oil for occasional deep frying.
• Flavour: olive oil has a light, fruity taste that sits well with most spices and doesn’t overpower them.

Frying tips

• Heat the oil gradually over medium heat. If it smokes, turn it down.
• Pat food dry before it goes in, to reduce spitting and keep the oil temperature steady.
• Fry in small batches so the temperature doesn’t drop and the food doesn’t soak up oil.
• Reuse frying oil once at most, strained and stored in the dark. Every reuse breaks it down further.
• Use fresh oil. An old, tired bottle smokes sooner. See how to store olive oil.

Frequently asked questions

Is olive oil healthier than ghee or vanaspati for frying?

Yes. It has far less saturated fat than ghee and no industrial trans fat, which vanaspati can contain.

Does frying destroy the benefits of olive oil?

Frying reduces some of the polyphenols, but the oil stays a healthy monounsaturated fat. To get the full antioxidant benefit, use some olive oil raw as well, for example drizzled over food.

Can I fry in cold-pressed olive oil?

Yes. Cold pressed describes how the oil was made, not how it should be cooked. Cold-pressed extra virgin oil behaves as described above.

Should I use “pure” or pomace olive oil for frying instead?

They are refined, so they are more neutral in taste and cheaper. They lack the antioxidants of extra virgin. See cold-pressed vs regular olive oil for the differences.

For all the other ways to cook with it, see how to cook with extra virgin olive oil.