Olive oil vs sunflower oil: which one for what?

Olive oil or sunflower oil? Both are in the Wheel of Five (Schijf van Vijf), the Dutch national food guide, and both are mostly unsaturated fat. The difference is in the type of fat, the flavour and the price. Extra virgin olive oil is more stable when heated, full of natural compounds from the olive and actually tastes of something. Sunflower oil is neutral, cheap and contains more vitamin E. Below we put the differences side by side, and tell you which oil to use for what.

The difference in one table

The figures are averages from the USDA's food database in the United States. Every oil differs a little, depending on the olives or sunflowers and how it was made. Note: there's also high oleic sunflower oil. In terms of fat it looks more like olive oil, but it is refined.

Which is better for cooking?

Opinions differ here, so we'll explain both sides.

The Voedingscentrum, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, writes that oils like sunflower oil handle higher temperatures better, and that extra virgin is mostly used cold because of its flavour. That advice is mainly based on the smoke point. Refined sunflower oil starts smoking later than extra virgin.

But the smoke point isn't everything. What counts is how quickly an oil breaks down when it gets hot. Polyunsaturated fats, which sunflower oil is full of, are more sensitive to that than the monounsaturated fats in olive oil. Researchers at De Montfort University in England had people cook at home with different oils and fats, then measured the aldehydes in the oil. Those are compounds that form when oil breaks down. According to their findings, sunflower oil and corn oil formed far more aldehydes than olive oil. An Australian lab found something similar in 2018: under long heating, extra virgin olive oil formed the fewest breakdown products of ten oils tested.

Our conclusion: for everyday frying, sautéing and roasting, extra virgin olive oil is a good, stable choice. As long as you don't let it smoke. Read all about it in our guide to cooking with olive oil.

Which is healthier?

Both fit in a healthy diet. The Voedingscentrum puts both olive oil and sunflower oil in the Wheel of Five, because they're mostly unsaturated fat. The advice is to replace foods high in saturated fat, like butter, with foods high in unsaturated fat. Under EU rules, this may be said about that: replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats in the diet contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels.

The differences are in the details:

• Sunflower oil gives you more vitamin E and more linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid your body needs.
• Extra virgin olive oil mainly gives you oleic acid, plus polyphenols: natural compounds from the olive that you taste as bitter and peppery. Refined oils hardly contain them, and that includes regular olive oil.
• Both have the same calories: about 9 kcal per gram, around 120 kcal per tablespoon.

More on this in our guide is olive oil healthy.

Flavour: the biggest difference in the kitchen

Sunflower oil is made not to stand out. Handy when you don't want any flavour, like for deep frying or a neutral mayonnaise. Extra virgin olive oil does the opposite. A mild oil from Arbequina olives gives your vegetables and eggs a soft, buttery roundness. A bold oil from Picual olives gives a salad, a plate of pasta or a piece of bread a fresh, peppery kick. That's oil as an ingredient, not just something to grease your pan with.

Price: why olive oil costs so much more

Sunflowers are easy to grow and the oil is refined on a huge scale. For olive oil you need about 5 kilos of olives per litre, up to twice that with an early harvest, and olives have to reach the mill soon after picking. In 2023 and 2024 olive oil got extra expensive because of drought in Spain, the world's biggest producer. Since the 2024/2025 harvest, production has recovered and prices have come down again, but olive oil stays more expensive than sunflower oil. How to keep it affordable: cook with a mild olive oil, and finish with a small splash of your best oil.

Which oil for what?

Why does mayonnaise with olive oil turn bitter?

Extra virgin is full of polyphenols. Normally they sit neatly wrapped up in the oil. A hand mixer or food processor breaks the oil into such tiny droplets that those bitter compounds are released and spread through the whole sauce. The fix: make your mayonnaise with a neutral or very mild oil, and stir in a splash of extra virgin by hand at the end.

Can you swap olive oil for sunflower oil, and the other way around?

Yes, one for one. In a recipe that asks for sunflower oil, you can use the same amount of mild olive oil. Your dish just gets a bit more flavour. The other way around works too, you'll only miss the taste of the olive oil.

And butter?

Butter is high in saturated fat. The Voedingscentrum recommends replacing it where you can with fats high in unsaturated fat, like oil. In the pan you can usually swap butter for olive oil. It works in cakes and biscuits too. Use about three quarters of the amount of butter in oil, and choose a mild olive oil. A cake made with olive oil stays moist for longer.

Frequently asked questions

Is olive oil healthier than sunflower oil?

Both are in the Wheel of Five. Olive oil contains more monounsaturated fat and, if it's extra virgin, polyphenols. Sunflower oil contains more vitamin E and linoleic acid. What matters most is that you use them instead of fats high in saturated fat.

Which is better for frying: olive oil or sunflower oil?

For everyday frying and sautéing, extra virgin olive oil is a good choice: it breaks down slowly under heat. For deep frying in large amounts, sunflower oil is more practical and cheaper.

Does olive oil have more calories than sunflower oil?

No. Both have about 9 kcal per gram, so around 120 kcal per tablespoon.

Can you mix olive oil and sunflower oil?

Yes, in the pan or in a mayonnaise that works fine. You do dilute the flavour of the olive oil.

How does olive oil compare to groundnut oil or rapeseed oil?

Groundnut (peanut) oil and rapeseed oil are, like sunflower oil, usually refined and neutral in flavour. Rapeseed oil contains relatively much omega-3. These oils are in the Wheel of Five too. Extra virgin olive oil stands out mainly for its flavour and polyphenols.

Sources

• Voedingscentrum (Netherlands Nutrition Centre), Olijfolie and Vetten. In Dutch.
• USDA, FoodData Central (fatty acid composition and vitamin E of olive oil and sunflower oil).
• De Montfort University, research on aldehydes in heated cooking oils (2015).
• De Alzaa, F., Guillaume, C. and Ravetti, L. (2018), Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 2(6).
• Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims (replacing saturated with unsaturated fats).
• Olive Oil Times, Spanish production and prices.