Best oils and fats for high cholesterol

Oils and fats compared

Saturated fat per 14g, roughly one tablespoon, from USDA FoodData Central. For scale, the American Heart Association suggests keeping saturated fat to about 13g a day or less on a 2,000-calorie diet.

The American Heart Association's rule of thumb for choosing an oil is less than 4g of saturated fat per tablespoon and no partially hydrogenated oils. Every liquid plant oil in the top half of the table passes easily. Butter, ghee, palm and coconut oil don't.

Why the type of fat matters for cholesterol

Saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol. Swapping it for unsaturated fat lowers LDL. The 2026 ACC/AHA cholesterol guideline recommends replacing saturated and trans fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats to lower LDL, and it names butter, high-fat milk, red meat, coconut oil and palm and palm kernel oil (the "tropical oils") as the main sources to cut back on.

It's the swap that counts. In a 2017 American Heart Association advisory, trials that replaced saturated fat with polyunsaturated vegetable oil cut cardiovascular disease by about 30%, similar to a statin. Replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrates and sugar didn't help. So pour olive or rapeseed oil instead of melting butter, rather than just cutting fat out.

All fats have the same calories, about 9 per gram (roughly 120 per tablespoon), so measure oil rather than free-pouring it if you're also watching your weight.

Olive oil vs rapeseed (canola) oil

Both are excellent choices, and the NHS lists both as sources of monounsaturated fat.

• Rapeseed (canola) oil has the least saturated fat of the common oils, about 1g per tablespoon. It's also one of the few oils with a useful amount of plant omega-3 (ALA); the NHS lists it among the vegetarian sources of omega-3. It's cheap and has a neutral taste, so it suits roasting, baking and stir-frying.
• Olive oil has a little more saturated fat, about 1.9g, and is mostly monounsaturated. In the PREDIMED trial, cited in the 2026 guideline, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts reduced heart attacks and strokes in people at high risk.

The American Heart Association says these everyday oils are generally safe for cooking at higher temperatures, though it doesn't recommend deep-fat frying. Don't reuse or reheat cooking oil, and throw out any that smells rancid.

Is butter bad for high cholesterol?

Butter is one of the biggest single sources of saturated fat: about 7.2g per tablespoon, more than half of a 13g daily target, plus about 30mg of cholesterol. You don't have to ban it, but using it as your everyday cooking fat and spread makes it hard to keep LDL down. Use olive or rapeseed oil for cooking, and a plant-oil spread on toast, and save butter for where you'll really taste it. If you bake, our heart-healthy desserts show how to swap butter for oil.

Is coconut oil good for cholesterol?

No. Despite its healthy image, coconut oil is about 82% saturated fat, the highest of any common cooking fat. The American Heart Association's 2017 advisory reviewed seven controlled trials that compared coconut oil with unsaturated oils. Coconut oil raised LDL in all seven, significantly in six, and performed no better than butter, beef fat or palm oil. Coconut oil does raise HDL a little, but the advisory points out that HDL changes from diet can't be relied on to lower heart risk, so the LDL rise is what matters.

Is ghee better than butter?

Not for cholesterol. Ghee is butter with the water and milk solids removed, so it's even more concentrated: about 8.7g of saturated fat and 36mg of cholesterol per tablespoon, against 7.2g and 30mg for butter. The NHS lists ghee alongside butter and lard as foods high in saturated fat. For Indian cooking, rapeseed, sunflower or groundnut oil work well for tempering spices, and a teaspoon of ghee at the end gives the flavour for a fraction of the saturated fat.

Margarine and spreads: better than butter?

Usually, yes, if you choose the right one. Old-style hard margarines were made with partially hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats that raise LDL. Since 2018 US manufacturers haven't been allowed to add partially hydrogenated oils to food (with a final compliance date of January 2021). The NHS says most UK supermarkets have removed them from their own-brand products.

• Choose a soft tub spread made from olive, rapeseed or sunflower oil. Most have about 1–2.3g of saturated fat per tablespoon, against 7.2g for butter.
• Check the ingredients for "partially hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated vegetable oil", and compare the saturates line on the label.
• "Butter blends" and spreadable butters contain a lot of butter, so check the saturates: one butter-and-margarine blend in USDA data has about 3.8g per tablespoon.

Plant sterol and stanol spreads (such as Benecol or Flora ProActiv) add compounds that reduce cholesterol absorption. They were part of the Portfolio diet, which lowered LDL by an average of 26 mg/dL (0.67 mmol/L) in the trials summarised in the 2026 guideline, alongside nuts, soy protein and fibre. They work best as part of a lower saturated fat diet, not as a licence to eat more butter elsewhere.

What about omega-3 and fish oil?

Omega-3 fats from oily fish are good for your heart, and they lower triglycerides more than LDL. The NHS recommends at least two portions of fish a week, one of them oily, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, herring or kippers. Vegetarian sources include flaxseed oil, rapeseed oil and walnuts.

Fish oil capsules are a different matter. The 2026 ACC/AHA guideline recommends against dietary supplements, fish oil included, for lowering LDL or triglycerides, because the evidence is limited and inconsistent. In the SPORT trial it cites, fish oil didn't lower LDL any more than a placebo. Prescription omega-3 medicines for very high triglycerides are a separate question for your doctor.

Putting it into practice

1. Make olive or rapeseed oil your default for cooking, roasting and dressings.
2. Swap butter on toast for a plant-oil spread, or try mashed avocado or nut butter.
3. Keep coconut oil, ghee and palm oil for occasional use, and watch for palm oil in biscuits, pastries and snacks.
4. Add the other good fats: a handful of nuts, seeds, avocado and two portions of fish a week. Our 100 cholesterol-lowering food swaps and low-cholesterol snacks have plenty of ideas.
5. Check your result. Compare your next lipid panel with your last. Our guide to reading your cholesterol test results explains each number in mg/dL and mmol/L, and how much saturated fat per day helps you set a daily target.

If your LDL went up after switching to a high-fat, low-carb diet, the type of fat is often the reason: see why LDL can go up on keto. And if you want an app that shows saturated fat per meal, our roundup of the best cholesterol tracking apps compares the options.

Oils, fats and cholesterol: quick answers

What is the best oil to use if you have high cholesterol?

Liquid plant oils low in saturated fat: rapeseed (canola), olive, sunflower, corn, soybean and avocado oil all have about 1–2g of saturated fat per tablespoon. Rapeseed has the least, and olive oil has the strongest evidence from Mediterranean diet trials. The American Heart Association suggests choosing oils with less than 4g of saturated fat per tablespoon.

Is olive oil or rapeseed oil better for cholesterol?

Both are good choices. Rapeseed (canola) oil has slightly less saturated fat (about 1g vs 1.9g per tablespoon) and some plant omega-3. Extra virgin olive oil was used in the PREDIMED trial, where a Mediterranean diet supplemented with it reduced heart attacks and strokes in high-risk people.

Is butter bad for high cholesterol?

Butter is high in saturated fat, about 7.2g per tablespoon, which raises LDL cholesterol. Small amounts occasionally are fine, but swapping it for olive or rapeseed oil in cooking and a plant-oil spread on bread lowers saturated fat substantially.

Is coconut oil good or bad for cholesterol?

Bad for LDL. Coconut oil is about 82% saturated fat (about 11.5g per tablespoon). An American Heart Association review found it raised LDL in all seven controlled trials that compared it with unsaturated oils, and it was no better than butter, beef fat or palm oil.

Is ghee healthier than butter for cholesterol?

No. Ghee is more concentrated than butter, with about 8.7g of saturated fat per tablespoon against 7.2g for butter. The NHS lists ghee with butter and lard as foods high in saturated fat.

Is margarine better than butter for cholesterol?

Soft spreads made from plant oils usually are, with about 1–2.3g of saturated fat per tablespoon against 7.2g for butter. Avoid any product listing partially hydrogenated oil, which contains trans fat; these oils have been removed from most products in the US and UK.

Should I take fish oil to lower cholesterol?

The 2026 ACC/AHA guideline recommends against dietary supplements, including fish oil, for lowering LDL or triglycerides. Eating oily fish at least once a week is still recommended for heart health.

Sources

• American Heart Association: Healthy cooking oils (reviewed October 2023)
• American Heart Association: Saturated fats (reviewed August 2024)
• Sacks FM, et al. Dietary fats and cardiovascular disease: a presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2017;136:e1–e23.
• 2026 ACC/AHA/multisociety Guideline on the Management of Dyslipidemia. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. March 2026.
• NHS: Fat, the facts
• US Food and Drug Administration: Trans fat
• USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy values per 100g, scaled to 14g: rapeseed 172336, olive 171413, sunflower 171025/172338, avocado 173573, corn 171029, soybean 171411, flaxseed 167702, butter 173410, ghee/butter oil 173412, coconut 171412, palm 171015, lard 171401, spreads 171431, 172352, 173580, butter blend 169052). Spread values come from older samples; check the label of the product you buy.

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