8 Best Hazelnut Oil Substitute That Will Make You Surprised
Oil is the key to creating many delicious recipes. Many famous chefs prefer hazelnut oil for cooking because of its nutritional value.
However, hazelnut oil is not easy to find and quite costly, so it is not suitable for daily cooking. For that reason, we are going to suggest you a list of hazelnut oil substitute. Read on!
About Hazelnut Oil
Before going through the hazelnut oil alternatives list, let’s get some basic information about hazelnut oil first!
What Is Hazelnut Oil?
Hazelnut oil is made with pressed hazelnuts. What does hazelnut oil taste like? It has a distinctive sweet, nutty and roasted flavor.
With that said, a small amount of hazelnut oil is enough to enhance the taste of your dish.
Nutritional Facts
In addition to providing an adequate source of protein and energy for your body, hazelnut oil also provides proanthocyanidins, which have antioxidant effects and prevent the formation of free radicals that damage living cells.
Moreover, it is a rich omega-3 fatty acid source and has multiple key nutrients, such as Vitamin E, Thiamin, Magnesium, Copper.
Applications
Hazelnut oil is a popular ingredient for cookies, cakes, and other baked goods.
With the advantage of scent, hazelnut oil will also provide a rich flavor to sauces and salad dressings. Besides, it is often combined with lighter-flavored ingredients so as not to overpower the dish’s flavor.
Recommended Hazelnut Oil Substitutes
Now, let’s start exploring hazelnut oil substitutions to determine which oils would be the perfect replacement substitute for your recipes!
1. Pecan Oil
As a refined oil extracted from pecans, pecan oil is very healthy due to its low saturated fat.
It has a mild aroma similar to that of pecans. However, a few pecan oil products have been deodorized, making them lack pecan scent properties or flavor.
Like those cooking oils with gentle flavor, you can utilize pecan oil for cold applications, such as marinades, salad dressings, light frying, or baked goods.
2. Walnut Oil
Another option you can think of is walnut oil. This oil has a strong flavor and is quite oxidizing, and it is rich in minerals that are beneficial for people with heart problems.
Back to the topic, walnut oil is suitable for sautéing, baking, frying, and salad dressings. The downside is that walnut oil is quite expensive, and it has less variety than hazelnut oil.
3. Almond Oil
The nut oil extracted from almonds has a very stimulating aroma.
It is an indispensable ingredient in desserts, salads and cold dishes, and high-temperature dishes because of its high degree of fuming.
Almond oil contains a great source of vitamin E and monounsaturated fats. We can use it in cake recipes, muffins, and cookies. Also, it’s perfect for pan-frying.
4. Avocado Oil
Avocado oil helps in reducing inflammation since it contains monounsaturated fatty acids, along with high levels of vitamin E, lutein, oleic acid, and carotenoids.
This type of oil is suitable for curries, soups, and salads to create a light, sweet taste. In addition, it is also popular in stir-fries and grilled dishes.
5. Grapeseed Oil
If you’re looking for cholesterol-free oil, grapeseed oil is a great choice. It contains very little saturated fat, so it will greatly support heart health and cholesterol balance.
The lightness and clean taste of grapeseed oil make for an irresistible creamy dressing. Additionally, it is suitable for stir-fries, and some chefs also use it to make mayonnaise and roast vegetables.
6. Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is available in cold-pressed (butter, seed) and refined (neutral taste) forms extracted from the sunflower seed.
Unrefined, cold-pressed sunflower oil is hard to find in the US and is best reserved for low heat applications and vinaigrettes to bring out its full flavor.
On the other hand, refined sunflower oil has a high smoke point (440 to 475°F), making it popular for dishes that cook with high heat, such as frying or sautéeing.
Along with the flavor, sunflower oil also delivers multiple health benefits in preventing and supporting cardiovascular disease.
Natural sunflower oil includes high polyunsaturated fats and essential fatty acids, such as linoleic acid, a zigzag structured omega-6 fatty acid, which experts consider better than straight saturated fat.
7. Olive Oil
In most recipes, olive oil can easily be a hazelnut oil replacement. As extra virgin olive oil has a specific taste, you can choose a light olive oil for cooking instead if you are not used to its flavor.
Note that you should use it for cooking dishes that need to be thoroughly cooked, and do not add olive oil for cooking at high temperatures because it has a very low smoke point.
8. Peanut Oil
As you probably know, boiled peanuts are a delicious and nutritious snack. This food is also processed into the ideal oil to become a good substitute for hazelnut oil.
Peanut oil, also known as Arachis oil, is a plant-based oil made from the edible seeds of the peanut plant. Depending on how it’s prepared, peanut oil can have various flavors, ranging from light and sweet to strong and fatty.
Although peanut oil is widely used worldwide, it is most common in Chinese, South Asian, and Southeast Asian cuisines. Due to its high smoke point of 437 ℉ (225 ℃) is often used for frying food!
Conclusion
To summarize, eight types of vegetable oils can be perfect hazelnut oil substitutes, including pecan, walnut, almond, avocado, grapeseed, sunflower, olive, and peanut oil.
These oils are all rich in nutritional value and are suitable for a variety of recipes. Based on your needs and preferences, you can consider the suggestions in the above blog post to find yourself the most suitable cooking oil.
Thank you for reading the article and see you next time!
