Cooking oil guide · Yado Market, Chicago
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No. Palm oil is not a seed oil. It is pressed from the orange flesh of the oil palm fruit, so it is a fruit oil, like olive oil and avocado oil.1 The seed oil from the same tree is palm kernel oil, which comes from the seed inside the fruit.2 If you are cutting out seed oils, here is what that means for the red palm oil in your egusi, jollof and palm nut soup, and how to read a label so you know which one you are buying.
Quick answer
- Red palm oil / palm fruit oil: from the fruit flesh. Not a seed oil.1
- Palm kernel oil: from the seed. Yes, a seed oil, and much higher in saturated fat.2
- "Seed oils" means oils pressed from seeds: canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice bran, safflower, soybean, sunflower and peanut.3 Palm oil is not on that list.
- Palm oil is about half saturated fat, so use it in moderation like any rich fat.1
Table of Contents
At a glance
Red palm oil: fruit oil
Palm kernel oil: seed oil
In stock at our Chicago store and online, from $4.99
The short answer: palm oil is a fruit oil
Most "seed oils" are pressed from seeds: sunflower seeds, soybeans, rapeseed (canola), cottonseed and so on.3 The oil palm is different. Its fruit grows in big bunches, and each fruit has two parts that give two different oils.1,2
So when someone asks "is palm oil a seed oil?", the honest answer is no for palm oil, yes for palm kernel oil. The two come from the same tree, but they are not the same oil, and they don't behave the same in your body or in your pot.
Palm oil vs palm kernel oil
Red palm oil (palm fruit oil)
There is also refined palm oil (often sold as "palm olein" or listed as "vegetable oil (palm)"). It starts as fruit oil but is bleached and deodorized, which removes the red color and most of the carotenes.1 It's still not a seed oil, but it isn't the same as the red palm oil West African cooks use.
What counts as a seed oil (and why people avoid them)
Cleveland Clinic describes seed oils as "plant-based cooking oils made from the seeds of various plants" and lists these:3
The main worry is that they're high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fat, which some dietitians link to inflammation.3 The science is still debated, and a lot depends on the fried and ultra-processed foods these oils end up in. Palm oil is low in linoleic acid compared with these oils.1 That's why people who avoid seed oils often switch to butter, olive oil, coconut oil or red palm oil.
So is palm oil healthy?
It depends on which palm oil, and how much. Here's the balanced picture:
| Red palm oil | Palm kernel oil | |
|---|---|---|
| Seed oil? | No, fruit oil1 | Yes2 |
| Saturated fat | About 50%1 | About 80%2 |
| Plus side | Unrefined red palm oil has 500-700 mg/kg of carotenoids (vitamin A sources) and 200-400 mg/kg of vitamin E tocotrienols4 | Stable for baking and frying |
| Watch out | Still about half saturated fat; use it as part of a mixed diet1 | Very high in saturated fat2 |
Because it is rich in saturated fat, red palm oil fits best the way it's used at home: a few spoonfuls to flavor a pot of stew or soup, not as an everyday frying oil for everything. If you have a heart condition, ask your doctor what amount of saturated fat is right for you.
Shop red palm oil at Yado
All of these are red palm oils for cooking, in stock for US shipping or pickup at our Chicago store.
How to read the label
- "Red palm oil", "palm fruit oil" or "100% palm oil": fruit oil, not a seed oil.
- "Palm kernel oil": a seed oil. Common in snacks, coffee creamers and spreads.
- "Vegetable oil" or "palm olein": usually refined palm oil. Not a seed oil, but the red color and most of the carotenes are gone.1
- Blends: some "cooking oils" mix palm with soybean, canola or another seed oil. If you're avoiding seed oils, read the ingredient line, not just the front of the bottle.
Cooking with red palm oil
Red palm oil gives West African food its color and rich, earthy taste. Heat it gently: you don't need to bleach it in a smoking pot. A few spoonfuls are enough for most pots.
Buy red palm oil in Chicago
Pick up Dahzah, Asiko and Zomi palm oil at Yado African & Caribbean Market, 1651 E 87th St, Chicago, or order online for US shipping. See our red palm oil near me guide for brands and sizes.
Shop red palm oilFAQ
Is palm oil a seed oil?
No. Palm oil is pressed from the fleshy fruit of the oil palm, so it is a fruit oil.1
Is palm kernel oil a seed oil?
Yes. Palm kernel oil comes from the seed (kernel) inside the palm fruit.2
Is palm fruit oil a seed oil?
No. "Palm fruit oil" is another name for palm oil from the fruit flesh.1
Is red palm oil the same as palm oil?
Red palm oil is unrefined palm oil. Refined palm oil has been bleached and deodorized, which takes away the red color and most of the carotenes.1
Is palm oil inflammatory?
Palm oil is low in omega-6 linoleic acid compared with most seed oils, but it is about half saturated fat.1,3 The research on any single oil and inflammation is mixed, so the safest approach is moderation and a varied diet.
Is palm oil considered a seed oil by people avoiding seed oils?
Palm oil is not on Cleveland Clinic's seed oil list, which names canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower, rice bran and peanut oil.3 So most people avoiding seed oils keep red palm oil and avoid palm kernel oil.
Sources
- Palm oil, Wikipedia: palm oil is "derived from the reddish mesocarp (pulp) of the fruit of the African oil palm".
- Palm kernel oil, Wikipedia: "derived from the kernel of the oil palm tree"; lauric acid 48.2%.
- Seed Oils: Are They Actually Toxic?, Cleveland Clinic, March 3, 2025.
- Red Palm Oil: Nutritional Composition, Bioactive Properties, and Potential Applications in Health and Cosmetics: A Narrative Review, Molecules 2025, 30(22):4402.