Light Olive Oil substitute

Best substitute

Any neutral oil (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, refined avocado)

Use the same amount as the light olive oil you are replacing

Best for mayonnaise

Close match

Any neutral oil replaces it exactly, 1:1: canola, sunflower, grapeseed or refined avocado oil. Nothing is lost except the word olive on the label, because light olive oil has already had its olive character refined away. If you want a hint of olive flavour without the bitterness, mix one part extra virgin olive oil with three parts neutral oil. And the thing worth knowing before you buy another bottle: light refers to flavour and colour only. It has the same fat and the same calories as every other oil, roughly 120 per tablespoon.

Other light olive oil substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Extra virgin olive oil cut with a neutral oil
Close match
1 part extra virgin to 3 parts neutral oil, used 1:1 for the light olive oil
The best option when you want the dish to taste faintly of olive without the bitterness that made the recipe specify light in the first place.
What changes
Whisk the two together in the measuring jug before you start. In mayonnaise this gives you a pleasant green background note without the harsh metallic edge that neat extra virgin develops in a blender. In an olive oil cake it gives a gentle fruitiness rather than a savoury slap. Adjust the ratio to taste, but past about one part in three the bitterness starts to assert itself.
Best for
mayonnaise, aioli, olive oil cake, vinaigrettes, focaccia
Blend by hand before adding, not in the food processor, since the point is to dilute the extra virgin before it gets whipped.
3Pure or classic olive oil, the plain-labelled kind
Close match
Use the same amount
Sitting between light olive oil and extra virgin, a bottle labelled simply olive oil, or pure or classic, is mostly refined oil with a small amount of virgin oil blended back in for flavour.
What changes
It is essentially light olive oil with a bit more character and it works as a straight swap. In a cake or mayonnaise you may notice a faint olive fruitiness where light olive oil gave you nothing, which most people consider an improvement. Smoke point is close to the same, so it fries and sautes just as well.
Best for
sauteing, frying, baking, mayonnaise, roasting
This is the most sensible bottle to keep as a general-purpose olive oil, with extra virgin reserved for finishing.
4Extra virgin olive oil on its own
Different taste
Use the same amount with a warning
Usable, but understand what changes, because the recipe said light for a reason.
What changes
In a cake, extra virgin tastes distinctly savoury, grassy and peppery, which is either the best thing about an olive oil cake or a ruined vanilla sponge depending on the recipe. In blender mayonnaise it very often turns bitter and slightly metallic, because high-speed shearing breaks up the oil and releases the bitter phenolic compounds. If you must use it there, whisk by hand or use an immersion blender in short pulses. In deep frying it is expensive and its flavour turns harsh at temperature.
Best for
roasting vegetables, olive oil cake where you want the flavour, sauteing, hand-whisked mayonnaise
A mild buttery extra virgin, such as many Spanish arbequina oils, behaves far better here than a peppery Tuscan one.
5Refined avocado oil, for high heat
Close match
Use the same amount
The best choice specifically when light olive oil was called for because you need heat.
What changes
Refined avocado oil has the highest smoke point of any common oil, around 260C or 500F, so it sears, deep fries and roasts hard without breaking down or filling the kitchen with smoke. Flavour is mild and faintly buttery, closer to light olive oil than canola is. It costs noticeably more, which is why most people keep it for actual high-heat work rather than for cakes.
Best for
searing, deep frying, stir-frying, high heat roasting, wok cooking
Refined, not virgin. Virgin avocado oil is green, grassy and less heat stable.
6Melted butter, in baking only
Different texture
use about 10 percent more butter by volume
Not equivalent, but a good swap in muffins, brownies and quick breads.
What changes
Butter is fifteen to twenty percent water, so measure a little extra to keep the fat right. The bake turns out richer and browner, with a shorter, more cakey crumb, and it will firm up more in the fridge than an oil-based cake, which stays soft. Never swap butter in for shallow or deep frying at the temperatures light olive oil is used for, because the milk solids scorch well before the pan is hot enough.
Best for
muffins, brownies, quick breads, cookies
Let the melted butter cool a little before it meets eggs in a batter.

What is Light Olive Oil?

Light Olive Oil is Light olive oil, also sold as extra light or light tasting olive oil, is olive oil that has been refined to strip out most of its colour, aroma and bitterness, leaving a pale, mild oil with a high smoke point.

Cooking tips

Light does not mean fewer calories. Every cooking oil is essentially pure fat at roughly 120 calories a tablespoon, and extra light olive oil is no exception. The word refers only to the pale colour and the mild taste left after refining, which is a labelling convention rather than any legal grade.
Light olive oil is a bad choice for anything you would dip bread in, drizzle over burrata or finish a soup with, because the very compounds that make olive oil taste of something have been refined out. Buy a small bottle of decent extra virgin for that job and keep the light oil for heat and for mayonnaise.
The reason mayonnaise recipes specify light olive oil is mechanical, not snobbery. Whipping extra virgin at high speed shears the oil and releases its bitter phenolics, so a blender mayonnaise made with good extra virgin frequently tastes bitter and metallic. If you want olive flavour in mayonnaise, whisk in a spoonful of extra virgin by hand at the very end.
For frying, light olive oil is genuinely good and underrated, with a smoke point in the same league as canola. It is just more expensive than the alternatives, so most cooks reach for a neutral oil and keep the olive oil for flavour.
In an olive oil cake, the choice of oil is the whole recipe. Light olive oil gives you a plain, moist, very tender cake. Extra virgin gives you the savoury, faintly peppery, distinctly Mediterranean version that the dessert is famous for. Decide which cake you want before you pour.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave light olive oil out?

No, because in almost every recipe that calls for it the oil is the fat and doing real work: emulsifying the mayonnaise, tenderising the cake, transferring heat in the pan. But there is nothing to miss, since its flavour contribution is close to zero. Replace the same volume with any neutral oil and the recipe will come out the same.

Is light olive oil lower in calories or fat?

No. It is the same roughly 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon as extra virgin olive oil, canola oil or butter-equivalent volumes of any oil. Light refers to the colour and the flavour, both of which are reduced by refining. If anything, the refining strips out some of the polyphenols and antioxidants that make extra virgin olive oil interesting nutritionally.

Can I use extra virgin olive oil instead of light olive oil?

Yes, but it will taste of itself. In roasting and sauteing that is usually an improvement. In a plain cake it tastes grassy and peppery, which some people love and some find savoury and wrong. In blender mayonnaise it commonly turns bitter and metallic, because the blade shears the oil and releases the bitter compounds. If you want olive character without that risk, use one part extra virgin to three parts neutral oil.

What is the best substitute for light olive oil in mayonnaise?

A neutral oil, and grapeseed or canola are ideal. Mayonnaise magnifies whatever the oil tastes like, so blandness is a feature here rather than a compromise, and both stay perfectly stable in a food processor. Once the mayonnaise has come together, you can whisk in a tablespoon of good extra virgin by hand for flavour without any bitterness.

What is the difference between light olive oil and pure olive oil?

Both are mostly refined olive oil. Pure or classic olive oil has a little more virgin oil blended back in, so it carries a mild olive flavour and a faint green tint. Light or extra light has the least, which makes it the palest and most neutral of the olive oils. Neither is a legal quality grade in the way extra virgin is, so the terms vary between brands, and both work interchangeably in cooking.

Related substitutes

More oils & fats substitutes

Light Olive Oil substitute

Other light olive oil substitutes

2Extra virgin olive oil cut with a neutral oil

3Pure or classic olive oil, the plain-labelled kind

4Extra virgin olive oil on its own

5Refined avocado oil, for high heat

6Melted butter, in baking only