Olive Oil vs Coconut Oil: What the Evidence Actually Says
Olive oil vs coconut oil is a question that tends to arrive with a headline attached — coconut oil as a superfood one year, "pure poison" the next. The evidence is calmer than either. The two oils are close to opposites in make-up: extra virgin olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat and stays liquid, while coconut oil is mostly saturated fat and sets solid in a cool kitchen. That single difference drives almost everything else, from what happens to your cholesterol to how each behaves in a pan or a cake tin. Below is what the clinical trials actually found, where coconut oil genuinely earns its place, and why the popular "MCT" argument does not apply to the jar on the supermarket shelf.
For our own oil, see our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil.
The Short Answer
- Coconut oil is roughly 80–90% saturated fat, according to Harvard Health; a tablespoon carries about 11–12 g of it, against roughly 2 g in a tablespoon of olive oil (USDA figures).
- A 2020 meta-analysis of 16 trials in Circulation found coconut oil raised LDL ("bad") cholesterol by 10.47 mg/dL (about 0.27 mmol/L) compared with non-tropical vegetable oils such as olive, soybean or sunflower.
- One well-known UK trial is the honest exception: over four weeks, extra virgin coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil did not differ on LDL, and both did better than butter.
- Most of the "coconut oil burns fat" claims come from research on purified MCT oil, not ordinary coconut oil, which is mostly lauric acid.
- In the kitchen, coconut oil is useful where a solid fat or a coconut flavour is wanted; extra virgin olive oil is the stronger everyday oil for dressing, sautéing and roasting.
- For hair, coconut oil has the better evidence; for eating, the weight of evidence favours olive oil.
Olive Oil vs Coconut Oil: The Direct Answer
For everyday eating, extra virgin olive oil is the better-supported choice. It is mostly monounsaturated fat, while coconut oil is 80–90% saturated fat, and pooled clinical trials show coconut oil raises LDL cholesterol compared with non-tropical vegetable oils. Coconut oil is not poison — used in small amounts, it is a flavourful, useful solid fat.
The table sets out the main differences side by side.
Olive oil and coconut oil at a glance
| Factor | Extra virgin olive oil | Coconut oil |
|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | Pressed from the olive fruit | Extracted from coconut flesh (the kernel) |
| Dominant fat | Monounsaturated (mainly oleic acid) | Saturated (mainly lauric acid) |
| Saturated fat per tablespoon | About 2 g | About 11–12 g |
| At room temperature | Liquid | Solid below roughly 24°C |
| Effect on LDL cholesterol in trials | Used as a comparison oil; does not raise it | Raises it versus non-tropical vegetable oils (pooled trials) |
| Flavour | Fruity, grassy, often peppery | Virgin: distinctly coconut; refined: neutral |
| Where it shines | Dressings, sautéing, roasting, finishing | Vegan baking, curries, coconut-flavoured dishes, hair care |
The Saturated Fat Question
Everything in this comparison starts here. Harvard Health puts coconut oil at 80–90% saturated fat, which is why it sets hard in a cool kitchen. USDA composition data give a tablespoon of coconut oil about 11.6 g of saturated fat, against about 2 g for a tablespoon of olive oil — close to six times as much.
That matters because UK and US guidance both cap saturated fat. The NHS advises that the average man should eat no more than 30 g of saturated fat a day and the average woman no more than 20 g, and it lists coconut oil among the foods high in it, alongside butter, ghee and palm oil. On those figures, a single tablespoon of coconut oil uses up more than half of a woman's daily allowance before anything else on the plate is counted.
The pro-coconut counter-argument — that coconut oil's lauric acid behaves differently from the palmitic acid in butter — is fair, which is why the trials below matter more than the label.
What the Trials Actually Found on Cholesterol
Two studies frame the evidence well, and they do not say quite the same thing.
The pooled evidence: coconut oil raises LDL
Neelakantan, Seah and van Dam, writing in Circulation in 2020, pooled 16 clinical trials that compared coconut oil with other fats for at least two weeks. Coconut oil raised LDL cholesterol by 10.47 mg/dL (about 0.27 mmol/L) compared with non-tropical vegetable oils, and raised HDL ("good") cholesterol by 4.00 mg/dL. It made no significant difference to body weight, blood sugar or markers of inflammation. The authors' conclusion was direct: coconut oil results in significantly higher LDL cholesterol than non-tropical vegetable oils.
The American Heart Association reached the same position in its 2017 presidential advisory on dietary fats (Sacks and colleagues, Circulation), which stated that "because coconut oil increases LDL-C, a cause of cardiovascular disease and has no known off setting favourable effects, we advise against the use of coconut oil".
The honest exception: the Cambridge trial
In 2018, Khaw and colleagues at the University of Cambridge published a randomised trial in BMJ Open, run with the BBC. Ninety-four healthy adults aged 50–75 were asked to eat 50 g a day of extra virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil or unsalted butter for four weeks. Butter raised LDL cholesterol significantly compared with both oils. Coconut oil and olive oil did not differ on LDL, and coconut oil raised HDL more than either.
It would be dishonest to leave that result out, and equally dishonest to overstate it. The trial lasted four weeks, was not blinded, and the authors wrote that it does not alter advice to reduce saturated fat. One short trial does not outweigh sixteen pooled ones — but it is a fair reminder that coconut oil is not butter.
The MCT Claim: Why Supermarket Coconut Oil Is Not MCT Oil
Much of coconut oil's reputation for helping with fullness and fat-burning comes from research on medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs. As Harvard's Vasanti Malik explains, many of those studies used a special formulation made of 100% MCTs, which is not the coconut oil on supermarket shelves. Ordinary coconut oil is mostly lauric acid, which the body absorbs and metabolises more slowly than the fats in MCT oil — so the MCT results cannot simply be transferred to it.
A second argument points to low heart-disease rates among traditional coconut-eating populations in India, the Philippines and Polynesia. Harvard's reading is that background, diet and lifestyle could explain those findings, and that large epidemiological studies have not shown lauric acid to be protective. Its verdict: coconut oil is "neither a superfood nor a poison".
Cooking With Each: Heat, Flavour and Baking
In the kitchen, the two oils are specialists rather than rivals. Coconut oil's solidity is its main asset: it stands in for butter in dairy-free pastry, flapjacks and biscuits. Virgin coconut oil tastes clearly of coconut, which suits curries; refined coconut oil is neutral and tolerates more heat.
Extra virgin olive oil is the more versatile everyday oil. It handles normal sautéing, shallow frying and roasting comfortably — the old warning that you cannot cook with it does not hold up, as our article on olive oil at high heat explains. For bakes where a liquid fat works, our guide to olive oil for baking covers the swap.
Which to use, and when
| Kitchen job | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Salad dressings, dips, drizzling | Extra virgin olive oil | Liquid when cold; flavour and polyphenols intact |
| Everyday sautéing and roasting | Extra virgin olive oil | Copes with home cooking heat; far less saturated fat |
| Dairy-free pastry, flapjacks, biscuits | Coconut oil | A solid fat gives the texture butter would |
| Curries and coconut-flavoured dishes | Virgin coconut oil | The coconut flavour is part of the dish |
| Olive oil cake, focaccia, savoury bakes | Extra virgin olive oil | A liquid fat and a fruity flavour suit the recipe |
Skin and Hair: Where Coconut Oil Has the Edge
Here the concession runs the other way. For hair, coconut oil has the stronger evidence: Rele and Mohile, in the Journal of Cosmetic Science in 2003, reported that coconut oil significantly reduced protein loss from hair in a way that the mineral and sunflower oils they tested did not. Olive oil is better thought of as a surface conditioner for smoothing and shine. Our article on olive oil for hair compares the two in detail. For skin, neither is a clear winner — olive oil can weaken the skin barrier in some people and coconut oil readily clogs pores — and our guide to olive oil for skin sets out who should avoid each.
How to Choose a Good Bottle of Olive Oil
If the evidence has pointed you towards olive oil for everyday cooking, the grade matters more than the brand. Look for the words "extra virgin" — bottles labelled simply "olive oil", "pure" or "light" are mostly refined, and refining removes the polyphenols covered in our guide to olive oil polyphenols. Choose dark glass or a tin, check for a harvest or best-before date, and use it within a few months of opening. For a fuller walkthrough, see our guide to choosing a quality olive oil.
If you are weighing up other oils too, our comparisons of olive oil vs avocado oil and olive oil vs vegetable oil look at each in turn, and is olive oil a seed oil? answers the classification question.
Why Sidr & Stone
We should be clear about our position: we grow and sell olive oil, not coconut oil — which is exactly why this article gives coconut oil its due on hair and baking. On the olive side, grade, freshness and a traceable origin are decided in the grove and at the press.
- Single-estate — Sidr & Stone's olive oil comes from our own family-owned farm near Marrakech, Morocco; we control every step from tree to bottle, with no blending across origins.
- Rain-fed — no irrigation; the trees take what the season gives.
- Organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides (not yet certified; certification is in progress).
- Single harvest — a small, limited batch, picked when the fruit is ready; the current batch's harvest details are on the product page.
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest — mechanical extraction only, preserving flavour, aroma and polyphenols.
- Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed; natural sediment in the bottle is normal.
- 100% natural — a single ingredient, olive oil, with nothing added.
- Dark glass with a gold label — protective packaging against light.
- 10% of profits to charity — Sidr & Stone's brand-wide commitment.
- Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the best olive oil — that would be the very kind of claim this article asks you to look past. What we will say is that our oil is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown and cold-pressed within hours of harvest, and that the care shows in the taste, the colour and the small single-harvest batch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is olive oil healthier than coconut oil?
On current evidence, yes, for everyday eating. Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat, while coconut oil is 80–90% saturated fat, and a 2020 meta-analysis of 16 trials found coconut oil raised LDL cholesterol compared with non-tropical vegetable oils.
Why does coconut oil raise cholesterol?
Saturated fats tend to raise LDL cholesterol, and coconut oil is largely saturated — mainly lauric acid. It also raises HDL cholesterol, but large studies have not shown that to make it protective overall.
How do I choose between them for cooking?
Use extra virgin olive oil for dressings, sautéing and roasting. Reach for coconut oil when a recipe needs a solid fat, such as dairy-free pastry, or when you want a coconut flavour.
Is coconut oil the same as MCT oil?
No. MCT oil is a purified product made from medium-chain fats; ordinary coconut oil is mostly lauric acid, which is absorbed and metabolised more slowly. Research on MCT oil does not transfer directly to coconut oil.
How does Sidr & Stone's olive oil compare with a jar of coconut oil?
Ours is a single-estate, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed within hours of harvest and liquid at room temperature. It is made for everyday cooking and finishing; coconut oil suits different jobs, such as solid-fat baking.
Is coconut oil or olive oil better for hair?
Coconut oil has the stronger evidence for hair: a 2003 study in the Journal of Cosmetic Science found it significantly reduced protein loss from hair. Olive oil is better suited to surface conditioning — smoothing and shine.
Where can I buy a good extra virgin olive oil?
Look for a stated extra virgin grade, a named origin, dark glass and a readable date. Sidr & Stone's single-estate Marrakech olive oil is available to pre-order directly from us, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
The olive oil vs coconut oil debate is usually framed as superfood against poison, and neither label survives the evidence. Coconut oil raises LDL cholesterol compared with liquid plant oils in pooled trials, though it is clearly not as hard on cholesterol as butter. Its fat-burning reputation mostly belongs to MCT oil.
The practical answer is simple: keep coconut oil for the jobs it does well — dairy-free baking, coconut-led dishes, hair — and use extra virgin olive oil as the everyday oil for eating.
Our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil — single-estate, rain-fed and unfiltered — is available to pre-order now from our limited single-harvest batch, with estimated shipping from November 2026 and fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Our extra virgin olive oil is grown organically on our own single-estate farm on the plains outside Marrakech: we control every step from tree to bottle, and no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers are used. It is not yet certified organic — certification is in progress, and we will publish it as soon as it comes through.
Pre-Order Sidr & Stone Organic Marrakech Olive Oil — Limited Single-Harvest Batch →
Disclaimer: This article compares olive oil and coconut oil using published research, public health guidance and composition data available at the time of writing; research findings and guidance may change, and readers should check current sources. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.