Peanut Oil vs. Sunflower Oil – Is There a Difference?
Summary
Refined sunflower oil and peanut oil have the same amount of calories, equal to 884kcal per 100g, and smoke point, equal to 450°F or 232°C.
Most types of sunflower oil are richer in polyunsaturated fats, vitamin E, and vitamin K, whereas peanut oil is higher in saturated fats. Sunflower oil is richer in phytosterols.
Table of contents
Introduction
Sunflower and peanut oil are vegetable seed oils frequently used in cooking. This article compares these two oils to understand the differences in their nutritional content and health impacts. In addition, these oils are frequently used in high-temperature frying and cooking, and it is essential to know their smoke points.
Classification and Taste
Depending on the technique of processing, cooking oils can be refined or unrefined. Unrefined oils typically retain more of the flavor and nutrients from the seed.
Sunflower and peanut oils are both transparent, odorless liquids with neutral flavors that vary in shades of yellow. The flavor and smell of peanuts or sunflowers can be more potent in some varieties of oils, typically unrefined oil derived from roasted peanuts and sunflower seeds.
Other names for peanut oil are groundnut oil and arachis oil.
Smoke Point and Use
The smoke point of cooking oils indicates the temperature at which the oil begins to burn or decompose. It is recommended to use oils with high smoke points at high temperatures, such as when frying, whereas oils with low smoke points are better utilized raw, such as in salads.
Refined peanut and sunflower oils are commonly used for stir-frying or deep-frying since they have a high smoke point of approximately 450°F (232°C). However, unrefined peanut and sunflower oils are better suited for adding flavors to food, as they have lower smoke points.
The smoke point for these oils can sustain high heat deep frying without releasing carcinogenic compounds and turning them into free radicals, which are harmful and toxic.
Nutritional Content
The numbers below are presented for 100g servings of peanut oil, salad or cooking, and partially hydrogenated, linoleic sunflower oil. However, one tablespoon serving of vegetable oils is equal to 14g.
Naturally, depending on the processing method of oils, the nutritional values can change.
Calories
Peanut oil and sunflower oil have equal amounts of calories, 884 calories per 100g.
Macronutrients
Peanut oil and sunflower oil are 100% fat. The carb and protein composition equal 0g per 100g of each. In turn, their fat composition is 100g.
However, we need to dissect the fat composition of each oil.
Fat Composition
Peanut and sunflower oils contain the same level of monounsaturated fats, which make up 46% of the fat profile. However, a difference does exist between saturated and polyunsaturated fat contents. Sunflower oil is richer in polyunsaturated fats, whereas peanut oil is higher in saturated fats.
Fat Type Comparison
However, the fat content of oils highly depends on the processing method. For example, high-linoleic sunflower oil consists of 65% polyunsaturated acids, while high-oleic sunflower oil contains over 70% monounsaturated fats (1, 2).
As with all plant products, sunflower and peanut oil contain no cholesterol.
Vitamins
While vegetable oils are not the best source of vitamins, sunflower oil wins in this category.
They are both rich in vitamin E. Comparatively, sunflower oil is much higher in vitamin E than peanut oil. Sunflower oil also provides 7 times more vitamin K; however, it is still relatively low in this vitamin.
We can visualize the differences in the following diagram.
Vitamin Comparison
Minerals
Refined oils lack almost all minerals. While it can be said that peanut oil is higher in iron and zinc, it contains these minerals in meager amounts.
Phytosterols
As plant products, sunflower and peanut oils are abundant in natural compounds that the plants synthesize, called phytosterols.
Of these phytosterols, sunflower oil is richer in stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, and delta-7-stigmastenol. On the other hand, peanut oil has higher levels of delta-5-avenasterol and campesterol (3, 4). Overall, sunflower oil seems to be a better source of phytosterols.
Health impacts
Cardiovascular Health
Atherosclerosis is one of the main essential processes that increase the risk of cardiovascular mortality. Atherosclerosis has several risk factors, one of which is high levels of lipids in the blood. However, these oils are mainly composed of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, decreasing the risks of atherosclerosis compared to saturated fats.
Peanut oil, in particular, has been researched to decrease the risk of developing atherosclerosis in experimental animals (5).
Sunflower oil has been researched to have a neutral effect on cardiovascular health when used in moderation. It may even decrease atherosclerosis risk and have a beneficial impact on health due to its positive effects on blood lipid profile (6).
However, when used in high quantities and along a high-cholesterol diet, sunflower oil has been shown somewhat to accelerate the progression of atherosclerosis (7).
Vitamin E Benefits
Peanut oil and sunflower oil are rich in vitamin E. However, sunflower oil is even richer than peanut oil in vitamin E. A 50g serving of sunflower oil covers over 100% of the daily needed vitamin E intake.
Due to its strong antioxidant properties, vitamin E can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and more (8).
Metabolic Health
Sunflower oil has an advantage over peanut oil since it is richer in polyunsaturated fats than peanut oil which is slightly higher in saturated fats.
Studies find that substituting saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats can reduce cardiometabolic risk in patients with metabolic syndrome. Thus, sunflower oil is a better option to consume since it will lead to a lower risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases (9).
References
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171025/nutrients
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172338/nutrients
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1750349/nutrients
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1750348/nutrients
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20546405/
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/nutrition-research-reviews/article/cardiovascular-effects-of-edible-oils-a-comparison-between-four-popular-edible-oils/5929590265487D3467176A26239295F9
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11996953/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3997530/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27578132/
Infographic
Mineral Comparison
Macronutrient Comparison
Comparison summary table
|
|
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| Lower in Saturated Fat |
|
||
| Lower in price |
|
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| Lower in Sugar | Equal | ||
| Lower in Sodium | Equal | ||
| Lower in Cholesterol | Equal | ||
| Lower in Glycemic Index | Equal | ||
| Rich in minerals | Equal | ||
| Rich in vitamins | Equal | ||
All nutrients comparison - raw data values
| Nutrient | |
|
Opinion |
| Fats | 100g | 100g | |
| Calories | 884kcal | 884kcal | |
| Iron | 0.03mg | 0mg |
|
| Zinc | 0.01mg | 0mg |
|
| Vitamin E | 15.69mg | 41.08mg |
|
| Vitamin K | 0.7µg | 5.4µg |
|
| Saturated Fat | 16.9g | 13g |
|
| Monounsaturated Fat | 46.2g | 46.2g | |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 32g | 36.4g |
|
Which food is preferable for your diet?
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| Low Fats diet | Equal | |
| Low Carbs diet | Equal | |
| Low Calories diet | Equal | |
| Low Glycemic Index diet | Equal | |
People also compare
Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
Comparison summary
References
All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.
- Peanut oil - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171410/nutrients
- Sunflower oil - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172328/nutrients
All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.