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Is rapeseed oil a seed oil?

Published 29 October 2026

Yes, rapeseed oil is a seed oil. It is pressed from the small black seeds of the rapeseed plant, the bright yellow crop you see in UK fields in spring.

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It is one of the most common oils in UK food. It is in a lot of bread, crisps, dips and ready meals. This guide explains what a seed oil is, how rapeseed compares with other oils, and how to spot it.

What is a seed oil?

A seed oil is an oil pressed from the seeds of a plant. The best known in the UK are:

  • rapeseed oil
  • sunflower oil
  • soya (soybean) oil
  • corn oil
  • cottonseed oil
  • grapeseed oil
  • safflower oil
  • rice bran oil

Oils pressed from the fruit of a plant are not usually called seed oils. Olive oil and avocado oil are made this way.

Some people choose to avoid seed oils. Reasons people give include how the oils are made and refined, or just wanting fewer processed ingredients. Others are happy to use them. We don't make claims either way. We just list foods that pass our rules, and our rules leave seed oils out.

Is canola oil a seed oil?

Yes. Canola is a type of rapeseed. The name is used more in North America. In the UK, you will almost always see "rapeseed oil" on the label.

So if you read a US list that says "avoid canola", that means rapeseed oil here.

Is vegetable oil a seed oil?

In the UK, a bottle called "vegetable oil" is very often rapeseed oil. Turn it over and check.

On food labels, there's a rule. If a food uses refined oils from plants, it can group them as "vegetable oils". But it must then name the plants straight after. So you will see things like:

Vegetable oils (rapeseed, sunflower) in varying proportions

This rule is in UK food labelling law. "In varying proportions" means the mix can change from batch to batch.

Is olive oil a seed oil?

No. Olive oil is pressed from olives, which are a fruit. It is not a seed oil.

These are some olive oils we've checked:

Is avocado oil a seed oil?

No. Avocado oil comes from the flesh of the avocado.

Is coconut oil a seed oil?

Coconut oil comes from the white flesh of the coconut. Most seed oil lists, ours included, don't count it as a seed oil.

What about butter, ghee and dripping?

These are animal fats, not seed oils. Our rules allow butter, ghee, beef dripping and duck fat.

Laila Ghee

Laila Ghee

Laila

Swap: Laila Ghee — instead of Blended vegetable or sunflower oil spreads

Label check: Excellent (88)

Protein: 0g per 100g

Morrisons

See more on our cooking oils and fats without seed oils list.

Is cold pressed rapeseed oil a seed oil?

Yes. "Cold pressed" tells you how the oil was made. It was pressed without high heat. But it still comes from rapeseed. So it is still a seed oil.

The same goes for "extra virgin rapeseed oil" and "British rapeseed oil".

Foods that use olive oil instead of rapeseed oil

Rapeseed oil is in lots of foods. These swap it for olive oil:

More lists:

How to spot rapeseed oil on a label

  1. Find "Ingredients".
  2. Look for "rapeseed", "canola" or "vegetable oil".
  3. If it says "vegetable oil", read the brackets after it.
  4. Also check for "rapeseed lecithin". Our rules leave that out too.

Ingredients are listed by weight. The higher up rapeseed oil is, the more of it there is.

Cooking without rapeseed oil

You can cook almost anything with olive oil, butter or dripping:

  • Roasting: olive oil or beef dripping
  • Frying eggs: butter or ghee
  • Baking: butter
  • Salad dressing: extra virgin olive oil

Try our paprika sweet potato fries or olive oil oven crisps.

FAQ

Is rapeseed oil the same as canola oil? Canola is a type of rapeseed. In the UK, labels say "rapeseed oil".

Is sunflower oil a seed oil? Yes. It is pressed from sunflower seeds.

Are seeds the same as seed oils? No. Whole seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds are not oils. Our rules allow them.

Are seed oils banned in the UK? No. All the common seed oils are allowed in UK food.

Is palm oil a seed oil? Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm. Palm kernel oil comes from the seed. Our rules leave out both.

Sources

  • legislation.gov.uk, Food information rules, Annex VII Part A (how vegetable oils are named): https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/annex/VII
  • GOV.UK, Food labelling: ingredients list: https://www.gov.uk/food-labelling-and-packaging/ingredients-list

Not sure which oil is in something? Take a photo of the label in The Better Basket, and we'll tell you.

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