Is Palm Oil Keto Friendly?

If you're craving keto-friendly fish or fried chicken, then palm oil is a great zero-carb option for you, especially if you prefer a milder tasting oil.

For most fried dishes, you should heat the frying oil to 350 to 375° F. This gives your food a crispy exterior while allowing the food to cook all the way through. To fry at this temperature, you need an oil with a high smoke point to avoid a burnt taste and a smoky kitchen. Palm oil's smoke point is 450° F, making it a great oil for high-temperature cooking. It's also milder in taste than other keto-friendly options like coconut or avocado oil.

You'll probably see three types of palm oil in the store: unrefined (also called "red" or "crude"), refined, and palm kernel. Although all three varieties are keto-friendly and come from the same palm fruit, your best bet is unrefined palm oil. It contains the most monounsaturated fat, the good type of fat that prevents plaque buildup in your heart and blood vessels. Unrefined palm oil also delivers more disease-fighting antioxidants, as the refining process removes them from the other varieties.