Skip to content
FriendsPantry
Sunflower oil

Oils & fats · Cooking oils

Sunflower oil

Light, neutral oil pressed from sunflower seeds; the common refined oil in India, Turkey and Europe.

Also called: ayçiçek yağı, refined oil

A kind of cooking oil

66 recipes with it

Photo: torange.biz, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-4.0)

What it is

Sunflower oil is pressed from sunflower seeds and usually sold refined: pale yellow, thin and mild. It behaves like other neutral vegetable oils and is often what refined oil means on Indian labels. Cold-pressed versions are deeper yellow and taste nutty.

Helianthus annuus

How it’s used

  • Frying pakoras, puris and chips
  • Everyday sautéing
  • Cakes and baking
  • Neutral dressings

Characteristics

Taste
Neutral (refined); nutty (cold-pressed).
Sold as
liquid
Cooking uses
Suitable for frying, Commonly cooked, Suitable for baking

Storage

Pantry-stable. Keep capped, cool and dark. Cold-pressed sunflower oil turns rancid faster than refined.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
884 kcal
Protein
0 g
Carbohydrate
0 g
Fat
100 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
0 g

USDA FoodData Central: Oil, sunflower, linoleic (less than 60%).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Related ingredients

Recipes with sunflower oil

See all 66

54 more

More cooking oils