Peanut Oil

Peanut oil is a pale golden, clear vegetable oil pressed from peanuts. It has a clean, mildly nutty aroma and a high smoke point, making it well-suited to high-heat frying and stir-frying. Cooks use it for deep-frying, wok cooking, and neutral dressings where a light peanut note is welcome. Sold refined for neutral flavor and high heat tolerance, and as cold-pressed or roasted styles with deeper aroma.

Producers developed commercial peanut oil in regions where groundnuts thrive, notably West Africa, South Asia, and the southern United States. It features in Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines for wok frying and in Indian kitchens for everyday cooking, while West African traditions use it for stews and frying. Modern production typically involves pressing or solvent extraction followed by refining, bleaching, and deodorizing.