Is avocado oil gluten-free? Yes! Avocado oil is gluten-free and safe for people with gluten allergies to consume.
About Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is made by separating the skin and seed from the pulp. The pulp of the avocado is the part we eat on toast, as guacamole, etc. It’s also the part of the fruit that the oil mostly comes from; though, you can extract some oil from the skin as well.
To extract oil from the avocado pulp:
- Cut avocados and remove the seed from the pulp. Separate the pulp from the skin.
- Add avocado pulp to a food processor and blend.
- Once you have an avocado puree, you’ll cook it until the puree is dark green or brown. You can do this by spreading it on a pan and baking it or by cooking it on the stovetop. This will draw the water from the puree and start to separate the oil.
- Squeeze the cooked-down puree through a cheesecloth into a clean container to fully extract the avocado oil.
To extract avocado oil from the skin:
- Cut avocados in order to separate the skin from the pulp.
- Place the skins in a fruit press like an orange press.
- Use the machine to press the skins until no more oil drips from them, collecting the oil into a clean container.
You won’t be able to collect near as much oil from an avocado’s skin as you can its pulp, but it’s worth the effort if you don’t want anything to go to waste.
Uses for Avocado Oil
Avocado oil was originally extracted for it’s benefits to our skincare, and it can be found in a lot of beauty products. Now, it’s commonly used when cooking as a healthier alternative to other types of oils. If you’re planning to cook with avocado oil, you should make sure its food grade.
Most avocado oils on the grocery store shelves will be food grade. The bigger differences you’ll notice when grocery shopping is extra virgin avocado oil versus refined avocado oil.
Extra virgin avocado oil is a deeper yellow or green color and has a hint of of the natural avocado flavors. Refined avocado oil gets bleached and deodorized to have a more neutral flavor, which also lightens its color. Both are fine to cook with, though refined avocado oil has a higher smoke point.
Some ways you can use avocado oil in and out of the kitchen:
- as salad dressing
- to coat veggies before roasting in the oven
- in hummus
- to moisturize skin, including your scalp
Nutritional Facts
Quality, pure avocado oil should only contain avocado oil as its ingredients. Pure avocado oil can be found as an ingredient in a lot of other products, in and out of the kitchen.
Avocado oil, like this one from Chosen Food’s, should have no carbs, protein, or added sodium. You should find the total fat content on the nutritional label because avocado oil is considered a fat. For example, Chosen Food’s avocado oil has a serving size of one tablespoon which contains 130 calories and 14 grams of total fat.