Cold-pressed oil is oil pressed from a seed, nut or fruit by mechanical pressure alone, with no heat applied, so its colour, aroma and delicate character survive all the way to your plate. A good one is among the quietest luxuries of the kitchen: whole, living fat that tastes of the plant it came from.
At the Vitalist Healing Traditions Society, we honour good fats as foundational and as a natural part of food as medicine. Here is what the words on the label really mean, how cold-pressed and refined oils differ, and how to choose and keep a beautiful bottle. For the wider picture of plant wisdom, see our herbalism guide.
Key takeaways
- In the international food standard, cold-pressed oils are made “by mechanical procedures only”, with no heat applied [1].
- Virgin oils are pressed too, and heat may be applied. Both may be cleaned only by washing, settling, filtering and centrifuging [1].
- Refining adds degumming, neutralising, bleaching and deodorising. Deodorising alone took away roughly a third to two fifths of the tocopherols in five rapeseed oils [3].
- Extra virgin olive oil, the classic pressed oil, carried almost four times the phenolic compounds of refined virgin olive oil in one study [5].
- Dark glass protects an oil from light [6]; a cool cupboard and a closed cap keep it fresh at home.
What is cold-pressed oil?
The phrase has a precise meaning. The Codex Alimentarius, the international food code kept by the FAO and the WHO, defines cold-pressed oils as oils “obtained, without altering the oil, by mechanical procedures only, e.g. expelling or pressing, without the application of heat” [1].
Virgin oils are their close cousins. They are made by the same mechanical procedures, and the standard allows heat to be applied. Both kinds may then be cleaned in the simplest ways: washing with water, settling, filtering and centrifuging [1]. The oil in the bottle is the oil that left the press.
That is why a cold-pressed oil keeps its personality. Along with the fat itself it carries the minor companions of the plant, and cold-pressed oils hold higher levels of carotenoids, sterols and phenolics than their refined counterparts [7]. A green, peppery olive oil, a golden flaxseed oil, a deep green pumpkin seed oil: each brings flavour and pleasure, which are part of eating well.
Cold-pressed vs refined oil: what is the difference?
A refined oil begins as crude oil and then passes through four stages: degumming, neutralising, bleaching and deodorising [3]. Each stage serves a long shelf life and a neutral taste, and each takes something of the plant along with it.
Deodorising, the high-heat stage, takes the largest share of the tocopherols, the vitamin E family: in a study of five rapeseed oils it removed between 32.82 and 42.16% of them. Over the whole refining process, total polyphenols fell from between 4.83 and 6.19 mg to between 1.35 and 2.45 mg (as gallic acid equivalents) in every 100 g of oil, with the biggest drop at the neutralising stage [3]. When sunflower oil was deodorised at 210 to 270 °C for 60 to 120 minutes, the share of tocopherols it kept fell from 96.29% to 44.83% as the conditions grew more intense [4].
The refined bottle is pale, steady and neutral. The cold-pressed bottle is alive with the taste of its source. Both have a place in the kitchen; they simply offer different gifts.
Why is extra virgin olive oil the classic pressed oil?
Olive oil shows the pressed tradition at its finest. The International Olive Council defines virgin olive oils as oils taken from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means, under conditions, particularly of temperature, that leave the oil unaltered. Their only handling after pressing is washing, decantation, centrifugation and filtration [2].
Extra virgin is the top grade: “a virgin olive oil fit for consumption as it is”, with a free acidity of “not more than 0.8 grams per 100 grams” [2]. Its other characteristics must also meet the limits the IOC standard fixes for this grade [2].
The difference is also measurable in the oil’s companions. In a study of olive and seed oils, total phenolics averaged 232 mg/kg in extra virgin olive oil against 62 mg/kg in refined virgin olive oil, and the seed oils tested carried, on average, none at all [5].
Fruit, pressure and patience, then a dark bottle: that is the whole craft of a living oil.
What the research shows
Which pressed oils do the traditions treasure?
Every food culture has its own pressed oil, and each tradition reads its foods by their qualities, as our guide to the four temperaments explains. In India, lipid-based Ayurvedic preparations have been made for thousands of years, with ghee or sesame oil as the classic carrier [9]. In the Austrian region of Styria, pumpkin seed oil is made “through a gentle pressing process” into a cooking oil “with a dark, dense colour, mainly used in salads”, and records of its making reach back to the eighteenth century [8]. It has been protected as a geographical indication in the EU since 1996 [8].
Traditional pressed oils such as these sit alongside cold-pressed ones, and the label tells you which method was used.
| Oil | Tradition | What to enjoy | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra virgin olive oil | Mediterranean | Green, fruity and peppery; free acidity no higher than 0.8 g per 100 g [2] | Eating with the seasons |
| Sesame oil | Ayurveda | Rich and nutty; with ghee, the classic carrier of Ayurvedic preparations [9] | Eastern Dietetics |
| Styrian pumpkin seed oil | Central Europe | Dark, dense and nutty; a salad oil gently pressed in Styria [8] | Food as medicine |
| Herb-infused oil | Herbal craft | Calendula or lavender, traditionally steeped in a good pressed oil for everyday home care | Building a home apothecary |
How do you choose a good cold-pressed oil?
- Read the words. “Cold-pressed” means pressed with no heat applied; “virgin” means pressed, with heat allowed [1]; “extra virgin” is the finest grade of olive oil [2].
- Look for “unrefined” too. It means the oil has skipped the refining stages above.
- Choose dark glass. Low-transparency packaging shields an oil from light [6].
- Look for a harvest or pressing date. Fresher oil is livelier oil.
- Trust your senses. A real oil tastes and smells of its source.
- Pick a size you will enjoy within a few months. Delicate oils are at their best soon after opening.
How should you store cold-pressed oil?
Light, warmth and air are what age an oil. In a five-week study, extra virgin olive oil kept in clear glass bottles in sunlight deteriorated significantly more than the same oil in amber glass or in foil-covered bottles, and the author concluded that “low transparency packaging provides protection against sunlight-induced oxidative deterioration” [6]. The natural companions of a cold-pressed oil help too: its phenolics and tocols may increase its stability during storage [7].
So keep your oils capped, cool and dark. Delicate cold-pressed oils are best enjoyed raw or gently warmed, drizzled over finished food rather than used for high-heat frying, and they pair beautifully with seasonal eating. For the wider picture of plant wisdom in the kitchen and beyond, read our guide to herbalism.
Frequently asked questions
Is cold-pressed the same as extra virgin?
They are close relatives. Cold-pressed describes a method: pressing with no heat applied [1]. Extra virgin is a grade of olive oil, defined by mechanical pressing under conditions that leave the oil unaltered and by quality limits such as a free acidity of no more than 0.8 g per 100 g [2].
What is the difference between virgin and cold-pressed oil?
Both are made by mechanical pressing or expelling and cleaned only by washing, settling, filtering and centrifuging. Virgin oils may use heat; cold-pressed oils are made with no heat applied [1].
Can you cook with cold-pressed oil?
Delicate cold-pressed oils shine raw or gently warmed, drizzled over finished food. For high-heat frying, a sturdier oil suits the job and keeps your best bottle for the table.
Why do good oils come in dark bottles?
Because light ages oil. Olive oil kept in clear glass in sunlight deteriorated significantly more than oil in amber or covered bottles [6].
How long does cold-pressed oil keep once opened?
Enjoy delicate oils within a few months of opening, kept capped in a cool, dark cupboard. Their natural phenolics and tocols may help them stay fresh [7].
Sources
- Codex Alimentarius Commission (FAO/WHO). Codex Standard for Named Vegetable Oils, CODEX-STAN 210-1999. In: Codex Alimentarius: Fats, Oils and Related Products, vol. 8. Rome: FAO/WHO; 2001.
- International Olive Council. Olive oil: designations and definitions. Madrid: IOC.
- Wu Y, Zhou R, Wang Z, Wang B, Yang Y, Ju X, He R. The effect of refining process on the physicochemical properties and micronutrients of rapeseed oils. PLoS One 2019;14(3):e0212879.
- An H, Ma Y, Wang X, Zheng Y. Effects of deodorization on the formation of processing contaminants and chemical quality of sunflower oil. J Oleo Sci 2022;71(7):975-984.
- Owen RW, Mier W, Giacosa A, Hull WE, Spiegelhalder B, Bartsch H. Phenolic compounds and squalene in olive oils: the concentration and antioxidant potential of total phenols, simple phenols, secoiridoids, lignans and squalene. Food Chem Toxicol 2000;38(8):647-659.
- Kishimoto N. Influence of exposure to sunlight on the oxidative deterioration of extra virgin olive oil during storage in glass bottles. Food Sci Technol Res 2019;25(4):539-544.
- Durazzo A, Ramadan MF, Di Stefano V, Lucarini M. Editorial: Cold pressed oils: a green source of specialty oils, volume II. Front Nutr 2023;10:1224878.
- Austrian application for the protected geographical indication “Steirisches Kürbiskernöl”. Technical specifications for the registration of the geographical indication “Steirisches Kürbiskernöl”. EU specification, English translation hosted by the Government of Mexico.
- Bali S, Prasad S, Saini V. Ayurvedic lipid based rasayans: a perspective on the preparation and pharmacological significance of lipids on the bioavailability of phytoconstituents. J Ayurveda Integr Med 2022;13(2):100526.
Keep exploring: the Foods guide, which rates everyday foods by their energetics, the Body Signals guides and the ten Food-Energetic Types, among them the Steady Ground and the Stuck River. The home page gathers every pathway in one place, and the contact page is the way to speak with a founder.
This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical or nutritional advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, or to replace guidance from a licensed healthcare provider. Oils are food; enjoy them as part of a varied, whole-food way of eating, and please consult a qualified professional about dietary fat if you manage a specific health condition.
Images: featured image, Vincent van Gogh, Women Picking Olives, 1889. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. In-article photographs credited in their captions: olive mill by David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0; flax to linseed oil by Handwerker, CC BY-SA 3.0.
