Fat and Oil Melt Point Temperatures


Fat and oil melt point temperaturesVegan baking is all about reverse engineering, especially when it comes to things like understanding the melt point temperatures of fats. Often I choose to examine the building blocks of a recipe so I can understand it and attempt create a decent, actually edible vegan version. Of course, you don't have to do that if you just want to play around in the kitchen and have fun. But if you really want to nail it with minimal fuss and know why you nailed it, it helps to know what building blocks you have to work with. Much like a child who knows his lego pieces well enough to the point of where he may already have a pretty good idea of the spaceship he's going to build according to the various size lego pieces he has on hand.

While working on foods such as vegan butters, shortenings, ice creams and cake frostings, I've had to endlessly fumble around the internet looking for the melting temperatures of various fats. I soon realized that assembling this information in one place could be a helpful resource for other adventurous food voyagers!

When referring to the below chart on the melting point of fats, keep in mind that melting temperature is the same as freezing temperature; it's the temperature where the fat transitions from a liquid to a solid. Trippy! Fats that are solid at room temperature are already frozen and fats that are liquid at room temperature area already melted so to speak. Monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fat information is there to show you the health factors of various fats. Generally speaking, healthy fats have a high amount of monounsaturated fats as well as polyunsaturated fats and a low amound of saturated fats.

But hold on. What are the best fats for vegan baking? I'm glad you asked. Learn more about the fats I recommend for vegan baking and why.

Oil and Fat Melt/Freeze Temperatures

FatMelt/Freeze Point TemperatureMonounsaturated Fat %Polyunsaturated Fat %Saturated Fat %
Cottonseed Oil-55F (48C)185428
Flax Seed Oil-11F (-24C)21718
Almond Oil0F (-18C)73198
Sunflower Oil1F (-17C)206911
Safflower Oil2F (-17C)14788
Soybean Oil3F (-16C)246115
Corn Oil12F (-11C)256114
Canola Oil14F (-10C)58357
Grapeseed Oil14F (10C)572914
Rice Bran Oil14-23F(-5 to -10C)383725
Hemp Seed Oil18F (-8C)13639
Olive Oil21F (-6C)79811
Sesame Oil21F (-6C)404214
Peanut Oil37F (3C)483418
Palm Kernel Oil75F (24C)12286
Coconut Oil77F (25C)6292
Cocoa Butter93-100F (34 to 38C)20 to 430 to 557 to 64
Palm Oil95F (35C)381052

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