Yes — use olive oil instead of coconut oil 1:1, melted. The recipe asks for coconut oil and you have olive oil. The swap is 1:1, melted, and it is the savoury direction: olive oil brings a green, peppery note where coconut oil brings a faint tropical sweetness, so the dish gets more savoury and loses its coconut character — which is a gain in a Mediterranean dish and a loss in a Thai one.
How much olive oil to use
| Coconut oil in the recipe | Olive oil to use |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
| 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup |
| 1/3 cup | 1/3 cup |
| 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup |
| 3/4 cup | 3/4 cup |
| 1 cup | 1 cup |
| 2 cups | 2 cups |
The ratio is 1:1, melted. All amounts above are approximate — measure with a tablespoon or a measuring jug, and taste as you go.
Worked example 1: a roast vegetable dish
A roast vegetable dish asks for 1/4 cup of coconut oil, melted, tossed with sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Use 1/4 cup of olive oil instead and the vegetables will roast to a rich golden brown, with a savoury, peppery flavour that suits the chickpeas far better than coconut oil's sweetness. This is the swap's best use: a savoury roast where olive oil belongs and coconut oil was only ever a convenience.
Worked example 2: a stir-fry
A stir-fry asks for 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to fry garlic and greens. Use 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead, on medium heat, and the stir-fry will be greener and more savoury, with none of the tropical sweetness that coconut oil brings. It suits a Mediterranean-style stir-fry — garlic, greens, lemon — and it is the wrong choice for a Thai stir-fry, where the coconut note is part of the dish.
Worked example 3: the wrong recipe — a coconut cake
A coconut cake asks for 1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted, in the batter. Olive oil makes a cake that is moist and rich, but it tastes of olive oil — green and peppery — and the coconut cake becomes an olive oil cake with coconut on top. The lesson is that a fat's flavour is part of a cake's identity, and a savoury oil in a sweet cake is a mismatch. Use a neutral oil for a coconut cake, not olive oil.
What changes when you use olive oil
Flavour and smoke point are what change, not volume. Oils swap 1:1 by volume, so the measuring is the easy part, but each oil brings a different taste and a different tolerance for heat. Olive oil tastes green and peppery, and a good one announces itself in a salad dressing; it is at its best uncooked or at moderate heat. Avocado oil is the quiet one — almost neutral in flavour, with a very high smoke point, so it is the best choice for searing and roasting. Vegetable oil is neutral and cheap, the workhorse of frying and baking. Sesame oil is the loudest of all: dark, nutty, almost perfumed, and a little goes a very long way. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and tastes faintly sweet, which suits baking and curries and fights with delicate flavours. The second change is behaviour when cold: olive oil clouds in the fridge, coconut oil sets solid, and a dressing made with either needs to come back to room temperature before serving.
When not to substitute
Do not use olive oil instead of coconut oil where coconut is the point — coconut cakes, Thai curries, and anything where the tropical note defines the dish. Do not use a robust extra-virgin olive oil in a delicate bake, where its peppery flavour will dominate. And do not use olive oil at very high heat, because it smokes sooner than coconut oil.
Method and source
The 1:1 ratio comes from the CookScale substitution data, which records that neutral oils swap freely 1:1 and that flavoured oils change the taste. This is a volume swap, so no density figure applies; a cup of one oil replaces a cup of another. Treat the result as approximate: oils vary in thickness and in how strongly they are flavoured, and a robust extra-virgin olive oil is a different ingredient from a light one. The data warns not to swap a neutral oil for a strongly flavoured one in delicate baking, and that warning is the whole story of this family — sesame oil in a vanilla cake is a mistake you only make once. Match the oil to the heat as well: high smoke point for searing, low for dressings.
Practical guidance
Keep oils in a cool, dark cupboard, not next to the hob, because heat and light turn them rancid faster than time does. Buy olive oil in smaller bottles if you cook for one or two people — an open bottle loses its peppery edge within a couple of months. For baking, a neutral oil is almost always the right call, and it keeps cakes moist for days longer than butter does. For frying, choose by smoke point: avocado oil and refined vegetable oil for high heat, olive oil for medium heat, and never heat sesame oil hard — add it at the end, off the heat, so its perfume survives. If a dressing separates in the fridge, let it warm up and whisk it again rather than adding more oil.
Use a light olive oil rather than a robust extra-virgin one if the dish is delicate, and keep the heat at medium — olive oil smokes sooner than coconut oil. Melt the coconut oil's replacement in the same way: if the recipe melts the coconut oil, warm the olive oil gently first.
Buying and storing
When you buy oil, look for a dark bottle or a tin, which protects the oil from light far better than a clear bottle. Store oils away from the stove, where the heat of cooking warms the cupboard, and keep the cap on tight — air is the other enemy, and an open bottle oxidises faster than a sealed one. Coconut oil is the exception: it is solid at room temperature, it keeps for a year or more, and it does not go rancid nearly as fast as other oils. If an oil tastes bitter or smells stale, throw it away, because rancid oil will spoil a whole dish and no amount of seasoning hides it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use olive oil instead of coconut oil?
Yes, 1:1, melted. Olive oil is greener and more savoury, while coconut oil is faintly sweet and tropical. The swap suits Mediterranean dishes and suits Thai dishes poorly.
Is olive oil better than coconut oil for roasting?
For savoury roasting, yes — olive oil's flavour suits roast vegetables and its smoke point is adequate at normal roasting temperatures. Coconut oil is better for high-heat roasting and for dishes where its sweetness belongs.
Can I use olive oil instead of coconut oil in baking?
Not well in a coconut cake, where the flavour will clash. In a savoury bake, such as a focaccia or a savoury muffin, it works very well. Use a light olive oil for baking, not a robust extra-virgin.
Does olive oil work instead of coconut oil in a curry?
In a mild, creamy curry, yes, but the curry will lose its coconut character. In a Thai curry, no — the coconut note is the point. Add coconut milk at the end if you want it back.