Olive Oil vs Coconut Oil
Straight answer: on calories there is nothing to argue about — olive oil 884 kcal per 100g against coconut oil's 862, a 22-kcal gap that turns to noise inside one spoon (a 14g tablespoon: 123.8 vs 120.7 kcal). Both oils are pure fat — zero protein, zero carbs — so neither is "light" and neither cuts anything alone. The real decision sits in fat composition and in what you are cooking: olive oil is predominantly monounsaturated, coconut oil mostly saturated, and the standing official pattern keeps favoring unsaturated fats for everyday use. The verdicts below turn that into kitchen practice.
The numbers: Olive Oil vs Coconut Oil
| Per 100g | Olive Oil | Coconut Oil |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 884 kcal | 862 kcal |
| Protein | 0g | 0g |
| Carbs | 0g | 0g |
| Fat | 100g | 100g |
| Fiber | 0g | 0g |
| Sugar | 0g | 0g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 0g | 0g |
Source: the Alkemos food database — the same rows each food’s page shows (per-100g values; serving values derive from each food’s default serving).
What a real serving looks like
Which one, for which goal
For everyday cooking
Olive oil. Its fat is predominantly monounsaturated — the profile standing dietary guidance keeps favoring for daily use — and it earns its place at every step: salads, pan work, the finishing drizzle. Coconut oil's fat is mostly saturated, the category every major guideline asks you to keep limited.
The calorie truth on a cut
Neither spoon is free: both oils are 100% fat, and one tablespoon (14g) costs 123.8 kcal as olive and 120.7 kcal as coconut — a 3.1-kcal difference that decides nothing. On a deficit the unit that matters is the measured spoon, not the label on the bottle.
Where coconut earns its shelf
Texture and specific jobs: coconut oil is solid at cool room temperature, which suits certain baked goods and particular flavor profiles — treats and some Asian dishes where its aroma is the point. A specialty tool with real uses; just not the daily driver, and the honest shelf treats it that way.
Common questions
Which oil has fewer calories?
Effectively a tie: 884 vs 862 kcal per 100g, and 123.8 vs 120.7 per tablespoon — a 22-kcal gap per 100g that vanishes inside a spoon. Every cooking oil lives in the same all-fat neighborhood; choose by composition and use, not by calories.
Is coconut oil unhealthy?
The honest framing: it is mostly saturated fat, and guidance recommends keeping saturated fat limited — but "limited" is not "banned." Occasional use in a dish that needs its texture or aroma is a different decision from making it the household default. A doctor's saturated-fat target for a heart condition decides the shelf, not a trend.
Which oil should I cook with on a diet?
Whichever one you measure. A tablespoon of either is 14g of fat and roughly 124 kcal; olive oil as the daily default for its composition, coconut oil when the recipe genuinely calls for it. The deficit comes from the day's total line — never from the oil's brand war.
Turn these numbers into a plan: the Calorie Calculator splits your daily budget into grams — free, no account needed.