Is Your Avocado Oil Really Avocado Oil?

Avocado oil has become one of the biggest selling points on packaged foods. You can now find chips, mayonnaise and salad dressings proudly labeled “made with avocado oil,” often at a much higher price than conventional versions.

But are we actually getting what we’re paying for?

A new UC Davis study found that 48 of the 54 avocado oil-labeled samples tested had oil compositions inconsistent with authentic avocado oil, suggesting that other, less expensive oils were present—even though avocado oil was listed as the only oil.

What the Study Found

Researchers purchased processed foods from California stores and online retailers during 2025 and 2026. They extracted the oil from each product and analyzed its fatty-acid and sterol composition—essentially the chemical fingerprint of the oil.

The results were shocking:

• 93% of avocado oil-labeled chips tested contained other oils
• 71% of avocado oil-labeled mayonnaises contained other oils
• 100% of avocado oil-labeled salad dressings contained other oils

Even after researchers allowed for a 10% margin of natural variation, 89% of the avocado oil products tested still failed.

Researchers believe some of the adulteration may happen within the supply chain. Brands often purchase avocado oil from outside suppliers and may not know that the oil they receive has been diluted or substituted. However, researchers also stressed that food manufacturers could do more to independently test and verify their ingredients.

Why this happening:

“I don’t think there is enough accountability throughout the supply chain. Suppliers of adulterated oil may be hiding behind a couple of layers of supply chain, making it difficult to identify where the problem originated.”

You can shop the list of chips I currently recommended here. 

❌ Avocado Oil Products That Failed Both Lots Tested

The following specific products had oil compositions that were inconsistent with authentic avocado oil in both tested lots:

❌ Chips

• Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil Classic Sea Salt Kettle Style Potato Chips
• Siete Kettle Cooked Sea Salt Potato Chips Made with Avocado Oil
• Siete Maíz Sea Salt Corn Tortilla Chips Made with Avocado Oil
• Jackson’s Avocado Oil Sweet Potato Chips
• Jackson’s Kettle Cooked Sea Salt Potato Chips Made Only with Avocado Oil
• Sprouts Organic Sea Salt & A Hint of Lime Tortilla Chips Made with Avocado Oil
• Sprouts Kettle Style Sea Salt Potato Chips Made with 100% Avocado Oil
• Bettergoods Hatch Chile Tortilla Chips Fried in 100% Avocado Oil
• Good Health Kettle Style Sea Salt Avocado Oil Potato Chips

❌ Salad Dressings and Marinades

• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil & Vinegar Vinaigrette & Marinade
• Primal Kitchen Italian Dressing & Marinade Made with Avocado Oil
• Chosen Foods Lemon Garlic Dressing & Marinade Made with 100% Pure Avocado Oil
• Chosen Foods Zesty Italian Dressing & Marinade Made with 100% Pure Avocado Oil

❌ Mayonnaise

• Primal Kitchen Real Mayonnaise Made with Avocado Oil
• Chosen Foods Classic Mayo Made with 100% Pure Avocado Oil

It is important to understand that these findings apply to the specific products and lots tested. They do not necessarily represent every product currently being sold by these brands.

Ingredient suppliers and product formulations can change. The study tested two lots of each product, not every batch produced by a company.

✅ Products That Passed the Test

The olive oil products performed dramatically better than the avocado oil products.

Of the 20 olive oil-labeled samples tested, 19 had oil compositions consistent with authentic olive oil.

The following products included in the study passed both lots tested:

✅ Olive Oil Chips

• Graza Extra Virgin Olive Oil Potato Chips
• Trader Joe’s Kettle Cooked Olive Oil Potato Chips
• Torres Extra Virgin Olive Oil Potato Chips

✅ Olive Oil Salad Dressings

• Bella Sun Luci Sonoma Vinaigrette Made with 100% Olive Oil
• Bragg Organic Vinaigrette Dressing Made with 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• California Olive Ranch Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing Made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

✅ Olive Oil Mayonnaise

• Graza “Fancy” Mayo Made with 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Graza “Original” Mayo Made with Olive Pomace Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

✅ Avocado Oil Products

Only a small number of the avocado oil products performed consistently well. These two Grove products passed both tested lots:

• Grove AvoYeah! Garlic Aioli Made with Avocado Oil
• Grove AvoYeah! Mayo Sauce Made with Avocado Oil

Clean Avocado oil

✅  Marianne’s Harvest 100% Pure Avocado Oil

Click here to shop Marianne’s real avocado.

Why Did Olive Oil Perform So Much Better?

Olive oil has been studied, tested and scrutinized for decades. The industry has established international standards and well-developed testing methods for verifying authenticity.

Avocado oil is a newer and comparatively expensive product category. The industry does not yet have the same level of oversight or an FDA-established Standard of Identity defining the exact chemical characteristics required for an oil to be sold as avocado oil.

That lack of standardized testing can make it easier for diluted or substituted oils to move through the supply chain undetected.

⭐️ Beef-Tallow Chips That Were Not Included in the Study

The following brands were not tested in the UC Davis study and therefore cannot be described as having passed.

However, their current ingredient lists identify beef tallow—not avocado oil—as the cooking oil. That makes them alternatives worth considering if you specifically want chips made without avocado or seed oils.

Tallow & Stone

Tallow & Stone tortilla chips are made with stone-ground corn, beef tallow and sea salt. The brand also offers flavored varieties, so always check the individual package for additional ingredients.

MASA Chips

The classic MASA tortilla chips list only three ingredients:

• Organic corn
• 100% grass-fed beef tallow
• Sea salt

Beefy’s Own

Beefy’s Own makes small-batch potato chips cooked in beef tallow. Ingredients vary between flavors, so read the label carefully if you want the simplest option.

Again, these products were not independently evaluated as part of the UC Davis study. Their inclusion here is based on their currently published ingredient lists—not laboratory verification of their oil purity.

Easy Homemade Olive Oil Mayo

This clean homemade mayo takes about two minutes and uses only five simple ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 cup mild-tasting extra virgin olive oil or Marianne’s Avocado Oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Add the egg, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and sea salt to a tall jar that is only slightly wider than your immersion blender.
2. Pour the olive oil on top and allow the ingredients to settle for about 30 seconds.
3. Place the immersion blender firmly against the bottom of the jar.
4. Blend without moving it for 10–15 seconds, until the mixture begins turning thick and creamy.
5. Slowly lift the blender upward to incorporate the remaining oil.
6. Taste and add more lemon juice or sea salt if desired.

Store your homemade mayo in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use it within 3–4 days.

Because this recipe contains an uncooked egg, use a pasteurized egg to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. FoodSafety.gov recommends pasteurized eggs for recipes containing raw or lightly cooked eggs.

Tip: Extra virgin olive oil gives this mayo a stronger flavor than conventional mayonnaise. Choose a mild-tasting variety for the most neutral result.

The Bottom Line

Consumers often pay a premium for products marketed as being made exclusively with avocado oil. If avocado oil is the only oil listed on the label, that is what should be inside the product.

This study does not prove that every product from a listed brand is currently adulterated. It reflects the specific samples researchers purchased and tested during a particular period.

Still, the results reveal a major transparency problem within the avocado oil supply chain. Until stronger standards and routine testing are established, an avocado oil claim on the front of a package should not automatically be treated as proof of authenticity.

Look beyond the marketing, read the complete ingredient list and choose brands that openly explain how they source and independently verify their cooking oils.

Sources

UC Davis: Most Avocado Oil Chips and Dressings Are Adulterated, Study Finds

UC Davis Media Kit and Complete Product Results

Tallow & Stone Ingredients

MASA Chips Ingredients

Beefy’s Own Beef Tallow Potato Chips