Hazelnut Oil

Hazelnut Oil: Nutrition and Culinary Guide

Hazelnut oil is cold-pressed from roasted hazelnuts (Corylus avellana), producing a deeply flavoured, rich brown oil with an intensely nutty, toasty aroma that is among the most distinctive and pleasurable of all nut oils. The finest hazelnut oil comes from Piedmont in Italy and from Turkey (the world's largest hazelnut producer), where traditional cold-pressing from gently roasted nuts produces an oil of incomparable quality and depth. French production — particularly from the Lot and Dordogne regions — also yields excellent hazelnut oil. As with walnut oil, hazelnut oil should not be used for cooking — its high polyunsaturated fat content makes it prone to oxidation at temperature — but as a finishing and dressing oil, it has no peer for richness and hazelnut character. A single tablespoon of good hazelnut oil transforms a salad, a pasta dish, or a chocolate preparation.

Nutritional Value and Uses

Hazelnut oil provides 884 kcal and 100 g of fat per 100 g, with 7.4 g of saturated fat. Fat is approximately 78% monounsaturated (oleic acid — the highest of any nut oil except macadamia), 14% polyunsaturated, and 7% saturated — an excellent fatty acid profile with high oxidative stability for a nut oil due to its very high MUFA content. Use as a finishing oil over salads, pasta, risotto, and cheese. Pairs magnificently with chocolate — drizzle over chocolate tart or brownie. Use in Frangelico-inspired preparations. Keep refrigerated and use within a few months of opening.