Babassu oil is a light yellow to white oil with a mild, slightly sweet flavour and a melting point close to body temperature — it’s solid at room temperature but melts quickly on contact with warm skin or food. Its properties are remarkably similar to coconut oil, making it a useful substitute in cooking and food manufacturing.
The oil comes almost exclusively from wild-harvested babassu palms in Brazil, where its collection supports the livelihoods of traditional communities known as “quebradeiras de coco” (coconut breakers). It’s used in Brazilian cooking for frying and baking.
In Australia, babassu oil is more commonly encountered as an ingredient in processed foods or specialty cooking oils than as a standalone product. It appears in some chocolates, margarines, and confectionery as an alternative to palm kernel oil or coconut oil.
How it's made
Nutrition (per 100g)
1 tbsp is about 13.6 g — roughly 120 kcal of this.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →
Where it comes from
In the kitchen
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Where this data comes from
USDA
SR Legacy
Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →
Where to next
Your household's take
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