Walnut oil and olive oil are both kitchen favourites, but they're not interchangeable. Each has its own flavour, its own best uses, and its own limits. If you're wondering which to reach for — or whether walnut oil is worth adding alongside your olive oil — here's a straightforward comparison.

The short answer

Use olive oil as your everyday all-rounder for cooking and dressings. Use walnut oil as a finishing oil when you want a rich, toasted, nutty flavour — over salads, pasta, roasted vegetables and cheese. They complement each other rather than compete.

Flavour

Walnut oil is deeply nutty and toasted, with a warm, buttery richness. It's distinctive and adds real character to a dish. Olive oil ranges from grassy and peppery (extra virgin) to mild, and is more neutral by comparison. If you want the nutty flavour to lead, walnut oil wins; if you want a background oil, olive oil is more versatile.

Cooking with heat

This is the key practical difference. Walnut oil is a finishing oil — its delicate, toasted flavour breaks down under high heat, so it's best used cold or added at the end of cooking. Olive oil handles moderate heat better and is more forgiving for sauteing and roasting. For frying or high-heat cooking, neither is ideal — a high smoke point oil like high-oleic sunflower oil is a better choice there.

Best uses for each

Walnut oil works best:

• Drizzled over leafy salads — especially with bitter leaves, pear and blue cheese
• Stirred through pasta or risotto at the end
• Over roasted vegetables, squash and beetroot
• With goat's cheese and cheese boards
• In dressings where you want a nutty depth

Olive oil works best:

• Everyday cooking, sauteing and roasting at moderate heat
• Classic vinaigrettes and marinades
• Dipping with bread
• Mediterranean dishes where its flavour belongs

Can you substitute one for the other?

In a cold dressing, you can swap walnut oil in for olive oil to change the flavour profile — expect a nuttier, richer result. For cooking with heat, don't substitute walnut oil for olive oil, as the flavour won't survive. Many cooks simply keep both: olive oil for cooking, walnut oil for finishing.

Choosing a good walnut oil

Look for cold pressed and unrefined walnut oil from a single ingredient, bottled in glass. Cold pressing keeps its toasted, nutty flavour intact — the whole reason to use it.

Frequently asked questions

Is walnut oil better than olive oil?

Neither is better — they're different tools. Olive oil is a versatile all-rounder for cooking; walnut oil is a finishing oil prized for its rich, nutty flavour. Many cooks use both.

Can you fry with walnut oil?

No — walnut oil is a finishing oil and its flavour breaks down under high heat. Use it cold or add it at the end of cooking.

What does walnut oil taste like?

Deeply nutty and toasted, with a warm, buttery richness that adds character to salads, pasta and roasted vegetables.

How do you use walnut oil?

As a finishing oil — drizzle over salads, pasta, roasted vegetables and cheese, or whisk into dressings.

Want to try it? Explore our cold pressed Walnut Oil (250ml) — single ingredient, unrefined and bottled in glass.