The Ultimate Seed Oil-Free Shopping List: 65+ Must-Haves | Zero Acre Farms

The Ultimate Seed Oil-Free Shopping List: 65+ Must-Haves

February 14, 2023

WRITTEN BY: Courtney Sperlazza

Article at a Glance

• If you’ve recently eliminated or limited seed oils, the grocery store may seem a lot more difficult than it used to be. A seed oil-free shopping list can make food choices easier.
• Foods that are billed as “healthy,” like protein bars, granola, and frozen vegetables can contain seed oils.
• This seed oil-free shopping list can help you find your new favorite items that suit your lifestyle, and we’ve already checked the ingredients labels for you.
• These 70 foods do not contain seed oils, so you can add them to your cart — no thinking or label-reading required.

Introduction

If you look at most ingredient lists on your favorite packaged foods, you'll likely see at least one type of seed oil. From chips to popcorn to granola bars, oils like canola, soy, sunflower, and safflower oil are everywhere, and overall consumption has increased dramatically over the last 100 years. In fact, U.S. consumption of soybean oil alone has grown 1,000-fold since 1909 [1].

Unfortunately, seed oil consumption also increases linoleic acid levels in the body, which is connected to a myriad of health issues like inflammation, obesity, heart disease, and more.

If you recently decided to move away from seed oils, congratulations! You’re bound to start lowering inflammation, feeling more clear-headed, and even improving your brain and skin health.

But, let’s face it — you’re going to have to start reading some labels. There might be a learning curve, but we’re here to get you over the hump. We’ve put together this seed oil-free shopping list of everything you need for a well-stocked kitchen, from cooking ingredients to ready-to-eat meals, snacks, dips, and more. So, let this list give your brain a break and move through the store with ease.

Oils and Fats

• Butter. Real butter should be a single-ingredient product, but some tub butters contain oils to make them spreadable. Always check ingredient labels to be sure. Try: Kerrygold
• Virgin coconut oil. Solid coconut oil in the jar is likely just coconut oil, but some liquid coconut oils cut their product with cheaper oils like safflower oil, so you’ll want to double check. Opt for organic unrefined when you can.
• Zero Acre oil. Zero Acre oil stands up to high-heat sautéing and wok cooking, baking, frying, and more.
• Beef tallow. Beef tallow is simply rendered beef fat. The final product is shelf-stable with a neutral, slightly beefy flavor. Try: Epic Provisions

Sauces, Dressings, and Marinades

• Hot sauce. True hot sauce like Tabasco® typically contains pepper, vinegar, and salt — no oil. Check labels, but you can expect that most hot sauce will be fair game. Try: Yellowbird Hot Sauce
• Buffalo sauce. Traditional Buffalo sauce is made by mixing hot sauce and butter. However, when companies bottle and sell it, they often add ingredients to make it pourable and shelf-stable. Check ingredient labels to be sure. Try: Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce
• Vinaigrette dressing. While most bottled salad dressings contain seed and vegetable oils, you don’t have to resort to making it yourself every time if you know what to look for. Try: Fody Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Caesar dressing. Look for an olive oil or avocado oil based Caesar dressing for a classic salad that keeps you on track. Try: Chosen Foods Caesar Dressing
• Teriyaki sauce. Most teriyaki sauces do not contain oils, but some contain sesame oil. Try: Kinder’s Organic Teriyaki Marinade and Dipping Sauce
• Citrus herb marinade. Store-bought marinades typically contain cheap oil as a primary ingredient, so you might have to do some hunting to find the good ones or make your own. Try: Noble Made Marinade & Cooking Sauce, Citrus Herb

Meal-Replacement Bars

• Granola bars. Granola bars sometimes contain added oils. Try: 88 Acres Seed + Oat Bars or Perfect Keto Nola Bars
• Protein Bars. Protein bars typically contain added oils. Try: Epic Provisions Performance Bars or Bare Performance Nutrition Field Bars
• Meal Replacement Bars. As with protein bars, meal replacement bars typically contain oils for an appealing texture. Try: Sans Meal Bars

Chips, Popcorn, and Crackers

• Avocado oil potato chips. Leading brands of chips are fried in canola, corn, soybean, or sunflower oil. Look for chips that contain simple ingredients. Try: Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil Sea Salt Potato Chips
• Grain-free tortilla chips. Try: Siete Sea Salt Grain Free Tortilla Chips
• Popcorn. A lot of microwave popcorn brands use palm oil. Try: Lesser Evil Organic Popcorn
• Pork rinds. Look for brands containing pork skins, pork fat, and some seasonings. Try: Epic Provisions Pork Rinds

Condiments

• Mayo. Buying mayonnaise with quality ingredients can be tricky. Try: Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo or Primal Kitchen Mayo
• Ketchup. Ketchup should not contain oil at all. Try: Good Food For Good Sugar-Free Organic Ketchup
• Mustard. Most mustards won’t contain any oil at all.
• BBQ Sauce. Most BBQ sauces do not contain oil at all. Try: The New Primal, Noble Made BBQ Sauce

Breads, Tortillas, and Wraps

• Bread. The majority of breads contain seed oils, so check ingredient labels. Try: Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Bread, King Arthur Alaskan Sourdough Yeast Bread Mix.
• Gluten-free bread. Try: Canyon Bakehouse Mountain White
• Tortillas. Traditional homemade tortillas contain lard. Try: Siete Cassava Tortilla Wraps

Beans

Single-ingredient dried and canned beans will almost never contain added oil. Here are a few better-for-you brands. Try:

• Black beans: Good & Gather Black Beans (Target)
• Pinto beans: Thrive Market Organic Pinto Beans
• Chickpeas: Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans
• Refried beans: Siete Refried Pinto Beans

Bone Broths and Stocks

• Frozen broth or stock. Try: Kettle & Fire Organic Chicken or Beef Broth
• Stock in a carton. Try: Pacific Organic Chicken Stock

Cereal and Granola

• Cereal. Seed oil-free cereal is a tall order. Try: Three Wishes Grain-free Cereal, Fruity flavor
• Granola. Check labels to be sure.

Frozen Fruits and Vegetables

• Frozen fruits. Most frozen fruits will not contain fats and oils.
• Frozen vegetables. Look for single-ingredient frozen vegetables. Check labels if your veggies contain any enhancements.
• Fried foods. Try Gold Rush organic fries and hash browns

Nut and Seed Butters

Look for nut and seed butters that contain only ground nuts and salt.
Try:

• Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter
• Justin’s Almond Butter
• SunButter No Sugar Added Sunflower Butter

Cookies and Cookie Doughs

Here are a few brands that have squeaky clean ingredients lists, are seed oil-free and will satisfy your sweet tooth.
Try:

• Deux Enhanced Cookie Dough
• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
• Hu Grain-free Cookies
• Emmy’s Coconut Cookies
• Home Dough Frozen Cookie Dough
• Cappello’s Double Chocolate Cookie Dough

Milks, Cream, and Creamers

Seed oils are a common ingredient in many non-dairy milks, creams, and coffee creamers.

• Milk. Most dairy milks are naturally seed oil-free. For a seed oil-free milk alternative, try Malk almond milk.
• Coffee creamer. Try: Kitu Super Creamer
• Non-dairy creamer. Choose carefully, and be prepared to spend a little more for quality ingredients. Try: Nut Pods creamer

Yogurt and Yogurt Products

Dairy yogurt. Most often, dairy yogurt doesn’t contain added fat. Try: Nancy’s Organic Grass-fed Yogurt

Vegan yogurt. Check labels though, because plant milks often ferment into a thinner yogurt. Try: Forager Cashew Milk Yogurt

Meats and Cheeses

• Meats. Single-ingredient meats that you buy from the butcher counter or meat case never contain added oil. Deli meats sometimes contain additives and cured meats, like salami and prosciutto, almost never contain added oil, but check labels to be sure.
• Cheeses. Most real cheeses do not contain added oil. Try: Horizon organic cheeses
• Vegan cheese. Many vegan cheeses contain seed oils. Try: Miyokos Smoked Gouda Plant Milk Cheese

Hummus and Other Dips

• Hummus. Store-bought hummus is often made with cheaper oils. Try: Cava Traditional Hummus
• Cheese dips. Try: Primal Kitchen No Dairy Plant-based Queso Style Dip
• Guacamole. Most guacamole recipes do not need additional oil. Try: Wholly Guacamole Classic
• Salsa. Most salsas do not contain oil.

Ice Cream

Dairy ice creams. Check your labels. Try: Breyer’s Natural Vanilla

Non-dairy ice creams. Try: So Delicious Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Pasta Sauce

Pasta sauce starts with sautéing onions and garlic. Read labels before buying.
Try:

• Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce
• Fody Marinara Pasta Sauce

Frozen Pizza and Pizza Crusts

Pizza and pizza crust without seed oils can be tough to find, but they do exist. Here are a few that we found.

• Cappello’s frozen pizza
• Cappello’s naked pizza crust
• Daily Harvest flatbreads

Ready-to-Eat Foods

It can be challenging to find ready-to-eat foods that do not contain seed oils. Here’s a list of foods that can be prepared in minutes.

• Three Bridges Egg Bites
• WestEnd Cuisine Grilled Chicken Skewers, Mediterranean Style
• Kevin’s Entrees: Chicken Chile Verde, Korean BBQ Chicken, and others
• Canned tuna in water or olive oil (check labels)
• Wild Zora Paleo Meals To Go
• Grandcestors meals
• Patagonia Provisions Lemon Herb Mussels

The Takeaway

When you decide to limit or eliminate seed oils from your life, you’ll read a lot of labels early on. After a few grocery trips, it will become second nature to choose fresh and packaged foods that fit your lifestyle. It takes practice, but in the meantime, use this shopping list of seed oil-free foods as your cheat-sheet to a well-stocked pantry. It won’t be long before you build your own list of favorite items that work with your lifestyle.