What are the paleo friendly fats?

October 27, 2025 •

4 min read

Since its popularization in 2002, the Paleo diet has emphasized a return to whole, unprocessed foods, including naturally occurring fats. The diet challenges the low-fat thinking of previous decades, highlighting that not all fats are created equal, and knowing what are the paleo friendly fats is key to success. This approach prioritizes specific plant and animal fats, while strictly avoiding modern, industrially-processed oils that can be detrimental to health.

Quick Summary

This article details the paleo friendly fats, distinguishing between healthy saturated and unsaturated options from natural sources like meat, fish, nuts, and specific oils. It provides guidance on cooking applications and balancing different fat types, while outlining which unhealthy, processed fats to avoid entirely.

Key Points

Emphasize whole-food fats: Prioritize naturally occurring fats from sources like meat, fish, avocados, and coconuts.
Favor stable, unprocessed oils: Use fats like coconut oil, ghee, lard, and tallow for high-heat cooking due to their stability.
Choose delicate oils for dressings: Extra-virgin olive oil and avocado oil are best for low-heat applications or finishing dishes.
Balance omega-3 and omega-6 intake: Focus on increasing omega-3s from fatty fish and moderating omega-6s from nuts and seeds.
Eliminate processed, industrialized oils: Completely avoid canola, corn, soybean, and other vegetable oils, along with artificial trans fats.
Source high-quality animal fats: Opt for fats from grass-fed and pastured animals to ensure higher nutritional quality.

Understanding the 'Why' Behind Paleo Friendly Fats

Beyond just listing approved foods, the paleo approach to fats focuses on consuming them in their most natural, unprocessed forms. The core philosophy posits that human genetics are better suited for the types of fats our hunter-gatherer ancestors consumed, rather than the heavily processed vegetable oils that became commonplace with the rise of industrial agriculture. This distinction is crucial for understanding the rationale behind the fat choices in a paleo diet.

The Importance of a Balanced Omega-3 to Omega-6 Ratio

A key nutritional aspect of the paleo diet is balancing the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. The modern Western diet is typically skewed heavily toward pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats, found in high amounts in processed vegetable oils. The paleo diet aims to rebalance this by emphasizing anti-inflammatory omega-3 sources from fish and other approved foods, while moderating omega-6 intake from nuts and seeds.

Saturated Fats: A Reconsidered Perspective

In contrast to long-standing dietary advice, the paleo diet does not vilify saturated fat. Instead, it differentiates between saturated fats from healthy, natural sources and those found in processed junk foods. Supporters of this view argue that saturated fat from pastured animals and coconuts is a beneficial, stable fat source for human health and does not cause heart disease. These fats are often stable under high heat, making them suitable for cooking.

Paleo Friendly Fat Sources

Here is a comprehensive look at the various types of paleo friendly fats, broken down by source.

Plant-Based Fats

Avocado and Avocado Oil: Rich in monounsaturated fats, avocado oil has a very high smoke point, making it suitable for high-heat cooking like searing and frying. The whole fruit can be used for salads, dips like guacamole, or as a creamy addition to meals.
Coconut Oil and Milk: High in saturated fat, including beneficial medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), coconut oil is very stable and excellent for cooking at high temperatures. Coconut milk and butter also offer excellent flavor and versatility in recipes.
Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is loaded with antioxidants and monounsaturated fat. Because it has a lower smoke point than some other paleo fats, it is best used for lower-heat sautéing, salad dressings, and drizzling over finished dishes.
Nuts and Seeds: Nuts and seeds are good sources of polyunsaturated fats, but should be consumed in moderation due to their higher omega-6 content. Excellent choices include macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds. Macadamia nuts are particularly favored for their low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.

Animal-Based Fats

Ghee and Grass-fed Butter: Ghee is clarified butter, with the milk solids removed, making it virtually dairy-free and suitable for many who are lactose intolerant. It has a high smoke point and a rich, nutty flavor. Grass-fed butter, if tolerated, is also a paleo-friendly option for cooking.
Lard, Tallow, and Duck Fat: Fats rendered from healthy, pastured animals are traditional cooking fats that are stable at high temperatures. These are excellent for frying, roasting vegetables, and adding deep flavor to dishes. For the highest quality, source fats from grass-fed or pastured sources.
Fatty Fish: Wild-caught fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel are outstanding sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial for reducing inflammation and supporting brain and heart health.

The Fats to Avoid

On the other side of the coin are the fats that must be eliminated on a paleo diet. These are typically highly processed, industrialized oils that were not part of ancestral diets.

Processed Vegetable and Seed Oils: This category includes canola, corn, soybean, safflower, and sunflower oils. These oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and often become oxidized and inflammatory during processing and high-heat cooking.
Trans Fats: Artificial trans fats, found in partially hydrogenated oils, are known to increase the risk of heart disease and are strictly forbidden.

Practical Applications in Cooking

Knowing which fats are approved is only half the battle; knowing how to use them is the other. High-heat cooking methods like searing, frying, and roasting are best suited for stable fats like coconut oil, ghee, lard, and tallow. For lower-temperature applications like dressings, dips, and drizzling over cooked food, use extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and macadamia nut oil. This strategy helps preserve the nutritional integrity of the more delicate oils. The wide array of options ensures that flavor and cooking methods are not sacrificed on a paleo diet.

Comparison Table of Paleo Friendly Fats


Fat Source	Best Use Case	Smoke Point	Primary Fat Type	Notes
Avocado Oil	High-heat cooking (searing, frying)	High (~520°F)	Monounsaturated	Neutral flavor, versatile.
Coconut Oil	High-heat cooking, baking (low-med heat)	Medium-High (~350°F)	Saturated	Provides a distinct coconut flavor.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil	Low-heat cooking, dressings	Low-Medium (~375°F)	Monounsaturated	Rich flavor, best for finishing dishes.
Ghee (Clarified Butter)	High-heat cooking, sautéing	High (~485°F)	Saturated	Nutty flavor, dairy solids removed.
Lard/Tallow/Duck Fat	High-heat cooking, roasting	High (~375-400°F)	Saturated/Monounsaturated	Rich flavor, from pastured animals.

Conclusion: Making Informed Fat Choices

Embracing paleo friendly fats is about more than just avoiding processed items; it's about actively choosing nutrient-dense sources that support your body. By opting for natural fats from pastured animals, wild-caught fish, and unrefined plant sources, you can improve inflammation, support healthy cholesterol, and enhance overall well-being. The key takeaway is to prioritize whole-food fats, use high-quality oils appropriately for their smoke points, and completely eliminate industrialized oils from your diet. This simple shift from processed to natural fats can make a profound impact on your health.

For more in-depth nutritional information on the paleo diet, explore the resources available at The Paleo Diet® (https://thepaleodiet.com/).

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, coconut oil is considered a healthy, paleo friendly fat. It is rich in saturated fats, including beneficial MCTs, and its stability makes it ideal for cooking at high temperatures.

Processed vegetable oils like canola and soybean oil are not paleo friendly because they are highly industrialized, high in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, and were not available to our ancestors.

The inclusion of butter is a nuanced topic. While traditional paleo excludes dairy, some followers include grass-fed butter or ghee, which has the milk solids removed and is more easily tolerated. It depends on individual tolerance.

For high-heat cooking, fats with a high smoke point and stable structure are best. Excellent choices include avocado oil, ghee, coconut oil, and animal fats like lard and tallow.

Yes, nuts and seeds provide healthy polyunsaturated fats, but should be consumed in moderation due to their higher omega-6 content compared to omega-3s. Focus on nuts like macadamia nuts which have a more balanced ratio.

The best way to get more omega-3s on a paleo diet is by regularly consuming fatty, wild-caught fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel.

Lard is rendered from pig fat, while tallow is rendered from beef or other ruminant fat. Both are stable, paleo friendly cooking fats, with slight differences in flavor and texture.