A pale neutral oil pressed from safflower seeds, valued for its high smoke point and high oleic-acid content — common in commercial cooking and salad blends.
Two oils, same plant
Safflower comes in two main commercial varieties, distinguished by their seed oil:
- High-linoleic safflower — about 75% polyunsaturated; the older traditional type, used in soft margarines and paints.
- High-oleic safflower — about 75% monounsaturated; selectively bred from the 1960s onward, more heat-stable, dominates today’s culinary market.
A bottle labelled simply “safflower oil” is almost always the high-oleic version.
Cooking properties
Refined high-oleic safflower oil has a smoke point of around 265 °C (510 °F) — among the highest of any common cooking oil — making it useful for deep-frying. The flavor is essentially neutral. Cold-pressed unrefined versions are more flavorful but oxidize faster.
Beyond the kitchen
Safflower has been cultivated for over 4,000 years, originally for its dye-bearing flowers more than its seeds — the petals yield yellow and red pigments used in cosmetics, textile dyes, and as a saffron substitute (hence the name’s similarity).
Industrial uses
Safflower oil is also a feedstock for paints, varnishes, and biodiesel because it polymerizes well — a property that historically connected it to artists’ oil paints alongside linseed oil.