The 10 Foods Highest in Omega-6 (And What to Eat Instead)

You cannot improve a number you cannot see. Most people trying to reduce their seed oil intake have a vague sense that vegetable oil is bad and olive oil is better, but lack the specific data to prioritise their efforts.

This guide ranks the ten highest omega-6 foods using USDA FoodData Central data and tells you exactly what to swap them for.

How We Ranked These Foods

Rankings are based on omega-6 (linoleic acid) content per standard serving or per tablespoon for oils. All data sourced from USDA FoodData Central, the most comprehensive public nutritional database available. We focus on linoleic acid (LA) as the primary dietary omega-6 fatty acid.

Note that oils dominate the top of the list for good reason: they are pure fat by definition. A single tablespoon of sunflower oil contains more omega-6 than three portions of processed meat.

The 10 Foods Highest in Omega-6

1. Sunflower Oil — 8.9g per tablespoon

Sunflower oil is the single most concentrated source of omega-6 in most Western diets. One tablespoon contains approximately 8.9g of linoleic acid. Used widely in home cooking, deep-frying, and food manufacturing, it is responsible for a substantial portion of the average person's omega-6 intake.

What to eat instead: Extra virgin olive oil for cooking and dressings. Avocado oil for high-heat frying.

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2. Corn Oil — 7.3g per tablespoon

Corn oil is widely used in industrial food production and deep-frying. Its omega-6 content is slightly lower than sunflower but still dramatically higher than olive oil alternatives.

What to eat instead: Olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil depending on use case.

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3. Soybean / Vegetable Oil — 7.0g per tablespoon

When a product label says "vegetable oil," it is usually soybean oil (in the US) or a blend of soybean and rapeseed (in the UK). Soybean oil accounts for a remarkable share of total dietary fat intake in the United States — estimated at roughly 20% of all calories in some surveys.

What to eat instead: For cooking, olive oil. For baking requiring a neutral flavour, avocado oil.

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4. Mayonnaise — 3.5g per tablespoon

Standard commercial mayonnaise is made almost entirely from soybean oil. It appears in sandwiches, dressings, dips, and as a coating in packaged foods. Because tablespoon quantities add up rapidly across meals, mayonnaise is often a significant daily omega-6 contributor.

What to eat instead: Olive oil mayonnaise (available in most supermarkets), or avocado-oil-based mayonnaise. Alternatively, make your own with a stick blender, egg yolk, and olive oil in under two minutes.

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5. Bottled Salad Dressings — 3.0–4.0g per serving (2 tbsp)

Bottled dressings are almost universally made from soybean or sunflower oil. Even dressings marketed as "healthy" — including many "olive oil" dressings — often list soybean oil as the primary ingredient with only a small amount of olive oil added for flavour.

What to eat instead: Olive oil + apple cider vinegar + Dijon mustard + salt. Or simply dress salads with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

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6. Potato Crisps / Chips — 3.0–4.0g per standard bag (30g)

Crisps are cooked in vegetable or sunflower oil. A standard 30g bag contains 3–4g of omega-6. Daily snackers consuming one or two bags per day are adding 3–8g of omega-6 to their intake from this source alone.

What to eat instead: Plain nuts (walnuts in particular have omega-3). Greek yoghurt. Fresh fruit. Cheese. Hard-boiled eggs.

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7. Fast Food French Fries — 4.0–6.0g per portion

Commercial deep fryers operate on high-capacity vegetable oil at temperatures of 175–185°C. Fries absorb the oil they are cooked in, making a large portion of fast food fries equivalent to consuming several tablespoons of seed oil.

What to eat instead: Homemade oven-roasted chips or wedges made with olive oil, which contain a fraction of the omega-6.

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8. Processed / Deli Meats — 1.5–2.5g per 100g serving

Sausages, bacon, salami, hot dogs, and luncheon meats contain higher omega-6 than unprocessed cuts because commercially raised pigs are fed high-omega-6 grain diets, which shifts their tissue fatty acid profile toward linoleic acid. Processing also introduces fillers and coatings that can add seed oil directly.

What to eat instead: Unprocessed fresh cuts of meat. Wild game. Grass-fed beef (noticeably lower omega-6 than conventionally raised beef).

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9. Crackers and Packaged Biscuits — 2.0–3.0g per 40g serving

Most commercial crackers, digestive biscuits, and similar products are made with vegetable or palm oil. Some premium brands use olive oil, but check the label. Like crisps, these accumulate quickly with daily snacking habits.

What to eat instead: Oatcakes (many are made with sunflower oil, so check — some use palm oil, which is lower in omega-6). Rice cakes. Rye crispbreads made with olive oil.

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10. Granola and Cereal — 1.0–2.5g per serving

Many commercial granolas and mueslis are coated in sunflower or rapeseed oil to achieve crunch and prevent clumping. "Healthy" positioning makes people less likely to scrutinise the ingredient list. A 60g serving of oil-coated granola can easily contain 1–2g of omega-6.

What to eat instead: Plain rolled oats (essentially no omega-6). Plain porridge. Granola made with olive oil or coconut oil (check the label or make your own).

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Surprising Hidden Sources

Beyond the obvious, these foods catch people out:

• Hummus — most supermarket brands use sunflower or soybean oil, not olive oil (check the label, or make your own with tahini and olive oil)
• Protein bars — vegetable or sunflower oil frequently listed in the top-5 ingredients
• Pesto — commercial pestos often substitute sunflower oil for the traditional olive oil
• Bread — many loaves list "vegetable oil" as an ingredient
• Baby food pouches — some contain refined vegetable oils (check if you have young children)

What to Eat Instead: The Positive List

Shifting toward these foods naturally lowers your omega-6 intake while keeping fat intake adequate:

• Extra virgin olive oil (for everyday cooking and dressings)
• Avocado oil (for high-heat cooking)
• Butter and ghee (for flavour and medium-heat cooking)
• Wild salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring (high omega-3, moderate omega-6)
• Grass-fed beef and lamb (lower omega-6 than grain-fed)
• Walnuts (the only nut with a favourable omega-3 content)
• Avocados (very low omega-6)
• Eggs (moderate omega-6, but good overall nutrient density)

Knowing which foods to reduce is only half the picture. The other half is knowing your current ratio before and after changes — which is where the calculator becomes useful.