Products · Cooking oils & fats · Marianne’s Harvest
Marianne’s Harvest Classic Avocado Oil
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One-ingredient avocado oil that UC Davis found pure and fresh in 2020. It is refined, both its seals are paid for, and no independent test of heavy metals or plasticizers is published. In dark glass, about $1 an ounce.
Best for Cooks who want a neutral, high-heat avocado oil with the best purity record we found, and who accept that it is refined.
- Our rating
- Good (3.6 of 5)
- Price range
- Mid-range
- Verified marks
- Seed Oil Free Certified, Clean Label Project listing
- Size
- 16.9 fl oz (500 mL) dark glass bottle with a pop-up spout; a 2 L size also exists
- Made in
- Avocados from Mexico, Colombia, Peru and East Africa, depending on the harvest; made by Adams Group, California
approx. $17 for 16.9 fl oz (500 mL) at Walmart; $20 at Amazon. Marianne’s has no shop of its own
See it on Marianne’s Harvest’s site → (opens in a new tab)We are not affiliated with Marianne’s Harvest. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.
Also sold at Walmart.com ($17 for 16.9 fl oz (listed at $16.98, down from $19.98)), Amazon ($20 for 16.9 fl oz ($19.99, or $17.99 with Subscribe & Save)) .
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How we evaluated it
How it scores Our rating, metric by metric
- Ingredients & processing 35% of the rating 3 of 5
One ingredient and nothing added, but the oil is refined and the maker does not say whether solvents are used.
- Independent testing 25% of the rating 4 of 5
UC Davis found it pure and fresh in 2020, and two paid listings are current. No independent heavy metal or plasticizer result is published.
- Packaging 15% of the rating 4 of 5
Dark glass in the 500 mL size, per the maker. The pop-up spout and cap materials are not stated.
- Trust 10% of the rating 3 of 5
No recalls, Prop 65 notices or FDA actions found. The 2026 “benchmark” claim is the maker’s, and its page quotes creators without saying whether they were paid.
- Value 15% of the rating 4 of 5
About $1 an ounce at Walmart and $1.18 at Amazon, the second cheapest of the fats here that pass.
The rating, 3.6 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank cooking oils & fats and our standard.
Where to buy Stores and the prices we saw
- Walmart.com (opens in a new tab) approx. $17 for 16.9 fl oz (listed at $16.98, down from $19.98). Sold by Marianne and fulfilled by Walmart; in stock on 2026-10-23.
- Amazon (opens in a new tab) approx. $20 for 16.9 fl oz ($19.99, or $17.99 with Subscribe & Save). Sold by Marianne’s Harvest, the brand’s own storefront, and shipped by Amazon.
Prices as we saw them on October 23, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.
What’s in it Every ingredient, in label order
- Avocado oil
Who tested it What each test found, and who paid for it
- Independent UC Davis (Wang lab), published in Food Control June 2020
Tested 22 avocado oils bought in stores and online. Only two brands were pure and not oxidized, Marianne’s Avocado Oil and Chosen Foods. 15 samples were oxidized before their expiry date and six were mixed with sunflower, safflower or soybean oil. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Paid certification Seed Oil Free Alliance August 2025
Lists the Classic Avocado Oil 500 mL as certified (the brand since August 2025). The maker pays an annual licensing fee and a testing fee. An ISO-accredited lab tests avocado oil each year for added seed oils; results stay confidential. It does not test freshness or contaminants. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Paid certification Clean Label Project July 2026
Lists Marianne’s Avocado Oil 500 mL, dated July 30, 2026. Marianne’s calls it a Purity Award and says it means testing for heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants. We did not read the results. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Maker’s own test Marianne’s Harvest (its own lot results) August 2026
Publishes results for every load of crude oil received November 2025 to August 2026 against Codex ranges. Fatty acids are tested in-house; sterols and tocopherols are said to be verified by a third party whose name is not given. The results are for incoming oil, not finished bottles. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Who paid, and why it matters
- Independent The tester took no money from the maker for it: a consumer group, a journalist, a university or a regulator.
- Paid certification An outside lab or certifier tested or listed it, and the maker paid for that.
- Maker’s own test A lab report or certificate of analysis the maker commissioned and published.
A certification is a floor, not a verdict: it checks what its program checks and nothing else. We weigh tests by someone with no stake in the result most.
What people ask Worries raised online and elsewhere, and what we found
- Is most avocado oil fake or rancid?
- Often. UC Davis found 82 percent of 22 bottled oils rancid or blended (opens in a new tab) in 2020, which is why we asked for independent purity results. Marianne’s was one of the two that passed.
- Is it made with hexane or other solvents?
- Marianne’s says the oil is “gently refined at low temperatures” and does not say whether solvents are used. We could not confirm either way. A virgin, cold-pressed avocado oil would avoid the question.
- Is it really the benchmark in the new UC Davis study?
- Marianne’s says so, and the Seed Oil Free Alliance repeats it while noting that UC Davis did not endorse any product. UC Davis’s 2026 pages name no brand, and the list of studied products in its media kit is foods such as chips, dressings and mayos, with no Marianne’s product that we saw. We treat it as the maker’s claim.
- Do influencers push it, and are they paid?
- The product page quotes creators such as @drpedinaturalhealth and @dietitiankyra. It does not say whether they were paid or sent free product, and we found no disclosure either way.
- Does it contain phthalates from plastic equipment?
- No independent result exists for this oil. Mamavation’s 2025 test of cooking oils and fats (opens in a new tab) did not include it. The 15 avocado oils it did test ranged from 76 ppb to 56,808 ppb of total phthalates, so the brand matters.
Why we chose it What put it on our list
- UC Davis tested 22 avocado oils in 2020 and reported that “only two brands produced samples that were pure and nonoxidized”: Marianne’s Avocado Oil and Chosen Foods, both refined and made in Mexico. Everyone else was rancid, mixed with other oils, or both.
- It has one ingredient, avocado oil, and the maker names where the fruit comes from by season: Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa.
- Marianne’s publishes results for every load of crude oil it received from November 2025 to August 2026, tested for fatty acids, sterols and tocopherols against Codex ranges. The median was 59.9% oleic acid and 11.4% linoleic acid (the omega-6 fat).
- The 500 mL bottle is dark glass, per the maker’s FAQ. At about $1 an ounce at Walmart ($1.18 at Amazon) it is the second cheapest fat in this group that passes.
Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy
- It is a refined oil, “gently refined at low temperatures”. Marianne’s does not say whether solvents such as hexane are used, and a pressed or virgin oil would score higher on processing.
- The Seed Oil Free Alliance and Clean Label Project listings are paid programs. The first checks for added seed oils, not freshness or contaminants. We did not read the Clean Label Project results.
- The published numbers are Marianne’s own medians for incoming crude oil, not finished bottles. Fatty acids are tested in-house; the sterol and tocopherol tests are called third-party verified, with no lab named.
- Marianne’s says it was the reference oil in a 2026 UC Davis study of foods made with avocado oil. UC Davis’s own pages name no brand, so that claim rests on the maker and the Seed Oil Free Alliance. Only the 2020 result is something we could verify.
What to know Details worth knowing first
Avocado oil is the cooking oil most often found to be stale or cut with cheaper oils, so what matters is independent proof of purity. UC Davis found only two brands pure and not oxidized in its 2020 test, and Marianne’s was one. Two certifiers list the oil today, and Marianne’s publishes what it finds in each load of crude oil.
The oil is refined, so it tastes neutral and the maker puts its smoke point at 500°F. Our guide to avocado oil says to use refined avocado oil for high-heat cooking. The bottle is dark glass, which is what we look for.
The gaps are real. Both seals are paid for, no one outside the company has published a heavy metal or plasticizer result for this oil, and the maker does not say whether solvents are used in refining. For how it compares with other fats at high heat, see which oils hold up.
What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it
| What we checked | What we found |
|---|---|
| Purity you can check Verified | UC Davis’s 2020 study named Marianne’s as one of two brands with pure, nonoxidized samples. The Seed Oil Free Alliance and Clean Label Project both list the 500 mL oil today. Marianne’s says it tests every load of crude oil before it enters its facility. |
| Fat profile stated, with omega-6 Maker’s claim | Published medians for loads received November 2025 to August 2026: 19.0% palmitic, 8.3% palmitoleic, 59.9% oleic, 11.4% linoleic, 1.0% alpha-linolenic. Marianne’s own data. |
| Made without solvents Not verified | Described as “gently refined at low temperatures”. No extraction method or solvent statement found. |
| Packaging that blocks light, with a date Maker’s claim | Dark glass in the 500 mL size, per the maker’s FAQ and photo. We did not see a date on a bottle. |
| A traceable source Maker’s claim | Countries named by season: Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa. No farm or mill named. |
What the labels mean
- Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
- Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
- Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.
Sources Where our facts come from
- Marianne’s Harvest Classic Avocado Oil product page. Maker’s page. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Marianne’s Harvest: Our results vs. Codex. Maker’s page. Median fatty acid, sterol and tocopherol results, with Codex ranges. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Marianne’s Harvest: Purity Standards. Maker’s page. Says fatty acids are tested in-house and sterols and tocopherols are third-party verified, with no lab named. Source of the 2026 UC Davis “benchmark” claim. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- UC Davis: Study finds 82 percent of avocado oil rancid or mixed with other oils (June 2020). Test report. Names Marianne’s and Chosen Foods as the two brands with pure, nonoxidized samples. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- UC Davis media kit for the 2026 study of avocado-oil foods: table of studied products. Test report. A list of studied foods (chips, dressings, mayos) by brand, read in a browser on 2026-10-23. We saw no Marianne’s product on it, but could not read every row at that size. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Seed Oil Free Alliance: Marianne’s Harvest certified products. Certifier or regulator listing. Certified since August 2025; lists the Classic Avocado Oil 500 ml. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Seed Oil Free Alliance: how certification works, and what it costs. Independent source. Annual licensing fee by revenue, plus $400 per oil for lab testing; olive and avocado oil are tested every year. Test results are confidential. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Clean Label Project: search results for Marianne’s. Certifier or regulator listing. Lists Marianne’s Avocado Oil 500mL, dated July 30, 2026. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Mamavation: Cooking oils tested for phthalates (2025). Test report. EPA-certified lab, one sample per brand, no result for Marianne’s. The site earns affiliate income. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- California Attorney General: Prop 65 60-day notice search. Certifier or regulator listing. Searched by alleged violator on 23 Oct 2026 for Marianne’s, Adams Group and Adams Vegetable Oils: no notice. openFDA food enforcement also showed no report for Marianne’s. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Alternatives Other options to compare
- Marianne’s Harvest Organic Beef Tallow From the same maker, for frying and roasting. USDA organic.
- Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Cold-pressed with one ingredient and cheaper per ounce, but about 93% saturated fat and only for medium heat.