Coconut oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the flesh of the fruit of the coconut palm tree Cocos nucifera L., known as "copra" when dried. Copra contains 60-65% oil by weight, extracted by two methods: cold pressing for the virgin oil (Virgin Coconut Oil) that retains the coconut aroma, or refining (RBD) for the odorless, colorless industrial oil.

Coconut cultivation dates back to Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands, where for two thousand years it was a pillar of indigenous cultures. The tree spread along maritime trade routes to India, Africa, and Latin America. The Philippines, Indonesia, and India are the main producing countries historically, and its industry faces recent environmental pressures due to climate change and the aging of the trees.

Coconut oil is the highest of the vegetable oils in saturated fatty acid content (about 92%), but these are medium-chain acids (MCT): 47% lauric acid (C12:0), 18% myristic acid (C14:0), and 9% palmitic acid. This composition makes it highly resistant to oxidation and solid below 24°C, and gives it rapid energy-release properties. It does not contain omega-3 or omega-6 in significant amounts.

According to USDA data for the 2025/26 season, global production reached 3.71 million tons, or 1.6% of the vegetable oil market. A precise breakdown of producing countries is not available in USDA data because production is distributed across dozens of small countries, but the Philippines remains historically the leading producer, followed by Indonesia and India.

Virgin coconut oil is used in traditional cooking in Southeast Asia and South India, in the making of sweets and baked goods, and recently as an addition to coffee and smoothies for its promoted benefits. Industrially, it goes into the making of soap, shampoo, cosmetics, and skin and hair nourishment, and in the making of cocoa butter substitutes and baked-goods coatings as an alternative to cocoa butter.