For truly crispy, fluffy roast potatoes, the best all‑round choice is a neutral, high‑smoke‑point oil such as sunflower, vegetable, or canola; for extra flavour, many cooks prefer animal fats like duck or goose fat, or a blend of neutral oil with a little butter or dripping for richness.

Quick Scoop

  • Best all‑round oil: Neutral oils with a high smoke point (sunflower, vegetable, canola, peanut, rice bran, safflower). These let you crank the oven heat so the potatoes crisp deeply without the fat burning.
  • Most indulgent option: Duck or goose fat, or beef dripping, which give an ultra‑crisp crust and rich, savoury flavour that’s classic with roast dinners.
  • Great plant‑based choice: Regular (not extra‑virgin) olive oil, which roasts well and adds a distinctive, aromatic flavour; extra‑virgin is better drizzled on at the end so it doesn’t burn.
  • What really makes them crispy:
    • Parboil, then let the potatoes steam dry so the outsides are rough and not wet.
    • Preheat the fat in the tray until it’s shimmering before adding potatoes.
    • Roast hot (around 200–220°C) and turn a couple of times for even browning.

Simple rule of thumb

  • Want max crisp + neutral flavour? Use sunflower or vegetable oil.
  • Want show‑off roast potatoes for a special meal and you eat meat? Use duck/goose fat or beef dripping (or 30% dripping + 70% neutral oil).
  • Want vegetarian but flavourful? Use regular olive oil and throw in garlic and herbs like rosemary or thyme.

Bottom line: The “best” oil for roast potatoes is one that has a high smoke point and suits the flavour you like; technique (dry, fluffed potatoes + very hot fat) matters just as much as the specific oil you choose.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.