The least seed oil cookout
The grill is rarely the problem. A burger or a beef hot dog is low, and most of the seed oil at a cookout comes in with the mayonnaise: the potato salad, the slaw, the pasta salad and the sauces. Know where it hides, then swap the easy ones.
One page for the three big cookout days. New to seed oils? Start with what they are, then come back.
One cookout plate, two ways
One serving of each:
- Corn on the cob, 1 ear
- Homemade burger with bun, 1 burger
- Potato salad, 1 cup
- Coleslaw, 1 cup
- Deviled eggs, 2 halves
Our estimates: each dish from the table the app's Cook at home screen uses, its own ingredients plus its usual added fat.
Where the seed oil hides at a cookout
| Dish | Serving | With a vegetable oil blend | With a better fat | Where it hides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homemade burger with bun | 1 burger | 3.1 g | 2.1 g (olive oil) | a little oil on the grill or pan |
| Hot dog with bun | 1 hot dog | 1.0 g | 1.0 g (olive oil) | nothing added at the grill |
| BBQ ribs | 6 oz | 5.0 g | 5.0 g (olive oil) | nothing added, the fat is the pork's own |
| BBQ brisket | 6 oz | 1.0 g | 1.0 g (olive oil) | nothing added, the fat is the beef's own |
| Potato salad | 1 cup | 7.9 g | 1.9 g (olive oil) | the mayonnaise |
| Coleslaw | 1 cup | 7.8 g | 1.8 g (olive oil) | the mayonnaise dressing |
| Macaroni salad | 1 cup | 7.9 g | 1.9 g (olive oil) | the mayonnaise |
| Pasta salad | 1 cup | 7.9 g | 1.9 g (olive oil) | the dressing |
| Deviled eggs | 2 halves | 3.5 g | 1.5 g (olive oil) | the mayonnaise |
| Elote (Mexican street corn) | 1 ear | 8.2 g | 1.0 g (butter) | the mayonnaise it is brushed with |
| Baked beans | 1/2 cup | 0.4 g | 0.4 g (olive oil) | little added |
Our estimates, worked the way the app's Cook at home screen works them. The better fat is named in brackets. The grilled meats barely change, because nothing is added to them.
The grill, the buns and the sauces
USDA measurements and printed labels from our grocery data: three ounces of meat, a bun, a tablespoon of sauce.
- Beef hot dog, 3 oz (85g): 0.2 gUSDA
- Beef burger patty, cooked, 3 oz (85g): 0.3 gUSDA
- Pork bratwurst, 3 oz (85g): 2.2 gUSDA
- Chicken hot dog, 3 oz (85g): 3.3 gUSDA
- Turkey hot dog, 3 oz (85g): 3.4 gUSDA
- Hamburger or hot dog bun, 1 serving (30g): 0.5 gUSDA
- Mayonnaise, 1 tbsp: 6.9 gUSDA
- Mayonnaise made with olive oil, 1 tbsp: 0.5 gUSDA
- Coleslaw dressing, 1 tbsp: 2.6 gUSDA
- Barbecue sauce, 1 tbsp: 0.0 gUSDA
- Baked beans, 3 oz (85g): 0.6 gUSDA
- Vanilla ice cream, 1 oz (28g): 0.1 gUSDA
A beef hot dog is 0.2 g and a beef burger patty 0.3 g for three ounces. A chicken hot dog is 3.3 g and a turkey one 3.4 g.
Mayonnaise is 6.9 g a tablespoon, against 0.5 g for one made with olive oil. A bottle of barbecue sauce is 0.0 g a tablespoon.
Want more label checks? See the grocery aisles ranked and the skip this, pick this swaps.
The salad bowl decides it
Potato, macaroni and pasta salad and slaw are dressed with mayonnaise, and mayonnaise is mostly oil. Olive oil is about 12% polyunsaturated, butter about 5%, canola about 32%, soybean oil about 60% and an unnamed vegetable oil blend about 58%.
At home, potato salad comes to 7.9 g made with a vegetable oil blend and 1.9 g with olive oil (our estimate). Compare more oils on the oil comparison, or check one in is it a seed oil.
Not grilling? Chains open on all three days
These chains were named as open on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day 2026 in news roundups; hours vary by location, so call ahead. Grams come from each chain's own nutrition guide.
Sources for the open-on-the-day list: Newsweek (Memorial Day) (2026), ABC7 (Fourth of July) (July 4, 2026), Hollywood Life (Labor Day) (September 7, 2026), Money Talks News (Labor Day) (September 6, 2026).
Five easy cookout swaps
- Pick beef for the hot dog: a beef frank is 0.2 g against 3.3 g for chicken and 3.4 g for turkey.
- Dress the salads with olive oil mayonnaise or a vinegar dressing: potato salad is 7.9 g the usual way and 1.9 g with olive oil (our estimate).
- Keep the burger simple: a homemade burger with its bun comes to 3.1 g by our estimate, so the mayo on the side is the bigger number.
- Pick the barbecue sauce over the mayo-based sauces: 0.0 g a tablespoon against 6.9 g.
- Finish with ice cream: vanilla is 0.1 g an ounce.
Then next January: Half by February
When you want a plan, the four week plan to cut your seed oil in half is in the app every January. See the plan.
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Common questions
Are burgers and hot dogs high in seed oil?
Not the beef ones. A beef hot dog is 0.2 g and a cooked beef patty 0.3 g for three ounces by the USDA numbers. Chicken and turkey hot dogs run higher (3.3 g and 3.4 g). See what counts as a seed oil.
Is olive oil mayonnaise really lower?
By the USDA numbers, yes: 0.5 g a tablespoon against 6.9 g for mayonnaise. See more skip this, pick this swaps.
Are the restaurant numbers exact?
They are worked out from each chain's own published nutrition, item by item. Long-press any item in the app to see how. See how the numbers work.
Does the app cost anything?
The tracker is free. You can download Seed Oil Tracker for free, and logging your meals, the restaurant report cards, the order builder, the barcode scanner and your goal plan all stay free. Premium is optional. It adds a few extras and helps support the project.
More guides
Seed Oil Tracker doesn't tell you what to eat. It shows you the grams so you can pick your own number. Curious about the research? Read the studies on both sides.