Ingredients & pantry
How is argan oil actually made?
- Source
- Argan tree kernels, SW Morocco
- Cracking
- By hand, traditionally between stones
- Culinary version
- Kernels roasted before pressing
- Main producers
- Women's cooperatives
Quick answer
Argan oil is pressed from the kernels inside the nut of the argan tree, a species that grows almost exclusively in southwestern Morocco. The fruit's outer flesh is removed, the hard nut is cracked open by hand — traditionally between two stones — to get at the small kernels inside, which are then ground and pressed (roasted first, for the culinary version) to release the oil. Today, most commercial argan oil is produced by women's cooperatives using this same hand-cracking process.
A tree that grows almost nowhere else
The argan tree grows natively in a specific, limited region of southwestern Morocco, particularly around the Souss valley near Agadir, and nowhere else at meaningful commercial scale — a genuine geographic rarity that underpins the oil's value and Morocco's near-monopoly on its production. The tree produces a small, olive-like fruit with a thick, bitter outer flesh surrounding a very hard nut, inside which sit one to three small, oil-rich kernels — the actual source of the oil.
Because the nut is so hard and the kernels so small relative to the fruit, extracting argan oil has always been an inherently slow, labour-intensive process, which is reflected in its price even when produced efficiently.
The hand-cracking process
Traditionally, and still largely today, the hard nuts are cracked open by hand, one at a time, typically between two stones, a physically demanding and time-consuming task that produces only a small quantity of kernels per hour of labour. Machines exist that can crack the shells faster, but hand-cracking remains widespread, particularly within the women's cooperatives that now produce most commercial argan oil, both because it preserves traditional skills and employment and because it can be gentler on the kernels.
Once cracked, the kernels are separated out and either pressed raw (for cosmetic-grade oil) or lightly roasted first (for culinary-grade oil), then ground into a paste and pressed to extract the oil, traditionally by hand-turning a stone grinder, though modern presses are also widely used today.
Culinary versus cosmetic argan oil
Roasting the kernels before pressing is what creates the golden-brown, nutty-tasting culinary oil used in Moroccan cooking, drizzled over bread, salads or mixed into amlou. Unroasted kernels produce a lighter-coloured, more neutral-smelling oil used almost exclusively in cosmetics and skincare, not cooking — the two products look and smell noticeably different and serve entirely different purposes, despite coming from the same nut.
This distinction matters for buyers: culinary argan oil should be sold and used as a food product, while cosmetic argan oil is not intended for consumption, so it's worth checking clearly which type you're buying, especially since both are widely sold to tourists.
The women's cooperative model
Since the late twentieth century, argan oil production has been increasingly organised through women's cooperatives in the Souss region, which handle the cracking, roasting, grinding and pressing collectively, providing income and stable work for rural women in a region with historically limited economic opportunities. Buying oil that's genuinely sourced from a certified or transparent cooperative supports this model directly, as opposed to some cheaper, less traceable commercial products.
If you're buying argan oil in Marrakech, asking about its origin and whether it's culinary or cosmetic grade — and being wary of unusually cheap prices, given how labour-intensive genuine production is — helps ensure you're getting a real, well-sourced product.
Related questions
Is it true that goats climb argan trees for the oil?
Goats genuinely do climb argan trees to eat the fruit, a striking sight in parts of southwestern Morocco, but this is a separate phenomenon from oil production — commercial argan oil sold for food or cosmetics is not made from nuts that have passed through a goat.
Why is argan oil expensive?
The hand-cracking and low kernel yield per fruit make production genuinely labour-intensive, and the tree's limited native range means supply is naturally restricted.
Can I eat cosmetic-grade argan oil?
No — it's made from unroasted kernels and processed and packaged for topical, not food, use. Only buy oil clearly labelled as culinary or food-grade for cooking.
Where does real argan oil come from?
Almost exclusively the Souss valley region of southwestern Morocco, near Agadir, where the argan tree grows natively.