Gardenia fruit oil is an edible vegetable oil extracted from gardenia fruit, which possesses various health benefits including antioxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, anti-depressant, and liver protection. Its unsaturated fatty acids account for more than 70% of the total fatty acids, and it also contains phenolic acids, tocopherols, phytosterols and other active components. In this review, the extraction process, nutritional composition and health effects of gardenia fructus oil were systematically introduced, and the key work that should be focused on the high-value utilization of gardenia fructus oil in food, cosmetics and biomedicine was prospected.