BACKGROUNDThe impact of β‐sitosterol+γ‐oryzanol‐based oleogels or peanut oil on the protein conformation and gel quality of Nemiperus virgatus surimi was evaluated.RESULTSA significant reduction in gel strength, texture parameters and water holding capacity (WHC) of surimi was found as oil concentration increased (P < 0.05). However, compared with peanut oil, the gel strength, hydrophobic interaction and disulfide bond content of surimi gel containing oleogels increased by 6.919%, 32.635% and 12.409%, respectively, when the oil concentration was 10 g kg−1. Both oleogels and peanut oil could enhance the whiteness of surimi gel. Oleogels induced the unfolding of surimi proteins, and promoted the conformational shift from α‐helix to β‐sheet structure. Furthermore, oleogels filled the gaps of protein networks to make the microstructure of surimi gel more compact and uniform, improving the WHC and reducing the cooking loss.CONCLUSIONγ‐Oryzanol+β‐sitosterol‐based oleogel alleviated the adverse influences of direct addition of peanut oil on the gel and textural properties of surimi products. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.