AbstractRenewable fuel from the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) pathway represents a promising short‐term option for reducing fossil fuel use in transportation. However, some life‐cycle assessments (LCAs) have shown that HEFA diesel and jet fuel may have higher life‐cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the fossil fuels they replace. Many of these studies examined HEFA fuel derived from oilseed feedstocks. Here, results and methodology from 20 LCAs of HEFA fuel from oilseeds are reviewed in an effort to determine the sources of variability in the reported life‐cycle GHG emissions of HEFA fuels. Although there was a 61–63% reduction in median life cycle GHG emissions of HEFA biojet and renewable diesel compared to conventional petroleum fuels, this review highlights the importance of standardized methodologies for life‐cycle assessment (e.g., CORSIA, RSB) and indicates the need to prevent the conversion of forest land for biofuel production, as well as the potential opportunity for alternative oilseeds such as camelina and carinata as feedstocks to produce HEFA fuels with lower life‐cycle GHG emissions. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd