The preparation of monoglycerides from fatty acids or fatty methyl esters and glycerol can be carried out in the presence of acid or basic catalysts. The use of solid basic catalysts could limit secondary reactions leading to product degradation. A comparison of several basic solids (MgO, CeCO2, La2O3 and ZnO) has shown that the more significant the intrinsic basicity is, the more active the catalyst is. In order to increase the performance of these solids, several methods have been used for the preparation of MgO and CeO2. MgO prepared by hydration followed by calcination of a commercial raw material is the most active catalyst.