This experiment examined the effects of consuming a high‐fat meal on cardiovascular reactivity and the ability of exercise to act as a moderator between dietary fat consumption and cardiovascular reactivity. Forty healthy, college‐age students were randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups: (1) low‐fat meal, no exercise; (2) low‐fat meal, postprandial exercise; (3) high‐fat meal, no exercise; and (4) high‐fat meal, postprandial exercise. To induce stress, all participants performed a public speaking task, while heart rate and blood pressure reactivity were measured. Multilevel analyses revealed that consuming a high‐fat meal led to heightened mean arterial pressure reactivity. Acute high‐intensity exercise resulted in attenuated heart rate and mean arterial pressure reactivity. The results of this study offer insight into how diet and exercise may influence cardiovascular reactivity, which is a key determinant of cardiovascular disease.