In this paper expected utility operators are introduced as an abstractization of some notions of possibilistic expected utility, already existing in the literature. A general theory of possibilistic risk aversion which encompasses the already existing treatments is developed. The possibilistic risk premium associated with a fuzzy number, a utility function, an expected utility operator and a weighting function is defined. An approximate calculation formula of possibilistic risk premium expressed in terms of Arrow–Pratt index and a possibilistic variance associated with an expected utility operator is obtained. In an abstract context a Pratt-type theorem is proved.