Olive oil quick picks
Most versatile: Séka Hills Store Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Affordable option: Partanna Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For salads: Bellucci Toscano PGI Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For garnishing: Lia Koroneiki Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For gifting: Brightland The Duo
More than just a garnish or an ingredient that gets lost in the sauce, selecting the best olive oils — whether you’re an amateur home cook or seasoned chef — can elevate your dish from bland to gourmet.
But with such a strong culture surrounding olive oil (folks are as serious about their oils as they are, say, wines, whiskey and watches), selecting the right olive oil for your unique purposes can come with lots of pressure. That’s why we tapped the experts to find out exactly which olive oils are worth your money and how to select the best quality.
What to look for in an olive oil
Packaging
According to Emily Lycopolus, a certified olive oil sommelier, olive oil educator and founder of Olive Oil Critic, there are numerous elements worth considering when investing in a high-quality and flavorful olive oil. “The first thing I look for is the packaging,” she says. Look for it in a dark glass or stainless vessel. If it comes in a plastic or clear bottle, the light will initiate the process of photooxidation, which can turn the oil inside rancid “even if it was beautiful and high-quality when it went into that bottle,” she says.
Placement
If you’re shopping in person, Lycopolus says you want to prioritize placement on the shelf for two reasons. “Heat — not cooking heat — but a higher ambient temperature, will increase natural oxidation within the oil, so if the bottle is on the top shelf in the grocery store and under fluorescent lights, heat rises and constant light is not great for quality either, so I rarely if ever buy a bottle off the top shelf.” Additionally, olive oil is essentially a fresh fruit juice as opposed to a condiment, so it has a short shelf life of around a year to 18 months from harvest. She says bottles located in the middle of the shelf or at eye level “likely have a higher turnover than those on the top and bottom, and again, are protected from excessive heat and light being tucked in a shelf.”
Harvest date
For Nino Asaro, who grew up among Sicilian olive oil groves and is the vice president of food service and specialty stores at Partanna Foods, choosing your olive oil as close to the harvest date as possible can result in a fresher and higher quality product. Look for terms such as “first cold pressed,” ideally a few hours after picking, he says. This means an extraction temperature of below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Origin
Lycopolus appreciates a local variety in order to support your own economy and to avoid freshness and logistical issues associated with shipping long distances. If you’re unable to shop hyperlocally, Asaro says to choose an olive oil from one region as opposed to a blend from multiple countries. This also ensures optimal traceability.
Aroma and flavor
As a rule, good quality olive oil balances aroma and flavor. So how do you evaluate it? “When we bring our nose close to a small amount of olive oil and detect positive attributes like a fruity aroma and the scent of fresh grass and vegetables, it’s a strong indication that we have a good product,” says Giovanni Quaratesi, head of corporate global affairs at Certified Origins, professionally trained olive oil taster and board member of the North American Olive Oil Association. “Once we taste it, if we get a bit of pepperiness, a pungent, bitter feeling, we are also in front of a good product.” Alternatively, he says if you spot an olive oil that’s too mild or too intense, keep looking.
The best olive oils
Lycopolus calls this everyday olive oil “perfect for salads, roasted vegetables on the BBQ and seafood, yet mild enough for olive oil cakes, aioli, homemade mayo, or as the base roux for béchamel." But she still thinks it's also rich enough for homemade pesto, bread dipping with herbs or spices and to mix with other bold flavors. We especially appreciate that it’s been developed by a women-led company dedicated to sustainable harvesting practices and grove rejuvenation.
Asaro produces a robust olive oil made of Nocellara del Belice olives, commonly known as Castelvetrano olives stateside. It’s the kind of no-fuss, everyday olive oil you’ll want to keep on hand throughout your meal for an extra buttery flavor with each bite. Asaro describes it as having “notes of tomato leaf, bitter almonds, and right after pressing it, it has an intense aroma of watercress and artichoke.” Use it wherever the craving strikes, however he says it particularly shines among vegetable-based pastas and white fish like sardines and mackerel. And we love that you can get this big, 17-ounce bottle for just $25.
You don’t have to spend a lot to get a great expert-approved olive oil. “I grew up in Tuscany, and I love the bitter and fresh feeling of a Toscano PGI extra virgin olive oil,” says Quaratesi. “It makes me feel at home. It tastes and smells like freshly cut grass, green artichokes, green pepper and fresh fruit with a burst of flavors and complexity.” He prefers it on toast brushed with garlic and topped with salt and pepper, in fresh tomato and basil salads, on grilled meats and fish and with steamed beans with garlic and sage.
For an unforgettable olive oil with a robust fruity flair, look no further. “This extra virgin olive oil has a special place in my heart as it was the first extra virgin olive oil I tried outside of mine,” says Asaro. “I have attended most Italian food shows since the age of six. In 2004, I attended [a show] and couldn’t help but be mesmerized by its green apple taste. It’s one of the best Tuscan extra virgin olive oils on the market.”
You won’t find a better or more unique Greek olive oil with notes of ripe apple, stone fruit and artichoke, according to Lycopolus. We think it's worth the splurge for its splay of fruity, nutty and even grassy profiles. "This oil is loved, and I mean that from the moment the trees were put in the ground," she says. "One of the industry's best and more sought-after Greek agronomists, Kostas Liris, is behind this project and he walks the groves weekly to check quality and fruit development. He mills the oil and the result is truly exquisite.” Use it generously in everything from desserts to pasta sauces for an instant decadent flavor.
Another one of Lycopolus’ favorites is this bright and versatile Greek olive oil with fragrant notes of rosemary, oregano and lemon thyme with a hint of bitterness made from the ubiquitous Koroneiki olive cultivar. “It's perfect with baked feta and tomatoes, tomato-based pasta sauces, bitter green salads or massaged into kale for grain bowls," she recommends. It's also great whipped into goat cheese or served with fresh veggies and pita for an authentic Greek experience.
Lycopolus calls Nobleza del Sur’s Picual varietal “my go-to for pasta sauces, savory baking like cheese and chive scones, chimichurri and other herb sauces.” She also recommends it for chicken marinades, whipped into tzatziki and slathered on potatoes for a simple Greek summer meal.
Muraglia Antico Frantoio — an Apulian producer with a focus on the Coratina olive variety — is one of Asaro's picks and is a decadent, sippable olive oil. “This oil is bitter, intense and super herbaceous and peppery to the point of spicy,” he says. “If we compared extra virgin olive oil to liquors, this would definitely fall into the Amaro category. It’s meant to be sipped and enjoyed little by little.”
California-derived olive oils are having a moment — and their virality on social media is a testament to that. In our testing, we found Instagram-famous Brightland olive oil to add the perfect finishing touch to a range of meals from ricotta toast to Mediterranean salads thanks to its early-harvest cold-pressed Arbequina olives. This gift-worthy duo gives you the best of both worlds — the Awake variety blends seamlessly into soups and stews while the Alive edition adds a dose of luxury to salads, dips and breads.
In addition to tasting delicious, olive oil can be integral for your overall health. While this world-ranked option does happen to boast an interesting flavor profile thanks to its high oleocanthal phenol content — Lycopolus describes it as being bold and pungent — where it really stands out is its health profile. “It comes with a full chemical analysis certified lab report inside the box so you know firsthand not just the antioxidant content but the breakdown of which ones and how much,” she says. “[It’s] packed full of health benefits, and having the data is such a great addition.”