Best extra virgin olive oil

Whether you're drizzling, dipping, dressing or roasting, a good extra virgin olive oil is an essential staple in many kitchens. But does spending more get you a better bottle? 

To find out, we asked a panel of independent olive oil experts to blind-taste and rate a selection of supermarket own-label extra virgin olive oils, alongside big brands such as Filippo Berio and Odysea.

We included premium, region-specific olive oils from supermarkets and widely available brands.

Our test uncovered two top-scoring Best Buys that stood out for their complex and well-balanced flavours. However, not all the olive oils impressed - several lacked freshness and balance and one product was absolutely panned by our experts, who thought it tasted actively unpleasant.

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Best supermarket extra virgin olive oil

Only logged in Which? members can view our top-rated olive oils, full test results and tasting notes below. 

If you're not yet a member, you'll see an alphabetically ordered list of the extra virgin olive oils on test. To get instant access, join Which? today.

Aldi Specially Selected Terra Di Bari Castel Del Monte Extra Virgin Olive Oil

£5.59 for 500ml, Italy

Aldi's olive oil is the cheapest on test. Can it provide flavour and quality at a lower price?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Aldi (in-store only).

Asda Extra Special Spanish Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil

£7 for 500ml, Spain

Made with Picual olives grown in Spain, Asda's olive oil promises an intense, fruity flavour with bitter and spicy notes. Did it impress our expert tasting panel?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Asda.

Belazu Crete Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil

£9 for 500ml, Greece

Belazu says it uses Koroneiki olives to produce a robust and assertive olive oil with a balanced aroma and peppery finish. Was it one of our panel's favourites?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose.

Filippo Berio 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

£10.80 for 500ml, Italy 

Filippo Berio is one of the most well-known supermarket brands, but what did our experts make of its 100% Italian olive oil?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Ocado.

La Española Extra Virgin Olive Oil

£6.95 for 500ml, Spain

La Española claims its extra virgin olive oil has fruity notes and a smooth, peppery finish. Did it impress our expert tasting panel?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.

Lidl Deluxe Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil Chania Kritis

£6.49 for 500ml, Greece

Made with Koroneiki olives grown in Chania, Lidl's Greek olive oil is among the cheapest on test. Is it a good budget-friendly alternative to pricier brands?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Lidl (in-store only).

M&S Collection Nocellara Del Belice Extra Virgin Olive Oil

£10 for 500ml, Italy 

M&S says its Sicilian extra virgin olive oil is perfect with fish, white meat and pasta with tomato sauce. Did it stand out from the crowd?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from M&S (in-store only) and Ocado.

Morrisons the Best Spanish Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil

£7 for 500ml, Spain

It's described as 'fruity and rounded with peppery notes', but did Morrisons olive oil win over our judging panel?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Morrisons.

Odysea Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil From Crete

£8.15 for 500ml, Greece

This Greek olive oil promises distinctive aromas of grass and rocket along with a pleasant peppery finish. Is it the perfect oil for drizzling over summer salads?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Sainsbury's.

Best red wines – see our wine experts' top-rated bottles 

Terra Delyssa Extra Virgin Tunisian Olive Oil

£7 for 500ml, Tunisia

It's the first time we've tested a Tunisian olive oil. How did Terra Delyssa compare with alternatives from other countries?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Morrisons and Sainsbury's.

Tesco Finest Sicilia Extra Virgin Olive Oil

£8.95 for 500ml, Italy 

Tesco says its Italian olive oil is made by a family mill in southern Sicily. How did it fare when we pitted it against other supermarket olive oils?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Tesco.

Waitrose No.1 Valli Trapanesi Extra Virgin Olive Oil

£14.50 for 500ml, Italy

Waitrose describes its Trapanesi Extra Virgin Olive Oil as fruity and aromatic. But at more than £14 a bottle, is it worth paying more for?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this olive oil ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Waitrose.

Best blended olive oils

Unlike region-specific oils that are made with olives grown in a single country, blended oils combine olives from multiple regions. Our experts said their balanced, more subtle flavour will suit those who prefer a milder taste, and they’re a good choice if roasting vegetables or making a vinaigrette.

To find out if it’s worth spending more on a big-name brand, we asked our experts to blind-taste and rate two widely available brands – Napolina Extra Virgin Olive Oil (£7.95) and Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil (£8.95) – alongside a cheaper Tesco own-label extra virgin olive oil (£5.55).

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out how they compared.

Note on testing: Prices and availability checked June 2025. Note: we couldn't include Sainsbury's in our test as its extra virgin olive oil was undergoing changes at the time of testing.

How we taste-tested extra virgin olive oil

In April 2025, we asked a panel of independent olive oil experts to blind-taste and rate 12 premium supermarket extra virgin olive oils.

Our expert panel included:

• Charles Carey Oil importer for the The Oil Merchant
• Marco Peri Head Chef at Wild restaurant, London
• Syrie Gwyn Palmer Olive oil buyer for Fortnum & Mason
• Cristina Stribacu Founder of Greek olive oil company LIÁ

Our experts sniffed and sipped each olive oil using small tasting cups, scoring the aroma, taste, complexity and balance – and eating apple slices to cleanse their palate between samples.

The taste test was blind, so the testers didn't know which olive oil they were trying, and each expert tried them in a different order to avoid any bias. 

After all the samples had been tasted and rated, the panel discussed any discrepancies in score and agreed which bottles deserved to be Best Buys. Once results were finalised, we revealed what the products were.

Which? taste tests explained - find out more about how we independently test food and drink to find the best

What is extra virgin olive oil?

Both virgin and extra virgin olive oils are protected terms and must meet certain requirements around how they are made. They must be obtained from olives solely by mechanical means, without heat or chemicals. This produces a better-quality olive oil but a smaller yield, which makes it more expensive.

The difference between virgin and extra virgin oils comes down to quality. Both types have to pass a sensory and chemical test. Extra virgin olive oil must have an acidity level of no more than 0.8%, while for virgin olive oil it's no more than 2%. 

The lower the acidity, the better the olives have been cared for while on the tree and during harvesting and processing.

Looking for more expert taste test recommendations? Check out our guides to the best dark chocolate, best greek yoghurt and the best champagne

How healthy is extra virgin olive oil?

Extra virgin olive oil can be a good source of polyphenols – naturally occurring antioxidants associated with a wide variety of health benefits. These include improved heart health, reduced inflammation and improved brain function. 

Extra virgin olive oil is a form of unrefined oil, as it hasn't been treated by heat or chemicals. These retain more of their natural polyphenols than refined olive oils that have been extracted using heat. 

Under EU regulations, olive oils containing at least 250mg of polyphenols per kilogram can be labelled on-pack as high in polyphenols. Typically made with very green olives, these oils tend to pack a punch on flavour, with intense bitterness and peppery spice. 

However, our experts advised that you shouldn’t focus too much on tracking down a high polyphenol count. While freshly pressed olive oil might have impressive polyphenol levels to start with, these are likely to drop significantly during shipping and storage, and you ultimately want an olive oil that tastes great, too.

Extra virgin olive oil jargon decoded

Olive oil marketers use all sorts of buzz phrases to make their product sound more special than rivals, but it's worth knowing what's a real selling point and what's just jargon. 

Here's what common marketing terms really mean – and whether they matter.

• PDO/PGI Look for the PDO label (Protected Designation of Origin), which certifies that the olive oil has been grown, produced and bottled in a specific region. PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) is also a good indicator of quality, although the requirements aren't quite as strict.
• Cold extracted To be classed as 'extra virgin', an olive oil must be extracted at low temperatures (below 27°C), so terms such as 'cold pressed' or 'cold extracted' are meaningless when comparing bottles, as this applies to all extra virgin oils. 
• Solely extracted by mechanical means Again, under EU law, all extra virgin olive oil must have this label, which simply confirms that chemicals are not used in the extraction process. 
• Filtered vs unfiltered Olive oils are typically filtered to remove residual olive fruit particles. While the cloudy appearance of an unfiltered oil might look more authentic, our experts warned that they don’t keep as well and will go off more quickly compared with filtered oils. Plus, they don't necessarily taste any better.
• Early harvest Olive oils that are described as ‘early harvest’ are extracted from young, green olives, as opposed to riper ones. They tend to contain more antioxidants than regular olive oil and usually have an astringent, peppery flavour, so they could be worth trying if you enjoy strong, punchy olive oils.

How to store extra virgin olive oil to keep it fresh for longer

Don't let your olive oil hang around for years. Unlike wine, it doesn't get better with age. Our experts shared their top tips on how to keep your olive oil at its best for longer.

• Store in a cool, dark place Keeping your olive oil in a cupboard away from light, heat and oxygen will help to prolong its life and prevent it going off too quickly.
• Don't let it linger Once the bottle is opened, it's exposed to oxygen, which causes the oil to deteriorate. For maximum taste and health benefits, use within a couple of months.
• Pay attention to packaging Our experts recommend avoiding oil sold in clear plastic bottles, which can negatively impact the flavour of the oil. Ideally, opt for a tin or a dark-coloured glass bottle rather than a clear one. This helps to block out light and prevent the oil from deteriorating, both on the shop shelves and when you get it home.
• Don't store it in the fridge You might have heard that keeping your olive oil in the fridge will help it last longer, but our experts don't recommend this. Keeping it in a cool, dark cupboard is best.

Unusual ways to use extra virgin olive oil

Olive oil isn’t just for drizzling over salads and soups. From desserts to cocktails, there are plenty of delicious pairings worth exploring. It has power as a flavour enhancer. 

Here are some of the combinations our experts recommend:

• Ice cream For an indulgent summer treat, try pouring a little extra virgin olive oil over ice cream to add richness, and finish off with a sprinkle of sea salt. Dark chocolate sorbet works particularly well, according to our experts, and pairs nicely with a full-bodied olive oil.
• Steak Elevate a barbecued steak with a drizzle of olive oil before serving to maximise its flavour. The heat of the steak brings out the aromas and flavours of the oil, while the bitterness of the oil enhances the sweetness of the meat. Our experts recommend using a grassy, early-harvest oil.
• Cocktails If you’re after a twist on a classic tipple, adding a few drops of olive oil creates a velvety mouthfeel and enhances herby flavours. It works best in drinks with a more savoury flavour, such as martinis, or in acidic, salty cocktails such as margaritas.

How to recycle olive oil bottles

Glass and plastic bottles can usually go in your household recycling bin. If your council doesn’t accept them, you can take them to a local bottle bank.

The recycling process can vary depending on where you live, so check with your local council whether bottles require rinsing first and whether metal screw caps should be replaced or recycled separately.