12 Affordable Olive Oils, Ranked Worst To Best

Buying olive oil can be overwhelming; in a grocery store, you're sure to encounter at least 20 different bottles, all of a similar dark green hue. If you know how to cook anything, you probably know that olive oil is one of the most important ingredients in your toolbox — choose a bad oil and you might as well be using a bottle of canola. But many high quality olive oils can double your grocery bill. Is there a happy medium? 

We scrounged the depths of the olive oil shelves to find you the best oils for your money — as little money as possible. From lighter olive oils that are best for cooking to the Mediterranean's finest cold-pressed varieties (for a few extra bucks), we've got your roundup of the best, most affordable olive oils on the market. Below you'll find an answer to your olive oil prayers and a guide to the grocery store for your next shopping trip.

You've likely seen the Monini brand in your local supermarket — the company has been selling olive oil since the 1920s, and they remain one of the most popular mass-producers of olive oil today. Their GranFrutatto extra virgin olive oil boasts a high-quality oil made exclusively in Italy. This product is versatile and is great for dressing salads or greasing up the grill. Its flavor is distinct but not overpowering, so it's especially perfect for baking pizza, focaccia, and other bread products.

One Amazon review, written by Virgilio Malagon, claims this Monini oil is the best on the market. "A real winner above all of the rest," he writes. Another consumer says he was recommended this product by a Williams Sonoma manager, and after trying it, he never looked back. "It is the GREENEST MOST OLIVE tasting EVOO that I know exists," he writes.

One-liter bottles run around $40, making this one of our pricier options — we recommend the splurge.

The distinguished bottle in which you'll find Colavita's extra virgin olive oil might fool you into thinking the product is out of your price range. But Colavita is one of the more affordable olive oil brands, with one-liter bottles priced at about $25. Colavita is one of 64 olive oils on the market that's received the North American Olive Oil Association's (NAOOA's) stamp of approval, which assures consumers that the oil in these bottles is purely olive. 

Colavita olive oil is made exclusively using olives grown and harvested in Italy, according to Colavita's website. An Amazon reviewer claims this olive oil "represents the best balance between value and quality." The price is lower than many of the oils you'll find on the grocery store shelf, and Colavita also offers a high-quality oil, cold-pressed, and organic. 

As Amazon user Mounir S. simply stated, Colavita is "very tasty." At this price, this olive oil should definitely become a staple in your pantry.

Made using four different kinds of olives from Spain, Merula is one of the most complex olive oils you'll find on the shelves. According to Artisanal Foods, these disparate olive varieties each provide distinct flavor, such as hints of green apple and tomato, and a spiciness you won't find in other olive oil brands. 

While many assume that olive oil made from just one kind of olive yields a better product, that's not always true, as proven by Merula's Michelin star. As the product description explains, wine and chocolate may benefit from single varieties, but olive oil is different. In addition to this unique processing technique, Merula olives are picked only when they've reached peak ripeness, and they're then used immediately. 

As of October 2021, a 500-milliliter bottle costs about $20, depending on where you buy it, so it's not the cheapest option if you're on a tight budget. Still, for the quality you'll get from Merula, $20 is a steal.

While many people are loyal to their Italian olive oil brands, California-grown olives make oil that tastes just as good for a fraction of the price. The California Olive Ranch brand sources its olives from California farms and uses a method of farming in which the trees are planted closer together than usual. The olives are carefully tended to and harvested at peak ripeness. "You can't make good olive oil with bad fruit," CEO Michael Fox said of the company's production process, adding, "It really is an art; it's not just a science."

The California Olive Ranch brand has received widespread acclaim for its oils over its 20+ years of production. A one-liter bottle of 100% California extra virgin olive oil costs less than $20 and offers a fresh, bright taste that can be used in any recipe. Product reviews boast an impressive 4.8 stars out of 5, with customers praising its distinct flavor and low price point.

Zoe's extra virgin olive oil catches your attention right away. It's easy to spot on the grocery store shelf — the brightly colored tin container stands out among the dark green glass and plastic bottles that surround it. Lucky for us, Zoe's is more than just a pretty face. This olive oil, made from Portuguese olives with a fruit-forward taste and hints of pepper and butter, is a favorite among home cooks and restaurant chefs alike, according to MyRecipes. 

The Zoe brand claims to value close relationships with purveyors and consumers alike. According to Amazon, Zoe's is currently focused on developing sustainable agriculture processes and production facilities that prioritize environmental protection. 

For as low as $12.75 per liter, Zoe's EVOO is as affordable as it is tasty. The best part is, it'll also add a little pizzazz to your shelves! For an extra fun olive oil treat, check out Zoe's olive oil for kids — a blend with an enhanced buttery flavor and less spice.

Samin Nosrat, queen of all things flavorful and good, shops at Costco like the rest of us. According to Huffpost, the celebrity chef of the acclaimed "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" cookbook and Netflix series, recommends stocking your shelves with none other than Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Nosrat says the olive oil "regularly scores well on independent administered quality analyses," and the price is, frankly, insane. For $13.49, you can get not one, but two liters of quality olive oil. 

Though Kirkland's olive oil lacks some of the accolades and complex processing techniques of other brands, it offers an organic, first cold-pressed alternative to those more expensive options. The flavor doesn't suffer, and in fact, its full-bodied taste makes it perfect for using to sauté vegetables or drizzle over handmade bread. We'd eat anything endorsed by Samin Nosrat — and you can add this olive oil to any of it.

For a slightly higher cost and slightly higher quality, Oleo's extra virgin olive oil sells a 2-liter bottle for $30. Made in the Spanish region of Andalusia using a blend of Hojiblanca and Picual olives, it's an excellent oil to use for cooking, thanks to its neutral taste and relative affordability. The renowned New York City chef, Nick Perkins told The Strategist that he uses Oleo "for all our hot cooking ... It's great for sofritos, roasting, marinating, and cooking vegetables." Despaña suggests pairing this particular olive oil with chorizo, a popular tapa called boquerones which consists primarily of anchovies, or Spanish tortillas.

Though this olive oil can be somewhat difficult to find online, the Spanish retail website Despaña is a reliable source. According to The Strategist, many of Perkins' New York restaurants, including The Fly, Hart's, and Cervo's sell Oleo's olive oil at their weekly market pop-ups.

Bertolli's extra light olive oil may not be the best option for adding a little zing to salads or dipping bread into, but if you're looking for a healthy olive oil to swap in for butter or vegetable oil, Bertolli's is the way to go. The olive oil is filtered until the flavor becomes very subtle, so it's the perfect oil to cook with, and the 410 degree smoke point makes it perfect for those high temperatures regular olive oil won't tolerate.

You can find two-liter bottles of Bertolli's extra light olive oil on Amazon for around $16.99. Founded in 1865 by Francesco Bertolli, this olive oil brand has been a mainstay on supermarket shelves for years. One Amazon customer writes: "Bertolli Light is a great oil for cooking, as it has a very light taste — almost none at all, besides being a more healthy oil than most on the market. I use it in baking, for making roux, sauteing. Its lightness makes it blend well with other flavors."

If you're a fan of the tin olive oil containers (which help block light from ruining your olive oil, so we should all be fans), O-Med Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil is one of the best quality oils you can find. O-Med is a company based out of Granada, Spain that focuses on strong family values and meticulous technical procedures. According to their website, the family-led company has a direct role in the entirety of the production process, from growing the olive trees to bottling the oil into those little rectangular tins. 

In addition, O-Med is an environmentally conscious company, whose manufacturing practices reflect this mission. Their products are made using innovative sustainable techniques, including only packaging oils using glass or other recyclable materials.

One Amazon customer said they taste-tested this product alongside a few others (some of which are on this list): "I bought three Spanish olive oils (this one, Zoe, and Prado de Nuñez) and did a little taste test with my husband. This was the clear winner for both of us. Smooth and flavorful, very fresh tasting."

Though the price is a little steep ($12.99 for 250 milliliters), it might be worth it if you've got pennies to spare.

In 1795, the Nunez de Prado family bought its first mill. They initially planned to focus their business on wines, but their vineyards suffered from an insect infestation that affected grapes across Europe. Lucky for us, the family made the most of the disaster and quickly pivoted to making olive oil (via the Olive Oil Times).

Today's product is made of olives harvested in Spain. The olives are hand-picked and grown using sustainable agriculture methods, according to Amazon. Nunez de Prado's extra virgin olive oil is unfiltered "because it has a stronger flavor, an interesting look and is something different," Felipe Nunez de Prado told the Olive Oil Times. You can purchase one liter of Nunez de Prado olive oil on Amazon for roughly 20 bucks. "This is the most delicious extra virgin olive oil I've tasted in decades!" says a reviewer on Amazon. "The flavor is amazing! The aroma is amazing! It's not heavy or thick on the tongue but smooth and clean. This is what evoo is supposed to taste like!"

According to Bon Appetit, the best olive oil is one you can keep in your kitchen for both cooking and finishing. Checking both those boxes without breaking the bank is what God made Trader Joe's for. The Trader Joe's Premium Greek Kalamata olive oil sells for around $9 and has a distinct flavor that's perfect for all your culinary needs.

One reviewer from Trader Joe's Reviews praised Trader Joe's for its versatility and flavor, claiming it's a "rich, earthy and an excellent oilve [sic] oil for cooking, dipping bread in or making salad dressing with." According to another reviewer on Amazon who hails from this olive oil's eponymous country of origin, the Trader Joe's version tastes like the real stuff: "I am Greek and it tastes exactly like the olive oil I grew up with," the user writes. (We recommend making the trip to TJ's for this one — Amazon's price is nearly three times what you'll find in the store.)

Though Whole Foods is notorious for being an expensive place to shop, their 365 brand has an Italian olive oil that's nutritious, tasty, and best of all, just $15 per liter. This olive oil offers a subtle taste that makes it perfect for cooking with. According to Amazon customer Joy Penn, the 365 Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a "very good deep flavor" and a "slight[ly] bitter aftertaste."This olive oil comes from olives grown in Italy, so if you're looking for the legitimate Italian stuff for a bargain, this is the way to go. As one Amazon reviewer put it, "This olive oil is excellent value for the money." The brand uses cold-pressed olives, all from a single source, so you can be sure you're getting real Italian olives. 

One consumer suggests using this oil primarily for cooking: "You won't find any better evoo for less than double the price. It is not a super flavorful finishing oil (but, of course, those go for 3 x the price of this) but it is a great cooking oil and an excellent value."