The best and worst Olive Oil brands in the US

Best and worst Olive Oil brands

Finding good olive oil can be tricky because there are so many choices and some products don’t live up to their labels. Many bottles claim to be “smooth,” “robust,” or “first cold pressed,” but the actual quality can vary greatly. Factors like harvest dates and source countries are important, and unfortunately, label fraud is common in the olive oil industry. Unless you have the time and money to try many different brands, it’s often best to rely on reviews to find trustworthy options. Some brands consistently deliver high-quality products, while others are inconsistent.

To help you navigate the options, we’ve looked at professional reviews, customer ratings, taste test results, and online discussions to identify some of the best and worst olive oil brands. We focused mostly on extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), which has higher production standards and typically better flavor than standard olive oil. Besides taste and texture, we also considered value and how transparent brands are with their labeling. Even a good olive oil can go bad if it’s too old, so clear harvest dates are a plus. Here’s what reviewers say about some popular olive oils on the market.

The Best Olive Oil Brands

Kirkland Signature

Kirkland Signature, Costco’s private label, is known for offering quality products that often compete with national brands. Their olive oil selection is a great example. Their 100% Italian extra virgin organic olive oil is particularly impressive because most supermarket olive oils are blends from various countries. Single-origin oils often have a more distinct flavor, and Kirkland’s 100% Italian is praised for its rich taste, making it excellent for dipping or salad dressings. It even performed well in a blind taste test of budget olive oils.

However, some reviewers consider the organic Kirkland olive oil to be the top choice. It has a milder flavor, making it a versatile option for cooking. Even professional chefs have noted its pleasant lightness, which allows it to blend into dishes without overpowering them. Kirkland Signature also offers good value, with its EVOOs typically costing under $15 per liter. The main drawback is that Costco sells these in large 2-liter jugs, which is best for households that use a lot of olive oil.

Nuñez de Prado

The Nuñez de Prado family has been producing olive oil in Spain since the late 1700s, perfecting their methods over generations. They claim their organic process involves bottling some of the unfiltered oil that naturally flows from olives crushed “the ancient way” using granite stones, even before the first cold pressing. This intensive technique requires 11 kilograms of olives to produce just one liter of oil. Nuñez de Prado calls this product “flower of the oil” due to its delicate floral and citrus notes. Customers report a golden color and flowery aroma as soon as it’s poured.

Reviewers appreciate the unique flavor profile, noting fruity hints of lemon and apple, which are excellent for dressings and glazing vegetables. Some mention a slight bitterness, which is actually a positive sign of quality, indicating the presence of natural antioxidants from the olives. While Nuñez de Prado is more expensive than typical supermarket options, it’s still more affordable than many high-end brands. It also comes in a dark bottle or tin, which helps protect the oil from light, and includes a harvest date, ensuring freshness (ideally used within 18 months of harvest).

Graza

Graza stands out with its modern, playful branding, featuring cartoon illustrations on convenient squeeze bottles. Despite its trendy appearance, this mid-range olive oil has earned a strong reputation among food enthusiasts and online influencers due to its quality.

The New York Times rated Graza’s “Sizzle” – their cooking olive oil – as its best all-around olive oil for 2025. Reviewers describe its taste as delightfully grassy, with notes of green apple and caramel. Even those initially skeptical of its trendiness concede it’s a high-quality olive oil worth the price. Graza also offers “Drizzle,” a bolder EVOO better suited for finishing dishes. Both are made from Picual olives from a single Spanish farm. The “Sizzle” olives are harvested later when riper, making the oil more suitable for high-heat cooking.

Graza combines modern appeal with transparent harvesting practices. While the plastic squeeze bottles aren’t ideal for long-term storage and can sometimes drip, the nozzle is surprisingly convenient for cooking.

Trader Joe’s

Next time you’re at Trader Joe’s, consider checking out their olive oil selection. This store, known for its unique private labels, offers some excellent and affordable olive oils. Trader Joe’s has released many olive oil varieties over the years, including limited-edition options like the zesty Sicilian Selezione and the aromatic Spanish Organic Garlic Flavored. Their 100% Greek Kalamata has been a customer favorite, described as spicy and complex, while their Sicilian olive oil is often praised for dipping.

These specialty oils tend to sell out quickly. Among their regularly stocked options, the 100% Italian Organic EVOO is noted as a complex yet balanced single-origin choice, perfect for cooking. For a fruitier, smoother oil ideal for drizzling, their California extra virgin olive oil is a great pick. Sourced entirely from California olives (a legal requirement for the label), it offers a pleasant grassy yet peppery flavor. However, it’s best to avoid their “Imported Olive Oil,” which is often clear, flavorless, and not entirely extra virgin.

Corto

For a high-quality olive oil sourced entirely in the U.S., Corto is a top contender. This family-run brand, based in Northern California, prioritizes freshness and quality at every step. After olives are picked at peak ripeness and cold-pressed, the oil undergoes a taste test and is stored in a climate-controlled cellar. This meticulous process pays off: Corto’s “Truly Blend” earned the No. 1 spot for American olive oils in the 2024 EVOO World Ranking.

Customers consistently praise “Truly” for its ultra-smooth taste and rich character. It’s not an overwhelmingly bold olive oil, but reviewers find its earthy, versatile blend works equally well in sweet cake mixes and savory pastas. It’s popular with both chefs and home cooks who appreciate a flavorful olive oil. As a premium brand, Corto includes a card with its shipments detailing the harvest season for each batch. While the oil is somewhat pricey, buying the 3-liter “FlavorLock Box” offers significant savings and is designed to protect the oil from light and extend its shelf life.

The Worst Olive Oil Brands

Pompeian

Despite being a budget brand, Pompeian has a long history, claiming to be a farmer-owned company producing olive oil for over a century. Many of its extra virgin varieties even carry a North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) certification for purity. Unfortunately, reviewers widely agree that none of its products stand out in terms of flavor. Common complaints describe Pompeian as bland, underwhelming, and lacking a distinct olive taste.

Taste tests have also found its oils often taste overly ripe, which can happen when products sit on shelves too long. While premium brands typically include harvest dates to help customers find the freshest bottles, Pompeian only provides a less transparent “best by” date. The brand’s reputation for authenticity was also damaged in 2018 when its parent cooperative, Dcoop, faced accusations of unethical mislabeling. Dcoop allegedly packaged blends of rapeseed oil and olive oil as Pompeian extra virgin olive oil, with some bottles reportedly containing less than 1% extra virgin olive oil despite the label. Given the often nondescript flavor of some products, this might not be surprising. Even for its low price, the low quality and mediocre flavor make it barely better than generic vegetable oil.

California Olive Ranch

California Olive Ranch shows inconsistent performance in reviews, with high scores in some taste tests and surprisingly low ones in others. Marketed and priced as a higher-quality supermarket brand, its EVOO is exclusively grown in California. The brand is transparent with its harvest dates and provides detailed oil information; each label features a QR code that allows buyers to check the acidity and polyphenol levels of that specific bottle. This suggests consumers are getting fresh, true extra virgin olive oil that hasn’t been blended from various regions.

While these factors should result in a distinct, rich product, and the brand does have loyal followers, there are too many negative reviews to recommend it at its current price point of over $15 for half a liter. In a 2021 survey of the worst olive oil brands, California Olive Ranch ranked last, with over a quarter of respondents disliking it the most. It also performed poorly in a blind taste test by America’s Test Kitchen, falling behind many cheaper competitors. Customers have reported a plasticky aftertaste and a harsh, stale flavor, which could be due to California’s unpredictable climate or bottles being stored on shelves for too long.

Great Value (Walmart)

It’s tempting to pick up a bottle of Great Value olive oil when you’re on a budget at Walmart, especially since their EVOO costs around 40 cents per fluid ounce – a pretty inexpensive gamble for cooking oil. For comparison, Graza’s “Sizzle” costs over 50 cents per fluid ounce at Walmart. However, that small price difference translates to significant quality differences, according to reviews. Even Walmart’s own website features many negative reviews, with some customers claiming the product tastes rancid, spoils food, and has a strange, cloudy appearance. It’s especially important to avoid any Great Value olive oils in clear bottles, as light exposure accelerates spoilage.

A Great Value label often lists seven or more origin countries, and the packaging countries can vary from bottle to bottle. This means Walmart blends its oils from numerous suppliers, some of which may have questionable authenticity. While you might occasionally get a good batch, consumer reviews suggest you’re more likely to encounter a flavorless liquid resembling sunflower oil, or even rancid oil. Products like these contribute to many consumers considering Great Value to be one of the worst grocery store private labels.

Lucini

When it comes to olive oil, a higher price doesn’t always guarantee a better product, and Lucini is a prime example. It’s priced like a premium brand but often delivers underwhelming quality. Founded in 1997, the brand claims to use traditional methods, milling small batches of hand-picked olives in local Italian mills. Lucini received awards at international olive oil competitions in the mid-2010s before being acquired by California Olive Ranch in 2015.

Since the acquisition, the brand has received average reviews, often described as blandly mild and uninspiring. One Walmart reviewer called Lucini “elegantly mediocre,” suggesting its quality has declined. An olive oil enthusiast on Reddit noted Lucini was “just fine” but added, “you can do much better.” The brand even came in last place in an America’s Test Kitchen blind taste test, with reviewers criticizing its harshness. Lucini packages its extra virgin olive oil in a dark glass bottle with harvest dates and various certifications, which is what you’d expect from a bottle costing over $20. However, reviewers also expect a better flavor for that price point.

Good & Gather (Target)

While Target’s Good & Gather line offers some good products, their olive oil is generally not one of them. Bottles of their extra virgin olive oil are usually very reasonably priced, often 41 cents or less per fluid ounce. However, as reviewers have pointed out, you often get what you pay for with this brand. Some consumers suspect that Good & Gather’s EVOO blend isn’t truly extra virgin. Without certifications or a harvest date on the flimsy plastic bottle with a cheap pour spout, it’s hard to confirm the oil’s purity.

Unsurprisingly, customers say Good & Gather olive oil lacks flavor and is only suitable for basic frying. Using it for bread dipping is not recommended, as it tends to leave a bitter aftertaste. Even reviews on Target’s own website are quite critical, with some customers noting an unpleasant smell and “fake” flavor. Multiple reviewers reported their bottles tasted rancid, with one even claiming it smelled like “car engine oil.” Reviews for the brand’s organic variety are not much better, with customers finding no flavor improvement to justify the higher price.

Filippo Berio

Filippo Berio, an Italian merchant, started producing olive oil in the mid-1800s with the aim of supplying Italy’s finest cooks. More than a century later, his namesake brand is found in supermarkets worldwide. Unfortunately, reviewers suggest the brand has lost its artisanal Tuscan roots in favor of bland mass production. The company is now owned by a Chinese manufacturer, and most of its olive oils are blends from imports outside of Italy.

Online discussions about Filippo Berio are filled with negative reviews, lamenting its forgettable flavor and questionable authenticity. Customers also note it’s inadequate for dipping and often has an unpleasant aftertaste. While the brand is relatively affordable, its EVOO often misses the mark. Filippo Berio’s reputation was further tarnished by a class-action lawsuit in 2015 for label fraud. The lawsuit, which alleged the brand misleadingly claimed its products were imported from Italy and diluted its extra virgin olive oil with cheaper refined oil, resulted in a settlement. The company still has work to do to improve its image.

Methodology

It’s worth noting that comparing olive oil brands can be complex. Producers often adjust formulas and blends due to changing climates and production costs, meaning the same label might taste different from one year to the next. Additionally, how retailers handle products—such as light exposure and shelf life after harvest—can affect quality, sometimes even undermining an otherwise good brand.

Because of these complexities, we’ve aimed to consider a wide range of reviews from both customers and professional critics over the past few years, including taste tests, videos, online forums, social media, and store reviews. Our decisions for “best” and “worst” primarily weighed overall taste, with a strong focus on extra virgin olive oil products. We also factored in price, value, production transparency, and packaging quality.