Once thought of simply as a cooking fat, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has been referred to as ‘liquid gold’ since its price has skyrocketed. In fact, the cost has risen a staggering 110 per cent for a 500ml bottle from £3.54 to £7.45 between January 2021 to November 2024, and it can cost up to £18 a litre for the most premium EVOOs.
EVOO is the best olive oil available. It’s made by crushing olives using the cold-pressed method, which ensures the process doesn't use heat above 27C. The olives are also pressed within a maximum 72-hour time frame after being harvested, to ensure freshness as well as locking in as much nutrients and flavour as possible.
To qualify, it can't have been altered at all. Like wine, it's an expression of where it's grown and varies in aroma and taste. However, it doesn't age well and is best used within two years of its harvest date. To prevent your oil from getting damaged by sunlight, look for bottles that are coloured (it should still be stored in a cool, dark place), not clear. It’s best to avoid large bottles unless you get through a lot of it quite quickly.
As well as being a quality product, EVOO is also very good for you. It’s high in monounsaturated fatty acids (a healthy fat found in olive oil, avocados and some nuts), and studies show it's linked to lower risks of cardiovascular disease and other diseases. It's also high in polyphenols, a compound that’s high in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
But as with many food essentials, the price of olive oil is soaring. So, I made it my mission to find the best supermarket olive oils that are worth buying.
How I tested
I tested 15 bottles of extra virgin olive oils from supermarkets to whittle it down to the best seven. To do this, I followed the traditional method of tasting by pouring the oil into a glass, warming it up with my hands, cupping my hand over the top and then taking a big sniff, then a sip. Like wine, it's held at the front of the mouth, and then you suck air into your mouth so that the oil reaches the back of your mouth too. But I also tried each one by dipping bread into it. Alongside taste and aroma, I considered versatility and value for money. I also noted quality and whether they had PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status (they have a very specific taste, owing to the region they’re made in).
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Emma Henderson is a foodie. She was also the editor of IndyEats, The Independent’s monthly digital food magazine, and was twice shortlisted for “best food magazine” at the Guild of Food Writers Awards. She’s sampled everything from Michelin-recommended menus to the best supermarket sourdough, so she knows what is worth the splurge. Emma has previously written an extensive review of the best olive oils, spotlighting premium producers and well-known brands. For this guide, she’s drizzled, dipped and tasted her way through supermarket shelves with each bottle sniffed, sipped and savoured – all in the name of journalism.
The best supermarket olive oils for 2025 are:
Asda Extra Special Greek koroneiki extra virgin olive oil
Best: Supermarket olive oil overall
Size: 500ml
Type: Extra virgin olive oil
Country of origin: Greece
Why we love it
- Great creaminess and peppery finish
Made using Greek koroneiki olives (the olive variety most used in Greece for olive oil), this oil is fruity and slightly creamy with bitter and nutty notes. It's rich, balanced and has just a hint of a rocket-like peppery finish. I was very impressed with the depth and intensity of flavour.
Obviously, it's great for finishing off a classic Greek salad thanks to its excellent flavour and slightly bitter taste that works well with green salads. The bottle's unusual design, with a blue marbled label, also really makes it stand out among the usual varying tones of green or other olive oils.
Buy now £7.00, Asda.com
Aldi Specially Selected P.D.O Castel Del Monte extra virgin olive oil
Best: Budget supermarket olive oil
Size : 500ml
Type: Extra virgin olive oil
Country of origin: Italy
Why we love it
- Taste is specific to its region
Take note
- Only available in-store
Using olives grown in the Puglian region of Italy, this olive oil has PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status. As is usually the case with Aldi's Specially Selected range, this oil offers good quality for a very affordable price.
Its flavour is big and bold, which means it can stand up to other foods with strong flavours. It has fruity and herbaceous aromas with slightly bitter and floral flavours, and a long peppery aftertaste. I found this to be best when drizzled over cold meats.
Buy now £5.49, Aldi.co.uk
Waitrose No 1. Valli Trapanesi extra virgin olive oil
Best: Luxury supermarket olive oil
Size: 500ml
Type: Extra virgin olive oil
Country of origin: Italy
Why we love it
- Aluminium can is almost infinitely recyclable
Take note
- One of the most expensive olive oils I tried
Full of intense tomato and fruity aromas with a very peppery aftertaste, Waitrose’s extra virgin olive oil is unfiltered and has PDO status, meaning it has a very specific taste of the region it's made in, which is Valli Trapanesi. It’s made from cerasuola nocellara del belice and biancolilla olives, which are grown in the area.
For its price and quality, it's one to savour and likely won't be your go-to everyday extra virgin olive oil. It gets extra points for using an aluminium can, which is almost infinitely recyclable compared with plastic or glass that can only be recycled a few times.
Buy now £14.50, Waitrose.com
Belazu early harvest extra virgin olive oil
Best: For bold flavour
Size : 500ml
Type: Extra virgin olive oil
Country of origin: Spain
Why we love it
- Excellent flavour
Take note
- One of the more expensive options
While not a supermarket own brand, Belazu is sold in many of the main supermarkets and is an excellent and reliable name. Made from early-harvested arbequina olives, which are picked at the start of October before the olives are fully ripe, it harnesses the olive's best and most intense flavours.
It's also the only brand to explain, on the bottle (usually seen more on higher-end oils), the process of making extra virgin olive oil, which is cold extraction where olives are processed below 27C to preserve the flavours, aromas and nutritional value. It has a very tomato-like aroma, is slightly bitter, and has a little floral sweetness to it, making it great for salads. This is another one to savour.
Buy now £13.50, Ocado.com
Filippo Berio organic extra virgin olive oil
Best: For everyday use
Size: 1l
Type: Extra virgin olive oil
Country of origin: Italy, Spain and Tunisia
Why we love it
- Organic
- Glass bottle
Perhaps the most recognisable olive oil brand on the shelves, Filippo Berio was once the premium brand in the world of olive oil until others caught up. It's been producing olive oil since 1867 and knows what it's doing.
This version is made with a blend of organic olives from Italy, Spain and Tunisia. It's grassy and herbaceous, with a slight bitterness and nutty notes coming through. And I appreciate that it comes in a glass bottle, too.
Buy now £17.50, Ocado.com
Waitrose Duchy Organic Spanish extra virgin olive oil
Best: Mild olive oil
Size : 500ml
Type: Extra virgin olive oil
Country of origin: Spain
Why we love it
- Good for people who prefer mellow oils
Take note
- May be too subtle for some
From the Duchy Organic range in Waitrose, which supports the charitable fund of the same name that raises around £3m a year, is this organic Spanish oil.
It's very smooth and quite light in flavour. It's also very fresh, with a slight tomato aroma and floral notes. It has a tiny warming hint of pepperiness at the end that's very mellow, and is a great one for dipping bread into. It's also a good option for people who prefer a more mellow-flavoured oil, although it may be too subtle for some people.
Buy now £7.25, Waitrose.com
Sainsbury's Taste The Difference kalamata extra virgin olive oil
Best: For drizzling
Size: 500ml
Type: Extra virgin olive oil
Country of origin: Greece
Why we love it
- Glass bottle
Made with kalamata olives, which are large and dark purple in colour, from the southwest Peloponnese region of Greece, this oil has delicious ripe tomato aromas and is very fruity.
It's another that's quite mellow in flavour, and isn't overpowering. It's versatile too, so you can drizzle it over salads, pizzas or pasta dishes, or whip up a salad dressing with it.
Buy now £7.00, Sainsburys.co.uk
Your questions on supermarket olive oils answered
What is the best supermarket olive oil?
After testing 15 different supermarket olive oils, I was impressed with Asda Extra Special Greek koroneiki extra virgin olive oil for its excellent, well-rounded flavour bursting with fruity notes, as well as having a slightly creamy taste and nutty notes. It has a real depth of flavour and is very affordable compared to other high-end extra virgin olive oils with so much flavour. For an extra virgin olive oil to savour, buy the Waitrose Valli Trapanesi extra virgin olive oil or the Belazu early harvest extra virgin olive oil.
Should I cook with extra virgin olive oil?
There's debate about this as extra virgin olive oil has a low smoking point. This doesn't mean you can't cook with extra virgin olive oil, of course. People have cooked with it in the Mediterranean and Japan, both of which have the most centenarians in the world, so it must be doing some good.
It's best to use sunflower oil for deep frying. EVOO's low smoke point means that the fats in the oil start to break down at high temperatures and can cause the oil to burn.
Some people prefer not to use it as an everyday cooking oil because of the high price point. But of course, it's totally up to you.
For more recommendations, read my review of the best supermarket sourdough bread worth adding to your weekly shop
