Trader Joe’s olive oil is delightfully cheap and delicious—if you buy the right one. Like many Trader Joe’s products, there’s good olive oil at Trader Joe’s and less than stellar olive oil at Trader Joe’s. And you can’t judge them based on labels alone. Out of the goodness of our hearts (and because we get paid to do it—but mostly the hearts thing) we tasted eight different Trader Joe’s olive oils in search of the best Trader Joe’s olive oil.
Here’s what we were looking for: Good flavor. That could mean nutty, buttery flavors, or it could mean zesty, citrusy flavors. Or it could mean green, vegetal flavors. There’s not one way that olive oil should taste. But it should taste good. Unlike oils like canola or vegetable oil, olive oil is more than just utilitarian. It needs to taste good on its own. And Trader Joe’s best olive oil really does taste good on its own—so good I ate multiple spoonfuls of it, no problem. So just imagine how good it would be on bread.
Read on for our full Trader Joe’s olive oil review. We ranked eight Trader Joe’s olive oils, from Trader oh no to Trader oh so good.
- Trader Joe’s Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray
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If you’re already buying Trader’s Joe’s olive oil spray, I’m not going to tell you to stop. I’m sure it does exactly what you need it to do. It sprays a thin coating of olive oil onto a pan. And, if that’s all you’re looking for in your olive oil, then this Trader Joe’s olive oil spray is perfectly acceptable. However, if you want something that actually tastes good, this ain’t it. The flavor is neutral at best and bitter at worst.
Credit: Merc
- Trader Joe’s Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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I was really excited about this giant bottle of Trader Joe’s extra virgin olive oil because it comes with a little spout you can pop into the opening for easy pouring. As someone who spills any liquid I come into contact with, that’s great. More olive oil brands should do that. More milk brands should do that, while we’re at it. But the experience of the oil let me down. While the flavor is pretty light, if a little bit bitter, my main issue with this Trader Joe’s olive oil is that it’s oddly harsh. After taking down a spoonful, it burnt the back of my throat. Definitely not what I’m looking for in the best Trader Joe’s olive oil.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Giotto’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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If you’re looking for a big old bottle of gentle, neutral olive oil for cooking, this is the best Trader Joe’s olive oil. Don’t bother pouring it into a little dish for dipping. Don’t drizzle it onto your pasta to finish the dish. Don’t even use it in olive oil. It does not have enough flavor. But go ahead and saute up some veggies in it or even fry eggs in it. It’s a totally fine substitute for other neutral oils as long as you aren’t going to be cooking at super high temperatures.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Giotto’s 100% Italian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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If you want a fairly neutral oil that still has some flavor, this is the olive oil at Trader Joe’s for you. It has a hint of nuttiness—almost like the nuttiness you get from sherry. The problem is, it’s sold in a small bottle and it’s not super cheap. It doesn’t have enough flavor to merit that premium price and smaller bottling. But if money’s no object and you’re looking for a good, neutral olive oil at Trader Joe’s, this is a good pick for your pasta salads, sheet pan bakes, and sauteed fish.
Credit: Merc
- Trader Jose’s Spanish Organic Extra Virgin Garlic Flavored Olive Oil
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There’s no mistaking Trader Joe’s garlic olive oil for any other—it is extremely garlicky. And, major kudos to Mr. Joe’s, because it tastes like real garlic, not artificial garlic essence or garlic powder. In fact, it tastes like roasted garlic. It’s definitely not the most useful olive oil at Trader Joe’s, but if you want to add some instant garlic flavor to a dish, Trader Joe’s garlic olive oil will do the trick. I think it’d also be good in a salad dressing. If you’re going to serve it solo with bread, I’d add a sprinkling of salt. It needs that bit of salinity to make it a true, savory dip.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Cal Pressed California Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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As of writing, this is the newest Trader Joe’s olive oil—and it’s a limited offering, so run and grab it if you’re a Trader Joe’s olive oil completionist. Made with olives sourced from family farms in California’s Central Valley, it’s very, very peppery. That makes it some of the best Trader Joe’s olive oil to use in a salad dressing. That pepperiness shaken with some syrupy balsamic vinegar or even just lemon juice? You’ll get a complex salad dressing in seconds. It’s also quite good on bread. As I said, run out and grab this olive oil at Trader Joe’s before it disappears. And if you’re reading this in the future, apologies, but it’s probably gone (along with the ice caps, I’m guessing, so you probably have bigger problems).
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Organic Extra Virgin Spanish Olive Oil
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This Trader Joe’s olive oil really tastes like olives. That might sound redundant, but most olive oil doesn’t taste like actual olives. This one does. It tastes like really good, nutty, vegetal green olives. It’s buttery with that unripened almond quality. It has a unique flavor that makes it great to put out for dipping. You’ll keep coming back to it, finding new, fascinating flavors. If you’re looking for a centerpiece olive oil to serve with bread, this is the best Trader Joe’s olive oil.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Trader Joe’s Sicilian Selezione Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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Not only is this the best Trader Joe’s olive oil, it also ranked highly in our overall best olive oil ranking. It’s bright and zingy with a faint hint of lemon zest and a prominently fruity flavor. It’s very gentle with practically no bitterness and just a hint of pepperiness. This is a crowd pleaser of an olive oil. You can use it for cooking, for finishing, and for dipping. And it may not come in a big, giant bottle, but it costs under $10. It’s the best olive oil at Trader Joe’s, so add it to your list. Go on, add it. I can tell you didn’t add it yet. Open up your grocery list. There we go. You’ll thank me later.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
EVOO Spray
Premium EVOO
Trader Giotto’s EVOO
100% Italian EVOO
Garlic EVOO
Cal Pressed EVOO
Spanish EVOO
Sicilian EVOO
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