Olive oil is excellent for all types of cooking, including low-heat frying. It even makes citrusy cakes special. However, you only get all of olive oil’s much-touted benefits when you start with top-quality extra virgin olive oil, which is simply the juice of pressed, freshly harvested olives. Not all olive oil is created equal. All of the companies listed below offer extra virgin olive oil, which is the kind with the most distinct flavor, maximum nutrition, and highest stability for cooking (even at high temperatures—turns out the whole smoke point thing is overblown!).
Best Olive Oil Subscriptions of 2022
Best Overall: Nudo Best for Gifting: Zingerman’s Rare Olive Oil Club Best for Cooking Oil: Oleamea Best for Infused Oils: Brightland Best for Small-Batch Oils: Grove and Vine Best for California Oil: Fat Gold Best for Greek Olive Oil: Kosterina
Why We Chose It: With tins of oil coming from groves you select yourself, Nudo works well as a gift or a special way to have a steady supply of Italian olive oil for yourself. ProsSubscribe or order tins of multiple oilsSave on products a la carte when you adopt a tree ConsSomewhat expensive for everyday cooking Nudo takes the concept of an olive oil subscription to another level, letting you choose one of six small groves in Italy to “adopt” a tree. The grower profiles on the site let you know about the farmer, grove, and specific flavor profiles of the oil. With your Adopt a Tree subscription, you receive a tin from your chosen grove, plus tins of blends or monovarietal so you get a whole scope of flavors, all while supporting growers to continue using sustainable farming methods. Gift subscriptions range from one to four deliveries; for the ongoing Adopt a Tree subscription, shipments of three, 500ml tins arrive once every three or six months. If you’re an exceptionally committed adoptive parent, you can even visit your olive tree: Nudo facilitates visits between subscribers and farmers. Why We Chose It: When presentation and little details matter, Zingerman’s olive oil club stands out from other gift subscriptions for its variety, curation, and focus. ProsYou know what you’re getting every monthDipping plates included with first shipment ConsNot for those seeking cutting-edge oils Expensive Zingerman’s has evangelized extra-virgin olive oil for decades—the company was in the game of selling exquisite olive oil way back when it was hard to find more than a few questionable bottles at a grocery store. Olive oil tasting events have been a popular fixture at its store in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Zingerman’s knows its market and has distilled all that experience into the Rare Olive Oil Club, which spotlights the company’s favorite estate oils (primarily from Italy and Iberia). The club is designed for both long-time lovers of olive oil and those aspiring to learn more. It’s also a bit extravagant (starting at $120), making it a terrific gift for those who’d not make such a splurge themselves. There are three tiers of subscriptions: Two, four, or six months, with each shipment offering one bottle (usually around 500ml), tasting notes, and background info on the source. Why We Chose It: With two options (bottles or a big tin), Oleamea is a great way for households that cook a lot to have plenty on hand. ProsExcellent price for quality bulk EVOOAll Oleamea oils are organic ConsNo subscriptions for smaller amounts of oil You don’t have to purchase Oleamea’s oil in large amounts, and that it’s our pick for cooking doesn’t mean it’s not special. This Turkish olive oil also happens to be certified organic and heads up a program that provides encouragement and education for Turkish olive growers to institute organic practices. But let’s get past feel-good vibes…sometimes you want a lot of olive oil, all at once, because you know you’ll tear right through it. This makes Oleamea a great subscription for avid cooks. Subscribers have a few options: You can go for one 3-liter tin of its Classic Everyday blend (a steal at $38 plus shipping) or a case of six, 500ml bottles of its Premium Everyday blend (the same amount of oil in perhaps a more convenient form for $114). Shipments arrive monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly. Why We Chose It: Fresh flavors, stylish bottles, and smart branding makes Brightland oils feel just right. ProsUV-protected bottles to keep oil freshInfused and unflavored oil, and vinegar available ConsNo mention of specific source of oil Brightland plays up California sunshine and olive oil’s health benefits in its California-grown and pressed oils. It also keeps things simple with two core blends: Awake (“made for cozy days and slow nights”) and Alive (“made for verve and vibrancy”). If such streamlining makes the prospect of choosing which olive oil to drizzle on your fava beans easier, then Brightland might be perfect for you. But it’s the infused oils here that caught our eye: bottles of garlic, basil, chili, and lemon-infused olive oil with cheerful names like Ardor and Lucid. The white bottles (to protect the oil from damaging UV light rays) make a fine canvas for Brightline’s bold, colorful labels. These are stylish oils for stylish, health-conscious people. As for the oil itself, it’s from olives sourced from a family-run farm that follows organic practices (although it’s not certified organic). The Duo subscription starts with its two core unflavored blends. After that, subscribers can choose between shipments every month, two months, or three months, and you can customize after the first shipment by mixing and matching bottles of oil and vinegar. Why We Chose It: Grove and Vine set you up to take epic journeys through olive oil all over the world, including countries like Chile and South Africa whose oil we rarely see in the United States. ProsRarely seen olive oil varieties from overseas ConsNot ideal for people seeking basic olive oilExpensive Grove and Vine’s oleoligist Nicholas Coleman is an international olive oil specialist. He spent years with Eataly focusing on making olive oil accessible, then left that company to start Grove and Vine with his Eataly colleague Dan Amatuzzi. Their mission? Comb the world for the excellent producers, travel to be there during pressing to create custom blends, and share them with customers when they’re months fresh. Subscriptions include four bottles a year: two from the northern hemisphere and two from the southern hemisphere (this ensures freshly pressed olive oil year-round). You can choose between 375ml bottles or 1,500ml magnums. Shipments come with tasting notes, a recipe, and suggested wine pairings. Past offerings have originated from Italy, Spain, and California, as well as often-overlooked locations such as South Africa, Chile, and New Zealand. Why We Chose It: The olive oil equivalent of vacation postcards from a cool friend, Fat Gold’s ever-changing subscription ships you a unique pressing of California olives each time. ProsSupports small olive-growing farms in CaliforniaDiverse set of California olives represented ConsFat Gold blend not available via subscription Professional olive miller Kathryn Tomajan and her husband Robin Sloan tended a tiny olive grove in the San Francisco Bay for a few years, but as time passed, they began collaborating with other olive growers in California, leading to the Fat Gold of today. Each tin in this is different, and this is a subscription for those who want to enjoy the variations. Those who are looking for a standout all-around California olive oil are better off just getting a tin of the company’s flagship Gold Standard blend. You can sign up for a gift subscription, which runs for one year, or an open-ended regular subscription. The tins come with original artwork on magnets rather than labels, so you can peel it off and use it to spruce up your fridge door. Each shipment also includes a short zine with tasting notes and a run-down of the varieties in the batch and the growers. Why We Chose It: With a few subscription options that will fit most discerning home cooks’ needs, Kosterina makes it easy to keep a regular supply of healthy Greek olive oil around. ProsWhite bottle protects the oil from lightGrowers use organic farming practicesCustom box subscription option ConsBasic subscriptions have one bottle size option Katerina Mountanos founded Kosterina with her husband, Kostas, when they couldn’t find Greek olive oil in the U.S. that compared to the oil they enjoyed from their families’ trees in Greece. Kosterina oils are pressed from Koroneiki olives (the most popular in Greece), which are grown in the country’s Peloponnese region. The olives are harvested early in the season, which produces a lower yield but oil that’s richer in healthy polyphenols. The company’s Original Olive Oil is meant for all purposes: cooking and finishing. The basic olive oil subscriptions come in three or six (500ml) bottles per shipment; frequency options are monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly. There’s also a custom box subscription where you can mix and match 375ml bottles of oils (original or infused) and vinegar.
How Much Do Olive Oil Subscriptions Cost?
The price depends on the subscription, of course, but in general, they cost more than the average bottle at the grocery store. It’s also quite likely you’ll get better olive oil through the subscription than you would at a store, however. To get a better idea of a subscription’s value, break down the cost per bottle and factor in the convenience of having it shipped.
Are Olive Oil Subscriptions Worth It?
Subscriptions are worthwhile if you’re willing to pay a premium. And if you live in an area without good markets, the olive oil you get at regular grocery stores isn’t always up to spec. Subscriptions often let you support producers directly, so you know what you’re getting, and more of your money goes to the growers than it would from major bulk olive oil producers. If you’re not sure you want to commit to a subscription, just do a one-off order of a bottle or two—most of our picks have online stores that let you do so. Or stock up from a producer without a subscription: Two producers we love are Cobram Estate, with groves in California and Australia, and Hellenic Agricultural Enterprises, which presses organic Kolovi olives grown on Lesvos, Greece. Properly stored in a cool, dark place, unopened tins or bottles of olive oil can keep up to three years. The oil’s flavor may mellow during that time, but it will still be tasty and plenty good for you. So, if you get a subscription and wind up with a stockpile of oil, you don’t need to worry about using it up in a hurry.
What Comes in an Olive Oil Subscription Box?
Some subscriptions are all about the oil: You get a bottle or tin, and that’s pretty much it. For folks who want a regular supply of quality, trustworthy olive oil, this is a terrific approach. Other subscriptions are more experience-oriented, coming with extensive tasting notes, attractive packaging, and sometimes even little extras like crackers or tiny jars of jam. The oils they send are often intended to be used more as finishing oils because of their specific flavors.
Methodology
We looked at over two dozen sellers of olive oil, including Simply Recipes editors’ favorites. Not all of them offered subscriptions, though, and subscriptions were the qualifying factor. The other main consideration was transparency. Our winning picks readily supply information upfront on their sites about where the olives were grown, who grew them, how they were harvested and pressed, what the oil tastes like, and the cost and items in a subscription. We also took into account the size and format of bottles, feasibility of subscription offerings for home cooks, and value.
