Yes, you can drink olive oil, and plenty of people do, but only if you drink the right one. A daily spoonful of fresh, extra virgin, high-polyphenol olive oil is a genuine Mediterranean habit. The trick is choosing an oil worth drinking raw: cold-extracted, early-harvest, low in acidity and properly peppery. Cheap, refined or tired oils are a waste of the ritual. Here is how to choose, how much to take, and which oils we would reach for.
Can you actually drink olive oil?
Of course. Olive oil is simply pressed fruit juice from olives, and it has been a staple of the Greek and Cypriot table for thousands of years. Greeks drink in far more of it than anyone else, around 12 to 15 litres per person a year, much of it raw over food or straight from the spoon.
The one rule that matters: drink extra virgin olive oil only. Extra virgin is cold extracted and unrefined, so it keeps the natural compounds and flavour. Refined, light or pomace oils have been stripped and treated, so there is little point drinking them.
Why do people drink olive oil?
Partly for the flavour, and partly for what is in a good oil. Fresh extra virgin olive oil is rich in natural polyphenols such as oleocanthal and oleuropein, the compounds behind its peppery bite. These are the same compounds that make extra virgin olive oil the cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet.
There is one official health claim you can rely on here. Under UK and EU rules, olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. The claim applies to oils containing at least 5mg of hydroxytyrosol and related compounds per 20g, and the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20g of olive oil. That is roughly a tablespoon and a half. Beyond that authorised claim, treat bolder promises with healthy scepticism: olive oil is a wonderful food, not a medicine.
What makes an olive oil good to drink?
If you are going to drink it raw, quality is everything. Look for these signs of an oil worth drinking.
- Extra virgin, cold extracted. Non-negotiable. Never drink refined, light or pomace oil.
- Fresh and early harvest. Check for a harvest date, not just a best-before. Early-harvest oils, pressed from greener olives, carry the most polyphenols and the liveliest flavour.
- Peppery and a little bitter. That catch at the back of the throat is oleocanthal at work. Bitterness and pepper are signs of polyphenols, not faults.
- Low acidity. Extra virgin must be under 0.8 percent free acidity, and the best oils sit well below that, often around 0.2 to 0.4 percent.
- Protected from light. Good oil comes in dark glass or tin. Light and heat degrade it, so a clear plastic bottle on a bright shelf is a bad sign.
How much olive oil should you drink, and how?
A tablespoon a day, about 15ml, is a sensible and common amount, and it lines up with the 20g daily intake behind the authorised polyphenol claim. Take it neat if you enjoy it, or drizzle it raw over bread, soup, yoghurt, salad or a bowl of pulses so none of the goodness is lost to heat.
Two honest caveats. Olive oil is calorie dense, roughly 120 calories a tablespoon, so make it part of your daily fats rather than an extra. And start with a smaller amount if you are new to drinking it raw, as a very peppery oil can catch you off guard.
Which olive oil should you drink? Our picks
For drinking raw, we reach for Greek early-harvest extra virgin olive oil: robust, green and peppery, with the polyphenol punch that makes the ritual worthwhile. These are the oils we would pour over a spoon or a slice of good bread.
