4 Aldi Olive Oils Ranked From Worst To Absolute Best

As both a catering sous and a home cook, I spend a lot of time in the company of olive oil. From imprecise tasks like sautéing chicken breasts and roasting vegetables to finer applications like drizzles and dressings, olive oil is one of the most frequently used ingredients in my kitchen. Not only is it versatile and utilitarian, it's also healthy -– delivering disease prevention and metabolic benefits to the human body – while doing its culinary duties.

Like wine, olive oil varies greatly in quality and taste, depending on where it comes from, when it's harvested, and how it's processed. It can be a pricey ingredient that can actually make a huge difference in the outcome of a particular dish or it can be an inexpensive jug in your pantry. In my experience, a lower-quality oil is just fine for frying potatoes, but I wouldn't use it to finish a plate of burrata; it's like the difference between cooking sherry and an aged tawny port.

Since I use this pantry staple so often, I'm always looking to score the highest quality bottle for the most reasonable price, which is where Aldi comes in. The German grocery chain currently sells four brands, and we thought it might be useful for our readers to see how they compare. For this ranking, I evaluated all four brands. With consideration for stand-alone flavor being my primary criteria, I ranked them in order from worst to best.

If you're wondering whether cooking with $10 versus $50 olive oil really makes a difference, the answer is: It depends. An olive oil that's labeled 'pure' rather than virgin or extra virgin involves more processing than higher quality olive oils. This grade is often made from crushing, pressing, or spinning suboptimal olives and olive parts. Known as 'refined' olive oil, a product in this category is likely treated with chemicals to remove pungent odors and balance the acidity. The end result is a smooth, relatively flavorless but heat-tolerant and perfectly useful olive oil that's good for frying, grilling and sautéing. And that's exactly what you'll get with a bottle of Carlini Pure Olive Oil from Aldi.

Earning the lowest spot on my ranking because it had zero flavor and almost no scent, Carlini Pure Olive Oil is perfectly fine for what it is: basic olive oil. It's not something I'd mop up with a piece of bread or toss with fresh tomatoes, but I might use it to roast broccoli or char a pot roast. It also comes in a clear plastic bottle, which is an olive oil no-no. Since heat, air, and direct light can oxidize olive oil, the ideal storage container is dark or opaque glass. The 39-ounce bottle I purchased at my local Aldi was $11.29, which was equal in volume to one of the higher-grade, non-refined Aldi EVOOs I bought, but twice as expensive. So ranking this one last was a no-brainer.

This cold pressed extra virgin olive oil is not heat processed like Carlini or other refined olive oils, which means it retains more antioxidants, but I found the flavor and the nose of Simply Nature Organic EVOO to be similarly uninspired. Sourced from olives harvested in Italy, Spain, Tunisia, and Argentina, this Aldi product is Certified USDA Organic, which means its growing, harvesting, and processing practices meet strict ecological standards. It's also a verified non-GMO product, which means none of its parts or practices have been genetically modified or processed with the use of biotechnology. Unfortunately, Simply Nature EVOO's admirable harvesting and manufacturing practices do not make up for its subpar taste.

Neutral to lightly floral in front with some faint olive flavor, Simply Nature starts out okay on the tongue but peters out quickly and has no finish whatsoever. A little grass or some nuttiness along the way would have been nice but this one just ended up oily in my mouth. And though I'd swirled and warmed this sample in my hands (because I know this is how professionals taste test olive oil), I didn't detect any kind of scent. Purchased for $7.25, which was significantly less than the other extra virgin olive oils I bought from Aldi, I wanted to like this one more but I didn't. It had more flavor than the Carlini sample, but I forgot about Simply Nature as soon as it slid down my throat.

A little fruitier than its Aldi competitors, Priano Extra Virgin Olive Oil is best suited for salads, marinades, and bread dipping, according to its label. And I think I'd agree with that assessment. Sourced with a blend of olives from Argentina, Chile, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, and Tunisia, Priano EVOO has a pleasant aroma that transports you to exotic locations. But it also has a flexible base and a smooth flavor that lends itself to being partnered with other ingredients. Its mild personality and medium body would easily accommodate add-ins like lemon, basil, rosemary, and/or garlic, which are some of the absolute best infusions for olive oil. And it had a bright peppery finish that I loved.

If the No. 1 olive oil in my taste test hadn't had so much stand-alone flavor and been similarly priced at a little more than $12, I might have ranked Priano higher. I didn't like that it came in a plastic bottle that was just barely green in tint, as I'm not sure I could get through the entire 34 ounces before it became oxidized. And it wasn't complex enough to be particularly memorable. But broadly speaking, Priano was versatile without hogging the spotlight. I liked it and might buy it again when I need a subtle, but tasty olive oil to finish off a steak or drizzle on a pizza. Priano would definitely be my first choice if Aldi stopped carrying the next EVOO on my list.

Single-sourced from olives grown in Italy, Specially Selected Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil is traceable to the Val Di Mazara region –- a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) established by the European Union and enforced by the Consortium for the Protection of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to guarantee the highest quality harvesting, processing, and packaging sequence. You can even scan a bar code on the bottle to find the exact date of bottling. But that's not what impressed me about this Aldi EVOO -– I just found it wholly enjoyable. Herbal and a little sweet on the nose, the scent of this one made it a No. 1 contender from the first whiff. It was also slightly richer in color than the previous three samples.

But the quality that put Specially Selected squarely on top was its flavor. Pleasant and rich on the tongue, I detected notes of olive and maybe green apple, or something similarly acidic. It coated my mouth lightly without being overly thick and finished gently with some spice. This oil would shine in a three-ingredient red wine vinaigrette recipe or on a dish with some garlic and Parmesan for bread dipping. It would also be delightful in bruschetta -– a classic Italian appetizer you can make in seconds. Hands-down the absolute best olive oil from Aldi, Specially Selected EVOO was $11.19 at time of purchase, which was pretty reasonable for a high-end product. I'd buy this brand again in a heartbeat.

I visited three Aldi stores in the greater Milwaukee area and purchased the four brands of liquid olive oil that were available. I did not include aerosol or infused olive oil in my trial, as my taste test was to focus solely on traditional olive oil products.

Before proceeding with the ranking, I referred to government, culinary institute, and university extension sites for some background on olive oil and some suggestions for evaluating its flavor. Without reading ingredient details or researching any of the specific brands I'd purchased, I poured each olive oil into a shallow glass dish and swirled each in my palm to bring out the flavor. I took notes on aroma first, jotting down my thoughts after taking a deep breath in through my nose over each bowl. I also looked at coloring, noting that there was not much distinction between the golden hues of my subjects with one exception. With primary consideration being stand-alone flavor, I tasted each olive oil on a teaspoon, cleansing my palate in between each with a piece of bread and a few sips of water. I also considered acidity, aftertaste, and utility. After noting all distinctions and arranging the olive oils in order of preference from worst to best, I looked at the USDA olive oil standards and made some notes on each brand to include in my review.