The Best Olive Oils For Dipping Bread, Ranked

Whether you've been to the Mediterranean or simply enjoy a snack of bread and olive oil stateside, you're bound to know by now that not all olive oil is created equal. In fact, Martha Stewart recommends having two olive oils on hand at any given time: one to cook with and one to use as a drizzle or dip. Creating a good, rich-bodied bottle of olive oil is an art that makers have been dedicating themselves to for generations. The result? A slew of impeccably crafted, decadent, unique olive oils that can awaken tastebuds you didn't even know you had.

Different olive oils will have different flavor profiles depending on the types of olives used, where they're grown, and when they're harvested. Olives that are pressed early in the ripening process will have a stronger, slightly bitter, more pungent, and peppery flavor profile, while flavor notes will mellow out to become more smooth and buttery as the olives ripen. How each farmer grows and harvests their olives will depend primarily on what flavor profile they're aiming for. 

One of the simplest ways to enjoy olive oil's full flavor is by dipping some bread in it, but to enjoy that simple pleasure, you'll want a great olive oil. I rounded up some of the best olive oils on the market and tested each with bread to rank them based on flavor profile, potency, and purity of flavor.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

I should begin by saying that all of these olive oils were great dipping oils, and you won't go wrong buying any of the bottles on this list (in fact, if you can swing it, I'd buy one of each and host your own olive oil tasting party). La Tourangelle's Organic Smooth & Fruity Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made from Spanish-grown Arbequina and Picual olives, which are harvested early in the season before being cold-pressed. That yields a delightful, mild oil that, though technically at the bottom of this list, is a great versatile olive oil to keep in your kitchen cupboard.

La Tourangelle's olive oil is light and pleasantly fruity, with a mild finish. It's buttery without being too rich, and it finishes only slightly bitter without boasting much in the way of peppery notes. You won't get a lot of potency with this oil, so don't use it if you're wanting your olive oil to pack a punch — rather, this is the oil to grab when you want a simple bread-dipping accompaniment. 

While you can absolutely use it on its own, it's delicate enough to complement anything you may want to add to this oil. For example, add some fresh herbs, a scant bit of salt and pepper, or infuse the olive oil with lemons to suit a variety of bread-dipping preferences.

Though admittedly somewhat of an outlier on this list, I nevertheless had to include TRUFF's Black Truffle Infused Olive Oil for all the truffle-obsessed foodies out there (such as myself). TRUFF is an obvious choice when you want to use black truffle olive oil to elevate a recipe, but how does it hold up as a solo dipping oil? In my opinion, it does, but you may need to alter your expectations a little bit — TRUFF is a light, potent choice to use when you want to make a statement with your bread accoutrements.

In terms of this oil's aroma, I probably don't need to say that it's extraordinarily truffle-forward; however, you do get a slight olive scent after being hit with black truffle. If you enjoy truffles, you'll love this as a dipping oil. Surprisingly, it doesn't overwhelm the bread, but it does add a nice aromatic element to what would otherwise be a plain slice. I wouldn't dress this up at all, but I would get playful with it. Use it purely for dipping if you'd like, or drizzle it on top of toasts or crostini if you want to elevate your bread-dipping experience. 

My singular critique is that I wish the olive flavor was richer. The color of this oil is a dead giveaway that its olive component isn't meant to take center stage, and rightfully so. However, I'm curious whether a more olive-forward truffle dipping oil would have a thicker mouthfeel.

Up next, we have Colavita's Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a cold-pressed blend that uses olives from Spain, Italy, Greece, and Portugal. The brand hails it as the "quintessential everyday oil," and I can't say I disagree. A quick whiff of this olive oil transported me back to afternoons in Italy, enjoying bread and olive oil along with a glass of wine on restaurant patios. Its smell was deep, rich, pure, and potent, and its flavors were similarly intense.

Though I wouldn't call this overly peppery, bitter, or intensely buttery, it had a balance of these three elements that will make it easily palatable to a variety of tongues. Its fruity olive essence is very strong, which isn't a bad thing by any means — rather, it means you won't be looking for the olive oil when you're eating it with bread. It goes down smoothly with the slightest bitter finish, and it tastes very pure and clean. It doesn't ask for any additions, as its mild peppery finish keeps it interesting enough on its own. 

Grab this Colavita product when you want an unadulterated olive oil to enjoy no matter what type of bread you're dipping in it. I'd also guess that it makes a great base for homemade emulsified dips where you want your olive oil to shine.

Frankies 457 Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the first single-origin olive oil I'm featuring on this list. This oil is made exclusively with Nocellara del Belice olives from Selinunte, Sicily, and the company has achieved an incredibly balanced flavor despite not using a blend of olives in this oil. Frankies 457 recommends using this as a final touch to anything on your dinner table; I'll counter that and say this oil may be best experienced with a sole slice of bread. 

The aroma of this olive oil is very subtle, warm, and impeccably clean. It's a complex oil that will linger on your tongue, and it has a certain depth to it that the preceding oils lacked. It's bright and pleasantly fruity, and it stays in your mouth without having the slightly peppery finish that some other oils do (whether this is a pro or con will be up to the individual palate to decide). I was tasting it long after I swallowed, and it coated my mouth without feeling oily — the flavor simply seemed to bloom the longer it sat in my mouth. 

This oil doesn't ask for any dressing up, and I'd absolutely recommend trying it solo before you add anything to it. It's delightful, clean, and rich without being heavy, and it feels criminal to give it a middling spot on this list; the following oils just boast more interesting profiles.

If you're curating a clean, inviting countertop aesthetic, you may already have the duo of Kosterina's olive oils on your counter: its blue-bottled Everyday Extra Virgin Olive Oil and its white bottle of Original Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Both are great olive oil choices, but the Original stands out as being a prime oil to use for dipping particularly. Each single-origin oil is made from cold-pressed, early harvested Greek Koroneiki olives.

Kosterina's Original Extra Virgin Olive Oil boasts a deep golden hue, and it smells sharp and peppery. It was clear upon first taste why this was the company's choice of dipping oil. It's strong and rich in its olive flavors with slight herbal notes. It has a peppery finish that is incredibly clean and not bitter in the slightest. It's a rich, buttery oil that you'll find yourself saving for special occasions, and though it certainly doesn't need any dressing up, it would make a great base for an herbal infusion. 

Keep this duo set on your counter for dinner parties. Use the Everyday oil to cook and finish dishes with, and use the Original exclusively while indulging in fresh bread.

Bono sent me three bottles of its olive oil to try — Sicilia, Val di Mazara, and its Bono Selection — and I ultimately chose to focus on the distinct, incredibly unique, and complex flavor profile of its Sicilia PGI Organic Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. All its olives are grown in Sicily and include Biancolilla, Cerasuola, and Nocellara del Belice varieties, and its oil is cold-pressed. This oil earned spot number four because of its distinctiveness — although it's almost certainly one of the most unique bottles on this list, its flavors could be a turnoff to some consumers.

The company's Sicilia PGI oil has a very strong scent that was a bit darker and richer than its other two selections. The first taste of this oil had me marveling at its light pepperiness, and as it sat in my mouth, it blossomed into a pretty potent spice that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. It was very sharp and peppery, the perfect accompaniment to bread as long as you aren't afraid of spice lingering in the back of your throat — and it manages to be all that without tasting bitter. 

Get a feel for this one by dipping bread in it, and then let your imagination run wild with what you use it for next. Personally, I'd roast potatoes in this spicy olive oil for an elevated side dish.

This bottle from Cobram Estate stands apart from the rest in its origin — where other oils on this list have Mediterranean or Californian origins, this olive oil sources its olives exclusively from Australia. It's been the recipient of numerous awards for good reason. This clean, complex oil has a flavor profile unlike any other oil I taste tested, which I quite enjoyed. But because it's distinct, I could see some consumers missing expected olive oil components in it.

The smell of this oil is very aromatic and fruity, and almost perfume-esque in that its fragrance will sit with you after you've taken a whiff. Its flavor matches — it tastes incredibly bright and juicy with a full-fruit olive flavor that lingers with you. Whereas one might expect an olive oil to have that peppery finish that I've mentioned more than once over the course of this ranking, this oil had an almost sweet finish. 

It absolutely doesn't need any additions, but it will welcome anything you may want to incorporate into it. Don't overshadow it, though; the purity of this olive oil is far too delightful to take a backseat to anything.

Pasolivo's Tuscan Olive Oil isn't the only oil the company sells, but it is its recommended oil to use for dipping purposes — so of course, I had to give it a try. Made from olives grown and harvested in California, this award-winning oil is beloved by Pasolivo's customers for its fresh, bold flavor profile and impressive versatility. The sky's the limit when it comes to this olive oil, and while you may very well save it for all bread-dipping occasions, you'll likely be tempted to use it for finishing, dressing, marinating, and everything in between.

This olive oil is incredibly aromatic and earthy, and I knew even before tasting it that its flavor would pack a punch. I was right — its flavor was wonderfully herby and grassy and boasted a sharp, peppery finish. Slight spice lingers in the back of your throat, but rather than being overwhelming, it's mellowed out by the smooth, earthy flavor of the oil. 

It's a strong oil that's definitely meant to be enjoyed on its own, and I found it hard to stop eating this one. Tasting notes shine in this olive oil more than many others on this list, giving it a full, rounded mouthfeel that takes your tastebuds on a journey from start to finish.

Sciabica's Mediterranean Medley Extra Virgin Olive Oil is just one of several herby oils the family-owned company offers. Despite having herbal notes, these olive oils aren't infused — rather, herbs are pressed with the olives to marry their flavors together and create cold-pressed herbal oils. My expectations for this oil were middling when I poured some into my serving dish. There wasn't much to the nose but a hint of oregano, so when I tasted it and was confronted with a wild medley of flavors, I was blown away.

The flavor of this olive oil is simply outstanding, and it easily earned the top spot on my list. The olive oil itself is smooth, decadent, and buttery, providing a solid, rich base for the herbal oils to shine. Its garlic, oregano, basil, and rosemary notes are impeccably balanced — though each flavor is discernible, none takes center stage, and each complements the others in a harmonic way. 

It's a delightful dipping oil that I'd also use without hesitation for other purposes. Catch me not only eating this olive oil with bread but also drizzling it on pasta, using it as a marinade, and roasting potatoes in it. 

To test each of these olive oils, I had my own little olive oil tasting party at home and sampled each with a piece of fresh-baked Italian bread. I poured enough into a dish to cover the bottom and smelled each before tasting them solo and with some bread. I was looking for unique, rich olive oils that were decadent and buttery and boasted interesting tasting notes without being too bitter. 

The top spots on my list went to complex oils with deep flavor profiles that shine when eaten with bread. If an oil was versatile, that was a bonus, but I didn't specifically consider versatility in this ranking. The bottom spots on my list were all still good oils, but either lacked the richness of the top oils (in the case of TRUFF, especially) or didn't have any particularly interesting notes. The middling spots went to rich oils that weren't necessarily easily distinguishable from each other, but were excellent, nonetheless. 

For full transparency, it was difficult to rank the oils taking the top six spots on this list. All were outstanding, but each was outstanding in its own way.