The Best (And Worst) Olive Oils You Can Buy At Aldi

Steven Luna/Mashed

Olive oil is the sort of pantry item shoppers tend to think twice about, largely due to the price. It can be so much more expensive than vegetable or canola oil that it prices you out of the other items on the list. As usual, Aldi comes up with a small selection of olive oils that help shoppers out of a jam and into the world of gourmet-adjacent dishes. And by using largely in-store labels, the company keeps the costs on the reasonable side — pretty much what you've come to expect.

Even a reluctant Aldi shopper can find high-quality products in the olive oil section, as long as they know that what they're paying for will deliver the taste and usability they're hoping for. It's a challenge to discern which of the bottles might do just that simply by looking at them and choosing the one with the longest description or the prettiest label. You need someone on the inside who's given them a try to lead you in the right direction.

That's where I come in. I picked up the five bottles of olive oil available at my Aldi location to see what's going on under the cap. The store presents a range of prices, tastes, and textures that don't all work to your advantage. Read on to discover the best and worst olive oils from Aldi and what gives each selection its respective title.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Can you even tell the difference between an organic and a non-organic olive oil? I'm not sure what qualities you look for, other than a sense of well-being at knowing that you're opting for as clean an oil as possible. Either way, Aldi usually shoots pretty straight with its Simply Nature items, which convinced me that the extra-virgin olive oil included in the lineup would not disappoint. True to form, this 16.9-ounce bottle turns out to be a prime choice, and the best option for cooks who like a little sweeter personality in their olive oil. The chain stocks an all-around fantastic buy that lets you dive into the unusual ways you can use olive oil, as well as all the ways you're used to.

The untold truth of olive oil is that even the simplest version has a distinct flavor that sets it apart from the others. This oil happens to be very fruit-forward, but with an earthier finish and a stronger consistency. The complexity of the flavor came through beautifully on just a piece of baguette, which means it's a spectacular dipping oil.

There's no question this would make a fantastic upgraded pasta salad dressing or on top of popcorn with a sprinkle of salt for brightness. It's also one I would drizzle over shorter pasta shapes, like bowties or rotini, to make sure every noodle gets its fair share without getting soaked.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Truff is the kind of olive oil that I assume is only purchased by true gourmets who don't mind dropping major cash for their cooking supplies. Finding it at an Aldi is like discovering high treasure, even if it's the highest priced olive oil in the store at between $13 and $15 for a 5.6-ounce bottle. I was impressed at first that a bargain friendly grocery store would carry such an elite brand. Then I was insistent that if someone pays this much for oil in a bottle this small — no matter where they get it — it had darn well better be the most superior olive oil experience they've ever had. The stakes were incredibly high for this one.

There are; it just isn't appealing. The mushroom aroma is off-putting, leaping out of the bottle as soon as the lid comes off. The truffle flavor lurks behind garlic, though it doesn't seem to be listed on the label; there's only olive oil, truffle oil concentrate, and black winter truffle — no ingredients you'd be surprised to find in truffle oil in general — which leads me to believe one of those must have a garlic-like personality.

The fact that it's price prohibitive in addition to having an offensive aroma and less than impressive taste makes Truff my least favorite selection among the Aldi olive oils. If it were a little cheaper or didn't reek of mushrooms, it might have been more of a winner ... which means it's a no-go.

Steven Luna/Mashed

The fact that Priano Extra Virgin olive oil is priced at just over $6 means you can get a killer deal on a well-considered olive oil, which is the kind of bargain eager home cooks go wild for. The surprisingly bright flavor of this oil is highly fruit forward, bringing to mind peaches or pears without varying too far into sweet territory. It also ends with a bit of a peppery kick in the middle of the tongue, a fun surprise from an oil with a softer attack.

The one drawback to this olive oil is that it comes in a plastic bottle, which may help keep the price low but also gives a less substantial feel than the olive oils in glass bottles. The plastic is dark however, which helps keep the oil inside from deteriorating. It's a minimal thing though when considering the well balanced flavor and substantial body of the oil itself. I'd have no trouble considering this my go-to Aldi olive oil on future shopping trips.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Carlini olive oil doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't, but it also doesn't aspire to be more than it is. That may sound more confusing than it actually is when you consider the low-grade presentation Aldi makes with this inexpensive offering. Those who know the potential of olive oil usually accept that it's at least a few steps above general cooking oil. So when they see this absolutely basic bottle standing among the other olive oil oils on the shelf, they know that it's not going to be a top pick for them — just like it wasn't a top pick for me.

It's incredibly thin, to the point of looking like corn or canola oil when poured on a plate. The transparency tells me that there isn't much going on body-wise, which translates to a very flat flavor. It also comes housed in a plastic bottle without the dark color that would prevent the oil from aging too quickly due to light exposure. If you want to branch out because you think you've been cooking with olive oil all wrong, this wouldn't be the purchase that disproves your theory.

All indications point to this being a very ho-hum olive oil that I would steer clear of. It may be priced at around $6, but it isn't worth the money you'll pay.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Based on the bottle shape and the elegant script on the label, you would think that this is the highest quality olive oil Aldi offers. With an $11- to $12-price tag, it certainly had better be a solid buy. Otherwise, you could spend half that on a different bottle and pick up bread and cheese to enjoy it with using your remaining grocery funds.

Luckily, Aldi comes through in a clinch for the frugal epicurean in need of a high-grade olive oil that's just a little more special than the other others. The label says this extra-virgin olive oil has a smooth and medium flavor, which means essentially nothing to me. What I do know from tasting it is that it has a very substantial texture that imparts a soft grassy flavor, one that would make a great partner with chicken dishes and salads. It also struck me as the go-to olive oil for making pesto, since the herbaceous elements will only add to the fresh flavor combination in a sauce so lushly green.

The expense of the Specially Selected bottle means it's best reserved for those who know the difference between regular and extra-virgin olive oil. But know that if you aren't averse to spending a little more than necessary for a first-rate culinary oil, Aldi can cover your needs deliciously.

Steven Luna/Mashed

The joy of sampling olive oils made this taste test an absolute pleasure, especially considering the bottles I had to work with. I gauged the consistency and texture as well as the color of each option by pouring about a tablespoon on a white plate to see the transparency and thickness. This revealed what can't be seen by looking into the bottle itself, especially since four of the five options come in darkened glass or plastic that make it too difficult to see what you're buying. I also used price as a guide, since even Aldi carries expensive olive oil, and it isn't necessarily better than the less-costly stuff.

As soon as the caps came off, I could assess the aroma, which gave me clues to what the personality of the flavors would be. Then I broke off pieces of baguette and dipped them into the oils one at a time, taking a single taste to determine how simple or complex the flavors were and how well they compared to the fragrance. Any oil that was appealing enough with one taste got a second taste just to make sure that I was picking up everything it had to offer. And now I know exactly where to go to buy the tastiest and most affordable olive oil when shopping at Aldi.