Olive Oil Nutrition Facts, Calories and Fat

Olive oil is the fat pressed from olives. USDA's record, "Oil, olive, salad or cooking", is a general figure for olive oil rather than one grade. Because oil is pure fat with no water, every grade has the same calories and fat per tablespoon; what differs between them is flavor, aroma, color and how much of the olive's natural compounds survive processing.

Most of its fat is monounsaturated, mainly oleic acid, with smaller amounts of saturated and polyunsaturated fat. The only vitamins present in measurable amounts are vitamins E and K, both of which dissolve in fat: a tablespoon has 1.9 mg of vitamin E, 13% of the Daily Value.

The US uses voluntary grade standards for olive oil that follow the international grades:

• Extra virgin: extracted mechanically, without chemicals or high heat, and meets the strictest limits on acidity and taste defects. It has the strongest flavor.
• Virgin: also mechanically extracted, with slightly looser standards.
• Olive oil (once sold as "pure"): a blend of refined olive oil with some virgin oil for flavor.
• Light or extra light: refined oil with a mild taste and pale color. "Light" describes flavor, not calories; it has the same calories as any other olive oil.
• Olive-pomace oil: extracted with solvents from the pulp left after pressing, then refined. It cannot be sold simply as "olive oil".

Heat does not remove calories from oil. When you saute or roast with olive oil, the calories you eat depend on how much oil ends up in the food rather than left in the pan. Breaded and fried foods absorb a lot; a quick saute in a nonstick pan leaves some behind. Extra virgin olive oil works for everyday sauteing and roasting, while refined and light olive oils tolerate higher heat before smoking, which makes them better for high-heat searing and frying.

Extra virgin olive oil is the one to taste: in vinaigrettes, drizzled over soups, grilled bread and finished pasta, or as a dip with bread. Any grade works for sauteing vegetables, roasting potatoes and marinating meat and fish. Olive oil also replaces butter in some cakes and quick breads, and it emulsifies with egg yolk and garlic into aioli. In food manufacturing it is used in salad dressings, hummus, pesto, canned fish packed in oil and jarred vegetables.

• Vinaigrette. Olive oil whisked with vinegar or lemon juice, salt and mustard. Garlic
• Hummus. Pureed chickpeas with tahini, lemon and garlic, finished with olive oil. Chickpeas · Garlic
• Bruschetta. Grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with tomato and olive oil. White Bread · Tomato · Garlic
• Roasted vegetables. Vegetables tossed in olive oil and salt before roasting. Potato · Broccoli · Sweet Potato · Carrot
• Pasta with garlic and oil. Spaghetti tossed with olive oil gently cooked with garlic. Pasta · Garlic
• Aioli. Garlic, egg yolk and olive oil whisked into an emulsion, similar to mayonnaise. Egg · Garlic · Mayonnaise

Light, heat and air make olive oil go stale and eventually rancid. Keep it tightly capped in a dark bottle or tin, in a cupboard away from the stove, and use an opened bottle within a few months for the best flavor. Refrigeration is not needed; chilled olive oil turns cloudy and thick, then clears again at room temperature.

Oil is the easiest ingredient to under-count in a recipe, so weigh it rather than estimating spoonfuls; a tablespoon weighs 13.5 g. For dressings, sauces and baked goods, all of the oil stays in the product. For fried foods, only the oil the food absorbs counts, so weigh the oil before and after frying and enter the difference. In the ingredient list, name the oil as you buy it, for example extra virgin olive oil, or list each oil in a blend. Build the recipe in the label generator or the recipe nutrition calculator, and check the reference amount for your category in the RACC lookup.