10 Absolute Best Olive Oils For Dressing Up Your Salads

When you're in the mood for fresh produce, nothing will do it quite like a leafy green salad. Whether you stick to basic lettuces or toss in spicier options like arugula and mustard greens is up to you, but most people can agree that some sort of dressing instantly enhances the dish. You could opt for store-bought options if you're short on time and looking for something specific, but with the right extra virgin olive oil (which is distinct from regular olive oil), you really don't need much more than a splash of vinegar, salt, and pepper.

That said, EVOO comes in lots of styles, depending on the source and variety of the olives, as well as their maturity and how they are processed. If you choose something too subtle, it might be masked beneath all the greenery. On the flip side, if you go for something overly bold and bitter, it might emphasize those notes in the leafy greens you chose. To facilitate your future salad-making experiences, we've put together a selection of extra virgin olive oils that are optimal for dressing your salads. Skip the store-bought dressings and hone in on the nuances of this delicious condiment with one of these bottles.

It's no secret EVOO is super common in Italy, and plenty of regions and producers are making it. Some focus only on that, but others blend an assortment of local delicacies into their business to showcase the best of what Italy has to offer. Frescobaldi fits into the latter category, with a focus on Tuscan wine, art, and olive oil. Laudemio is the company's olive oil brand, a name that fittingly meant "the better part of the harvest" in Medieval Latin, which Frescobaldi continues to uphold in its modern production.

This extra virgin olive oil is vibrant and robust, evocative of Tuscan aromas like grass, artichoke heart, and green olive. A bitter element on the palate is perfectly paired with a bold fruity character and a hint of spice. The nuanced flavor comes from harvesting olives at various altitudes with unique microclimates, ultimately leading to a range of ripeness levels and aromatic properties. The olives are then promptly cold-pressed, preserving their freshness and reducing acidity. Drizzle Laudemio over a simple salad composed of mixed greens or arugula and some tomatoes for added sweetness.

La Tourangelle is a cross-Atlantic endeavor, starting in the Loire Valley in France and eventually expanding to California. The company makes a wide range of oils from different sources, including olives, following traditional processing methods. Although it has its own olive grove in California, it also sources fruit from Europe for its production. Case in point, the Organic Bright & Peppery Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made with Picual olives from Andalucía, Spain.

To retain the antioxidants and bold flavors, the olives are harvested early in the season and cold pressed shortly after. The result is a delightfully peppery aroma with a gentle kick of spice on the palate. Hints of grass, almond, and olive leaves round out the flavor profile. With its robust taste, this EVOO is a great match for spinach or romaine lettuce, as well as salads composed of heartier vegetables such as fennel.

Located in Napa Valley, Priest Ranch could just sit back and soak up the success of its top-tier wines. Instead, the winery has broadened its repertoire by recently introducing The Kitchen restaurant, elevating the wine tasting experience to food pairings, which include several unique options like combining bacon and wine. Naturally, this extends to producing extra virgin olive oil, which guests can sample on site or order along with the wine.

The Priest Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made from olives grown on the estate, which encompasses 120 trees as of now. The condiment is pleasantly fruity and herbaceous without being overly peppery on the palate, which gives it a smooth finish. It pairs well with other herbs, making it a pleasant choice to drizzle over a salad with mixed greens and fresh herbs. Plus, it's an excellent EVOO to serve with bread thanks to its bold aromas, so you'll want to be sure to toss some croutons into your salad too.

The uninitiated may not know that international olive oil competitions take place yearly, allowing producers to show off their goods and see how they fare against the rest. Among them, the NYIOOC (New York International Olive Oil Competition) is the most prestigious, with hundreds of oils in the running. Produced in southern Greece with mono-varietal Koroneiki olives, Kosterina's original EVOO made it in the ranking as one of the world's best olive oils.

Aside from the robust flavor and peppery taste, Kosterina Original EVOO is favored for its high polyphenol and antioxidant content, thanks to an early harvest and cold pressing. Double down on the nutrients by drizzling this flavorful extra virgin olive oil over a spinach salad. Expect notes of fresh herbs, artichoke, and tomato leaf, as well as a bright apple aroma. The flavor is warm and rich, with a peppery kick on the finish to balance it out. People rave about drinking a shot of it every day, but if you aren't up for that, then using it in your salad dressing will be a definite success.

Durant at Red Ridge Farms started growing grapes for wine production in Oregon's Willamette Valley in the '70s. Since then, it has expanded its scope to include numerous items such as nursery plants, body care, lodging, and olive oil. It does the latter quite well, winning plenty of awards for the quality. If you're looking for a simple all-in-one salad dressing, Durant makes some fused olive oils. But for true connoisseurs, the Arbequina bottling is an optimal choice. This Spanish olive variety is one of the most popular worldwide, making it a versatile option to pair with other salad dressing ingredients.

Notes of freshly cut grass, green peas, and spice linger on the smooth, rich palate. Hints of almond, cloves, and white pepper are present, along with a subtle chamomile aroma. As the winner of multiple gold medal awards at international competitions since 2016, Durant's Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a great bet. Keep it simple by whipping up one of the salad dressing recipes Durant recommends on its website. For example, combine Arbequina EVOO with Champagne vinegar, citrus, Dijon, shallot, and thyme for a delicious option to serve with a leafy green salad.

Most people will recognize the bottle of Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil from their supermarket shelves. The company sources olives from various countries, depending on the seasonal characteristics, resulting in nuanced aromas that show up in the taste. It comes in a few versions, ranging from a rich taste that's a little more robust to a smooth taste that is milder. The Rich Taste variety is especially well suited for salad dressings, as its peppery character comes through no matter the bitterness of your greens. Per its name, it boasts a rich, buttery flavor, along with a full body, light fruitiness, and balanced acidity. Notes of tropical fruit, tomato, artichoke, and herbs are present, adding to the complexity of the taste.

Bertolli extra virgin olive oil can be drizzled straight over your greens for a simple dressing. Alternatively, whisking it with lemon juice, shallot, and a bit of sweetener is all you need to highlight its luscious taste. Another bonus? This brand is widely available and affordable, especially compared with other popular options, making it a great go-to choice for salad dressing.

Terra Delyssa is a Tunisian olive oil producer that prides itself on sustainable farming and showcasing the country's olive crops at their finest. All the extra virgin olive oil is made with single-origin olive blends, allowing the characteristics of the terroir to shine (you can even trace your bottle down to the orchard and see where the fruit was harvested, pressed, and bottled). The company upholds itself to numerous standards of farming, omitting pesticides and ensuring the land is preserved for years to come.

Terra Delyssa makes a few varieties of extra virgin olive oil, including some with flavor infusions and others simply displaying the organoleptic qualities of the single estate olives. The Smooth Extra Virgin Olive Oil consists of the first cold-pressed olives, occurring just a few hours following harvest. It has a pleasantly rich flavor with buttery notes and green aromas. The fresh and vibrant taste is an excellent complement to simple salad greens like romaine lettuce.

Frankies 457 Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the brand's peak product and at the heart of all its surrounding buzz. Founded by two American chefs named Frank, who wanted to share their love for Italian food and high-quality products, this is an absolute treat. It also happens to be the olive oil used in a few episodes of "The Bear," adding even more sparkle to its shine. Made with organically grown Nocellara del Belice olives from Sicily that are cold pressed shortly after harvest, it features novel flavors that shine through on the palate. Use Frankies' Everyday Oil for cooking and stick to using the organic EVOO for your salad dressings and other flavorful garnishes.

Packaged in an opaque tin bottle meant to retain its freshness and preserve its nuanced aromas, you know you're in for something special. Frankies organic extra virgin olive oil boasts fruity flavors and a rich nuttiness that adds depth and complexity. Subtle grassy hints add character and structure to the mouthfeel, highlighting everything there is to love about top-quality EVOO. Little more than a squeeze of lemon juice is needed to tie in the flavors when dressing a vibrant leafy green salad.

For starters, Graza's olive oil comes in a super practical packaging that is sure to avoid greasy hands. The squeezy bottle ensures you can add olive oil to a skillet or salad bowl with ease, without overdoing it. The company makes a few different extra virgin olive oils with quirky names you're unlikely to find elsewhere; choose from "Frizzle," "Sizzle," or "Drizzle" depending on your purposes.

Naturally, "Drizzle" is perfect as a finishing oil, such as to drizzle over a salad. Made with single-origin Picual olives from Spain that are hand-harvested early in the season, the flavors are extra peppery and bold, and the nutritional value is at its peak. The spicy notes stand out as a garnish, highlighting the character of this extra virgin olive oil. Just make sure not to use Graza "Drizzle" when you're cooking a dish, as it doesn't tolerate heat. Instead, focus on dressing your leafy green salad or sweet ripe tomatoes with a drizzle and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, highlighting the art of simplicity when it comes to top-quality ingredients.

Heraclea's is already worth purchasing for its undeniably sleek packaging, but thankfully, there's more to this extra virgin olive oil than good looks. Made in Turkey, this olive oil is grown and produced at a family-owned grove surrounded by mountains, adding to the allure of its terroir. The ethical and sustainable brand is dedicated to expressing and preserving its land and heritage. You won't find any chemicals here, only the vibrant flavors of olives shining through in every bottle.

Per its name, the Early Harvest PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made with olives picked early in the season, then promptly cold-pressed. Memecik olives are used in the production, a variety common in Turkey and elsewhere in the Aegean region. The result is an extra virgin olive oil with a bright peppery flavor and grassy green aromas. Fruit notes infuse it with depth and add just the right punch to liven up a leafy green salad.