The Worst Aldi Olive Oil Is Affordable Yet Still Not Worth The Money

Aldi is best known for its super affordable prices. But while we love a bargain, cheaper doesn't always mean better. This rings true for its olive oil selection, which our Food Republic taste tester ranked from worst to best. They found that one of the cheapest options on the list — Priano Extra Virgin Olive Oil — fell short of expectations, noting that both its flavor and texture were lacking. It's flat, unassuming, and has none of the body that a quality EVOO should.

Olive oil prices seem to be creeping up constantly, which makes Priano Extra Virgin Olive Oil — priced at around $7 for a 16.9-ounce bottle — feel almost too good to be true. Despite being an extra virgin olive oil, there are several things we can take from the Priano Extra Virgin Olive Oil ingredients and packaging to explain why it was a miss. See, when you're shopping for a high-quality olive oil, you should always be on the lookout for three important things: extra virgin olive oil, single-origin olives, and dark glass packaging. Unfortunately, Priano Extra Virgin Olive Oil only ticks one box, lacking both single-origin sourcing and protective glass packaging. 

Customers have noticed that Priano has made a shift from glass packaging to plastic packaging. This is a big red flag in the olive oil world. Glass packaging is by far the superior choice to shield the oil from light and oxygen, which can cause rancidity to quickly set in. Because it's porous, plastic packaging simply doesn't have the same protective power. This means oxidation is much more likely to occur, which will gradually degrade the oil's flavor. 

When you're buying extra virgin olive oil, you're choosing the highest-quality grade available. Unlike lower-grade oils, it's cold-pressed rather than heat-extracted, which helps preserve its delicate flavor profile. This is what gives a good extra virgin olive oil its distinctive fruity, bitter, and peppery notes, making it ideal for dipping or dressing. Given that, the lack of these complex flavors in this particular bottle is somewhat surprising.

Priano, Aldi's private-label Italian brand, features a wide range of other items such as pastas, sauces, and gnocchi. However, unlike the olive oil, many items in this line are a hit with shoppers, like its delicious bronze cut pasta. All of this makes the olive oil's underwhelming performance stand out even more.

To help uncover why this oil was a miss, let's compare it to the highest-ranked olive oil on our taste tester's list: Specially Selected Premium Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This olive oil uses single-origin olives from the Protected Designation of Origin region of Val Di Mazara in Sicily. What this guarantees is an olive oil with a defined regional character, traditional growing techniques, and a level of consistency that sets it apart. In contrast, the Priano Extra Virgin Olive Oil uses olives sourced from Italy, Spain, and Tunisia. While each of these countries is known for producing high-quality olive oils, the lack of regional identity or traceability is an indicator of less stringent growing standards.