Things can quickly get confusing when choosing a cooking oil. With plant-based oils made from such a huge variety of sources and so many unfamiliar terms used on packaging labels, picking the best oil can seem like an impossible task.
This is true even for olive oil, one of the most popular oils on the market. If you’re wondering how extra-virgin, virgin, and refined olive oils compare to the less familiar olive pomace oil, you’ve come to the right place.
In this post, I’ll discuss the different types of olive oil vs. olive pomace oil, how they’re processed, their nutrition profiles, any potential health benefits or risks, culinary uses, rancidity concerns, and price differences to help you choose the best olive oil for your needs.
Olive oil vs. olive pomace oil: a brief overview
Extra-virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, and refined olive oil are all considered higher-quality oils than olive pomace oil.
This is because extra-virgin olive oil is produced by cold-pressing whole olives. Refined olive oil requires additional refining through centrifugation, deodorization, and/or winterization.
In contrast, olive pomace oil is made by extracting the last bits of oil in the remaining olive fruit solids using chemical solvents. Additional refining is required to remove these solvents and make olive pomace oil fit for consumption.
Nutritionally, olive oil and olive pomace oil are very similar. They’re both rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E. Olive pomace oil is lower in polyphenols but more affordable than higher-quality olive oils.
Both hold up well to high-heat cooking despite common misconceptions.
RELATED: Canola vs. Sunflower Oil
Processing
Different types of olive oil vary primarily by how they’re processed. I’ve listed the most common types below, beginning with the least processed and ending with the most processed:
1) Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Olives are crushed using a technique known as “cold-pressing” that gently extracts their oil without the use of heat or chemical solvents. EVOO refers to the oil taken from the first pressing.
2) Virgin olive oil
Virgin olive oil is processed the same way as EVOO, but is slightly more acidic. In other words, it has more free fatty acids.
The longer olives are left on the tree before being harvested, the more free fatty acids they contain. This affects the flavor slightly, but virgin olive oil is still a high-quality oil.
3) Refined olive oil
Virgin olive oil can be further processed into refined olive oil. It goes through various treatments like deodorization (heating), centrifugation, and winterization to remove unwanted flavors and odors. Refined olive oil is lighter in color than less refined olive oil.
4) Olive pomace oil
The production of this oil starts with the olive paste “pomace”, a byproduct of olive oil production. This paste is what’s leftover after olives have been pressed and centrifuged to create higher-quality olive oils.
To remove any remaining oil, chemical solvents like hexane are used and then removed from the final product through additional refining.
Olive pomace oil sold commercially is sometimes blended with a small amount of virgin olive oil to improve the flavor.
Flavor
Typically, the less refined an oil is, the stronger the flavor and color. This holds true for olive oil.
EVOO retains much of the polyphenols and other compounds that give olives their greenish-yellow color. It’s known for its strong, herbaceous, and somewhat fruity or peppery flavor.
Refined olive oil and olive pomace oil are more neutral and mild in flavor as a result of their additional processing.
Nutrition
Olive oil and olive pomace oil are nutritionally identical in terms of their fat content. They’re both rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats making up 71% of their total fat content, and contain small amounts of saturated and polyunsaturated fats.
They’re also both good vegan vitamin E sources. There isn’t as much data on the vitamin E content of olive pomace oil1, but it’s probably a little lower than EVOO or virgin olive oil considering the additional refining required. Experts still consider it a good source, however.
I like to include detailed nutrition information from the USDA FoodData Central database in my blog posts when possible, but the available data on olive pomace oil is scarce. I could only find limited nutrition data for specific brands of olive pomace oil.
Health benefits & risks
Is olive pomace oil safe to consume? Let’s see what the research has to say.
Cardiometabolic health
Like other olive oils, olive pomace oil is mostly composed of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). MUFAs have been extensively studied for their cardiovascular benefits.
Research indicates that the regular consumption of MUFA-rich oils can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, especially when consumed from plant-based sources2 (like olive oil) and used to replace saturated fats in the diet.
A 2022 randomized clinical trial3 found that when compared to corn oil, daily consumption of olive pomace oil led to reduced abdominal fat, a key risk factor for metabolic diseases.
It also led to higher levels of leptin in people with high cholesterol. Leptin is a hormone that helps you feel full after eating. Note that these results were seen with 4-5 tablespoons of oil per day — that’s a lot of oil! More research is needed before we’ll know how more moderate amounts of olive pomace oil affect cardiometabolic health.
In a subsequent study4 by the same authors, olive pomace oil significantly lowered LDL cholesterol and the LDL/HDL ratio compared to high-oleic sunflower oil.
Altogether, these findings suggest that despite the lower polyphenol content of olive pomace oil, it can still provide health benefits.
Bioactive compounds
Many people worry that with such extensive refining, olive pomace oil must be completely stripped of any beneficial components.
In reality, this is a myth. Olive pomace oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and vitamin E, as we discussed above. It’s also rich in several health-promoting bioactive compounds1. Some of these compounds include:
- Squalene – A waxy substance found naturally in olives and olive oil that acts as an antioxidant
- Phytosterols – Waxy compounds found in plant-based foods that can help lower cholesterol and may help reduce the risk of cancer. Olive pomace oil has more phytosterols than olive oil.
- Triterpenes – Compounds that may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
- Aliphatic fatty alcohols – Other compounds found in olive skins that may help lower bad cholesterol, raise good cholesterol, and fight inflammation
On the other hand, olive pomace oil is much lower in polyphenols than higher-quality olive oils and is probably somewhat lower in vitamin E.
While this makes it less desirable than EVOO or virgin olive oils, olive pomace oil can still provide health benefits and isn’t the “toxic” oil some people assume it to be.
Hexane extraction
One of the main concerns about olive pomace oil is that it’s extracted using chemical solvents like hexane. Many worry about the amount of residual hexane and other toxic chemicals left in olive pomace oil and fear they could be harmful.
According to Health Canada5, however, hexane residues in refined vegetable oils are far too low to pose significant health risks. Olive pomace oil is further refined after the use of hexane to remove the remaining traces of solvents, making it safe to consume.
Further supporting its safety, a 2023 study6 assessed the safety of olive pomace oil and found it free from carcinogenic mineral oil hydrocarbons, a compound of concern in cooking oils.
Uses
EVOO and virgin olive oils are known for their strong, intense flavors. This makes them a great choice for applications that benefit from extra flavor, such as:
- Vinaigrettes
- Dipping bread
- Bruschetta
- Focaccia
- Roasting or sautéing vegetables
- Soups
- Simple pasta sauces
- Drizzling on top of (“finishing”) a prepared dish (hummus, proteins, etc.)
- Olive oil cakes
With its neutral, bland flavor, olive pomace oil is better suited for dishes where the oil is meant to blend into the background, such as baked goods. You can also consider it an alternative to other neutral oils like canola or grapeseed oil that aren’t as tasty on their own.
Both can be used for moderate- to high-heat cooking, like sautéing, pan-frying, baking, roasting, and even frying, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.
Rancidity
Have you ever tasted rancid oil? It isn’t great. Oils can go rancid over time as fatty acids oxidize and form off-flavors and odors.
Two primary factors to consider when determining the most stable oils are smoke point and oxidative stability.
Smoke point
An oil’s smoke point is the temperature at which the fatty acids begin to break down and turn rancid. Unsurprisingly, oils start smoking when heated to their smoke point.
When cooking at high temperatures, especially when frying, it’s important not to heat an oil to a temperature higher than its smoke point.
Typically, the more refined an oil, the higher its smoke point. As you can see below, refined olive oil and olive pomace oil have higher smoke points than EVOO:
- EVOO: 350-410℉
- Refined olive oil: 390-470℉
- Olive pomace oil: 460℉
Oxidative stability
Arguably more important than smoke point is an oil’s overall ability to resist oxidation.
Oxidation is a chemical process where fatty acids become damaged through exposure to oxygen or other compounds. This can happen even before they’re used for cooking.
Oils resist oxidation better if they’re:
- High in monounsaturated fats
- High in saturated fats
- High in antioxidants and polyphenols
- Stored in airtight containers (not exposed to oxygen)
- Stored in a dark container or pantry (not exposed to light)
Since olive oil and olive pomace oils are both rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidant vitamin E, they have relatively good oxidative stability as long as they’re tightly sealed and stored in a dark, cool pantry.
In fact, when used in place of sunflower oil, cakes made with olive pomace oil had better oxidative stability7 and held up better during storage, possibly due to the high levels of squalene and other bioactive compounds in olive pomace oil.
EVOO likely has a slight edge thanks to its higher polyphenol content, but both resist oxidation well. This means you don’t have to be scared of cooking with EVOO!
Price
If you’re on a budget, olive pomace oil may fit your needs better than less refined olive oils. Olive pomace oil is considered a low-quality oil, so it’s typically much more affordable than high-quality EVOO with most of the same health benefits.
Final thoughts
There’s no question that olive oil, especially EVOO, is a higher-quality product than olive pomace oil. It tastes better, has more polyphenols, and isn’t extracted with chemical solvents.
That said, there’s no need to avoid olive pomace oil if you need a more affordable alternative.
Olive pomace oil provides many of the same health benefits as EVOO. Both are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and other health-promoting compounds, and the levels of any residual hexane are far too low to cause health issues.
RELATED: Is Olive Oil Vegan? (Why Some Vegans Avoid It)
The scientific information in this article was accurate at the time of publishing but may change over time as new research becomes available.
References
- Mateos R, Sarria B, Bravo L. Nutritional and other health properties of olive pomace oil. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2020;60(20):3506-3521. doi:10.1080/10408398.2019.1698005
- Zong G, Li Y, Sampson L, et al. Monounsaturated fats from plant and animal sources in relation to risk of coronary heart disease among US men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;107(3):445-453. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqx004
- González-Rámila S, Sarriá B, Seguido MÁ, García-Cordero J, Bravo-Clemente L, Mateos R. Effect of Olive Pomace Oil on Cardiovascular Health and Associated Pathologies. Nutrients. 2022;14(19):3927. Published 2022 Sep 22. doi:10.3390/nu14193927
- González-Rámila S, Sarriá B, Seguido MA, García-Cordero J, Mateos R, Bravo L. Olive pomace oil can improve blood lipid profile: a randomized, blind, crossover, controlled clinical trial in healthy and at-risk volunteers. Eur J Nutr. 2023;62(2):589-603. doi:10.1007/s00394-022-03001-y
- Health Canada. Screening Assessment for the Challenge Hexane. Government of Canada website. Published August 2009. Accessed 2/25/25.
- Gómez-Coca RB, Pérez-Camino MDC, Moreda W. The Mineral Oil Hydrocarbon Paradox in Olive Pomace Oils. Foods. 2023;12(3):434. Published 2023 Jan 17. doi:10.3390/foods12030434
- Velasco, J., García-González, A., Zamora, R., Hidalgo, F. J., & Ruiz-Méndez, M. V. (2023). Olive pomace oil improves the oxidative stability and nutritional value of oil-based cakes with anise essence, a traditional confectionery product in Spain. LWT, 184, 115081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2023.115081
