When I first heard about olive oil coffee, I felt my stomach turn. Yes, I love coffee and I love olive oil. But mixing the two? I wasn’t so sure.
Starbucks discontinued its olive oil-infused coffee recently. Since I can’t order one of these coffee concoctions at my local Starbucks, I turned to the next best thing: social media baristas.
The recipes I found online were all fairly simple: Combine espresso with dairy or nondairy milk and a tablespoon of olive oil. Many suggested blending the milk and olive oil, so I grabbed my milk frother and gave it a try.
Natural, real-time reaction to olive oil coffee.
Courtesy of Stephanie Brown
How Does Olive Oil Coffee Taste?
Both coffee and olive oil have heart health benefits, so this drink seemed like a worthy addition to my morning routine, but my taste buds were not convinced.
The drink was slightly nutty and buttery, but I quickly grew tired of the grassy olive oil flavor. After a few sips, the olive oil separated from the milk and left fat droplets floating on top of the drink, which I did not love.
As much as I want to blame my cheap espresso maker or weak milk frother for the subpar drink, in reality, I’m just not an olive oil coffee person. I’ll stick to black coffee and save my olive oil for salad dressings and roasted veggies.
But what do nutrition experts think of this olive oil coffee trend? Do the health benefits outweigh the subpar taste?
Should You Add Olive Oil To Your Coffee?
Studies have associated olive oil with heart health, and it’s a key component of the Mediterranean Diet, which is often touted as the healthiest eating pattern.
Olive oil offers health benefits on its own, and mixing it with coffee doesn’t magically unlock some combo nutritional properties. Unless you’re replacing coffee creamer with olive oil, there’s not much extra benefit from this drink, said Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, a professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University.
A 2022 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that replacing butter and dairy fat with olive oil may lower the risk of coronary heart disease and total cardiovascular disease. Olive oil is high in healthy monounsaturated fats, while cream is high in saturated fats that could be harmful for heart health.
Keep in mind that a spoonful of olive oil also adds 120 calories to the coffee. “Assuming no displacement by other foods or beverages, this could result in weight gain,” Lichtenstein said.
What This Means For You
Olive oil contains healthy fats that may support heart health, but mixing it with coffee will not yield any additional benefits. Consider adding olive oil to your salad dressing or replacing butter with olive oil when cooking instead.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Guasch-Ferré M, Liu G, Li Y, et al. Olive oil consumption and cardiovascular risk in U.S. adults. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020;75(15):1729-1739. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2020.02.036
American Heart Association. Saturated fat.
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