How Long Does an Open Bottle of Olive Oil Last?

We all keep at least one little bottle of this aromatic liquid in the kitchen cupboard, but have you ever wondered how long it can actually last there? With its yellow or green hue, balance of fruity and pungent flavors, and suitability for almost all dishes, olive oil is a valuable ingredient in every cook’s arsenal. Proper storage of a bottle of olive oil is the best way to preserve its quality.

„The three natural enemies of olive oil are light, heat and air.”  - Aishwarya Iyer, founder and CEO of Brightland.

That means keeping it in a cool, dark place such as a pantry or kitchen cabinet, and keeping it sealed with a cap or cork. But how can you tell whether your olive oil is still good?

Below, we share two easy ways to tell whether it is time to replace your olive oil.

You can tell a bottle by its look, and an oil by its taste

Before you pour it into a pan or drizzle it over vegetables for roasting, the first thing you should always do with a bottle of olive oil is taste it, to make sure it is still of good quality.

“Take a second to taste it and think about what you are tasting. Fresh olive oil should taste green and grassy. Even if it has fruity notes, it should still feel like something fresh and lively, and not simply taste oily”, says Iyer.

“A lively, sharp taste usually shows that the olives were picked early, which gives a very green, grassy-tasting oil. When you taste a high-quality olive oil, you will feel a super peppery sensation at the back of your throat, which are two signs of quality and freshness. If the oil has gone bad, it will not have these qualities at all” she adds.

The harvest date: why does it matter?

The harvest date tells consumers exactly when the olives were picked. Olive oil usually has an 18-month shelf life counted from that moment. Olives are harvested once a year, in the autumn, usually between October and December. For example, an oil from a harvest picked in November 2020 will expire by May 2022. Experts advise choosing the most recent date available, if one is stated on the bottle, so that the oil stays good for many months ahead. Even so, olive oil is best consumed within three to four months of purchase, so that it is at its freshest.

How can we tell that olive oil has gone bad?

Color and aroma are not reliable indicators. The best way to tell whether olive oil is past its date is to taste it. If its flavor is not strong and sharp, or it is completely rancid, it has most likely passed its peak. Although you most likely will not get sick from consuming expired olive oil, and its health benefits remain the same, you will not experience the same rich, fruity aroma that fresh olive oil offers.