Extra Virgin Olive Oil Recipes for Every Meal

The same bottle moves through my whole day. It goes on toast in the morning, into the pan at lunch, over whatever's roasting for dinner.

People ask what to actually do with a bottle of extra virgin olive oil once they have one. So here's the running list, pulled straight from my kitchen — organized by when you'd reach for it.

Breakfast

A short pour changes a plain bowl more than people expect. Berries, walnuts, and a drizzle over yogurt is the easiest place to start — there's a full version of that Mediterranean yogurt bowl written up. From there, try it finishing a loaded avocado toast, or spooned over a fig and ricotta sourdough tartine.

A habit worth trying if you haven't: swap the butter on your morning toast for a real pour of extra virgin olive oil instead. It's a small change, and it sticks.

Salads and Roasted Vegetables

This is where extra virgin olive oil does the most obvious work, because there's nothing to hide behind. A tomato carpaccio is basically an excuse to taste good oil on its own. An arugula salad with roasted butternut squash shows what it does warm and cold in the same dish, and roasted vegetables is the everyday version — whatever's in the fridge, tossed and into the oven.

If you want a dressing base you can build on, start with our lemon Dijon vinaigrette.

Soups and Mains

Gazpacho is a good test of a bottle, since the oil is never cooked and has nowhere to hide. Our 10-minute broccoli soup is the weeknight version, finished with a pour right before serving. For something more substantial, air fryer Mediterranean salmon uses it both in the marinade and as a finish.

Dips, Spreads, and the Table

Some of the best uses aren't a recipe so much as a habit: our classic hummus on the table with vegetables, a jar of pesto for whatever needs one, or a cacao and hazelnut spread that doubles as dessert.

Something Sweet

Baking is where extra virgin olive oil surprises people most — it replaces butter with a moisture that doesn't turn heavy. Try our blood orange olive oil cake or the simpler everyday yogurt olive oil cake.

This list keeps growing every season. The full collection, including whatever's new this month, lives on our recipes page.