Olive Oil Nutrition Facts
Short answer: olive oil is pure fat. A tablespoon gives you about 119 calories and 13.5 g of fat, of which about 2 g is saturated. It contains no cholesterol, carbohydrate, sugar, fibre or protein, and almost no sodium. The figures below come from the nutrition label of Zuriyat extra virgin olive oil.
The label, per 100 g
| Per 100 g | Amount | % Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 884 | |
| Total fat | 100 g | 128% |
| of which saturated fat | 14 g | 70% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 2 mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 1 mg | 0% |
| Total carbohydrate | 0 g | 0% |
| Dietary fibre | 0 g | 0% |
| Sugars | 0 g | |
| Protein | 0 g | 0% |
* % Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
What that means per spoonful
Nobody eats 100 g of oil at once, so here is the same label worked out for the amounts you actually use. A level tablespoon of oil weighs about 13.5 g and a teaspoon about 4.5 g.
| 1 teaspoon (4.5 g) | 1 tablespoon (13.5 g) | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | about 40 | about 119 |
| Total fat | 4.5 g | 13.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.6 g | 1.9 g |
| Cholesterol, carbohydrate, protein | 0 | 0 |
Reading the numbers
The fat is the point, and most of it is not saturated
Of every 100 g, 14 g is saturated and the other 86 g is unsaturated. Our label doesn’t split that further, but in olive oil the unsaturated part is mostly monounsaturated fat, chiefly oleic acid. That’s the fat linked to lower LDL cholesterol when it replaces saturated fat. For comparison, a tablespoon of ghee carries about 8 g of saturated fat, against about 2 g in the same spoon of olive oil.
Calories count like any other oil
At about 119 calories a tablespoon, olive oil is no lighter than other oils. Its advantage is the kind of fat, not the amount. Measure it with a spoon rather than pouring from the bottle.
Zero cholesterol, almost zero salt
Like all plant oils, olive oil has no cholesterol. At 2 mg of sodium per 100 g it adds nothing meaningful to your salt intake, which makes a drizzle a good way to add flavour without adding salt.
What a nutrition label doesn’t show
Extra virgin olive oil also carries small amounts of vitamin E and vitamin K, and natural polyphenols such as hydroxytyrosol and oleocanthal. These don’t appear on a standard label, and the amounts depend on the olives, the harvest and how fresh the oil is. They are the main reason extra virgin differs from refined olive oil, which has the same fat and calories but has lost most of them. See olive oil health benefits for what they do.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a tablespoon of olive oil?
About 119, from 13.5 g of fat.
Does olive oil have cholesterol?
No. Cholesterol is only found in animal foods. Our label reads 0 mg.
Is olive oil high in saturated fat?
No. It is 14% saturated, compared with roughly 60% for ghee and about half for butter.
Does extra virgin olive oil have more calories than regular olive oil?
No, they are the same. The difference between them is in the antioxidants and flavour, not the calories.