Cold-Pressed vs Regular Olive Oil: What’s the Difference?
Short answer: cold-pressed olive oil is squeezed out of fresh olives mechanically, below 27°C, with no chemicals, and bottled without refining. That makes it extra virgin or virgin oil. “Regular” olive oil, sold as pure, light or just olive oil, is mostly refined: treated with heat, neutralised and deodorised, then blended with a little virgin oil. Cold-pressed oil keeps the flavour and the natural antioxidants. Refined oil is cheaper and more neutral, but loses most of both.
How cold-pressed olive oil is made
- Harvest. Olives are picked and taken to the mill as quickly as possible. Fruit that sits around, or gets bruised, starts to ferment, and that shows up as defects in the oil. Earlier picking gives a greener, more peppery oil with more polyphenols. Later picking gives a milder, more golden one.
- Washing and crushing. Leaves and dust are removed, and the whole olives, stones included, are crushed into a paste.
- Malaxation. The paste is stirred slowly for 20 to 40 minutes so the tiny oil droplets join together. This is where temperature matters: keeping the paste below 27°C is what allows the words “cold extracted” on a label.
- Separation. The paste is spun in a decanter centrifuge that separates oil from water and pulp. Traditional mills used stacked mats and a press, which is where the word “pressed” comes from. Most modern mills use centrifuges, and the oil is the same kind.
- Settling and bottling. The oil is left to settle or is filtered, then bottled, ideally in dark glass.
Nothing is added and nothing is taken out except water and solids. Zuriyat’s olive oil is made this way, with the first cold press within hours of harvest, and bottled in Pakistan.
How regular (refined) olive oil is made
Oil from lower-quality or damaged fruit, too acidic or off-flavoured to sell as virgin, is refined. It is neutralised with alkali, bleached, and deodorised with steam at high temperature. This removes the defects, and with them most of the colour, smell, taste and polyphenols. A small share of virgin oil is then blended back in, and the result is sold as “olive oil”, “pure olive oil” or “light olive oil”.
Pomace oil goes one step further. It is extracted with solvents from the leftover paste after the first extraction, then refined.
The difference in the bottle
| Cold-pressed (extra virgin) | Refined (“pure”, “light”) | |
|---|---|---|
| Extraction | Mechanical, below 27°C | Heat, chemical neutralising, deodorising |
| Taste and smell | Fresh, fruity, bitter, peppery | Neutral, little taste |
| Polyphenols | Kept | Mostly removed |
| Free acidity | 0.8% or less | Low, but only because it has been treated |
| Best for | Raw use, everyday cooking, shallow frying | Very high heat, large-batch frying |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
Reading the label
- “Cold pressed” or “cold extracted” means extraction happened below 27°C.
- “First cold press” is mostly a traditional phrase. Modern oil isn’t pressed twice, so “first” adds little on its own.
- “Extra virgin” is the grade that matters. Cold pressing is how you get there, and the grade confirms the result.
- “Pure”, “light”, “extra light” mean refined oil, whatever the picture on the front suggests.
Frequently asked questions
Is cold-pressed olive oil better for your health?
Yes, mainly because it keeps its natural polyphenols, which refining removes. Both are monounsaturated fats, so both are better than saturated fats. Only cold-pressed extra virgin brings the antioxidant benefits. See olive oil health benefits.
Can I fry with cold-pressed olive oil?
Yes, at normal frying temperatures. See frying with olive oil.
Why does cold-pressed olive oil cost more?
It needs sound fruit, processed quickly, and it can’t be rescued by refining if something goes wrong. Refined oil can be made from almost any olives.
How do I know the oil I bought is really cold pressed?
Taste it: fresh, bitter and peppery means unrefined. Then check the grade and the date on the label. See how to tell if olive oil is real.
Taste the difference yourself: Zuriyat cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.