Olive oil contains zero cholesterol. Like all plant-based oils, it has no dietary cholesterol whatsoever. This is a fundamental rule of plant fats: cholesterol is only found in animal-derived foods like butter, lard, eggs, and meat. So if you’re scanning nutrition labels to limit cholesterol intake, olive oil won’t add to your tally.
But most people searching this question really want to know something deeper: what does olive oil do to the cholesterol already in your blood? That answer is more nuanced and, for the most part, encouraging.
Why Plant Oils Are Cholesterol-Free
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that animals produce in their cells. Plants don’t make it. The USDA states this plainly: oils from plant sources, including vegetables and nuts, do not contain any cholesterol. This applies to every variety of olive oil, whether it’s extra virgin, virgin, or refined.
What olive oil does contain is fat, and quite a lot of it. A tablespoon has about 14 grams. The critical distinction is the type of fat. Roughly 70 to 80% of the fat in olive oil is oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid. Most of the remainder is a mix of smaller amounts of polyunsaturated and saturated fat. This fat profile is what makes olive oil behave very differently in your body than, say, butter or coconut oil.
How Olive Oil Affects Your Blood Cholesterol
Even though olive oil itself is cholesterol-free, the fats you eat influence how much cholesterol circulates in your bloodstream. Saturated fats tend to raise LDL (the “bad” cholesterol), while unsaturated fats either hold it steady or nudge it downward. Because olive oil is predominantly unsaturated, it doesn’t raise LDL the way animal fats do.
A large meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Nutrition pooled data from 31 randomized controlled trials and found that increasing olive oil intake by about two teaspoons per day had essentially no measurable effect on LDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind) showed a very small increase, peaking at around 20 grams per day (roughly 1.5 tablespoons), but the change was so modest that researchers classified it as clinically unimportant on its own.
That might sound underwhelming, but the real value of olive oil shows up when it replaces something worse. In a controlled crossover trial with 47 healthy adults, swapping part of a normal diet with butter raised total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol significantly compared to the same swap with olive oil. The olive oil group saw no such increase. In other words, olive oil’s biggest benefit for cholesterol isn’t that it actively lowers LDL. It’s that it holds the line while replacing fats that would push LDL up.
Protection Beyond Cholesterol Numbers
LDL cholesterol becomes most dangerous when it oxidizes, a process that triggers inflammation and contributes to plaque buildup in arteries. Extra virgin olive oil contains natural antioxidant compounds called polyphenols that help prevent this oxidation. Lab research published in The Journal of Nutrition found that two specific polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil completely blocked immune-cell-driven oxidation of LDL particles. They did this by neutralizing reactive oxygen species and boosting the cell’s own antioxidant defense systems.
This is one reason why extra virgin olive oil consistently outperforms refined olive oil in cardiovascular research. Refining strips away most of those protective polyphenols. If heart health is your goal, the less processed version carries a meaningful advantage that won’t show up on a basic cholesterol panel.
Olive oil also contains small amounts of plant sterols (phytosterols), compounds that are structurally similar enough to cholesterol that they compete with it for absorption in your gut. Phytosterols physically displace cholesterol from the tiny fat droplets your intestines use to absorb dietary fat, which means less cholesterol makes it into your bloodstream. The amounts in olive oil are modest compared to dedicated phytosterol supplements, but they contribute to the overall picture.
Olive Oil vs. Butter and Other Fats
The American Heart Association’s 2026 dietary guidance recommends using nontropical plant oils like olive, canola, and soybean oil in place of animal fats and tropical oils (coconut oil, palm oil) for food preparation. The latest USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2025 to 2030) specifically call out olive oil as one of the most nutrient-dense options for cooking and adding fat to meals.
Here’s a quick comparison of how common fats stack up:
- Olive oil: Zero cholesterol, about 14% saturated fat. High in monounsaturated fat. Does not raise LDL.
- Butter: Contains dietary cholesterol (about 31 mg per tablespoon) and is roughly 63% saturated fat. Raises both total and LDL cholesterol in controlled trials.
- Coconut oil: No dietary cholesterol (it’s plant-based), but about 82% saturated fat. Raises LDL more than other plant oils.
The pattern is consistent: saturated fat content matters more than whether an oil technically contains cholesterol. Coconut oil is cholesterol-free but still raises LDL because of its saturated fat load. Olive oil is cholesterol-free and low in saturated fat, which is why it performs well in head-to-head comparisons.
Does Cooking With Olive Oil Change the Picture?
A common concern is that heating olive oil might create harmful oxidation byproducts. Research comparing heated olive oil to heated seed oils (like safflower and corn oil) consistently shows olive oil holds up better. Because it’s mostly monounsaturated fat rather than polyunsaturated, it resists oxidation at frying temperatures more effectively than oils high in polyunsaturated fats.
One study had healthy men eat meals prepared with olive oil or safflower oil that had been heated at 410°F (210°C) for eight hours, a far more extreme treatment than normal cooking. Blood samples afterward showed that the heated olive oil meal did not increase susceptibility to lipoprotein oxidation, while unheated oils rich in polyunsaturated fats did. Animal research has similarly found that heated olive oil causes less arterial plaque formation than heated corn oil. So cooking with olive oil at normal temperatures doesn’t create a hidden cholesterol or oxidation problem.
How Much Olive Oil to Use
There’s no single magic number, but the research suggests that about 20 grams per day (roughly 1.5 tablespoons) is where the modest HDL benefit appears to peak. Federal dietary guidelines don’t set a specific olive oil target but recommend that the majority of added fats in your diet come from liquid plant oils rather than solid animal fats or tropical oils.
The practical takeaway is straightforward. If you’re currently cooking with butter or coconut oil and your cholesterol numbers are a concern, switching to olive oil removes a source of LDL-raising saturated fat. If you’re already using olive oil, choosing extra virgin over refined varieties gives you the added polyphenol protection that helps keep LDL particles from oxidizing. Either way, the oil itself adds exactly zero milligrams of cholesterol to your plate.