Why Does Extra Virgin Olive Oil Solidify?

We all know that extra virgin olive oil is an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet, but what happens when this precious oil is frozen?

Most people might assume that the extra virgin olive oil solidified would go bad or become unusable, but the truth is, it’s actually quite resilient when it comes to temperatures. In fact, when stored correctly, extra virgin olive oil can last for up to two years in the freezer.

What happens when our extra virgin olive oil is frozen?

The short answer is: not much. The oil will remain in a liquid state when frozen, though it will become more viscous. This means that it will be thicker and more sluggish when poured, but the flavor and quality of the oil is still the same.

The solidification of olive oil is a slow and gradual process that takes the consistency from liquid to room-temp butter to solid. Therefore, it may be “not that cold” at your warehouse, but the cooling process will still begin.

Again, this process doesn’t affect the quality — it will be the same Extra Virgin Olive Oil when you bring it back to room temperature and it becomes liquid again. Some even suggest keeping it at this extra cool temperature to extend the shelf life.

To prevent this from happening, it’s important to always store your extra virgin olive oil in an airtight container. This will ensure that the oil stays fresh and delicious for up to two years.

In conclusion, this freezing or solidifying process is completely natural and doesn’t affect the quality at all, so you don’t have to worry.

If you want to know in depth the elaboration process, you can do it in the article about the elaboration of extra virgin olive oil that we have published in our blog.

EVOO under the Protected Designation of Origin Estepa

The Estepa PDO is the most demanding when it comes to certifying extra virgin olive oil. For this reason, acidity is another of the parameters where the Designation of Origin Estepa is strict.