Bertolli Extra Light Olive Oil: What "Extra Light" Really Means
Bertolli Extra Light olive oil is one of the most misunderstood products on the supermarket shelf, and the confusion is built right into the name. A lot of shoppers reach for it believing "extra light" means fewer calories or a healthier oil. It means neither. Bertolli is a long-established, widely trusted brand, and Extra Light is a perfectly sensible product for what it is designed to do — but what it actually is, and how it differs from extra virgin olive oil, is worth understanding before you decide it is the oil for you. This article explains exactly what you are buying.
For our own oil, see our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil.
The Short Answer
- "Extra light" refers to the oil's mild, light flavour — not its calorie content. It has the same calories as any other olive oil, around 120 per tablespoon.
- Bertolli Extra Light is a refined olive oil. It is processed to strip out most of the colour, aroma, and flavour, which also removes most of the polyphenols that give extra virgin oil its character.
- That processing gives it a neutral taste and a high smoke point, which makes it genuinely useful for high-heat cooking, frying, and baking where you do not want a strong olive flavour.
- Bertolli is a heritage brand with wide availability — a reliable choice for what it is.
- It is a different grade from extra virgin olive oil, which is cold-pressed, unrefined, and keeps its flavour, aroma, and polyphenols.
- If you want the taste and the polyphenols, you want a cold-pressed extra virgin oil. Sidr & Stone's is single-estate, rain-fed, and organically grown — currently on pre-order.
What "Extra Light" Actually Means
The single most important thing to know is that "extra light" is about flavour, not calories. Every pourable oil — extra virgin, refined, sunflower, rapeseed — carries roughly 120 calories per tablespoon, because it is essentially pure fat. Bertolli's own labelling is clear that the "light" refers to a mild, light taste. The name has simply been misread by enough shoppers over the years that the myth has stuck.
What makes the flavour light is refining. Bertolli Extra Light is made from refined olive oil blended with a little virgin olive oil. Refining uses heat and processing to strip out the colour, aroma, and most of the taste, leaving a pale, neutral oil. That is not a flaw — it is the entire point of the product. But it is a meaningfully different thing from a green, peppery extra virgin oil.
What Bertolli Extra Light Is Genuinely Good For
Refined oils like this one have a real place in the kitchen, and it would be dishonest to suggest otherwise. Because the flavour has been stripped back, Extra Light will not overpower delicate ingredients — useful in baking, in mayonnaise, or anywhere a strong olive taste would be unwelcome. And because refining raises the smoke point (Bertolli Extra Light sits around 200°C), it copes well with higher-heat cooking such as searing, sautéing, and frying.
So if what you want is a neutral, all-purpose cooking oil from a brand you recognise, Bertolli Extra Light does that job well. We are not going to pretend it does not. The question is simply whether that is the oil you are actually looking for.
Extra Light vs Extra Virgin: The Real Difference
The difference is grade, and it comes down to processing. Extra virgin olive oil is the highest grade: mechanically cold-pressed from olives, with no heat and no chemical refining. It keeps the colour, the aroma, the fruitiness, the peppery catch at the back of the throat — and the polyphenols, the antioxidant compounds that much of the published research on olive oil concerns.
A refined oil like Extra Light goes through the processing that extra virgin specifically avoids. That processing is what removes the flavour, and in doing so it strips out most of the polyphenols too. You are left with a clean, stable cooking oil, but not the characterful, polyphenol-rich oil that gives extra virgin its reputation. Neither grade is "wrong" — they are built for different jobs. For a fuller walkthrough of grades and what separates a good oil from a forgettable one, see our guide to choosing a quality olive oil.
How to Choose Between Them
The honest way to choose is by job, not by brand. If you are deep-frying, searing at high heat, or baking something where you do not want to taste olives, a neutral refined oil like Bertolli Extra Light is a reasonable pick — and so are several other refined cooking oils.
But if you are dressing a salad, finishing a dish, dipping bread, or simply want the flavour and the polyphenols that make olive oil worth talking about, refined oil is the wrong tool. That is the territory of a cold-pressed extra virgin oil, where colour, aroma, and freshness are the whole point. Many kitchens keep both: a neutral oil for heat, and a good extra virgin for flavour.
Why Sidr & Stone
Sidr & Stone sits firmly at the extra virgin end of that choice. We do not make a refined oil, and we are not competing with Bertolli Extra Light on neutral, high-heat cooking — that is a different product for a different job. What we offer is the flavour-and-traceability oil, stated plainly:
- Single-estate — one family-owned grove on the plains outside Marrakech, Morocco, with no blending across origins.
- Rain-fed — no irrigation; the trees take what the season gives them.
- Organically grown — without synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, or herbicides.
- Single harvest — a small, limited batch, picked only when the season says the fruit is ready.
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest — no heat, no refining, so the flavour, aroma, and polyphenols are preserved.
- Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed, and it may show a little natural sediment, which is normal.
- 100% natural — one ingredient, nothing added.
- Dark glass — protective packaging against light.
- Halal certified, with 10% of profits going to charity.
- Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the best olive oil — what we will say is that it is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown, and cold-pressed within hours of harvest, and that the evidence of that care is in the colour, the aroma, and the taste. That is precisely what refining removes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bertolli Extra Light olive oil?
It is a refined olive oil made from refined olive oil blended with a little virgin olive oil, processed to a pale colour and a mild, neutral flavour. Bertolli is a long-established brand, and this is its everyday, light-tasting cooking oil.
Is extra light olive oil lower in calories?
No. "Extra light" refers to the flavour, not the calories. Like all olive oil, it contains roughly 120 calories per tablespoon. It is no lighter on calories than extra virgin.
Is Bertolli Extra Light olive oil good for you?
It is a normal cooking oil. Because it is refined, it has lost most of the polyphenols that much of the research on olive oil concerns. It is a food, not a health product, and we would be cautious of any oil marketed with specific health-outcome claims.
Can you use extra light olive oil for frying?
Yes. Its neutral flavour and high smoke point (around 200°C) make it well suited to frying, searing, and high-heat cooking where you do not want a strong olive taste.
Extra light vs extra virgin — which is better?
Neither is better in the abstract; they are built for different jobs. Extra light is a neutral oil for high-heat cooking. Extra virgin is a cold-pressed, unrefined oil for flavour, aroma, and polyphenols. Many kitchens keep both.
How is Sidr & Stone different from Bertolli Extra Light?
Sidr & Stone is a single-estate, cold-pressed extra virgin oil from one grove near Marrakech — unrefined, organically grown, and fully traceable. Bertolli Extra Light is a refined, neutral oil for cooking. They are different grades for different purposes.
Where can I buy Bertolli Extra Light olive oil?
Bertolli is widely available in supermarkets and online, in a range of bottle sizes. As a mainstream brand it is one of the easiest olive oils to find on a UK shelf.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
Bertolli Extra Light olive oil is not a trick and not a poor product — it is simply not what many people assume it is. It is a refined, neutral, light-tasting oil, useful for high-heat cooking and delicate recipes, from a brand that has earned its place on the shelf. The only real mistake is buying it expecting fewer calories, or expecting the flavour and polyphenols of an extra virgin oil. It offers neither, because that is not its job.
If a neutral cooking oil is what you need, it is a sound choice. If what you are after is the colour, the aroma, the peppery finish, and the polyphenols, then you are looking for a cold-pressed extra virgin oil instead.
That is what we make. Our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil — single-estate, rain-fed, organically grown, and unrefined — is the opposite end of the choice from a refined oil, and it is available to pre-order now, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Pre-Order Sidr & Stone Organic Marrakech Olive Oil — Limited First Harvest →
Disclaimer: This article explains olive oil grades and describes a competitor product at the time of writing; specifications and brand practices may change, and readers should check current sources. Comparisons are made in good faith and in fair terms. References to Bertolli describe publicly available product information and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Bertolli. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.
