We Tried The Starbucks Olive Oil Coffee. Here’s Our Review Of The Nutrition, Taste, And Health Benefits.

Do you have questions about Starbucks’ new olive oil–infused coffee? We did too, so here’s our review, including how many calories it has, what it tastes like, and whether it really will help you poop.

As you may have heard, Starbucks is now offering a coffee that contains olive oil. Why, you ask? We’re not sure, but it might be the most exciting innovation in fatty oil–infused drink options since that time when people thought it was a good idea to add grass-fed butter to their morning beverage. 

CEO Howard Schultz said the coffee giant launched the “Oleato,” inspired by the Latin word for olive, after he visited Milan and was inspired by the Mediterranean tradition of taking a teaspoonful of olive oil daily. While Italians don’t actually put the olive oil in their coffee — that’s all Starbucks — there are now three different olive oil–containing drinks available at select Starbucks stores in the US, Japan, the Middle East, and the UK. 

We’re not sure if this is truly the next great chocolate-plus-peanut-butter food pairing that the world needed, but we set out to find out what it tastes like, its nutrition profile, and what — if any — health benefits you get from slurping down olive oil for breakfast. 

We asked experts hard-hitting questions like “Does it really help you poop, as in, more so than regular coffee?” and “Are there any health benefits of the combo or should olive oil just stay in its lane?” 

For its part, Starbucks says that its Partanna extra virgin olive oil has “an unexpected, velvety, buttery flavor” that enhances the coffee “and lingers beautifully on the palate.”

I bought the Oleato Shaken Espresso with four pumps of toffee nut at the Starbucks Reserve in New York City and wasn’t surprised to see other coffee lovers purchasing from the Oleato line. It’s exciting!

What I was surprised to see was the olive oil floating on the top of my drink like the aftermath of an oil spill in a harbor. I took a sip and was met with an overwhelming taste of Partanna, although my drink only had one tablespoon of olive oil, supposedly infused into the oat milk. 

Rachel Cheng, 29, a Starbucks lover from Los Angeles, described the drink’s look as “green” and “oily” in her review on TikTok where she highlighted the pros and cons.

@l3hcar

Do they serve this at starbucks in italy or are the italians laughing at us rn #starbucks #oliveoil #tastetest #starbucksdrinks

♬ original sound - L3HCAR

“I definitely would say it was worth a try and was a fun little treat to break up my usual order,” Cheng told BuzzFeed News. “It felt a little heavier than what I’d usually get but I remember how the quality of the olive oil makes me feel better about that.”

Lots of people commented on the video, which had more than 1 million views and 2,500 comments, asking if it would help with constipation. Others questioned if the new drink was some sort of April Fools’ Day joke. 

“Is this actually a thing you can order now??” one user commented. “I’d only get it when I need a laxative tbh.”

So we asked experts about the potential health benefits and the potential risks of drinking an oily beverage every day. 

Olive oil is good for your digestive and immune health 

Olive oil is generally considered good for you; it’s a mainstay of the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, which may help prevent cardiovascular disease. It has antioxidants (as does coffee) so that’s a good thing. And olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats, said Jamie Stang, the president of the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists.

“National dietary guidelines recommend that people choose healthier sources of fats, such as olive oil, when making food choices,” Stang told BuzzFeed News.

A 2022 Department of Nutrition study followed participants who consumed olive oil compared with people who didn’t. Higher olive oil intake was associated with a 19% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, a 17% lower risk of cancer mortality, a 29% lower risk of neurodegenerative disease, and an 18% lower risk of respiratory disease. 

“Monounsaturated fat can aid in lowering the bad LDL cholesterol in our body. It also contains anti-inflammatory properties to reduce disease, such as heart disease,” said Colleen Moltzen, a certified dietician nutritionist based in New York. LDL is the “bad” kind of cholesterol in the body that you should try to reduce.

Additionally, olive oil may actually help with moving things along in the digestive tract. In a 2014 study published in the Journal of Renal Nutrition, the daily use of olive oil and flaxseed oil was effective in the treatment of constipation in patients who were undergoing kidney dialysis. 

In a 2020 study of 40 people with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, olive oil helped reduce bloating, constipation, fecal urgency, and other symptoms compared with canola oil. 

Since coffee on its own can help with digestion, this drink could be a win-win for people who are constipated. However, small amounts of olive oil aren’t likely to make a big difference, according to Stang.

“Adequate fluid intake is one of the main reasons people have constipation, along with low fiber intake and lack of exercise. Drinking more liquids could be one of the reasons that one of the drinks may help with constipation,” Stang said. “Oat milk has a little bit of fiber, too but probably not enough to make a difference for most people.”


Here’s the nutrition breakdown, including fat and calories

That said, olive oil is still good for you. However, some of the drinks might be too high in saturated fat and calories to be consumed as a daily drink, Stang said. For example, the Grande Oleato Cold Brew has 380 calories (19% of your daily intake, if you consume 2,000 calories per day) and 10 grams of saturated fat (50% of the daily value).  

Other drinks in the Oleato line have similar nutritional profiles, although they are lower in calories and saturated fat. Any of these drinks are perfectly fine to consume, of course, but depending on your nutritional goals, some may take up more real estate in your daily caloric intake than is warranted given the other nutrients they contain. 

Here is the nutritional info:

Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew (16 fluid ounces)

  • Calories: 380
  • Total fat: 34 grams (44% of the daily value)
  • Saturated fat: 10 grams (50% of the daily value)

Oleato Caffé Latte with Oat Milk (16 ounces)

  • Calories: 330 
  • Fat: 23 grams (29% of daily value)
  • Saturated fat: 3 grams (15% of daily value)

Oleato Iced Shaken Espresso With Oat Milk and Toffee Nut (16 ounces)

  • Calories: 250 
  • Fat: 17 grams (22% of daily value) 
  • Saturated fat: 2.5 grams (13% of daily value)

“The recommendation for most Americans is to switch to healthier fats sources but not to increase fat intake. There are exceptions where people may need a higher fat diet, but that is specific to medical conditions and not general public advice,” Stang said. “If you look at the nutritional content of these drinks, this is by no means a healthy drink recommendation.”

A general rule — 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil a day is enough to consume per day. 

“Olive oil is a great part of a healthy diet,” Moltzen said. “One of the only downsides to consuming it daily may be the added calories. However, a teaspoon of olive oil should not make much of a difference.” 

Topics in this article

Skip to footer