How much olive oil to use in cooking

We will not suggest a daily amount or make any nutritional claim. The question here is a cooking one: how much oil a dish actually needs to come out right.

The basic measures

A tablespoon is about 15ml. A teaspoon about 5ml. Nearly every quantity below sits between the two.

By cooking method

• Sautéing in a pan: a tablespoon for a medium pan — enough to coat the base
• Roasting vegetables: one to two tablespoons for a full tray, tossed in a bowl first
• Air fryer: one to two teaspoons for a full basket
• Salad dressing: three parts oil to one part acid
• Poured over soup: a teaspoon per bowl
• Stirred through rice: a teaspoon per portion
• Scrambled eggs: a tablespoon for two or three eggs
• Pasta: two to three tablespoons for two portions, with pasta water

Why less is usually better

For sautéing and roasting, excess oil does not help the cooking — it pools in the pan or tray. Over-oiled vegetables turn soggy rather than browning at the edges, because they fry in a puddle instead of drying in hot air.

In an air fryer, excess oil drips into the drawer below and burns there, producing smoke and a scorched smell that has nothing to do with your food.

Where more does make sense

In dishes where olive oil is the sauce rather than the cooking medium. Pasta with oil and garlic needs enough to coat every strand; a dressing needs the right ratio; aubergine drinks oil and needs more than other vegetables.

The finishing pour

One habit worth keeping, outside any recipe's measurements: pour a little raw olive oil over food once it is cooked. Heat softens the oil's flavour, and the final pour puts it back.

A teaspoon is enough, and it is the most noticeable difference you can make with olive oil without changing anything else about how you cook.