Olive Oil Ice Cream Has Been Around Longer Than You'd Think

A swirl of soft serve with a bright yellow sauce nestled in its luxurious folds looks delicious, but that's not a drizzle of maple syrup or coffee liqueur — that's olive oil. This unlikely pairing, leading to the viral TikTok trend of topping ice cream with EVOO, has really been making the rounds. However, garnishing cold, creamy treats with the salad dressing staple has been around for a few years, and for good reason!

As it turns out, olive oil and ice cream are fitting accomplices in more ways than one. As a topping or base ingredient, olive oil does all kinds of good things to ice cream — the earthy, fruity, and bitter notes of the former burst through the creaminess of the latter. The texture of olive oil thickens when subjected to a frozen dessert, enhancing the overall mouthfeel of every bite. Mind you, the olive oil you use must be high quality, and you must maintain a measured hand when drizzling it over your ice cream of choice. But, as you'll see, there's much to explore in the eclectic realms of oil-topped ice cream, from olive oil-churned gelato to ice cream garnished with chili crisp oil.

Before we dig into its pre-viral life, what exactly does olive oil do to your ice cream that makes it a worthy competitor to popular toppings? Well, it actually does something quite similar — just like dark chocolate sauce or a syrupy sweet maraschino cherry would, it broadens the flavor palette of your ice cream by introducing sensory notes that complement your dessert.

Most ice cream is predominantly sweet, while good extra-virgin olive oil's three predominant sensory characteristics are fruity, bitter, and pungent. Eaten together, the resulting bite, lick, or spoonful has a complex sweetness that's grounded by olive oil's subtle umami notes. And it's not just the enhanced flavor — olive oil adds a luscious mouthfeel to the whole experience. The viscosity of olive oil increases below 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, turning it into a thicker, more luxurious liquid that coats the insides of your mouth and helps its flavors linger.

You can garnish any flavored ice cream with olive oil and expect a delicious outcome. From pistachio to bubble gum, the complimentary powers of EVOO (the only kind for topping) will shine. However, to truly revel in the transformative powers of olive oil-topped ice cream, try it with a plain quality gelato and a pinch of flaky fleur de sel. 

Olive oil has been a fixture in desserts in the olive-growing regions of Italy and Spain for centuries, and the idea has percolated internationally courtesy of those who have tasted traditional dishes like EVOO cake and brought the idea back with them. In an LA Times piece from 2013, chef Nancy Silverton recounted how olive oil in cakes and gelato was an absolute revelation to her — and not just as a topping. Olive oil is equally proficient as a base ingredient in gelato, its fruity, slightly bitter notes playing well against the creamy sweetness of milk and sugar.

Studies at the University of Naples Federico II under Raffaele Sacchi, a professor of agri-food industries, show that extra virgin olive oil can be used as a fat replacement in gelato, positively shifting the balance between saturated and unsaturated fat. Sacchi also explained that ice cream made with olive oil contains "pleasant floral, herbaceous notes" (via Olive Oil Times).

If all this talk of contrasting oil and ice cream intrigues you, topping vanilla ice cream with chili crisp oil can take you deeper down this rabbit hole. Initially a viral food trend that originated in China, it gained a loyal following amongst foodies — and not just those who were hunting for food stunts like mixing chocolate pudding with ramen noodles. Foodie extraordinaire J. Kenji Lopez-Alt even paid homage to the creation via Instagram, giving the world his twist on the oil-topped creamy confection with the surprise bite of chili crisp.