Researchers found that adding just a touch of the beloved ingredient to vegetable patties led to higher levels of good-for-you fats and certain antioxidants. Another bonus? They tasted better, too.
Published on February 16, 2026
It turns out that a little drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) on your veggies may be doing far more good than you realize.
In January, researchers from the University of Chile published the findings of their (rather delicious-sounding) study in the journal Foods, analyzing the nutritional impact of adding a small amount of extra-virgin olive oil to vegetable patties.
The team prepared 42 vegetable patties made with broccoli, carrots, onion, egg white, oat flour, and a spice mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. They then divided the recipes into two groups: one with half a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil and one without. The researchers measured the nutritional profile of the patties prior to cooking and then cooked each patty three different ways: one set was baked at 356°F for 15 minutes, another was air-fried at 356°F for 15 minutes, and the last was deep-fried at 338°F for two minutes in the oil.
The team then remeasured the nutritional profile of each patty, including its fat, protein, carbohydrate, and mineral content, as well as its antioxidant levels.
If you guessed that deep-frying would be the least favorable method for those looking to control their saturated fat intake, you'd be correct. According to the findings, it significantly increased the patties' total fat content, in some cases by up to 75%, compared to the baked and air-fried versions. Baking and air-frying, on the other hand, kept oil absorption relatively low, showing that how you cook your veggie patties is potentially just as important as what you put in them. However, the study also found that deep-fried patties with EVOO had the highest total polyphenol content (TPC), a significant finding that underscores the antioxidant benefits of EVOO even under deep-frying conditions.
The team also found that the addition of extra-virgin olive oil provides a substantial benefit, with patties containing the oil showing higher levels of monounsaturated fats, particularly oleic acid, a fatty acid found in EVOO, which has been associated with improved heart health and anti-inflammatory benefits. The study also documented changes in other fatty acids, including increases in palmitic acid and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) during deep-frying, as well as a decrease in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as linoleic acid (LA) in EVOO-enriched patties.
In the study, the raw patties generally had the highest antioxidant counts, suggesting that heating the ingredients in the patties can degrade certain compounds. That said, when the researchers cooked the patties, those made with olive oil — including some that were deep-fried — all showed higher levels of certain antioxidants than those without it.
Now, here's the best part of this work: The researchers went beyond identifying the nutritionally superior way to prepare and cook the patties. They also conducted a taste test to ensure the patties were delicious, too.
To do this, they recruited 53 volunteers to sample and rate the patties for appearance, aroma, taste, and texture, and there was a clear winner: The patties with olive oil that were either baked or air-fried.
As the findings revealed, nearly nine out of 10 participants preferred the air-fried version with olive oil, whereas more than three-quarters preferred the baked version.
This isn't the only recent study showing the power of adding a little olive oil to your meal. In December, Food & Wine reported on another study, this time published in the journal Food Nutrition, that examined how extra-virgin olive oil can help the body absorb more of kale's key nutrients. As those researchers explained, while kale on its own is "nutrient-rich," the human body has a tough time absorbing some of its key vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K, because they are fat-soluble rather than water-soluble.
However, these researchers found that when they topped the kale (cooked or raw) with a "special nanoemulsion-based sauce," aka a water-and-oil-based sauce, their digestion model absorbed far more vitamins and antioxidants.
So, the next time you want to impress your dinner party and serve them a nutritionally packed dinner, go ahead and drizzle that EVOO. Science will back you up.
