The 1 Key Upgrade To My Ice Cream Was Hiding In My Kitchen Cupboard

Winter schminter – ice cream is completely acceptable to scoff 365 days of the year in our opinion.

But before you tuck into that scoop of ice cream fresh outta the freezer, you’ve got one more thing to drizzle on it. 

Strawberry sauce? Melted chocolate? No, what we’ve been recommended isn’t anything sweet. 

Instead, it’s time to dive into that kitchen cupboard and reach for the… olive oil.

Yup, the very same olive oil you’ve been pouring on salads and using to fry stuff in – according to fans of the pairing, the richness of olive oil is a perfect pairing for the texture of ice cream.

Savoury and sweet are best friends, and olive oil complements the ice cream’s richness, resulting in a decadent dessert.

Don’t believe us? Well, First for Women writes that “A drizzle of olive oil over your scoop of ice cream may sound strange, but it adds a surprisingly rich, buttery note that perfectly complements the sweetness.” 

Meanwhile, Serious Eats boasts that the flavour can also be fruity and peppery, depending on what type of olive oil you choose. 

Then there’s the fact that it’s rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, meaning that extra virgin olive oil is one helluva healthier topping for your ice cream than chocolate or sweets. 

Olive oil is in fact a very common topping for ice cream in Italian restaurants and olive oil ice cream (as in ice cream made with olive oil), is a popular dessert in Italy itself. Apparently making ice cream with olive oil makes it a lot smoother – which when you really think about it does make sense.

Want to take things even further? A good pinch of sea salt on your olive oil covered ice cream is the next step to a savoury/sweet dessert of dreams.

Move over hundreds and thousands.