Can I use a normal spray bottle for olive oil?

A big bottle of olive oil is almost priceless in a kitchen, but sometimes what you really need is a spray oil.

For those quick pan dishes or roasting vegetables in the oven, you might be looking at your 1L bottle and wondering: is there a way to do this with a spray bottle instead of pouring it?

So can you use a regular spray bottle for olive oil? Yes, you can use a regular spray bottle for olive oil, but you may need to thin the olive oil with water to make it more like a cooking spray. You will also need to make sure that the spray bottle is very clean before you put the olive oil in it.

In this article, we’ll explain exactly why and how to turn your traditional liquid olive oil into a handy olive oil spray for any light cooking need.

How to drizzle olive oil

Olive oil is much thicker than most cooking sprays. These sprays are sprayed in very fine droplets, or diluted with water and an emulsifying agent.

You can make your olive oil spray work either way, depending on the style of spray bottle you have. If you have a spray bottle designed to spray oils, you can use 100% olive oil.

However, if you have a cheap or “regular” spray bottle designed to spray water or cleaning, for example, you’ll have better luck cutting through oil with water.

Homemade Nonstick Cooking Spray

If you have a spray bottle designed for oils, you will need a funnel, your spray bottle, and your olive oil. Just carefully pour the oil into your spray bottle and squeeze the nozzle. Set it to mist or spray and you’re done!

If you have a bottle designed for water, we recommend that you fill it 1/3 full with distilled water at room temperature and 1/3 full with olive oil . Leave the last 1/3 empty so there is enough room to shake the bottle well before using it.

Oil and water do not mix. So unless you want to use an emulsifier, like guar gum or carrageenan, you’ll need to shake the bottle vigorously before each use to combine the water and oil as much as possible.

cooking spray bottle

The most important part of the olive oil spray hack is finding the right spray bottle.

Honestly, any spray bottle, even a plastic bottle from a dollar store, will do. But the better your bottle, the more effective your spray will be and the longer the oil will stay fresh in the bottle.

Oil is thicker and more viscous than water or other liquids that are often sprayed out of bottles. So using a sprayer designed to work with oils is a good start.

Olive oil will retain its nutritional value and freshness longer if it is protected from UV exposure, so a dark bottle is best for long-term storage. Glass bottles are also better for long-term storage because they protect the oil better.

They are protected against ultraviolet light, are free of BPA and lead. They even come with tags. This makes things easier in case you want to use the bottles for different types of oils or have one for oil and one for vinegar, for example.

The 16-ounce bottles also come with a mist and a stream setting, depending on your needs. To make your own olive oil spray, these spray bottles will work well with straight olive oil or watered-down versions.

Alternative to cooking spray

If you don’t have a spray bottle or any cooking spray, you can use a small amount of oil. This usually works instead of a spray.

When you are greasing a pan and only need a small amount of oil, put a tablespoon in the center of the baking dish. Then use a flat kitchen spoon or spatula to spread it evenly across the pan.

If you want to very lightly coat the vegetables for roasting, instead of basting them in the baking dish, brush them with a small amount of oil in a large bowl before transferring them to the baking dish.

If it’s meat, such as a chicken breast or steak, that you were going to baste, try pouring a small amount of oil into a separate bowl or dish. Then use a brush to drizzle the oil over the meat sparingly.

Conclution

Making your own olive oil cooking spray is easier than you might expect. All you need is a reliable spray bottle and your olive oil.

Ideally, you should have a spray bottle designed for use with oils, but if not, you can simply do a 50/50 mix of oil and water and shake the spray bottle well before each use.