Olive Oil Powder Recipe

Updated March 07, 2025

Tapioca maltodextrin is a slightly sweet modified starch that will thicken and stabilize liquids high in fat. Since it can absorb more than its weight in liquid, it can transform fat into a powdery substance that melts on the tongue. Use olive oil powder in dishes for an extremely rich feel in the mouth, such as on lobster. You can replace the olive oil in this recipe with any flavored oil; nut oils like hazelnut and pistachio come to mind.

You can buy maltodextrin (also called malto and N-Zorbit M) at L'Epicerie.

Update: A reader below reported that the measurements below didn't provide enough maltodextrin to turn the olive oil into powder. There are lots of oil powder recipes out there with significantly different measurements. This one uses relatively little maltodextrin, and while it didn't cause any problem for me, feel free to add more if need be. These oil powders are fairly forgiving and do not suffer much from adding more maltodextrin.

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Recipe Details

Olive Oil Powder Recipe

Prep 5 mins

Active 5 mins

Total 5 mins

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

100 grams extra virgin olive oil
31 grams tapioca maltodextrin (31% weight of oil)
Small pinch fine salt

Directions

Combine ingredients in medium bowl and whisk together until powder is fully integrated into oil and clumps form into something like lumpy biscuit dough. Transfer powder to fine mesh strainer. Push mixture through strainer using whisk in circular pattern; this will create a fine powder. Store in a dry container or use immediately.

Special equipment

scale accurate to 0.1 gram

This Recipe Appears In

Have You Tried Modernist Cuisine at Home?

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
995	Calories
100g	Fat
27g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories	995
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 100g	128%
Saturated Fat 14g	69%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 134mg	6%
Total Carbohydrate 27g	10%
Dietary Fiber 0g	1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 7mg	1%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 4mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.