The 10 Best Truffle Oils
Special Honors
Oregon Mushrooms In their selection of freshly harvested mushrooms from the Pacific Northwest you'll find sustainably sourced Oregon truffles. They're different strains than the Italian ones, and have a different flavor profile overall, but one huge benefit to buying domestically is that they're likely fresher, as they haven't been flown around the world only to sit in customs for weeks until they're inspected. In addition to a couple varieties of Oregon truffle, they offer frozen truffle year-round, which is nothing to sneeze at, and they have a huge selection of additional gourmet mushrooms available as well. oregonmushrooms.com
D'artagnan You want high-end cured meats? They got 'em. Raw foie gras? They can get it. D'artagnan can supply you with a wealth of fancy foods that will impress even the pickiest food snob. It'll cost you, but they have access to truly authentic truffles of various types from all of Europe, whenever they're in season. dartagnan.com
Regalis Foods Ian Purkayastha, AKA "Truffle Boy," isn't yet 30 years old and has been providing some of the finest and most famous establishments in the USA with their most premium ingredients for years. He's been featured on more than a few popular media outlets and collaborated with chefs such as David Chang of Momofuku fame. His import business is practically a fixture among Michelin-starred restaurants in America, so you can be certain that his truffles, as memorable and well-known an ingredient as just about any, will be of the highest quality. regalisfoods.com
Editor's Notes
November 27, 2020:
We’ve made some substantial changes to this list. We bid goodbye to Earthly Delights Organic and Regalis Infused because of fulfillment issues, and we also replaced Plantin Genuine Breakings and Gourmet Living Carpaccio because while preserved truffle pieces are delicious, we’re focusing specifically on oils.
We have added some new options we found impressive, such as D’Allesandro Gourmet, and Oliviers and Company, which has a beautiful bottle and a powerful flavor. We also like the offering from the New York-based artisan maker, The Truffliest, as it’s pretty truffly, and included La Tourangelle, which some prefer because it’s got a neutral safflower base which some think competes less with truffle flavor than olive oil. The idea of an aerosol truffle oil may seem odd, but the idea is nice for light coverage, so we traded out the Mantova Spray black (which has artificial flavors) for the Mantova Spray white (which doesn’t).
If you can’t get enough of truffle flavor but don’t want to shell out for whole fungi, you may want to check out truffle butters and truffle salts, or try truffle honey, which goes nicely on a cheeseboard, or elevates your Southern food game if you drizzle some on biscuits or fried chicken.
June 14, 2019:
First things first: truffle oil is no substitute for real truffle. In fact, try as they might, many producers of this sought-after ingredient have a very hard time convincing truffle lovers that they're not actually using refined chemical flavorings instead of pure truffle extract. But that's okay! If you like truffle oil, you like truffle oil -- a lot of people do, and if you're one of them, there's no reason to stop liking it, as long as you're aware of what you're getting.
Based on company reputation, chef feedback, and legally-required labeling, the Regalis and Calivirgin are likely to be the least chemically refined. But keep in mind, real truffle is much more gentle and complex than what most restaurant chefs have been drizzling on french fries for decades. The end result is that you'll see unhappy feedback from users because a subtle flavor is usually not what they were going for. If you're looking for that punch-in-the-nostrils profile that constantly reminds you that you're eating truffle, TruffleHunter is probably the one for you. Urbani's low-end variety is another good choice if you're not too familiar with fresh truffle, because it has a pretty straightforward flavor. Chef Jean-Pierre's is supposedly used in a number of professional kitchens, but just be aware that it's more concentrated than the rest, so use it with care. But whatever exactly is in it, Urbani's high-end Unico White is consistently called the best-tasting by many people, whether they're home cooks or chefs who want to appeal to diners' rich sides.
Another way to get the fungus' delicate flavor is through preserved truffle. We've included a straight bottled paste in the Plantin option, and while this is almost definitely not going to taste like a lot of people expect, it's a great way to add a different flavor to a meal, if you can afford it. Even more interesting is the Gourmet Living Carpaccio, which has visible slices submerged in oil, and because oil itself acts as a preservative, there's a little more complexity left in it than there is in highly refined "infusions."
If you want to get really serious, we've linked to some actual truffle importers below. But, like a lot of authentic produce, you'll have to wait until they're in season to get the good stuff.