diff --git a/src/helpers.js b/src/helpers.js
index b29f099..16d91b6 100644
--- a/src/helpers.js
+++ b/src/helpers.js
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ const writeFileAsync = promisify(fs.writeFile)
 const mkdirpAsync = promisify(mkdirp)
 
 /**
- * Optimizes a single image, returning the orignal if the "optimized" version is larger
+ * Optimizes a single image
+ * returns the orignal if the "optimized" version is larger (only if the onlyUseIfSmaller option is true)
  * @param  {Object}  imageData
  * @param  {Object}  imageminOptions
  * @return {Promise(asset)}
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ export async function optimizeImage (imageData, imageminOptions) {
   const optimizedImageBuffer = await imagemin.buffer(imageBuffer, imageminOptions)
 
   // If the optimization actually produced a smaller file, then return the optimized version
-  if (optimizedImageBuffer.length < originalSize) {
+  if (imageminOptions.onlyUseIfSmaller && optimizedImageBuffer.length < originalSize) {
     return optimizedImageBuffer
   } else {
     // otherwize return the orignal
diff --git a/src/index.d.ts b/src/index.d.ts
index ce320cb..8dbd248 100644
--- a/src/index.d.ts
+++ b/src/index.d.ts
@@ -38,5 +38,6 @@ declare namespace ImageminWebpackPlugin {
     minFileSize?: number;
     maxFileSize?: number;
     cacheFolder?: string;
+    onlyUseIfSmaller?: boolean;
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index dff285e..16d5d39 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import {
 
 export default class ImageminPlugin {
   constructor (options = {}) {
-    // I love ES2015!
     const {
       disable = false,
       test = /.*/,
@@ -41,7 +40,8 @@ export default class ImageminPlugin {
       svgo = {},
       pngquant = null,
       externalImages = {},
-      cacheFolder = null
+      cacheFolder = null,
+      onlyUseIfSmaller = false
     } = options
 
     this.options = {
@@ -58,7 +58,8 @@ export default class ImageminPlugin {
         fileName: null,
         ...externalImages
       },
-      cacheFolder
+      cacheFolder,
+      onlyUseIfSmaller
     }
 
     // As long as the options aren't `null` then include the plugin. Let the destructuring above