• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Evergreen Kitchen

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Cookbook
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Cookbook
    • Recipes
    • Resources
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Extras

    Published: Mar 6, 2018 · Modified: Feb 7, 2022 by bri · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Homemade Chili Garlic Oil

    This homemade chili garlic oil is an easy way to spice up almost any dish. Drizzle it on pizza, soups, veggies, dip into with bread, or swirl it into sauces...basically anything. 4 ingredients. 5 minutes to make. What are you waiting for?
    Jump to Recipe
    Jar of homemade chili garlic oil with garlic and chili flakes surrounding it

    At home, we’re no strangers to spice. At any point in time you’d be able to find at least two kinds of hot sauce in our fridge. And if I told you where to look, then you’d also find the third bottle we usually have stashed away in the pantry. You know, as back-up. However, as much as we love hot sauce, we’re also strong believers that it too has a time and a place. Sometimes hot sauce can’t help but overwhelm a dish. When we’re looking for more neutral, delicious but not “focus-only-on-me” spice, that’s where chili garlic oil comes in.

    We call this “the good stuff”. The oil is quick-steeped with fresh garlic and red chili flakes, and the flavor is absolutely divine. We use this chili garlic oil on basically anything that pairs well with spice and garlic. Which to be frank, is a lot of things. We slather it on pizza, sandwiches, pasta, ramen, roasted vegetables, you name it. This oil is best used immediately, but thankfully it’s easy to whip up in small batches. It takes only five minutes to prepare and you can easily make it at the same time as dinner. Long story short: it’s pretty much magic.

    Close up of chili flakes in a glass container

    The inspiration for this oil came from our favorite pizza shop, which always has bottles of chili oil on the table. It’s a lovely addition, but I almost always find myself craving a bit more flavor beyond the spice. And a bit of texture couldn't hurt. Turns out, garlic brings the chili oil to the next level. Sure you can buy chili garlic oil too, but we much prefer the homemade kind. That way you can leave in the delicious bits of garlic and chili flakes, so that a spoonful of sauce is so much more than straight up oil. So be sure to scoop up some of the yummy garlic and red chili flakes too. It's a serious upgrade if you ask us.

    Now before you run into the kitchen to whip up a triple batch of this magic oil, let’s talk about garlic - and why this oil is best made in smaller batches. Garlic is a low-acid vegetable, and like all low-acid vegetables, it needs to be handled properly when it comes to canning or storing in oil. The moisture and low-acidity, combined with a low-oxygen environment, can support the growth of toxins. But don’t freak out. You can take the necessary precautions by storing your homemade garlic oil in the fridge, and using it within a couple days. Some food safety sources say you can go up to 4 days in the fridge (or several months in the freezer), but the bottom line is to use it up quick. Which won’t be a problem once you taste how delicious it is! We’ve yet to find a store-bought version that even comes close. That could be because commercial manufacturers are required to process their garlic so it’s shelf stable, or alternatively turn to flavorings to mimic the taste instead. 

    So go ahead and make a batch of this homemade chili garlic oil next time you’re in the kitchen. It makes pizza nights, noodle nights, basically any night’s dinner feel that much more special. The recipe below is for a small batch, so you can use it up quick. Any leftover oil is an easy addition to spice up work lunches and leftovers too. Drizzle it on roasted veggies, grains, rice or anything else that could use a little more pizazz.

    Close up of spoon in chili garlic oil

    Homemade Chili Garlic Oil

    This homemade chili garlic oil is an easy way to spice up almost any dish. Drizzle it on pizza, soups, veggies, dip into with bread, or swirl it into sauces...basically anything. 4 ingredients. 5 minutes to make. What are you waiting for?
    Prep Time 1 minute
    Cook Time 4 minutes
    Total Time 5 minutes
    Servings 8
    Author: Bri
    Pin Recipe
    Close up of spoon in chili garlic oil
    Print

    Ingredients

    • ⅓ cup grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil, see note 1)
    • 4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
    • 6 cloves garlic, finely grated (see note 2)
    • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Infuse oil: Add grapeseed oil, red pepper flakes, garlic, and salt to a small saucepan. Warm over low heat, until you see small bubbles in the oil and the garlic smells fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir or swirl the pan frequently to prevent garlic from browning.
    • Use or refrigerate: Transfer contents to a clean heatproof jar. Either use immediately - or refrigerate and use within 2 to 4 days.

    Notes

    1. Neutral oil: Choose a neutral tasting oil (like grapeseed, canola, vegetable, or corn oil) so it doesn't compete with the garlic and chili flavors. 
    2. Garlic-free variation: Adding fresh garlic to oil means a fairly short shelf life, from a food safety perspective (read post for more details). If you want to store the oil for longer or make a larger batch, omit the garlic and just make chili oil. Then, when you're ready to use the oil, you can infuse fresh garlic into it then, by gently warming the chili oil over the stove and adding fresh minced garlic before serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 297IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a rating below and tag us @evergreenkitchen on instagram!

    More Extras

    • Easy Sriracha Aioli in a bowl with a spoon.
      Sriracha Aioli (3 ingredients!)
    • Whipped ricotta dip with honey, thyme, and pepper in a bowl.
      Whipped Ricotta Dip with Honey
    • Easy oven roasted chili lime pepitas in a bowl.
      Chili Lime Pepitas
    • Easy honey sriracha sauce in a bowl with a spoon.
      Easy Honey Sriracha Sauce

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      LEAVE A COMMENT Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Cass says

      February 18, 2022 at 6:40 pm

      5 stars
      My family loved this! I made this to serve with store-bought frozen dumplings. It was dead simple to make. Just stay at the stove when it is cooking because the garlic cooks quickly!

      Reply
      • bri says

        February 20, 2022 at 7:17 pm

        Glad the family enjoyed this chili garlic oil! Great idea to serve it with dumplings:) Thanks for stopping!

        Reply
    2. Earnest says

      February 04, 2022 at 7:42 pm

      5 stars
      I can't believe I've never made chili garlic oil before. It's a really good flavor!! Perfect for pizza night.

      Reply
      • bri says

        February 04, 2022 at 8:00 pm

        So glad you enjoyed this chili garlic oil Earnest! Hope it becomes a regular on your pizza nights:) Thank you for stopping by!

        Reply
    3. Sarah says

      January 28, 2022 at 10:39 am

      5 stars
      Made this last night along with the creamy vegan ramen and it was such a great flavor booster!! Will make again 🙂

      Reply
      • bri says

        January 28, 2022 at 6:29 pm

        Woohoo! So happy to hear you enjoyed the chili garlic oil and the ramen! Thank you for sharing Sarah.

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Evergreen Kitchen! We're all about delicious vegetarian food you actually want to eat. Here you'll find craveable dinner recipes, meal prep ideas, healthy-ish desserts, and everyday cooking resources.

    More about us →

    Get the Cookbook!

    Evergreen Kitchen Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone Cookbook Cover
    Learn more about Evergreen Kitchen:
    Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone

    Spring Features

    • Vegetarian Lentil Nicoise Salad
    • Whipped ricotta dip with honey, thyme, and pepper in a bowl.
      Whipped Ricotta Dip with Honey
    • Black Lentil Salad with Feta in a bowl with a fork.
      Mediterranean Black Lentil Salad with Feta
    • Halloumi Couscous Salad with Lemon on a green plate with a fork.
      Halloumi Couscous Salad with Lemon
    • Lemon Spinach Orzo in a bowl topped with feta and dill.
      One Pan Lemon Spinach Orzo with Feta
    • Roasted veggie sandwich with avaocado and chipotle mayo on a serving platter
      Roasted Veggie Sandwiches with Peri Peri

    Fan Favorites

    • Close up of crispy breaded air fryer tofu with panko breadcrumb crust
      Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Tofu
    • Lemon dill and chickpea sandwich cut in half
      Vegan Smashed Chickpea Sandwich
    • Mushroom stroganoff in a white plate with fresh thyme and parmasen
      Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff (One Pot)
    • 12 peanut butter coconut power balls on a marble background
      Best Peanut Butter Coconut Balls
    • Close up of crispy air fryer breakfast potatoes (home fries)
      Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes (Home Fries)
    • A bowl of Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup with a piece of bread sitting on the edge of the bowl, with a white spoon and sliced lemon
      Instant Pot Bean Soup

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    About

    Privacy Policy

    Contact

    Contact us

    Recipes

    Jump to Recipes

    As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Evergreen Kitchen!