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?
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
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.
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.