Garlic Chili Oil Recipe
Three ingredients and about 5 minutes is all you need to make a flavorful homemade spicy garlic oil. It’s a wonderful addition to so many dishes.
This garlic chili oil recipe is so simple to make and you’ll love how it easily adds a burst of flavor to your food. You can use it on pizza or pasta, or stir it into rice, drizzle it over vegetables, use it as a dip for dumplings, and so much more.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Video: Making Garlic Chili Oil
What Is Garlic Chili Oil?
When I used to think of garlic chili oil, I’d think of making pizza and pasta. The infusing of those spicy savory ingredients in oil is perfect for those Italian dishes. But these days, I also think about something else, the popular condiment chili crisp (or chili crunch). That’s kind of like a garlic chili oil but with a few added ingredients.
And so, the recipe below starts with that classic infusion of garlic and chili in oil, and then there are some optional ingredients that you can add to make it more like the chili crunch, if you’d like.
So, all you need is red chili flakes, garlic, and oil. But if you want to take it more in the direction of the Asian chili crunch profile, then you’ll add some sesame seeds, honey, and soy sauce.
How To Make Garlic Chili Oil
This is so simple, you barely need a recipe. Heat your oil in a pan over medium-low heat on the stove. I use olive oil for mine. Add minced garlic and pepper flakes to the hot oil. You can use regular red pepper flakes, or pick up some Sichuan chili pepper flakes or dried crushed chilis to adjust the flavor.
Cook, stirring often, until the garlic is softened. If you’d like to make it more like a chili crunch, add in sesame seeds at the same time as the garlic and pepper flakes so they toast a bit. It’s ready like that, or stir in honey and soy sauce to taste. I go with 2 tablespoons of honey and two teaspoons of soy sauce.
Can I Store For Later?
Whichever version of the oil you make, store it in the refrigerator in a sealed jar. Since we’re using fresh garlic, I recommending storing in the refrigerator for only 3-4 days. The recipe below just makes a small amount but you can scale it up if you would like to save some for later.
Note that the version with the honey in it sets up in the fridge to make a really nice, goopy condiment. Stir it before using. If you haven’t added the honey and it’s more of an oil, then the oil will actually set in the fridge as well. Simply take it out of the fridge and stir, then wait 10 minutes before using. It’s safe to use while it’s thicker, it just doesn’t have the same texture.
Using Homemade Garlic Chili Oil
This is great for adding a burst of flavor to almost anything! I love using it to contrast the creaminess of my Whipped Cottage Cheese Dip.
But you can add some to your fried rice or ramen noodles. Drizzle a little over roasted vegetables (or one of our air fryer vegetable recipes). Dip in dumplings or potstickers. It’s great with so many savory dishes!
More Sauce Recipes
If you love making homemade sauces like I do, you’ll want to check out these favorite recipes too.
Podcast Episode: Making Garlic Chili Oil and Crunch
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Garlic Chili Oil Recipe
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Three ingredients and about 5 minutes is all it takes to make flavorful homemade garlic chili oil. Or, add in a few optional extras to give it some extra flavor, more like a chili crunch.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. sesame seeds (optional)
- 2 Tbsp. honey (optional)
- 2 tsp. soy sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and the sesame seeds, if using.
- Cook, stirring often, until garlic is softened and just starting to lightly toast.
- Immediately scrape oil mixture into a bowl or container so that it stops cooking.
- If desired, stir in the honey and soy sauce (if not adding soy sauce, stir in a pinch or two of salt to round out the flavor).
- Use immediately or let cool and store in a jar in the fridge for 3-4 days. It will firm up a bit in the fridge, which makes for a great texture for the honey version, just stir and use. If you haven’t added honey, take it out of the fridge, stir, and then wait 10 minutes before using so it thins back out a bit.
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I’m curious as to what you would use this chili oil for? Cooking, seasoning, in a salad dressing or what? Looking for ideas to put with this as a quick gift bottle.
There’s some ideas in the post above, Marilyn, but you can use this oil in a ton of ways! Use it to quick sauté veggies or shrimp, drizzle it over fried rice or ramen bowls, anywhere you need a quick burst of flavor.