Learn how to make a simple chili oil at home with this quick and easy recipe. Homemade chili oil is great for drizzling over foods for extra spice and flavor, for mixing into sauces and vinaigrettes, as well as for cooking many meals. You'll also love my homemade chili crisp recipe.
Homemade Chili Oil Recipe
I use chili oils for all sorts of recipes. They're pretty standard in certain parts of the world. They figure prominently in Chinese and Japanese cooking, and in many parts of Asia, although the Italians enjoy their own version as well.
There are many great brands on the market, but I find it best to make my own when I need a small batch, or even to give as a gift, and to really customize what I'm looking for.
Making chili oil from scratch is incredibly easy, and it's also fun to make your own variations with flavors you'll never find anywhere else.
What is Chili Oil?
Chili oil is made from vegetable oil that has been infused with chili peppers of choice. You can use any type of chili pepper, from mild to superhot peppers. Other ingredients are sometimes included.
You can use most types of vegetable oil, though a neutral oil is ideal for highlighting the chili pepper flavor.
Let's discuss how to make chili oil, shall we?
Homemade Chili Oil Ingredients
You only need two ingredients to make chili oil:
- Oil.
- Chili Flakes or Crushed Dried Chilies. You can also make it with fresh chilies.
I like to include a pinch of salt with mine, as well as a small amount of other preferred dried seasonings. More on that below.
Best Oil for Making Chili Oil
Any neutral oil is best for making homemade chili oil. Peanut oil, canola oil, corn oil, avocado oil, or a simple vegetable oil make the best chili oil with real chili flavor. I do not recommend oils with stronger flavors, such as olive oil, sesame oil, or coconut oil, as they can affect the flavor of your final oil.
They can be used, however, depending on your final flavor preferences and preferred application.
How to Make Chili Oil - the Recipe Method
First, gather up the following ingredients:
- 1 cup canola oil – or any neutral oil such as peanut oil
- 3 tablespoons crushed dried peppers
- Dash of salt if desired
Prepare Your Chili Flakes & Spices. Add the chili flakes and your additional spices to a heat proof bowl. Mix well.
Heat the Oil. Heat the oil over medium high heat in a small pot. Do not allow the oil to smoke. If it smokes, remove it from the heat to reduce the temperature.
Mix the Hot Oil & Chili Flakes + Spices. Pour the hot oil carefully over the chili flakes. It will sizzle up nicely. Mix well. Cool and strain if desired.
Transfer to a glass container. Use immediately or store.
BOOM! Done! Super easy, isn't it? Soon you'll be making chili oils of your own and drizzling it over anything and everything.
Recipe Tips & Notes
Oil Temperature. Heat your oil to 180 degrees F minimum, or to 350 degrees F maximum for a darker oil. Do not let your oil smoke or get any hotter, or it can burn your chili flakes and spices, resulting in a bitter flavor.
If you do not have a temperature gauge, you can test it by adding a tiny pinch of chili flakes to the hot oil. It is ready when the flakes sizzle.
I recommend the Thermoworks Thermapen ONE thermometer (affiliate link, my friends!). It works GREAT for meats and making oils.
You can strain your oil through a thin sieve or cheese cloth to remove the peppers/sediment, depending on how finely you chop/crush the peppers.
You can also include whole dried chili peppers into the oil, which can be decorative.
Storage Information
Homemade chili oil can last for 2-3 months when stored in an airtight container in a cool dark place at room temperature, and even longer in the refrigerator, though shelf life can vary depending on ingredients used.
What Other Ingredients Can Be Used to Make Chili Oil?
Other ingredients might include granulated garlic, white pepper, salt or msg, cayenne pepper, paprika or other chili powders, cinnamon, shallots, peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns (for a Sichuan style or Chinese chili oil), ginger, soy sauce, sesame seed, bay leaves, star anise, crushed red pepper flakes, and so much more.
You can essentially infuse your oil with any number of ingredients and creative combinations. Feel free to dream up your own personal creation.
Different Types of Chili Oil
You can make many different types of chili oil, depending on the ingredients used to infuse the oil. Possibilities include:
- Chinese Chili Oil. Use Chinese chili peppers or Sichuan chili flakes, along with Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon stick, and Chinese vinegar or black vinegar.
- Japanese Chili Oil. Use gochugaru and shichimi togarashi to make Rayu (Japanese Chili Oil).
- Calabrian Chili. Use Calabrian chili peppers to infuse the oil.
- Garlic Chili. Use garlic and spicy chili flakes.
- Nashville Hot Sauce. Nashville hot sauce is essentially a hot oil infused with cayenne and other spices.
There are many, many possibilities to explore your creativity.
Chili Oil with Crispy Bits
You can also use fresh ingredients, such as minced garlic, ginger root, minced shallot, and minced hot chili peppers to make chili oil with crispy bits, which is very popular today.
See my Chili Crisp Recipe (Hot Chili Oil with Crispy Bits) to learn how to make it.
Serving Suggestions for Chili Oil
You can serve the resulting oil as a condiment or stir it into a variety of dishes, like stir fries, chili oil noodles, dressings, drizzles, gyoza sauce, and more. I personally love it for spicing up ramen noodles or drizzling over fried eggs.
You can keep the chili flakes and spices in the oil and serve it that way, or strain and serve only the oil.
The dried peppers that eventually sink to the bottom of the oil are called the “sludge,” and can be served on their own in a variety of applications.
Try Some of my Other Infusion Recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
5-Minute Chili Oil Recipe (How to Make Chili Oil)
Ingredients
- 1 cup canola oil (or any neutral oil such as peanut oil)
- 3 tablespoons chili flakes or crushed dried chili peppers
- Dash of salt if desired
Optional Extras
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- See Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Add the chili flakes and your additional spices to a heat proof bowl. Mix well.
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a small pot. Do not allow the oil to smoke. If it smokes, remove it from the heat to reduce the temperature. (**)
- Pour the hot oil carefully over the chili flakes. It will sizzle up nicely. Mix well. Cool and strain if desired.
- Transfer to a glass container. Use immediately. Lasts 3 months or longer in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This post was updated on 2/22/23 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 12/15/15.
Bessie Ashby says
love this stuff and use the kind I buy a lot ,if I make this how do I kinow it has gone bad?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Bessie, you can tell if it tastes rancid or bitter.
LuLu Rice says
Is there a reliable way to can this? Would a pressure canner heat the oil too much, do you think? I would love to be able to send some of this to my out-of-state, chili lover family and friends. It's great sending them creations from the garden but it has to be stable for shipping.
Love your site. Been reading the newsletter for years. Thanks for the excellent work.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, LuLu. Oils really aren't recommended for home canning, but if you do have pressure canning equipment, I would look for a trusted resource for an exact processing and storage recipe. I know, I love having chili oil around.
Shraddha says
Hi! Can I make this recipe with fresh red birds eye chillies? I have a lot of those lying around so I’d like to use them asap ☺️
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Shradda, absolutely. You can make this with any chili pepper. Enjoy!
Robert says
We use a sealed jar, refrigerate, and masking tape to write date made. If any is left after a month we make another batch. Do easy and do do good on just about anything
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Robert! I love it!
Tenaya says
Yum!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
So good!
Jody says
I used two dried chillis plus already dried chilli flakes for 250ml bottle (in fact it was a little less than this), I used light olive oil, no salt and sterilised the bottle before hand, then stored in the fridge. After 5 days I noticed there was a white cloudy something in the bottle, which I thought was mould. I took it out of the fridge to throw away, and maybe 30 minutes later noticed that the white cloud had disappeared. Does anyone know what this was, is the chilli oil still safe to use? Also, the chilli oil is barely chilli flavoured! Should I have infused for longer? Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jody, it could just be the temperature affecting the olive oil, hardening it up. If you notice fuzzy growth, that is not good. Also, yes, a longer infusion would be better or use more (or hotter) peppers.
Sheila Moonsamy says
Thank you so much for sharing. Had some at a friend's place and have been looking for the recipe.
Kenneth Bradley says
I tried to give it 5stars but 4 was the max. Love me some chilipeppermadnesss.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Kenneth. Did you want me to change this to 5 stars? Or is there a recipe tweak you're looking for to give it something else? Please let me know. Glad you enjoyed it!
Jen Williams says
Thanks for this quick and easy recipe. This went together so fast. I was not prepared, however, for the amazingly delicious toasty smell of the finished chili oil! It's so good that every time I step into the kitchen I have to uncover the jar and take a whiff. It smells like very good quality Szechuan food - that must be one of the ingredients that makes it taste so good. I'm about to make some peanut-sesame sauce for cold noodles and I'm looking forward to adding some of this chili oil.
Thanks again!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Thanks, Jen! Super happy you enjoyed it. Off to make another batch for myself!
Jah-Leah says
Quick and easy. Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Jah-Leah! I do appreciate it.
Jacqueline Jacques says
Making this today with canola oil and dried Carolina Reapers!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
There you go, Jacqueline! I love it! That's going to be a nice and spicy oil!
Jan says
Hi, would Avacado Oil work as well? Is it light enough?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jan, yes, avocado oil is great here. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Gabrielle says
When I rehydrate dried chilies the water is bitter. Why does hearing chilies in oil not result in a transfer of bitterness? Thank you.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Gabrielle, yes, a lot of people feel some dried peppers are bitter, and it does leech into the water. It's not so much the heating, but in the skins and inherent flavor. You can adjust for this in sauces and recipes with honey or use other ingredients to balance that out.
Rosh Jimene says
Hi, if I will use fresh chili, how many will I need? Thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Rosh, you can infuse oil with anywhere from 1 to many peppers, depending on how much you want to make and how potent. There is greater risk of rancidity with fresh peppers, so be sure to strain it and keep it refrigerated.
Jas says
I am going with your recipe to make 4 different chilli oils as I have grown my own chillis from seed, they are powerful flavours so I ma add star anise to one or 2. I have grown Kristian chillis, hot yellow pepper chilli, and red chillis to name a few. I had soo many chillis and did not know what to do with them all, I have frozen some and dried some,thedried ones I will use chillis oil. Thankyou for this recipe.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Perfect, Jas. I think that's great. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Alami says
Hello Mike,
have you tried the cold oil version? Just put some dried peppers in your favourite oil or oil mix (I use half olive oil and half rapeseed oil) in a glass bottle, and forget it for at least 3 weeks in a dark place; the flavors will develop even more with time.
I was skeptical that any heat would get from the chilies to the oil, but it does!
Cheers and thanks for your passion!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I haven't tried this, Alami, but I'm sure it's great! It would definitely be a nice infusion. I appreciate it!!
Foday Bangalie Dumbuya says
I live in Sierra Leone with a keen interest in pepper processing. processing pepper source, pepper paste and powdered pepper in Africa is very important as we are now doing in Sierra Leone. It prevents wastage and also generate income for lower income farmers and producers.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds great, Foday.
Danielle Wolter says
i have totally been meaning to try and make chili oil. i have all these spicy dried thai chilies in mt pantry and i need to use them for something. likely this!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
This would be GREAT with Thai chilies. I'd drizzle that on everything.
Jacqueline Debono says
I love chili oil though have never made it myself. Good idea! Here in Italy it's standard in pizzerias and many Italians like to sprinkle some on their pizza!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I love it on pizza, too! Awesome!
Chef says
You are sooooo lucky living in Italy.....i had 2 of the best pizzas ever in Venice and Naples
Jill says
I've never tried making chili oil at home. It would make a great gift. I'll keep it in mind the next time I'm searching to come up with a unique gift!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I agree, Jill, homemade chili oil makes a great gift.