This chili garlic oil is the jar I reach for when a dish needs more than it's giving me, crispy fried garlic, warm spice, and real heat, all in one spoonful. It's the pantry staple that turns leftovers into something worth getting excited about again.
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Chili garlic oil has roots in many Asian cuisines, with each region making its own version. It's a condiment that adds heat, crunch, and fragrance to almost anything.
In my kitchen, this chili garlic oil is the go-to condiment when a meal needs some extra flavor and texture. It's especially great for spicing up leftovers, the kind of thing that makes a plain bowl of rice worth going back for.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Real crunch. The fried garlic bits give every spoonful actual texture, not just heat.
- Heat on your terms. Use more or less chili depending on how spicy you actually want it that day.
- Goes on almost anything. Noodles, rice, dumplings, veggies, even pizza if you're into that.
- Keeps well in the fridge. Make a batch and you're set for a couple of weeks.
- Barely any effort. A handful of ingredients and about 20 minutes, most of that is just letting the oil do its thing.
Why Make Your Own?
Store-bought chili oil is a gamble. Some jars barely have any chili in them, just oil with a few flakes floating at the bottom. Others are so hot they overpower everything you put them on. Making your own means you control both, and you know exactly what's in the jar.
You can adjust the heat to what you actually like, use fresh garlic instead of whatever's been sitting on a shelf, and add extra aromatics like star anise or bay leaves if you want more depth. Once you've made a batch that's actually right for you, it's hard to go back to guessing with a store-bought jar.
Ingredients
The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. Here's what you'll need:
- Neutral Oil: Canola, grapeseed, avocado, or vegetable oil all work well. Their high smoke point means they can handle the heat without burning or smoking.
- Garlic: Minced for a strong garlic flavor.
- Chilis: This is where you control the heat. Red pepper chili flakes are the base, gochugaru adds a smoky touch, and Szechuan peppercorns bring a numbing sensation along with their heat.
- Aromatics and Spices: Star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, salt, and sugar take the flavor further if you want to add them.
- White vinegar: Adds a touch of tang and helps preserve the oil, though refrigeration is still what keeps this safe to eat over time, not the vinegar alone.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitution and Addition
- Coconut Oil: Use instead of neutral oils for a slightly sweeter, tropical flavor. It will solidify in the fridge, so let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before using.
- Shallots: Add thinly sliced shallots along with the garlic for extra crunch and sweetness.
- Lime Juice: Swap vinegar for lime juice for a fresh, citrusy kick instead. Refrigerate either way, the acid adds flavor, not shelf-stability.
- Sesame Oil: Stir in a little sesame oil at the end for a rich, nutty flavor.
How to Make Chili Garlic Oil
- Sterilize the Jar. Wash a glass jar with a lid in hot, soapy water, rinse well, and dry completely. You can also sterilize it by boiling in water for 10 minutes. This step matters, it helps prevent contamination.
- Prepare the Chilis. In the clean, dry jar, combine the red pepper chili flakes and gochugaru.
- Infuse the Oil: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot (around 275°F), add the star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods. Let them sizzle and infuse the oil for 2-3 minutes, watching closely so they don't burn. Safety Tip: Hot oil can splatter and cause burns. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan and avoid leaning your face over it while adding ingredients.
- Strain the Spices: Using a slotted spoon, remove the spices from the oil and set aside. Discard or save for another recipe.
- Brown the Garlic: Reduce heat to low and add the sliced garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden. Watch closely, it turns from golden to burnt fast, and burnt garlic turns bitter.
- Season and Combine: Turn off the heat and stir in the salt and sugar.
- Pour and Infuse: Carefully pour the hot oil with garlic over the chili flakes in the jar. The heat activates the chilies and infuses them with flavor.
- Add Vinegar: Once the oil has cooled slightly but is still warm, stir in the white vinegar. It adds tang and helps preserve the batch, but refrigeration is still what keeps it safe over time.* Safety Tip: Never add vinegar to hot oil directly. The vinegar can cause the oil to splatter violently.
- Cool and Store: Let the oil cool completely at room temperature, then seal the jar and refrigerate. It'll keep well for about two weeks.
Variation
- Sichuan-Style: Lean into the Szechuan peppercorns for that signature numbing, tingling heat, add a little extra if you want it more pronounced.
- Sweet and Spicy: Stir in a tablespoon of honey or brown sugar for a sweet contrast to the heat.
- Thai-Inspired: Add lemongrass and lime leaves to the oil for a citrusy, fragrant twist on the base recipe.
- Smoky Chili Oil: Use chipotle or smoked paprika in place of the usual chilis for a deep, smoky flavor.
- Fermented Chili Oil: Stir in fermented black beans or gochujang for a punch of umami and tang. Refrigerate this version too, same rule applies.
Ways to Use Chili Garlic Oil
- Dipping Sauce: Drizzle it on dumplings, potstickers, or steamed vegetables.
- Noodles & Rice: Toss it with garlic noodles or fried rice like shanghai fried rice and kimchi fried rice for a quick flavor boost, or drizzle it over ramen or pho for extra heat and depth.
- Stir-Fries & Vegetables: Swirl it into the pan right before adding vegetables for a quick flavor infusion. Works well with green bean stir-fry, laing, or cabbage stir-fries.
- Egg Recipes: Drizzle over scrambled eggs, eggplant omelets, fried eggs, jammy eggs, or mayak eggs for a spicy start to the morning.
- Pizza: Drizzle it over pizza right out of the oven, especially good with meat and vegetable toppings.
- Marinades: Stir a spoonful into marinades for chicken, fish, or tofu for extra heat, it pairs especially well with grilled dishes like chicken inasal, crying tiger steak, tocino, or huli-huli chicken.
Storage
Once your chili oil cools completely at room temperature, seal the sterilized jar tightly and refrigerate it. Because this recipe uses fresh garlic, it needs to stay cold, not sit in a pantry, refrigeration is what keeps it safe to eat over time, not just the vinegar or oil. Stored this way, it should keep well for about two weeks.
Rose's Tip
- Watch the garlic closely. It goes from golden to burnt in seconds, and burnt garlic turns bitter fast. Pull it the moment it's lightly golden, it'll keep cooking a bit in the residual heat.
- Use clean, dry utensils. Any moisture that gets into the jar increases the risk of spoilage, so keep everything you use with it completely dry.
- Let it sit for a day before using. The flavor is noticeably better once the oil has had time to fully absorb the garlic and spices.
- Don't overheat the oil. Keep it around 275°F when infusing the spices. Too hot and you'll burn the spices before they have a chance to flavor the oil.
- Refrigerate it, always. This isn't optional. Because this recipe uses fresh garlic in oil, the fridge is what keeps it safe, not the vinegar and not the pantry.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, always. This recipe uses fresh garlic infused in oil, which needs to stay refrigerated to be safe to eat over time. A pantry shelf isn't safe for this kind of mixture, no matter how long it's been fried or how much vinegar you add. Keep it in the fridge and use it within about two weeks.
Neutral oils like canola, vegetable, or grapeseed work best because they won’t overpower the garlic and chilis.
Red pepper flakes are the base of this recipe. Gochugaru adds a smoky note, and Szechuan peppercorns bring a numbing heat if you want that layered in too.
Chili garlic sauce has a thicker, paste-like consistency, while chili garlic oil is infused with oil and has a more liquid texture.
About two weeks in the fridge in a clean, airtight jar. This is shorter than a lot of shelf-stable store-bought versions, that's the tradeoff for using fresh garlic instead of dehydrated or preserved ingredients.
It burned. Garlic goes from golden to bitter fast, especially at higher heat. Keep the oil around 275°F when you add the garlic, and pull it the moment it turns lightly golden.
Craving More Heat? Try These Next
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Crunchy Chili Garlic Oil
Equipment
- 1 sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup oil
- 1 head garlic
- 3 pieces star anise
- 2 pieces bay leaves
- 1 piece cinnamon stick
- 8 piece cardamom pods
- ¼ cup gochugaru
- ¼ cup red pepper chili flakes
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Sterilize the Jar: Wash a glass jar with a lid in hot, soapy water. Rinse it well and dry it completely. You can also sterilize the jar by boiling it in water for 10 minutes. This step is important to prevent bacterial growth in your chili oil.
- Prepare the Chilis: In the clean, dry jar, combine the red pepper chili flakes and gochugaru.¼ cup red pepper chili flakes, ¼ cup gochugaru
- Infuse the Oil: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot (around 300°F/150°C), carefully add the star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods. Let them sizzle and infuse the oil for about 2-3 minutes, but don't let them burn.3 pieces star anise, 2 pieces bay leaves, 1 piece cinnamon stick, 8 piece cardamom pods, 1 cup oil
- Strain the Spices: Using a slotted spoon, remove the spices from the oil and set them aside. Discard or use them for another recipe.
- Brown the Garlic: Reduce the heat to low and add the sliced garlic to the oil. Gently cook the garlic for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes lightly golden brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic as it will turn bitter.1 head garlic
- Season and Combine: Turn off the heat and stir in the salt and sugar.2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar
- Pour and Infuse: Carefully pour the hot oil with garlic over the chili flakes in the jar. The hot oil will activate the chilies and infuse them with flavor.
- Add Vinegar (Optional): Once the oil has cooled slightly (but is still warm), stir in the white vinegar, if using. Vinegar can add a touch of tanginess and help preserve the oil.1 teaspoon white vinegar
- Cool and Store: Let the chili oil cool completely at room temperature before sealing the jar tightly. Store the chili oil in a cool, dark place like a pantry. It should keep for up to several months.
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Notes
- Hot oil can splatter and cause burns. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan and avoid leaning your face over it while adding ingredients.
- Never add vinegar to hot oil directly. The vinegar can cause the oil to splatter violently
