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Infused olive oil is the perfect way to add a burst of flavor to your favorite dishes! It’s incredibly easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes (faster than a trip to the store!). Try all five irresistible flavors: Italian, tomato basil, garlic, lemon thyme, and chili!
save this recipe!Olive Oil 2.0
If you want to instantly upgrade any meal, shake things up on that “meh” bottle of olive oil in your pantry, or give the BEST Christmas gifts to the foodies and home chefs in your life, you need to try infused olive oil.
No matter what we’re cooking, we’re all after the same thing: flavor! And we all have our favorite methods of seasoning dishes, whether it be spices, fresh herbs, extra ingredients, or pounds of garlic (I don’t judge—garlic rocks). But there is one simple way to add flavor that is often overlooked: olive oil!
Since olive oil is so versatile (for real, you can use it in almost any recipe), we’re covering how to infuse it in 5 different ways! These simple ingredient additions seriously elevate the flavor, all with a quick 20-minute cooking method. Let’s infuse!
Here’s What You’ll Need
Depending on the type of infused olive oil you’re after, grab these add-ins (all full recipes can be found by jumping to the recipe card):
- Italian: To make Italian-infused olive oil, we’ll add basil, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and crushed red pepper.
- Tomato And Basil: This flavor requires only two ingredients: sundried tomatoes and basil! I used Mezzetta Sun-Ripened Dried Tomatoes, but any type will work.
- Garlic: We won’t be using fresh garlic since it can develop an odorless and tasteless botulism bacteria in an anaerobic (oil) state. Instead, we’ll use 2 tablespoons of powder, adding a delicious amount of flavor and avoiding any risk.
- Lemon Thyme: We’ll use a combination of a lemon peel and 2 tablespoons of thyme for just the right amount of flavor.
- Chili: This flavor requires just 2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper.
Making Infused Olive Oil Is So Simple
Infused olive oil requires a saucepan, flavor ingredients, and some time on the stove. Heating the ingredients with the oil allows those flavorings to seep in.
- Steep the oil by heating 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil and your flavorings.
- Strain the olive oil through a fine mesh sieve.
- Bottle the oil in a glass container and store it somewhere cool and dark.
Italian Pairings
Italian olive oil makes the perfect dip for thick, hearty bread. It’s also great for adding flavor to pasta, an oil and vinegar salad dressing, or sautéed vegetables.
Tomato And Basil Pairings
Like the Italian oil, this sundried tomato and basil rendition makes a great salad dressing on this Mediterranean quinoa salad. It’s also perfect with Mediterranean dishes like avocado bruschetta or hummus dip.
Garlic Pairings
Enjoy garlic infused olive oil on all of your favorite dishes like pasta, slow cooker carrots, stuffed avocados, or this grilled zucchini number! You can also drizzle it over fried eggs or steamed veggies. And like Italian olive oil, it makes a great oil for dipping your favorite bread.
Lemon Thyme Pairings
One of the best ways to use lemon thyme-infused olive oil is in Caesar salad! Classic recipes call for lemon juice and olive oil, so using this lemon thyme oil is the perfect way to supplement the flavor! You can also use this infusion in a grilled romaine salad, lemon basil risotto, or berry salad.
Chili Pairings
Chili infused olive oil is delicious as a butter substitute to roast or broil vegetables like asparagus or broccoli. It can be drizzled over eggs, added to pasta, or even tossed with kernels to make hot popcorn. One of my favorite ways to use it is drizzled over a raw salad! Nothing pairs better than cold, refreshing veggies and a bit of a bite.
Recipe Tips
Use Quality Herbs: For the best flavor, use recently dried herbs. Avoid using dried herbs that have been in your pantry for 7 years (you know the ones). Over time, they lose flavor and take on a musty flavor!
Dry Your Bottles: Be sure the bottles are completely dry before transferring the infused olive oil in (water will make the oil go rancid more quickly).
Decorate The Bottles: Optionally, decorate the bottle with a sprig of a clean, dry, fresh herb. It’s best to let the herb hang for 24 hours to dry it out slightly.
Fancy More Olive Oil Recipes?
How To Make Basil Oil
15 minutes
How To Make Garlic Confit
2 hours 5 minutes
How To Make Tomato Confit
2 hours 5 minutes
How To Make Infused Olive Oil
Ingredients
Base
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, 236 mL
Flavor (choose one)
- Italian: 1 tsp dried basil, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried rosemary, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- Sundried Tomato & Basil: 3 sundried tomatoes (chopped), 2 Tbsp dried basil
- Garlic: 2 Tbsp garlic powder
- Lemon Thyme: 1 lemon peel (sliced), 2 Tbsp dried thyme
- Chili: 2 Tbsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Steep: Combine oil and chosen flavor ingredients in a small saucepan. Set over medium/low heat and cook for 20 minutes to infuse the flavors into the oil (do not let it simmer or smoke).
- Strain: Using a fine mesh sieve, strain flavor ingredients from the oil, then transfer oil to clean bottles.
- Store: Label and store somewhere cool and dark until ready to serve.
Notes
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
There is an error in your “How to” area at the beginning. I think “to a clean bottom” is supposed to be “bottle.” Here it is:
Bottle: Transfer the oil to a clean bottom and store somewhere cool and dark.
Thanks for pointing that out, Barbara! 😀
Hi, love this idea and am planning on recreating it for a gift! I was just wondering the time frame of how long these oils will last once made? Thank you 🙂
They can be stored for many months in a cool, dark area. The garlic flavor should be stored in the fridge for up to a month.
Thank you for these recipes. Can’t wait to try them. How long do they last? Do they have a long shelf life? Can you use cheesecloth to strain if I don’t have a close mesh strainer?
Thanks!
They can be stored for many months in a cool, dark area. The garlic flavor should be stored in the fridge for up to a month. And yes, cheesecloth should be fine!
When I change the serving size none of the other measurements change. Even if I change the serving size to 8 cups; the “236ml” Olive Oil serving size doesn’t change. Is there something else that needs to be done to have the measurements changed? I tried printing as well; but all the measurements are the same on the printed version as well.
All that being said is it as simple as multiplying the ingredients by the same number of cups? (e.g. 8 cups of oilve oil w/16 tbsp garlic powder)
Hey Brian! Unfortunately that’s not something that can be changed via the serving size adjuster – it will only adjust the Imperial measurements listed. But yes, it’s just as simple as multiplying it by 8! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe can’t wait to try making it at Christmas time for gifts. What size are the bottles you are showing and where did you purchase them?
These are the bottles I used! They each hold 12.7 oz.
If it accidentally simmers for a minute is it still usable or would I need to restart?
Should be fine! Just avoid if possible, it can cause the olive oil flavor to turn more bitter.
I’m excited to try this recipe. These will make a great favor for our family picnic. Does the oil have to cool completely before adding to the bottles.
It can be warm, but not hot 🙂
I’m not sure exactly how much lemon peel to use with the thyme. Thanks
Use the peel from a whole lemon 🙂
I’ve seen alot of recipes that say to put your herbs and oil in a blender or heat oil over a medium high heat…. that’s not an infused oil and won’t last long.
I’d just suggest crushing or choping your herbs, garlic and other ingredients to release the flavor and use a low heat, maybe even for 30 minutes instead of 20.
GREAT RECIPE STARTER!
I see the Italian flavor also has garlic powder. Is the storage the same as the only garlic one?
Oops, yes the storage would be the same! Thanks for clarifying! 😀