Infused olive oil is a great way to add some extra personality and flavour to your favourite dish! It’s super easy and the flavour combinations are endless. This recipe will walk you through one of my favourites: heat infused olive oil with garlic, rosemary, and spicy red pepper flakes.

Popular Uses for Infused Olive Oil:

Homemade Salad Dressings
Bread dips
Drizzled over Pasta
Sautéing
Marinades
Flavour upgrade for your Pizza or Flatbreads
Focaccia Bread

What you will need:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I suggest using a high quality extra virgin olive oil. Choosing the right olive oil is very important and will impact the flavour, shelf life, and stability of your infused oil.

High Quality Spices: Your options are endless here. I picked Rosemary, Garlic, and Spicy Red Pepper Flakes to give my infused olive oil a little kick.

Heavy Bottom Sauce Pan: Use a sauce pan with a heavy bottom so you have more control over how quickly your oils heat up and there is less chance to burn your infused olive oil.

Measuring Cups/ Spoons: You can totally eyeball this recipe if you like, but how do you recreate magic if you don’t know how much of an ingredient you used?

Glass Jar or Oil Bottle: How you store your oil is totally up to you. If your infused olive oil is going to be a gift, then maybe a Classic Olive Oil Bottle is the way to go. For me, I tend to make a little bit at a time and also like a quick and easy clean up. A small mason jar will do the trick.

Thermometer: We’re looking to steep our spices in our olive oil, not cook them. You’ll want a digital thermometer to help you ride that fine line.

What is Botulism?

Although I always try to keep everything light hearted and fun, there is always some risk when making and storing homemade olive oils. Botulism is an illness caused by the clostridium botulinum bacteria, which can be quite serious and fatal if not treated. It is a concern when speaking about infused olive oils because this bacteria tends to thrive in low oxygen, moist, and room temperature conditions. It is quite rare, but safety always comes first!

Tips on How to Prevent Botulism in Infused olive oils

Use dry herbs and spices. This helps reduce moisture in the oil which reduces the risk of bacteria.
If using fresh ingredients, strain out the herbs and spices with a cheesecloth prior to storing.
Store infused olive oils in the fridge. While olive oil does solidify in colder temperatures, it’s much safer and this will prolong the shelf life. I usually just take a spoonful of the solid oil and add it to my cooking as needed.
Label the bottle with the date, time, and ingredients.

What is the Shelf Life of Infused Oil?

There are a few things to consider when discussing the shelf life of your infused olive oil. Dry ingredients tend to have a longer shelf life, usually lasting up to 1-2 weeks if stored in a dark and cold environment. Straining all the solids from your oil will also prolong the shelf life up to 2 weeks. If you’re using fresh ingredients (like me), I would suggest only making as much oil as you need for the next 2-3 days. This being such an easy process, I usually infuse my olive oil with a specific purpose in mind and end up using it within the first 48 hours. If your oil discolours, develops a strange texture or smell, or goes moldy, discard it immediately.