Easy 5-Ingredient Chili Oil

You won’t believe how easy it is to make this homemade chili oil from scratch! With just 5 ingredients, this will definitely become your new pantry staple!

*Note: I’ve since then updated this recipe on a separate blog post called Homemade Chili Oil, which includes a new cooking method with slightly more ingredients.

I’m a huge lover of spicy food and this chili oil has become my answer to almost everything.

This is a slightly easier and straightforward version than other recipes, as this only requires you to heat up oil over a short period to pour it over your dried chilies to sizzle and toast.

Stir this into sauces, throw it in stir-fries, use it as a dip -the possibilities are endless. I’ve even seen some people use this on their ice cream (it sounds crazy, but also somewhat tasty?).

What is Chili Oil?

Chili Oil is a popular condiment used in many Asian dishes, either as the main ingredient, a finisher, or as a dip.

It’s typically done by infusing neutral oil with various aromatics, then pouring the hot oil over dried chili flakes to sizzle and to release their aroma. The resulting oil becomes bright red, spicy, and perfectly infused with the aromatics and chilies.

For this recipe, we skip the infusion step and go directly into heating the oil and pouring it over the chilies. The resulting chili oil has a great kick of spice and pure chili flavor!

If you were looking for a more aromatic and spiced version of chili oil, you can check out my updated recipe version here.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Chili Flakes: The best chilies to use are Sichuan chili flakes, which have a decent amount of spice and gives your oil that vibrant red color. You can try purchasing these online or finding them inside your local Asian grocery if they carry them.

• Substitutes: If you can’t find Sichuan chili flakes, you can also go for dried Chinese chilies -these are typically sold either whole or already in flakes. If they’re only sold whole, you can process them in a spice grinder until ground into a flake-like texture. Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) is also a good option, though not as spicy as the Chinese or Sichuan chilies, they can still provide a great amount of flavor and a rich red color to your chili oil.

*More information on chili flakes are elaborated in the below section “What Chilies to Use”!

Neutral Oil: A heavy emphasis on neutral, meaning any oil that doesn’t have overly strong tastes that can overpower the taste of the chilies. Examples include vegetable oil, canola, soy bean, or grapeseed.

You’ll want to avoid oils such as sesame oil or olive, as these tend to have a lower smoking point (can easily burn) and are much too strong in taste. Coconut oil also hardens when refrigerated -so stay away from that as well. You can, however, stir in a small amount of sesame oil last to add its aroma and taste if you’d like.

Sesame Seeds: This will provide a bit of crunch and nuttiness to our chili oil.

• Substitutes: You can choose to omit these seeds without altering the flavor of the oil too much. You could technically use other seeds such hemp or flax seeds, but since these aren’t typical in most Asian recipes I would just leave it out.

*Some of you might notice that I’ve changed this recipe somewhat, as the original recipe used to contain minced garlic. I’ve since then replaced the raw minced garlic with the sesame seeds as to maintain the 5-Ingredient Chili Oil title, as well as to reduce any risks of botulism!

Soy Sauce: This will give our oil that needed umami and savoriness.

• Substitutes: Feel free to use salt in place of soy sauce, or go for liquid aminos or tamari.

Salt: A good amount of salt will help bring out the flavors of the chili oil and keep it from being flat.

• Substitutes: You can omit the salt and use equal parts of soy sauce to taste.

What Chilies to Use

As easy as this recipe is, choosing the right chili flakes is absolutely essential since it will majorly affect the final outcome of your oil. Here are some of my recommendations:

Sichuan Chili Flakes: These are by-far one of the most common and recommended chili flakes to make chili oil with, especially if you’re trying to make the authentic Sichuan chili oil. The texture has a combination of both flaked and powdered chilies, which will give your oil that signature vibrant, rich red color.

Dried Whole Chinese Chilies: If you can’t get your hands on the Sichuan chili flakes, this would be your next best option. In some Asian grocery stores, they’ll usually have a generic bag of dried red chilies; and most often times these are usually Tianjin chilies (aka. “facing-heaven chilies). Simply process the chilies in a spice grinder until they become chili flakes if they’re only sold whole.

Gochugaru (Korean Chili Flakes): This is another great chili to use for your chili oil. It has a slight smoky and sweet taste, and still provides your oil with that vibrant red color.

Instructions

In a heat-proof bowl, combine together the chili flakes, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and salt.

Heat your neutral oil to around 250-300 F, or when a wooden chopstick/spoon sizzles when submerged in the oil.

Pour the hot oil over the chili flakes and immediately stir to evenly distribute the oil and to avoid burning the chilies.

Taste the oil and season with more salt and/or soy sauce to taste. Store in an airtight container and let cool completely prior to refrigerating and serving.

Cooking Tips

Customize your chili oil to preference: The best part about homemade chili oil is that you can always deviate from the original recipe to add/omit any ingredients to your preference. If you’d like it more spicy, throw in stronger or a higher ratio of chili flakes. If you’d like it more aromatic, feel free to infuse the oil with anything from garlic, shallots, bay leaves, to dry spices such as fennel, cumin, cardamom, star anise, and/or cloves.

You can finish your chili oil with a small splash of Chinese black vinegar to add a bit of tang, a pinch of MSG or chicken powder to boost the umami notes, or dehydrated/fried garlic and/or shallots to give your chili oil some extra crunch. I do also like adding a pinch of sugar at times to offset the savoriness and saltiness of the oil.

Pay attention to smell and sight: While thermometers are a great and accurate way to measure the oil, don’t forget to look for any visual or olfactory cues to determine if your chili oil is going well.

When pouring the oil over the chili flakes, the flakes should sizzle and foam slightly -if they fail to do so, your oil may not be hot enough. On the other hand, if after pouring the oil, the chili oil smells like bitter, burnt popcorn and has darkened in color too much, this might be a sign that your oil was too hot that it burned the flakes.

Boost the color of your chili oil: If your oil isn’t as red as you’d like it to be, you can throw in spoonfuls of gochuaru or paprika. Stir it in well to avoid clumping and it should help make your chili oil more vibrant red in color.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How long can I store this for?

Homemade chili oil, without any preservatives, can last for up to 3-4 months refrigerated in an airtight container (such as a mason jar).

To ensure a longer shelf-life, follow the basic rules of food safety precautions. Always access the oil with clean utensils as to avoid introducing any new bacteria. Inspect your batch every now and then for any signs of mold growth, new debris, and/or off-smells that could indicate the oil has spoiled and should be discarded.

What can I use chili oil for?

Everything -honestly. There’s a reason why this condiment is so incredibly popular as it adds a pop of spice and flavor to so many foods.

Stir this into your sauces, stir-fries, or marinades. Pour it on top vegetables or other grilled proteins. You can also use it as a dip or spread for toast or pizza! This is a great gifting option to surprise your foodie friends as they’ll be thrilled you took the time to make them a homemade batch.

Here are some recipes where I use this same exact chili oil to make other delicious meals:

• Scallion oil noodles
• Chili oil noodles
• Spicy chicken adobo

Can I make multiple batches?

Yes! Simply multiply the measurements in the recipe by however much you need. This recipe is typically enough for one mason jar-worth of chili oil.