Chili oil is a staple condiment in almost all Asian households. Making it from scratch is both rewarding and perfect to use for all your sauces, dips, and marinades.

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I recently visited Bao Bao in Edmonton and they served one of the most delicious chili oil I’ve tasted thus far…

No, seriously, I was scraping the bowl off of their Dan Dan Noodles and Kou Shui Ji.

I rarely go to Edmonton, but I’m convinced to drive back up there just for that stuff. Anyways, in the midst of me missing the taste, I wanted to recreate it with my own version at home.

It’s spicy, bright red, and has that slight cool, mouth-numbing feeling from the Sichuan peppercorn.

If you’re not a fan of Sichuan peppercorn, feel free to leave it out, but it really does help with “neutralizing” the spice in a way (which makes you keep coming back for more).

Why Make Chili Oil From Scratch?

So you can brag, of course. Just kidding -but seriously, people will be impressed if they know you made this homemade.

There are actually tons of really great chili oils/crisps you can purchase on the market right now.

Homemade, on the other hand, means you can better control the flavors to how you want it to taste. For instance, I really love my chili oils to have a distinct star anise and Sichuan peppercorn flavor, so I tend to go heavy-handed on these when infusing the oil.

You also know exactly what goes into it, so you don’t need to guess what sort of ingredients or preservatives went into a certain batch of chili oil.

Uses of Chili Oil

The possibilities are endless. You can use this in virtually anything that requires spice:

Sauces: Think dumpling dipping sauces, spicy pasta sauces, stir fries, salad dressings.
Marinades: Spicy marinades for chicken, beef, pork, tofu, or vegetables.
On its own: Drizzle the chili oil over fried eggs, noodles, soups, and even pizza (treat it like a condiment!)
Dessert (?): Try the oil over ice cream sundaes, cookies, over chocolate, and more?

Ingredients

Neutral oil: Any oil that has a high smoking point and doesn’t have overly strong flavors can work. Oils such as canola, vegetable, or peanut are great choices.

Try to stay away from oils that will harden in your refrigerator such as olive oil or coconut oil.

Chili flakes: I used a combination of both Chinese chili flakes and Korean gochugaru since I liked the complexity of the two flavors together. The gochugaru also gives the oil a deep, red color which was the visual aspect I was going for. You can purchase both of these in most Asian groceries.

Sichuan peppercorn: This peppercorn has a bright, citrus-like flavor, which gives a characteristic mild numbing sensation when you eat it. It’s not meant to contribute any spice whatsoever, but it gives that effect of an aromatic, cool-spice feeling. Common in Sichuan cuisine, this is known as Ma la, literally meaning ‘numbing hot’!

We use a hefty amount in the oil to infuse its flavors, and additionally in the chili in its ground form. You can choose to omit this if you prefer, or start off with less than the recipe amount and slowly work your way up.

Star anise, bay leaves, cassia bark, black cardamom, cloves, shallot, garlic, ginger: These will be the aromatics that will be infusing in the oil to essentially create liquid gold. You could also technically leave these out entirely as to create a purely chili-tasting oil.

Soy sauce, sugar, salt: Again, similar to the aromatics, these are optional, but highly recommended as it compliments the overall taste of the chili oil. Season to taste, and adjust accordingly.

Instructions

In a cold pot, combine together all the ingredients for the infused oil. Gently heat the oil to a gentle simmer. Once you start seeing bubbles, lower the heat to a medium-low and continue infusing over 1 hour.

While the oil is infusing, combine together the Chinese chili flakes, gochugaru, ground Sichuan peppercorn, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Mix well to coat the chili flakes with the seasoning.

Once the oil has infused, increase the heat until the oil reaches around 230-250 F. With a strainer, pour the hot oil directly over the seasoned chili flakes, stirring vigorously to ensure even heat distribution.

Let the chili oil cool completely before transferring to a jar for storage.

Cooking Tips

Test if your oil is hot enough by using a small amount of chili flakes: If you don’t have a thermometer, you can easily check if your oil is hot enough by spooning in a little bit of the oil onto some chili flakes. If it sizzles and foams slightly, you know it’s ready.

Don’t skip the oil infusion!: Infusing the oil for AT LEAST an hour ensures that all the spices and aromatics properly lend their flavors to the oil. Infusing these for only a couple minutes will not be enough to fully flesh out their aroma.

Adjust your chili oil accordingly: If you’d like your chili oil slightly more salty, feel free to add in more soy sauce and/or salt. Alternatively, you may also choose to add or omit some aromatics in your oil infusion if you choose to.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I store this?

Let the chili oil cool completely to room temperature prior to storing in the refrigerator. It can last for up to 6 months in an air-tight jar or container.

Be sure to use clean utensils each time you scoop the chili oil, as to prevent spoilage and to increase its shelf life!

Why is my chili oil bitter?

Bitter chili oil may likely be due to oil that’s been heated too hot. If the oil is too hot during the infusion, it can cause the aromatics and spices to brown too quickly, releasing their bitter flavors. Alternatively, if your oil is too hot, it can also burn the chili flakes, causing a bitter taste.

You can avoid this problem by ensuring you keep a close eye on your oil temperature. The most accurate way is to maintain temperature is by using a thermometer.

For reference, you can hover around 200-210 F during the infusion, and your oil should be at around 230-250 F just before you pour the oil over the chili flakes so that they sizzle.

If you don’t have a thermometer, rely on visual cues. During the infusion, the bubbling around the spices and aromatics should be constant and very tiny. If the aromatics and spices begin to brown too fast before the hour is up, lower the heat to prevent them from burning and turning the oil bitter.

Why didn’t my chili flakes sizzle?

Chili flakes that failed to sizzle means your oil wasn’t hot enough. Similar to above, the best way to ensure success is to use a thermometer for accurate temperature measurement.

Otherwise, a visual check to test if your oil is ready is to pour some oil over a small bowl of chili flakes first. If the flakes sizzle and foam slightly, you know it’s ready.

Looking for ways to use chili oil? Check out these recipes: