How to make hot pepper chili oil…and feed an addiction and use it everywhere! I mentioned at the beginning of the year, one of my recent flavor obsessions is peperoncino, hot peppers, and the most seductive form of peppers to me is olio piccante, hot pepper oil. (Like cooking? Check out my other Recipes)
It’s most frequently seen in pizzerias here but sometimes I wanted to add it to everything…Pasta dishes and sauces, lentils, beans, fish, even a spicy salad dressing! Kick my Caprese salad up a notch, saute onions and sausage in it instead of regular oil, make a spicy pesto!
Instead of forking out the money for an unknown brand or stealing the bottle at my favorite pizzeria, I decided to make my own. I bought a bunch of fresh peperoncini at the market this fall. They looked so pretty and they were really cheap, less than 1 euro. Had I known how much joy they would bring me, I would have bought several more bunches. These are a smaller version than the huge Calabrian peperoncini I saw at the Artigiano in Fiera.
I hung them by their stems in a dry place, and waited. Every now and then, I checked up on them to see how they were doing, and picked off a few that were getting black or weren’t drying properly. I asked around and read up on the best way to make hot pepper oil, but I didn’t really find any recipe that stood out as exceptional or authoritative.
So I decided to make my own, which is fun because when I wing it I end up with things like Butternut Squash hummus and tri-color lasagna.
I decided to go with a “hot infusion” instead of a cold infusion (leaving the peppers in oil for several days) because I was impatient and was ready to use it that afternoon! Be sure to have plastic gloves on if you’re handling the hot peppers.
- Wash your container (mine: glass bottle) out with hot soap and water. If you can, boil it in water to disinfect it properly.
- Pour your oil of choice (seed, corn, peanut, olive) into a frying pan and heat the oil. Turn it off well before it gets to the smoking point.
- Let it cool for a minute or two. Break up the dried peppers into the oil. I didn’t include the stems, but I think you could if you like. More than likely, it will be still quite hot and they will sizzle or “cook” and immediately diffuse their heat into the oil. From now on, the oil is spicy HOT!
- Let the mixture cool to room temperature. At this point, you can strain the oil before returning it to the container. With the first batch, I removed the pepper pieces and left the seeds, and with the second batch, I strained everything. The seeds are the spiciest part of the pepper so they will help keep things nice and hot!
Voila’! Hot Pepper Chili Oil!
Note 1: Some of you may have heard about botulism and how there is a risk when canning at home (more info here). I am not a expert or nutritionist, so please make sure to take the necessary precautions and inform yourself when canning or making infused oils, with whatever method you choose. Be on the lookout for cloudy or mouldy particles in the oil. You’re welcome to leave your own tips and/or links in the comments to help others!
– Side note: While researching this, I was shocked to realized that Botox is actually a purified version of this bacteria!
Note 2: Using a high-quality (extra virgin) olive oil is not suggested as the hot pepper will override any nuances in the oil – i.e., it won’t harm the final product, but it won’t improve it, either…so save your money. A canola or other seed oil is a good choice, too.
And if you still needed convincing on how cool this oil is, read up on how spicy foods can kill cancer!
This my candy bowl!
Great Sara! I’ve tried to make it the cold way but as you say, it takes ages so now I’m going to try yours!
Check out the USFD sites for sure. Cold process chili oil is perilous. Any cold process oil without acidulation is dangerous. Botulism doesn’t look like anything. That’s why it is so deadly.
That said, I lurve chili oil! I buy the Chinese, because it packs a bigger punch.
The bacteria is everywhere, it is the excretion that kills you and irons out your wrinkles– which BTW looks fabu on my friends. I’m chicken and poor.
Actually, contracting botulism is very rare, and hardly ever deadly. It just makes you ill for a while. I grew up on all sorts of fermented and preserved foods and think the danger is way overblown unless your making baby food.
Yum, and yes, isn’t it crazy that people inject botulism into them…ever crazier that someone discovered it in the first place if you ask me! Thanks for the recipe :)
A story you might not know. Grandpa in San Diego use to hang the peppers in the gargage to dry out. I was a child of about 5 or 6 and somehow I was able to reach the peppers with my hands, then rub my eyes. It was not pleasant in San Diego back in 1946……
Man, you are a girl after my own heart!
Have you ever tried harrisa? It is a north african chili sauce. I made it last summer and boy was it good!
I guess I’m at risk for botulism or worse! I had no idea I had to boil the oil first. I’ve always just bought the dried chili peppers at the market or grocery store and thrown them into some oil in a glass bottle I bought from Ikea.
Ilva, let me know how it goes! I bet you’ll have some tips to improve mine. :)
Judith, I’m cheap so I like making mine but I’ll take a look at the Chinese one, I wasn’t sure they were similar.
Sognatrice, it’s strange that it’s morphed into a beauty product when it was first used to relax twitching eyes and such. Ah, technology.
Dad, you should never rub your eyes! Bet that taught you not to meddle, hehe.
JennDZ, harrisa, never heard of it! I’ll keep my eye out for that, I like some spice.
Michelle, I’m not sure how big the risk is, but I saw a lot of conversations about this. I think it also matters if you strain or not….a lot of people seem to make it this way so you’re not alone. I was just impatient. :)
Wow! Bravo for making your own chili oil…I’d love to make this :) Thanks for “winging it” for us! :)
Yes and I am only up to making garlic oil, although I did put chillie seeds into corn oil for a few Months, cold. It didn’t kill nor poison me and it certainly has a kick!
And now I know what I’ll do with all those dried chilies from last summer’s garden. I just don’t think their plastic bag is doing them justice.
That’s the process my calabrese mother (la mamma
Congratulations-your peppers look really tasty.
We have been making hot oil for 20 yrs now….we learned from a Chinese Restaurant as to how to make it. First heat the oil to just before it smokes. Take it off the stove and weight a couple of minutes so it cools down a little. Add very dried peppers to the oil mixture. Let it infuse for a day or two and then put in a blender and chop up the peppers. Now you have a very spicy hot oil that will get spicier with time. We store in a refrigerator and add a little fresh oil whenever necessary. Will last a long time. Remember a little goes a long way.
Do you know how this idea the oil that Chinese use to fry spicy fried chicken wings. And if so do you have a recipe.
I love you already, but I was looking to make the oil from the fresh peppers!. I have the same urge you had–to use it tonight~ btu I will do one batch as instructed and one with fresh, slit open peppers just to see….
How did the fresh peppers and oil work out for you, that’s what I want to try ?
I’ve tried using fresh peppers slit and simply putting them in olive oil. They end up molding. Think they either have to be dried or cooked down in order to use them in oil.
Hey…just a quick point about botulism…if you’re making and canning enough chili oil for a year, in sealed jars, then you need to worry. If you’re just throwing it in a bottle and using it quickly, its ok. Botulism is an anaerobic bacteria…it grows where there is no oxygen and can’t grow when there is oxygen. So it only grows in sealed containers, like cans and jars.
Just a side comment regarding Botox and botulism. Its not all bad. It is not only used to inflate the rich and listless. It does have its positive side in regards to the medical field. There is a treatment they use where the botulism virus is injected into a limb to cause it to become less ridged. For instance in a child with Cerebral Palsy. It allows them to then reposition the leg, for instance, cast it, which then allow the muscles to be retrained. My son had a horrible problem with his foot dropping and pulling inward and this treatment really lessened the number of full body impact with the ground.
Hi All,
We just stuck lots of fresh garlic and chili in a bottle of olive oil and now after a couple of days it looks and smells like there is fermentation going on.
-What do now?
-Heat the bottle up or just let it be?
Congrats on the award! Love your blog!
i am expermienting the same thing… i did actually “fry” the chili
ill try yours in due time
I just started growing my own chilis and didn’t know what to do with them. Thanks for the wonderful idea and the botulism warning. I had no idea! Can’t wait to try making the oil.
I have simmered a new batch of fresh orange chilis in olive oil for about 15 mins. I deseeded the chilis and placed them in halves in oil as well as a few whole ones. The oil has turned a very cloudy yellow. How can I clear it?
Botox isn’t so bad, ladies. Eating moldy/bleu cheese sounds gross, even wine was invented by someone who ate rotten grapes. I’ve had botox twice and it simply numbs the local muscles temporarily. It doesn’t go into your bloodstream and make you sick.
Regardless, I’m excited to use my organic 4-alarm hot habanero peppers with this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Christine: it sounds like you didn’t dry the peppers first. I think they have to be dry.
thanks for the insight to the author and all the contributors. Im drying chilis right now, and will try making some oils tomorrow.. Im thinking about one with a bit of minced garlic, and one with chili only.
will be fun.
Ill stop back and report my results.
thanks again, Steve.
I got 195 habanero peppers off of six plants this summer. They’re a nice deep reddish orange color. I’ll be putting them in the dehydrator today and trying this oil method using olive oil.
I did read though that you could boil peppers down until they liquify and then end up with a pepper “tar,” has anyone tried that?
Maybe I will and let you guys know what happened.
I drop in a couple of the hot dried chili-peppers (or is it dried hot chili-peppers?) in a T of oil heated to almost smoking point, turn the heat off & let it sizzle, or leave the heat on & add the ings for the recipe I was planning to cook & proceed as per the instructions, to continue cooking whatever I want, & that makes for a delightfully delicious recipe, & makes it my own too.
So, how long do I need to dry these chili’s for? And how many chilis do you put in per “x” amount of oil?
Can’t wait to make it, I’ve been craving it!
I will have to try your version! I LOVE hot chili oil from Z Pizza … our local pizza chain. It is so delicious and I have tried a couple different recipes but wasn’t overly happy with the results. How long do you think yours lasted???? Before looking suspicious?
Good to know about the cancer thing, I am always eating spicy spicy so I should be in good shape.
Wow – i had no idea about the botulism. Thanks for the great info
Hi,
When reading all of this, I really wonder. Is it not at all possible to use the chilis “fresh” or do I really have to go through the entire drying process. Please tell me I dont :-)
Any ideas or facts for this one ??
Enjoyed the ideas and inspiration a lot
Thanks for the hot oil ideas. I have lived in Italy for many years and have received ideas from waiters, growers, etc., concerning pepper oil.
The peppers have to be dried, better to buy them that way! Remove stems and cut them up. Put about 1 cup pepper “flakes” with seeds, to 5 cups oil. As you say, very good olive oil is not necessary. Even a mixture of oils is o.k.; but, of course, olive oil is the oil of choice here in Italy. After the heating process, I add a cup of good virgin oil to the whole jar; therefore it has the added taste of fresh olive oil…in case you want to put this oil alone on garlic spaghetti!
The process: Put dried, chopped peppers and oil together in a mason jar (not tightly shut), and heat the entire mixture in a “bagno maria” (bain marie, that is in water that you bring up to boiling with the jar inserted). The low-temperature, slow, long cooking (about an hour or even two) will extract the best pepper flavors out of the pods. Filter it all in a simple sieve. Lasts for a month, at least. I have never had problems with mold or growth…it goes too fast!
p.s., it is not safe to heat olive oils to high temperatures, or so the Italians say. Unless you are frying, that is. Also, never use aluminum containers…or even metal ones, as they give a bad taste to the oil.
Enjoy from a spouted glass cruett, which will show off the bright red oil!
Don Aldo in Rome
What is the pepper and oil ratio
This sounds great! Can you tell me how you store your oils and do you heat process them after you jar them up???
I heat the peppers and oil (3 or four parts oil to one part pepper flakes) togethere in a large mason jar, lid not tightly closed…then while it’s hot and finished, seal the jar. It lasts a long time. I also add a little bit of good olive oil at the end, for a bit of added flavor.
Thanks for the receipe, great stuff! Incidentally, Botox is purified from the toxin produced by the botulinum bacteria, not the bacteria itself.
does anyone know where i can buy dried pepperocino (pepperocini) peppers….i live on the west coast in the u.s.a…..thanks in advance
I have the same question as a couple of others did – can I use fresh peppers? And does it sit for the same time? I didn’t find an answer to this.
Thanks!
There must be a first disinfection with chlorine (as you must do in fresh salads) for 10-15 min, then the fruits must be trown in boiling water for 3-5min and then on cold water for some other 15 min,
Fresh friuits must be done in vinager or alcohol (vodka is just nice)
For oil (hot or cold) they must be dried (no matter how, but the faster the better) and soaked in vegetable oil (canola is a good option).
The substance that causes the burning sensation is not soluble in water, so the vinager mixture is softer than the alcoholic and the oily…
(any spelling mistakes must be forgiven :) )
Great blog!! love the chile oil. yummy on everything except oatmeal.
And who puts chlorine on their salad?? why? and fruit? To make ready for canning?
I ALSO USED PEPEROCINI PEPPERS WHEN I LIVED IN ITALY (SOUTHERN) HERE IN THE US I ALWAYS USE THE THI PEPPERS. THE ONES I GROW ARE
“THI DRAGONS”. IM LOOKING FORWARD TO USING
THIS METHOD TO MAKE HOT OIL–THANKS
Hi! I just tried my hand at making cold infused hot pepper infused olive oil and I think I made the grave mistake of cutting the peppers in half before adding the oil. I put them in mason jars I had washed and dried in the dishwasher. Then I put them in the refrigerator, but, after two days, the oil is completely cloudy and looks awful! Should I dump it out and start over?
Maggie, from all I’ve read the peppers definately need to be well dries or the dried seeds… I suspect if you’re geting cloudy your peppers were not. I also use the dishwasher method but do not towel dry to preserve the sanitation the heat provides.
I like Don’s process of doing the heating in the jars immersedin hot water… like caning. And I like the blending process to infuse it all. Will try several different ones and maybe even combine a few to see waht I get, including garlic!
Heated oil, put in the peppers & seeds, let it cool, then placed in tight jar. Now there’s mold spots on the side. It’s been 2 weeks. Not sure if I should it or not. Dissapointed!
made some hot portugal pepper oil 2 weeks ago. Now I have mold spots on the side of jar? Is this oil safe? Great info. Thanks!
its best to put peppers stored in oil into the freezer. use small containers. if the mixture is too thick when taking out of freezer put in the microwave for a few seconds to unthaw. use what you and and put the peppers in oil back INTO THE FREEZER AND KEEP THEM THERE.
I have made Chilli oil for many years now. I have always used dried chillies/garlic, and what ever else you choose to put in it. If I used fresh chillies, then I dried them first.
It is crucial to dry all the moisture out, this in it’s self can be a primary cause of botulism. Goes with out saying to, it’s imperitive to heat the oil gradually with all your ingredients in, I do this process three to four times, then pass it through a filter two to three times.
There isn’t really any need to keep all the raw ingredients in, once there has been a numerous ammount of heat treatment, there is only so much heat that can be extracted.
I have never had a problem at all, never any cloudy oil, and certainly no illness. As mentioned it also true, that storage of the oil is not the best idea, but I keep mine in wine bottles, and I am always taking the cap off to use the oil, so I don’t think i’ll suffer from the oxygen issue…
But this is only my opinion.
This is my nonna’s recipe (sicillian) for chillies and the oil after you finish the chilli is fantastic.
Chop fresh chillies, green or red into little rings.
Place in bowl and mix in rough salt, enough to coat all.
Leave over night, then fill bowl with white vinegar, enough to cover chillies
Let soak for 24 hours, then place in sterile jars and cover in good olive oil.
Leave for as long as you can :)
We do 8-10 jars at a time, and they seem to last a long long time
The chillies are beautiful and the oil, once they are finished is as well
Folks!! Make the infusion cold. Add fully dried peppers, (less than 12% moisture content), let sit for about a month. No botulism possibility. Think about it, can you get botulism from a bottle of olive oil? No. If there is virtually no moisture in the peppers then the only thing left in the peppers other than fiber and various vitamins and minerals is the pepper oils themselves which are no more prone to feeding botulism organisms than olive oil.
PS.
We lived in Sicily and produced our own oil. I have had pepper infused oil as described above in bottles for up to 3 years. Never a problem. No cloudiness, no mold spots on the bottles, no botulism! Heating olive oil only destroys it’s natural qualities including the polyphenals that are there own natural preservative.
I just made some before reading these directions. i brought the olive oil and dried red peppers to a boil, let them go a few seconds, then turned it off. it did not smoke. Will this work out?
The oil is not red, but green. I wonder if the commercial oils add food coloring?
Can you tell me the name of this chili???????? like actual name used in italy
@Eugene – hot pepper is simply called peperoncino.
ahh yes but do you know the scientific name i guess for that particular pepper such as Cayenne or something
I am trying to search for the seeds
haha I have been searching everywhere and came across your blog and got so excited I made oil perserved chilis in Gaeta and they were the best thing ever and im trying hard to replicate them
haha now ive spent all my time on your blog haha its lovely I wish I would have seen it prior to my year there
Can I dry the pepers in a slow and low temperature oven to dry my pepers , before infusing them ?
i just choped my home grown chillis put them into a clean sealed jar with balsamic vinegar,and tomato puree 6months ago,very hot and tasty but reading all these comments about botulism makes wonder if its safe to eat.
What is the fastest and most efficient way to dry the chilies? The ones I have are green and have a high moisture content. I dont think they’ll dry well in the sun.
whoahhh! it’s hot hot hot! I love it! diet no more… eating with chilli oil makes me perspire and wake me up shouting and jumping. great! have tears of joy!!!
Made this many times, just like you did. I keep the peppers and the seeds IN the jar with the oil. I use a mason jar, and I put it into hot water and bring it to a boil once a week, every week. The rest of the time it resides in the fridge. Never had a problem, and have been doing this for thirty years. I also do garlic infused oil in a similar way. Good luck everyone, there is nothing tastier or healthier than fresh & home made.
FYI, seeds contain no heat.
From Wiki..
Capsaicin is present in large quantities in the placental tissue (which holds the seeds), the internal membranes and, to a lesser extent, the other fleshy parts of the fruits of plants in the genus Capsicum. The seeds themselves do not produce any capsaicin, although the highest concentration of capsaicin can be found in the white pith of the inner wall, where the seeds are attached.[21]
Know this is old, but it’s still being used and read. Glad this was said. Seeds are perceived hot because they are attached to the placenta….the hottest part. The oil gets on the seeds so it seems like they are hot. . Once they are used in oil or washed off you will get no additional heat to the final product from seeds. The seeds themselves have zero heat, so in the end are just in the way.
I have tried this and it was amazing!!!! Now I’m curios what to do with the peppers after the oil is gone? I’d like to try and create something, any ideas???
Yes it seems like it cook work as a spicy savoury snack like a granola without the oatmeal
I have tasted a Ugandan scotch Bonnet product called HOT-FRESH packed in 20ml dropper bottles. Its so nice it tastes nice and u eat and feel like not stopping.
I’m about to try your hot infusion method. However, for the record, the seeds of a pepper are not so hot. It’s the membranes that surround them, some of which stick to the surface of the seeds.
WARNING! MAKE SURE YOU READ THIS! VERY IMPORTANT!
I followed the steps exactly, and, after putting the peppers in the hot oil, I started to feel a burning sensation. The burning was very intense, and lasted for hours. If I could re-do these steps, I would put the peppers in the hot oil outside.
If you start feel this, acidic fruit (l used Grapefruit), and Milk helped a lot. Repeat using anything with fat and acid, and it goes away.
After about 12 hours, my body has relaxed but still burns. Make sure you don’t stand over the oil (we were watching the peppers after we dropped them in the pot) and don’t touch the peppers. Our throats, lips, eyes, fingers, cheeks, mouth, nose and necks burned worse than anything I’ve ever felt before. Keep children away and don’t use water if you feel a burning sensation. Don’t touch your face or body.
It sounds like your oil was way to hot and you evaporated the capsicin. It evaporates at about 210-220 Celsius. The diffused heat you felt is because you inhaled it plenty and it spread through your body. If you still felt heat after 12 hours it is because your house got impregnated with capsicin.
I tried this with ghost chili peppers, among the hottest in the world. I was looking for a way to make them more usable by diluting the heat. Living in Florida, letting the peppers dry naturally could be a trick. Instead I used a dehumidifier for a few hours. I used a fairly cheap olive oil. My wife likes the result, she tastes the flavor of the ghost chilies and feels a lot of heat. I only notice the flavor of the olive oil and don’t sense the heat unless it touches the roof of my mouth. So I may try again, but did not get as much from the technique as I’d hoped.
Actually there is no capsicin in the seeds. The hottest part of all chilies is the placenteal tissue (the white stuff that holds and covers seeds)
Can olive oil conserve hot peppers and how much? thanks in advance
Did you know you can microwave peppers in oil within a glass jar? The microwave heats the water in the peppers and not the oil. The water boils out of the peppers and the fat soluble capsaicin dissolves in the oil.
I do 1 minute at a time in my microwave, remove the jar and stir the peppers and keep them submerged. Once the bubbling stops, I repeat the process 30 seconds to 1 minute until the peppers (in my case habaneros) are a dark brown.
I strain the peppers out and I’m left with a nice oil. I turn the jar upside down and leave it in the fridge for a day to separate any remaining water.
Works great!