Sichuan Garlic Chili Oil Recipe

Chili oil is a versatile Sichuanese condiment of spicy crushed dried red chili flakes suspended in oil that's been infused with fragrant garlic, ginger, star anise and cinnamon‍. It’s endlessly versatile and easy to make at home. Follow the recipe as-is or customize it with the chilies, spices and aromatics of your choice. Drizzle your garlic chili oil on noodles, dumplings, soups and more.

Chili oil is also commonly used in Italian food, like this fennel-chili oil I like to serve over braised or roasted vegetables.

Chili Oil VS Chili Crisp

Chili crisps tend to have a higher ratio of crunchy bits to oil including ingredients like fried shallots, nuts and seeds and fermented soybeans. The soybeans give chili crisp a characteristic funky flavor that isn’t normally present in chili oil.

Ingredient Notes

Oil

Opt for a neutral flavored oil when making chili oil - like canola, corn or peanut. You want to taste the chilies and aromatics, not the oil itself. Avoid strongly flavored (or more expensive) oils like extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.

Spices & Aromatics

This recipe calls for star anise, cinnamon, bay leaf and Sichuan peppercorns to infuse the oil. But, if you’d like to add more flavor to your oil, you can also use any of the following:

• black cardamom
• fennel seeds
• cloves
• Chinese five spice powder 
• shallots
• red onion
• orange peel

Sichuan Peppercorns & Chili Flakes

This recipe uses both Sichuan peppercorns and Chinese chili flakes (like Tien Tsin or Xao mi la) as these will produce the highest quality and most authentically flavored chili oil. Sichuan peppercorns and Chinese chilies (either flakes or whole dried chilies) can be found at Chinese or Asian markets or ordered online through specialty purveyors like Mala market in the United States and The Spice Merchant or The Silk Road Spice Merchant in Canada.

If starting with whole dried chilis, toast them in a dry pan for a few minutes until fragrant then crush them into flakes in a spice grinder. 

If you can’t find Sichuan peppercorns, omit them. Your oil will be spicy but it will lack the numbing sensation these peppercorns are known for. 

If you can’t find Sichuanese or Chinese dried chilies, there are plenty of crushed or whole dried chilies you can use, as long as replicating an authentic Sichuan chili oil is not your goal. Experiment with whatever dried chili flakes or whole dried chilies you can find like Korean Gochugaru or any of the dried red chilies carried at any Southeast Asian or even Indian or Mexican grocer. 

Italian Crushed Red Pepper

Italian crushed red pepper flakes are likely the easiest chilies to source for most Western home cooks. You probably already have them in your pantry. They’re not ideal for chili oil because they tend to come heavily roasted and dark which can result in a slightly bitter, less flavorful and less vibrant chili oil. But this doesn’t mean you can’t use them.

If you are going to use Italian chili flakes, don’t raise the temperature of the oil before pouring over the chilies as suggested in the recipe below. You may not get a good sizzle, but you’ll avoid burning the chilies. If the finished chili oil is too bitter, try adding a bit of sugar and salt. 

How to Cook Garlic Chili Oil

To make chili oil you first infuse some oil with spices and aromatics then pour the hot infused oil over spicy chili flakes. To infuse the oil you need to slowly and steadily heat aromatics, herbs and dried spices until their flavor and fragrance transfers to the oil itself. 

Technically you only need about 5 minutes at the right temperature for oil to take on the flavor of your ingredients, but the longer you infuse the oil the more flavorful it will be. If you’ve got the time, allow the oil to infuse for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.

When you infuse oil with fresh aromatics that contain moisture - like fresh garlic, ginger or shallots - the oil will have a shorter refrigerator life (up to 1 week) than oil that has been infused exclusively with dried herbs and spices (up to 3 months). 

The Temperature of the Oil

You need to maintain the temperature of the oil somewhere between about 200F (93C) and 250F (121C) so the oil is hot enough to take on the flavors of the aromatics, but not hot enough to burn them. To achieve this:

• Start on low-medium heat to bring the temperature of the oil up slowly.
• Stay near the stove for the duration of the infusing time so you can easily monitor the oil.
• Use an instant read or candy/deep-fry thermometer.
• If the oil gets too hot, lower the oven temperature or remove the pot from the heat until the oil reaches the lower end of the target range, then raise the heat back up or return it to the heat. 
• A thermometer is the easiest and safest way to ensure you have the right oil temperature but if you are relying on visual cues alone, the oil should be hot enough when there are small bubbles around the aromatics. If the oil starts to bubble vigorously or the aromatics begin to darken quickly, lower the heat. When the oil becomes still, raise it up again. If the aromatics get too dark, remove them with a slotted spoon. 

The Sizzle

In many traditional recipes for Chinese chili oils, the oil is poured over the chili flakes to create a spitting, bubbling “sizzle.” To get this step right without burning the “bits” in the oil:  

• Use a small strainer or slotted spoon to remove the aromatics and dried spices (including the Sichuan peppercorns) from the oil before attempting to sizzle the chilies. 
• Bring the temperature of the oil up to about 325F (162C). 
• Test a small amount of the oil on a small amount of chili flakes to see if you get the sizzle without blackening the flakes before pouring all of the oil onto all of your chilies.

Alternatively, don’t worry about getting the sizzle. Let the oil cool a bit after you strain the aromatics then add the chili flakes to the oil and slowly bring the temperature of the oil back up to 225F (107C). Leave it to simmer for about 5 minutes and remove from the heat to cool completely before storing. This may be the way to go if using Italian chili flakes, as these are more prone to burning. 

What to do with Garlic Chili Oil

Chili oil is a versatile condiment. It can be drizzled over almost anything to add a bit of heat and spice, but it works especially well with:

• ‍Noodles: Add chili oil to any Chinese noodle dish, like scallion oil noodles or lo mein. It also works well over Southeast Asian peanut sauce noodles or ramen. Either drizzle the oil over the noodles before serving or add a few tablespoons into the sauce.‍
• Dumplings: Chili oil is a perfect dipping sauce for steamed, pan fried or deep fried dumplings, spring rolls, wontons, potstickers or bao. But it’s not just good for Chinese dumplings, I also like to add garlic chili oil to my homemade Tibetan momos. ‍
• Soups: Add some spice to brothy Chinese soups with noodles or dumplings like wonton soup, hot and sour soup or bok choy soup with a drizzle of chili oil. It even works nicely in simple Western-style thick vegetable soups like butternut squash or carrot. 

• Rice & pasta: Chili oil can be used as a topping for any simple dish that consists primarily of rice, pasta or another grain and vegetables. Try it on fried rice (like this butternut squash rice), stir fries or grain bowls. Or add it to simple oil, butter or cream sauce pastas like this shrimp scampi with spinach.‍
• Breakfast: Add chili oil to almost any egg-based breakfast dish. Fried or scrambled eggs, Turkish eggs or shakshuka or these crispy rice bowls with fried eggs.‍
• Toasts or sandwiches: Top hummus, tomato, avocado toast and crostinis with chili oil or add it to a simple sandwich like a chicken or egg salad sandwich or grilled cheese.‍
• Salads: Add a tablespoon or two of chili oil directly to a homemade salad dressing or drizzle it over simply-dressed dense-bean, tomato, cucumber or pasta salads.

If you want your homemade garlic chili oil to be versatile enough to add to any style cuisine, leave out the aromatics and spices - like ginger, star anise and Sichuan peppercorns - more commonly used in Asian cuisines.

A Note on Food Safety & Garlic Infused Oil

Store-bought chili oils contain preservatives that keep them fresh for long periods of time. However, anytime you infuse oil with fresh ingredients, like garlic, that contain moisture you introduce the possibility of bacterial growth that can be dangerous. When making garlic chili oil at home, there are important food safety rules to keep in mind. 

• Always store homemade infused oils that have been made with fresh herbs or aromatics - like garlic and ginger - in the refrigerator. They are not safe to leave in the pantry or on the counter.‍
• Use your chili oil quickly. Jars of homemade chili oil made with fresh aromatics should only be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Use a clean spoon every time you use the chili oil to avoid contaminating the remaining oil in the jar. 

If you are worried about food safety, or it doesn’t seem worth the effort to make a homemade chili oil that must be used within the week, there are a few options for making a safe infused chili oil at home with a longer refrigerator-life:

• If you know you won’t be able to use a whole jar of chili oil in a week, and/or you want to make an even larger batch than the recipe below, make the chili oil without the garlic and ginger. This chili oil will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Each week, transfer some of the oil to a smaller jar, add minced or grated garlic and/or ginger to this smaller amount of oil, label the jar with the date and make sure to keep the oil you have added fresh aromatics to for only a week. You will likely want to fry the raw aromatics before adding them to the oil to avoid harsh flavors. 
• You can also freeze your homemade garlic chili oil. When freezing sauces and condiments I like to use the ice cube method. After the oil cools, transfer it to an ice cube tray and place it in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. When you want to use your chili oil, pull out a cube or two and let them defrost as you prepare your meal, or add the frozen cubes directly to hot soups or sauces. 
• It’s possible to make infused oils with fresh ingredients with a long shelf life - as long as you properly acidify fresh garlic and herbs with citric acid before adding them to the oil. If you try this, carefully follow instructions from a university extension - like the University of Idaho or Penn State.
• Simply leave the garlic and ginger out of your chili oil. Use only dried spices and herbs. You can always add extra garlic and ginger to whatever noodle, soup or dumplings you intend to serve with the chili oil.
• ‍Stick to store-bought chili oils that contain preservatives.