Quick & Easy Chinese Chili Oil

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Spicy, delicious, homemade chili oil infused with red chili flakes, garlic, ginger, onion and fragrant aromatics! This quick, easy and simple Chinese chili oil is all-natural, cheaper and better than store-bought. A great sauce to spice things up!

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Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Signs of Expired Chili Oil
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
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Chinese Chili Oil is a spicy condiment with a bright red color made of any neutral tasting oil infused with red chili flakes, garlic, ginger, onions, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves.

You'll find it at Chinese restaurants or Asian grocery store in bottled jars. It's popularly served over dumplings, rice, noodles, protein, vegetables, or any food you want to make spicy.

This homemade Chinese chili oil is very versatile and you can use it as a finishing oil on any Asian food! I love mixing it into my Dumpling Sauce to enjoy with Pork Cabbage Dumplings, wontons, or soup noodles!

This chili oil recipe will produce about 2 cups and it'll last you up to 6 months in an airtight, sterilized glass jar in the fridge, as long as you always scoop with a clean spoon!

I don't recommend storing at room temperature or mold can quickly grow. You can also freeze the oil after it's cooled, until you see freezer burn, and thaw it to enjoy.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please find the exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Whole Dried Sichuan Red Chili Peppers: these yield the most flavor and sold at Chinese or Asian grocery stores. Or substitute with Sichuan Red Chili Flakes or Korean Red Pepper Flakes (or Gochugaru), which will be milder in taste. Avoid using Italian red chili flakes as they don't offer the same amount of flavor and burn easily. Do not substitute with fresh chilies!
Garlic Cloves: this will add a garlicky taste to your chili oil! If you're allergic to garlic, feel free to omit.
Neutral Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil or any heavy scented oils with a low smoke point.
Sichuan Pepper Powder: or substitute with finely ground Sichuan peppercorns.
Salt: to flavor the oil.

Aromatics

Fresh Ginger: or substitute with ginger powder but add to taste after you've added the hot oil into the chili flakes and it's cooled down.
Onion: or substitute with shallots or red onion. Avoid using green onion because it'll easily burn.
Star Anise: a sweet spice that tastes like licorice.
Bay Leaf: a dried dark green leaf to lighten any heavy flavors.
Cinnamon Stick: or substitute with ground cinnamon but add to taste after you've added the hot oil into the chili flakes and it's cooled down.
Cloves: to add a warmth to the chili oil.

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.

Expert Tips

For best taste, use whole dried red chilis. Because the chilis haven’t been broken down, the taste and aroma remain intact better than pre-ground red chili flakes.
For a quick and simple chili oil, use Sichuan red chili flakes or Korean red pepper flakes to eliminate one extra step. But the flakes aren't as flavorful as whole chilies.
Use a heat proof bowl like a steel, ceramic or glass bowl to hold the chili flakes, or the hot oil can melt any bowl that isn't heat proof.
Use a neutral tasting oil with a high smoke point and avoid using olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil or any heavy scented oil as this will be tasted.
Fry ginger, garlic and onions low and slow for at least 20-25 minutes in the oil and never raise the heat or they will burn causing the oil to taste bitter.
The ideal oil temperature is 250 F with a digital instant read thermometer or keep on low-medium heat (dial 3). Digital cooking thermometers are very inexpensive and a great kitchen tool.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Chinese chili oil:

Add dried red chilis into a food processor and grind on HIGH speed until they become small flakes. Transfer the chili flakes into a large heat-proof bowl (made of steel, ceramic or heat-resistant glass) and avoid inhaling the spice. To the same bowl, add minced garlic, Sichuan pepper powder and salt. Set aside.

Add dried red chilis into a food processor and grind on HIGH speed until they become small flakes. Transfer the chili flakes into a large heat-proof bowl (made of steel, ceramic or heat-resistant glass) and avoid inhaling the spice. To the same bowl, add minced garlic, Sichuan pepper powder and salt. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or wok on low-medium heat, around 250 F with a digital instant read thermometer. Or insert a wooden utensil into the hot oil and look for bubbles.

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or wok on low-medium heat, around 250 F with a digital instant read thermometer. Or insert a wooden utensil into the hot oil and look for bubbles.

Carefully lower in the ginger, onion, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves into the hot oil. Simmer on for at least 20-25 minutes for best fragrance. Stir occasionally.

Carefully lower in the ginger, onion, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves into the hot oil. Simmer on for at least 20-25 minutes for best fragrance. Stir occasionally.

Remove the aromatics from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and discard them.

Remove the aromatics from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and discard them.

Very carefully pour the hot oil into the bowl with the red chili flakes and let it bubble. Then stir the flakes with the oil to prevent the flakes from overcooking or burning.

Very carefully pour the hot oil into the bowl with the red chili flakes and let it bubble. Then stir the flakes with the oil to prevent the flakes from overcooking or burning.

Let the chili oil cool down and transfer to a sterilized glass air-tight jar and enjoy. Important: Always use clean utensils when scooping chili oil from the jar to prevent contamination or mold growth.

Let the chili oil cool down and transfer to a sterilized glass air-tight jar and enjoy. Important: Always use clean utensils when scooping chili oil from the jar to prevent contamination or mold growth. See below for storage information.

Storage

Homemade chili oil will last up to 6 months in the fridge stored in a sterilized glass airtight jar (see instructions below for sterilizing) with 0.5-inch headroom and labeled with the expiration date. Make sure to always use a clean dry spoon and never add water or fresh ingredients to it to prevent contamination.
Freezer-friendly? Chili oil can also be frozen for up to 6 months in the freezer. To freeze: let the chili oil cool down completely, then pour it into a double bagged freezer-safe bag and label with the expiration date. To enjoy, defrost it in the fridge until it's no longer solid.
Do not store chili oil at room temperature since our version contains raw garlic, which needs to be stored in a cold dry place like the fridge.

How to Sterilize a Glass Jar

A simple way to sterilize a glass jar is to:

Thoroughly wash a glass jar and the lid with soap and warm water.
Bring a large pot of water to boil on medium-high heat.
Carefully lower cleaned glass jars only with tongs in a single layer. Do not pile them on top of each other.
Reduce to low-heat and boil for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the jars from the hot boiling water with tongs to air dry.
To sterilize the lids, boil them for 10 minutes the same way you did for the glass jars in a separate pot.

Signs of Expired Chili Oil

The below are signs when chili oil is no longer safe to consume and it should be discarded:

looks spoiled
has mold
looks murky at room temperature (in the fridge, it is normal for it to look opaque and solid)
tastes rancid
has a off-putting smell
the lid is bulging out and expels air when you lift it off

Pairing Suggestions

Chinese chili oil serves well with:

soups like egg drop soup or hot and sour soup
white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, or fried rice
chow mein, lo mein, any noodles, or soup noodles
dumplings or wontons
cooked vegetables like bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
protein dishes like eggs, Cashew Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Shrimp Omelet, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu, Soy Sauce Chicken, Oven-Roasted Char Siu, Air Fryer Char Siu, or Chinese Roasted Pork Belly
Asian stir-fries

FAQ

Can I make this in advance?

Chinese chili oil can be in advance and it will last up to 6 months as long as it's stored in a sterilized airtight glass jar in the fridge and labelled with the expiration date. To enjoy: simple take it out of the fridge and always use a clean spoon to remove the chili oil from the jar.

Can I use fresh chilies?

No, I don't recommend using fresh chilies as a substitute unless you've dried them yourself.

How to reduce the spiciness?

To make chili oil less spicy, simply reduce the amount of Sichuan red chili peppers by ¼ to ½ of a portion.

Is chili oil the same as chili crisp?

This chili oil is similar to chili crisp except chili crisp has crispy bits. Those crispy bits are thin pieces of fried garlic.

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