Quick & Easy Chinese Chili Oil

An easy 30-min. Chinese Chili Oil that is spicy, delicious, homemade of red chili flakes, garlic, ginger, onion and other fragrant aromatics!

5 from 13 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Course Condiments

Cuisine Chinese

Servings cups

Calories per serving 673 kcal

Ingredients

2 cups dried whole red chilies or substitute with 1.5 cups of red chili flakes and skip grinding process
3 cloves garlic finely minced
2 ½ cups vegetable oil or neutral oil
¼ teaspoon Sichuan pepper powder
3 teaspoon salt

Aromatics:

4 slices ginger
1 small yellow onion quartered
4 star anise
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves

Instructions

Add the 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 like a glass, steel or ceramic bowl (be careful not to inhale here!) To the same bowl, add minced garlic, Sichuan pepper and salt. Set aside.
In a large pot or large wok on low-medium heat, add vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil. Allow the oil temperature come to 250 F with a digital instant read thermometer or place a wooden chopstick inside to check for bubbles to know if you oil is hot enough.
When the oil is hot, add in aromatics: ginger, onion, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves. Allow this to simmer on low heat for at least 20-30 minutes for best fragrance. Stir occasionally.
After it’s simmered, remove the aromatics from the oil and discard them. Carefully pour the hot oil into your red chili flakes and let it bubble. As it bubbles, stir the flakes with the oil to prevent the flakes from overcooking or burning. Allow this to cool to touch to enjoy!
Storage:
Transfer into a sterilized glass airtight jar. Please read my blog post on how to sterilize glass jars and lids. Store the jar in the fridge sealed and it can last up to 4-6 months.
It's very important to always use clean utensils when scooping chili oil from the jar to prevent contamination or mold growth from the garlic. If you see that the oil becomes murky over time, this is a sign of contamination and the oil should be discarded.

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