Homemade Chilli Oil recipes with easy chilli garlic oil and Sichuan style hot chilli oil recipes that anyone can simply make at home. You can add these hot aromatic oils in your dipping sauce, soups, noodles, stir-fries, or any of your favourite meal!
Chilli oil is one of our viewers' highly requested recipes and in this post, we will be sharing how to make two Chinese-style chilli oils at home with simple tips and instructions. With these easy recipes, you can make restaurant-quality chilli oil at home under 30 minimum with minimum effort!
Chilli oil can add more flavour and brighten up your dishes. You can sprinkle in any of your favourite Asian dishes. All you need is simple cupboard friendly spices, herbs, and a clean airtight jars to keep it.
Homemade or Store-bought?
I love both. I've tried many varieties of chilli oil bottles and Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil is my favourite. I sprinkle it on my plain rice, noodles, wontons, noodle soups, and everything. Never have enough of it and I had to buy so many jars in a month.
So I tried making at home my own versions of chilli oil, make in large batch and keep in air-tight jars. After trying at home I don't need to run to corner Asian groceries for chilli oil very frequently. Super budget savings and if you make it batches, you can even create chilli oil gift jars and send it to your friends!
One more good thing about making chilli oil at home is you know what you are adding in it. You can adjust the ingredients, oil, chilli amount, herbs and spices according to your preference. Super easy to make and you will be astonished by how easy to make and how aromatic your chilli oil turns out!
Who doesn't love to add crispy chilli oil in their dippings and meal! Spicy, salty, savoury, umami, toasty, garlicky, and aromatic at the same time. The combination of chilli flakes and herbs and spices is just so perfect!
How To Make Simple Chilli Garlic Oil
You will need 3 key ingredients to make : garlic, chilli flakes and oil!
Making Process : Simply heat the oil to low-medium heat, fry the chopped garlic until slightly brown, add chilli flakes, salt and msg. Continue stir with low heat until the garlic turns brown and nice aroma comes out. Turn off heat and add the sesame oil for toasty sesame flavour. That's it!
How To Make Sichuan Chilli Oil
A very unique hot chilli oil infused with Sichuan peppercorns, sesame seeds, fresh herbs, spices and chilli flakes.
Simple Cooking Process : First heat the oil over low heat and slowly fry the ginger, garlic, cinnamon, star anise and bay leaves. Strain the herbs out, once the garlic start to change into brown. Turn off heat and add the chilli flakes, sesame seeds, crushed peppercorns, salt and msg mixture. Stir well and ready to use once cool down!
Frequently Asked Questions
What oil is best to make Chinese chilli oil?
I love to use peanut oil for making chilli oil. But any neutral flavour oil like canola, sunflower, or vegetable works well. Do not recommend using olive oil for this recipe.
How to store it?
Cool down completely before you add in the jar. Store in a sterilized jar and store in cool space in cupboard. Always use with dry clean spoon when taking the oil.
How long does it last?
Chilli Garlic Oil usually last up to 2 weeks in room temperature with sealed airtight container. Last in fridge up to 3 months in the fridge.
Sichuan Chilli Oil last up to 6 months in an airtight container as there is no fresh garlic or herbs inside.
Ingredients Explained
MSG - Do I need to use MSG? It's totally optional, you can omit it if you are not a fan. But if you want to taste like your favourite chilli oil jar you bought from the store or from your favourite restaurant you need to add MSG.
What can I substitute MSG with? You can simply substitute with a chicken powder, dashi powder or sugar for this recipe.
Chilli Flakes - You can find chilli flakes in most Asian grocery stores or supermarket Asian aisle. If you use dry whole chilli, grind it into medium-coarse flakes. Do not recommend adding chilli powder as it can be burnt quickly in hot oil.
Sichuan peppercorns - It has a unique flavour and a bit of hot numb sensations. A must add ingredients in the Sichuan hot chilli oil recipe. If you can't find Sichuan peppercorns easily, substitute with one teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper or white pepper.
Extra ingredients that you can add - Crispy fried firm tofu, dried shrimp, crushed peanuts are best if you want extra crunch in your chilli oil.
What dish to serve with chilli oil?
You can serve with any of your favourite Asian cuisines. Here is few of our favourite recipes that is perfect to serve together with Sichuan chilli oil and chilli garlic oil:
- Wonton in Chilli Oil ( Add homemade chilli oil in the spicy wonton in chilli oil sauce. )
- Crispy Fried Wonton ( Chilli oil the dipping sauce! )
- Spicy Tofu Stir Fry ( Makes the tofu dish hot and spicy vibrant flavour! )
- Gyoza | Pan Fried Dumplings ( Gyoza sauce with a kick of chilli. )
- Hot and Spicy Chicken
- Shan Noodles
📖 Recipe
Homemade Chilli Oil
Ingredients
Chilli Garlic Oil
- 1 cup Peanut oil ( Or canola, sunflower or any neutral flavour vegetable oil )
- ½ cup Chilli flakes
- 3 cloves Garlic
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Msg ( Or Chicken powder) Optional
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Sichuan Chilli Oil
- 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 cup Peanut oil ( Or canola, sunflower or any neutral flavour vegetable oil )
- ½ cup Chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds ( Raw or natural sesame seeds )
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Msg ( Or chicken powder ) Optional
- 3 slices Ginger
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 pod Star anise
- 2 leaves Bay leaves
- 1 stick Cinnamon
Instructions
Chilli Garlic Oil
- Finely chop the garlic cloves and set aside.
- Heat the oil into low-medium heat in a small sauce pan.
- Add the chopped garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chilli flakes, salt, and msg in. ( Oil temperature should be low-medium around 230°F before you add the chilli flakes. If the oil is too hot, let it sit for 2-3 minutes before you add the chilli flakes. )
- Stir well for 1-2 minutes until the garlic light brown then add a teaspoon of sesame oil.
- Turn off heat and let it cool down completely.
- Store in and air-tight jar once cool down.
Sichuan Chilli Oil
- Crushed the garlic and grind the Sichuan peppercorns into the fine coarse.
- Mix chilli flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, salt, msg and sesame seeds in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a saucepan/pot, heat one cup of oil to low-medium heat.
- Add ginger slices, garlic, star anise, cinnamon and bay leaves and fry for 5-6 minutes until the garlic brown with low-medium heat.
- Remove all the spices and clear the oil.
- Turn off the heat, add the chilli flakes mixture, continue stir well for another 1-2 minute.( Oil temperature should be low-medium around 230°F before you add the chilli flakes. If the oil is too hot, let it sit for 2-3 minutes before you add the chilli flakes. )
Notes
- MSG - It's an optional, you can omit it if you are not a fan. But if you want to taste like your favourite chilli oil jar you bought from the store or from your favourite restaurant you need to add MSG.
- MSG substitutes - You can simply substitute with a chicken powder or sugar for this recipe.
- Chilli Flakes - You can find chilli flakes in most Asian grocery stores or supermarket Asian aisle. If you use dry whole chilli, grind it into medium coarse flakes. Do not recommend to add chilli powder as it can be burnt quickly in hot oil.
- Sichuan peppercorns - It has a unique flavour and a bit of numb sensations. A must add ingredients in the Sichuan hot chilli oil recipe. If you can't find Sichuan peppercorns easily, substitute with one teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper or white pepper.
- Oil - Use any of your favourite neutral flavour oil.
- Storage Tips - Store in an airtight jar in cool dry place. Always use with dry clean spoon.
Nutrition
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Anjali says
I find your recipes , specially the Monk fish curry , chillie garlic sauce/oil, Prawn pad Thai so easy & tasty. Thank you so much for the recipes. Looking forward to trying out more. My mother too is Indian - Burmese. My grands father was with the Army posted in Rangoon & my mother was born there. Burmese dishes were part of our growing up years as my grand mother made a lot of it. She knew 6 Burmese dilequets and my moms & her sister’s secret language was Burmese. 🤣
Khin says
Hi Anjali, thank you for sharing your story and feedback with us. Glad that you enjoy our recipes. Let me know your favourite Burmese dishes that your grandmother made for you.
James A. Thomas says
Trudy, MSG is also known as Monosodium glutamate, and is available in the spice racks of many Grocery Stores.
rajee kurup says
wow
Trudy Westlake says
What is MSG I don’t know what to look for. Hope I’m not being ignorant just never heard of it.
Trudy
Khin says
You can omid if you could not find it. You can get MSG from Asian grocery shop.