How to Infuse Olive Oil at Home? Infused Olive Oil DIY Step by Step

I would like to share the quickest and safest method of how to infuse olive oil at home which can add an extra flavor to your favorite dishes. Here is everything you need to know about infusing olive oil at home.

How to infuse olive oil step by step guide

1. Prepare your whole or ground flavoring agents/ingredients (wash the ingredients with water carefully and dry naturally or with a paper towel)
2. Use the high-quality Greek olive oil and add it to a saucepan or a small pot
3. Add your flavoring agents (ingredients) into the Greek olive oil
4. Start heating it over low to medium heat (recommended max temperature 100°C, i.e. 210°F)
5. Let the olive oil with the flavoring agents simmer for 7 to 10 minutes
6. Remove it from the stove and let it cool down
7. Pour the mixture into a clean glass bottle, a canning jar or a container (you can strain the mixture before or transfer the flavoring agents in the glass bottle first and then pour the liquid)
8. Close it tightly and put the label with a short description and production date
9. Refrigerate it to keep as to keep your infused olive oil longer
10. The olive oil infuses over time, so you can keep it at least 1 week before using it

You can find our best-infused olive oil recipes down below. I tried them already in our kitchen and would like to suggest you to try to spice up your meals.

What’s can go wrong when you infuse olive oil?

1. After washing your flavoring agents/ingredients make sure it is dry. If it still holds some water, once the olive oil starts heating it may cause olive oil splash and may burn your skin if you stand nearby the stove.
2. Be careful not to let the infused olive oil boil, since it will fry the additives (herbs, seasoning, and spices) rather than just extract their flavors.
3. Do not seal the bottles with infused olive oil too early when the olive oil is too hot as it may affect the taste afterward. Let it cool down a few hours and then close it tightly.
4. Don’t use bad quality olive oil, old herbs or non-fresh ingredients, since it won’t be healthy or won’t give you a strong flavor.

Infused olive oil recipes

You can find plenty of variations to flavor your olive oil at home by checking our infused olive oil recipes:

Infused olive oil with garlic, black peppers, rosemary and thyme recipe

Homemade Chili olive oil recipe

Infused olive oil with basil recipe

Flavored olive oil with lemon

Thyme olive oil recipe

Rosemary olive oil recipe

Infused olive oil with herb mix recipe

Other ways how to make infused olive oil at home?

Infuse olive oil with fresh herbs and store it in the refrigerator.

Another quick way to infuse olive oil with whole fresh herbs is to mix all the ingredients (the olive oil and the herbs), refrigerate them and use them within a week. You can use fresh ingredients such as basil, rosemary, thyme or garlic. You can also use lemon peel, fresh or dried peppers, ginger, oregano springs, etc. Wash all ingredients carefully and let them dry as much as possible. All you need to fill the decorative bottle with the best quality Greek extra virgin olive oil and add the flavoring agents you choose. Seal it well and put the label with the marked production date.

• It is generally recommended to use dried herbs as opposite to fresh because fresh herbs contain moisture and can cause bacteria growth. (Note: Bacteria does not grow in the olive oil itself, but it can grow in the water left on the ingredients going into the oil.) However, if you really want to use fresh herbs, you should consume infused olive oil within a week.

Infused olive oil gift set

Your search for an unusual gift is over. The infused olive oil gift set is ideal for your engagement, wedding, kitchen tea, bridal shower, anniversary, birthday or any special event. The favored olive oil gift set will cheer up any foodie, home cook or lover of the great food.

Oliviada Olive Oil gift set is made with 100% pure unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil produced by our Greek family in Kalamata.  The high-quality olive oil can be infused by your favorite herb creating a unique gourmet flavor! It is a unique idea for bottles and packaging of olive oil to give as a gift with customized tags or labels. With Oliviada olive oil flavors, the possibilities are endless. You can use our Greek olive oil favours on meat, fish, salad, vegetables, or simply as a dip for our favorite bread.

Infused olive oil wedding favors

Practical and unique Greek olive oil favors (bonbonnieres) is ideal to give to your guests as wedding favors. It is an opportunity to give some of the best quality Kalamata Olive Oil from Greece, all presented in distinctive and unique packaging.

Our Greek family Olive Oil Favors are made with 100% pure unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil produced by our family in Kalamata. We customize tags or labels to make unique packaging. We can infuse olive oil by your favorite herb creating a unique gourmet flavor!

Check out the details in our shop .

Relates questions:

Which oil is best for infusing?

When you want to infuse olive oil at home, it is super important to use the highest quality olive oil and herbs. The best option is the unfiltered pure first cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. Stay away from vegetable, canola, rapeseed or other cooking oils as infused olive oil is not for cooking and they don’t keep the same health benefits and nutrition as the olive oil contains.

What is infused olive oil for?

There are countless ways to utilize your infused olive oil.

• Use infused olive oil with garlic, chili pepper, rosemary, oregano to add flavor to the main dishes: pasta, roasted meats, fish or chicken, mashed potatoes, soups
• Incorporate infused olive oil into marinades, vinaigrettes, and dressings
• Easy appetizer or starter: it’s a delicious dip for crusty bread or crackers
• For a sweeter infusion the olive oil with herbs, in particular with rosemary, is a great option to add a rich twist to make cakes and pieces of bread
• Infused olive oil makes a wonderful gift alternative if you are looking for something original and homemade

What can I put in olive oil?

You can infuse a single ingredient into the olive oil for a strong and distinct flavor. Try making infused olive oil with garlic, infused olive oil with rosemary, infused olive oil with thyme, infused olive oil with basil or infused olive oil with oregano. As well for a strong infusion, you can choose garlic olive oil, chili olive oil, truffle olive oil or lemon olive oil.

Or you can be creative and mix ingredients as you wish, test different flavors. Using olive oil infused with mixes such as garlic, black peppers, rosemary, and thyme is a fantastic way to “upgrade” any recipe.

How long does infused olive oil last?

How long homemade infused olive oil last depends on how you make and store it.

• If olive oil infused with dried ingredients over low to medium heat:
  1. It will last between a few weeks to 1 month if it is stored in a dark cool place.
  2. It can last up to 6 weeks if you store it in the refrigerator.
• If olive oil infused with fresh herbs over low to medium heat:
  1. It is recommended to use it within a month
• If olive oil infused mixing all ingredients together without heating:
  1. The best to use it in 1-2 weeks if refrigerated.
  2. If it is stored in a dark cool place, use it in 10 days.
• Of course, it always depending on the ingredients you use. If you use fresh garlic without heating, it will last up to a week and must be refrigerated the entire time for maximum shelf life.

Does infused olive oil go bad?

If your olive oil infused over low to medium heat is stored correctly in the refrigerator and you use it within a month, it won’t go bad. However, if you start seeing any signs of spoilage in the infused olive oil, discard it immediately.

Can botulism grow in infused olive oil?

Botulism is definitely a concern when you infuse olive oil at home, in particular, if you use garlic for infusion. The safest infusion method is infusing olive oil on the stove pan in order to kill any bacteria while heating. Infused olive oil recommended keeping for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. If the flavoring agents in the infused olive oil start to show any signs of spoilage, throw away the rest of the oil immediately.

Conclusion

Hope this post was helpful to you to learn how to infuse olive oil at home and that our infused olive oil recipes will guide you through a successful side ingredient for your daily cooking!

On another hand, if you think homemade infused olive oil is too much hassle for you, you can prepare olive oil bread dip or olive oil and balsamic vinegar bread dip in just a few minutes without too much effort. They are both brings so much joyful moments when dipping your bread in olive oil while chatting with your dinner mates. 

In addition, you can adopt our Oliviada Olive Tree in Greece and receive our Greek family produces high-quality Kalamata olive oil. You can use it for olive oil infusion. Find out more: 

 

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