This Italian Chili oil recipe a.k.a. Olio Santo or Olio di Peperoncino is made with just three ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen! It comes together quickly with a short oil infusion time. It’s a delicious, spicy dipping oil you can use for pasta and more. It’s Italian Vegan too.
Spicy Italian olive oil is such as delicacy to go with crusty bread, pasta, sauces (both red and white), roasted peppers, mozzarella balls and more. If you like some spicy heat, you’re sure to like this quick and easy recipe.
Be sure to have some fresh bread handy when you make it because you’ll definitely want to try it when the aroma of garlic and red pepper is filling your kitchen!
Dip fresh, crusty bread into this spicy oil or put it on a nice charcuterie board or antipasto platter. Use it to make Italian Roasted Red Peppers to add a little heat to them. See more uses for this chili oil below.
Chili oil makes a good gift!
This Italian chili oil makes a great gift for the holidays because it’s easy to make ahead and store. Put the oil in small jars, wrap it up with a cute Italian dish towel and ribbon or thick twine to make it attractive and festive. Put, a sprig of fresh rosemary on it too!
Put a bottle of wine and a hunk of good cheese and it’s a delicious gift for any occasion.
Some recipes you’ll find don’t use garlic in the Italian chili oil recipe however, I feel that adding garlic only makes it better! Don’t you agree?
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission but, the price you pay is the same.
Ingredients
*The full, printable recipe is in the recipe card below.
- crushed red pepper flakes (do not use chili powder)
- fresh garlic cloves
- extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- First, put olive oil in a small frying pan and begin to heat it on medium heat.
- Then, add the garlic cloves. When the garlic cloves begin to simmer, lower the heat to low and add the crushed red pepper flakes and cook for about 90 seconds. Set a timer.
- Next, turn heat off and allow the chili oil to cool and come to room temperature before using and/or storing.
Storage and Shelf Life
Plus, it has about a 3-4 week shelf life if kept in a dark place. Remove the garlic cloves when storing unless you decide to refrigerate the oil.
You may omit the fresh garlic from this recipe altogether if you want a longer shelf life. Always store it in a cool, dry and dark place. However, you may store it in the refrigerator to lengthen the shelf life. Allow it to come to room temperature before using.
Uses for Italian Chili Oil
- Dip bread into it, obviously. Try my homemade artisan white bread.
- Use it with hot, drained spaghetti and add grated parmesan cheese, for a quick and simple pasta dish.
- Add it to pasta salad in place of plain EVOO.
- Use it in seafood dishes like sauteed calamari, Calamari Pasta or Spaghetti with Clams.
- Make homemade tomato sauce with it but, strain out the red pepper flakes first.
- Add it to fresh basil pesto.
- Make marinated mozzarella balls with it.
- Add it to roasted red peppers.
- Sauteed broccoli rabe.
Pro Tips
- Use fresh crushed red pepper flakes. Buying a new jar is best. If you can buy the dried red chili peppers from a seasoning store, this chili oil will be fresher and even more tasty.
- Don’t heat the oil on high (or medium for too long.) It should not become too hot. You just want the oil warm enough to extract the flavors from the red hot chili peppers and garlic. In fact, extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point (375-405F) than other oils such as avocado, vegetable, canola and peanut oil. When an oil reaches it’s smoke point, it begins to smoke and break down which affects the flavor.
- Label the oil with the date you’ve made it. After a few weeks, smell the oil before using to ensure it hasn’t gone bad before adding it to dishes or consuming it.
- Make it less spicy by putting in 2 tbsp of crushed red pepper flakes instead of 1/4 cup.
- Add another garlic clove or two if you prefer more garlic.
This Italian Chili Oil recipe is versatile and easy to make for dipping, adding to pasta, roasted peppers, mozzarella balls and sauteed broccoli rabe. Also, you can put in in jars and gift it for the holidays or any occasion. Leave a comment if you make this easy recipe and let me know how you like it.
Quick Homemade Spicy Italian Garlic Chili Oil Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (good quality)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup crushed red pepper flakes (use a new jar for fresher taste)
Instructions
- First, put olive oil in a small frying pan and begin to heat it on medium heat.
- Then, add the garlic cloves. When the garlic cloves begin to simmer, lower the heat to low and add the crushed red pepper flakes and cook for about 90 seconds. Set a timer because you don't want to burn the oil or allow it to get to its smoke point (375F-405F.)
- Next, turn heat off and allow the chili oil to cool and come to room temperature before using and/or storing.
Notes
Storage
Plus, it has about a 3-4 week shelf life if kept in a dark place. Remove the garlic cloves when storing unless you decide to refrigerate the oil. You may omit the fresh garlic from this recipe altogether if you want a longer shelf life. Always store it in a cool, dry and dark place. However, you may store it in the refrigerator to lengthen the shelf life. Allow it to come to room temperature before using.Did You Make This Recipe?
If you made this recipe don’t forget to leave a review!
Hi Lori. I’m glad you liked it and thanks for the 5-star rating!
So good for such a simple recipe! Thank you!