It is the Christmas season and I love making simple DIY gifts for the people I care about. Unlike those horrible tie-dye crocheted mittens from Aunt Ida, they have to be gifts people will actually want. Inspired by my ridiculously popular Vanilla Extract gifts last year, I decided to do a few infused oil recipes tailored to my friends taste buds.
Ingredient Ideas for Making Infused Oils
Herbs/seasonings: I dry herbs from my garden and use them to make these, but any quality dried herbs will work. For safety reasons, I only recommend using dried, not fresh. Dried peppers, garlic powder, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, celery seed, and Meyer lemons are just a few of the many choices you have.
Oil: I use avocado oil in my infused oils, but you can also use a quality olive oil. I use avocado for the higher smoke point and lighter taste. The oil will pick up the flavor fairly quickly, in the first few weeks, and then slowly intensify. It is fine to leave the herbs in the bottle and eventually all the flavor will leach from the herbs.
Container: For my gifts, the bottles in the picture are elegant and, unfortunately, all I could find. DO NOT USE THE POUR SPOUT BOTTLES PICTURED. (I purchased some rubber stoppers for them but they have not arrived as of today, so no false advertising. Promise.) You want a sealed container, ideally. Also, the pour-spout is somewhat useless as the herbs will not flow out of the bottle through a pour-spout.
Making Infused Oils
Wash and dry bottle thoroughly. In a small saucepan over medium-low flame, heat the oil slowly to about 150 degrees F. Add in the dry ingredients and let the oil cool. If desired, strain out the ingredients before bottling. This method will infuse the oil more quickly than simply adding the ingredients directly to the bottle. Heat also reduces some of the possible risk of bacterial contamination, but it can also affect the flavor and health attributes of the oil if you used unrefined oil. Personally, the risk isn’t worth it for a gifted item. Store in refrigerator.
For more Information, check out these articles:
The Kitchn – Creating Fancy Olive Oils
MJs Kitchen – Roasted Garlic in Olive Oil
Happy Crafting!
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tara says
how long do the oils last for?
Rachel says
Infused oils need to be stored with a tight fitting lid in a cool dry place out of the light. If they are stored properly, the can last as long as the oils expiration date.
Rose says
2 questions: 1. if you leave the basi leaves for example, do you need to strain them out before using the oil or can you consume them?
2. when should the oil be used by? Thanks so much!
Rachel says
You can eat the basil leaves just fine in the oil. I generally don’t strain them. Infused oils need to be stored with a tight fitting lid in a cool dry place out of the light. If they are stored properly, the can last as long as the oils expiration date.
The little Forrest says
This would a lovely gift. How long will they keep after being opened?
Rachel says
Infused oils need to be stored with a tight fitting lid in a cool dry place out of the light. If they are stored properly, the can last as long as the oils expiration date.
Loretta says
Do you have to refrigerate after or can you let them sit in the pantry?
Rachel says
I perform home canning a lot, so my recommendation would be to sterilize the bottles in boiling water and then allow to completely dry. You don’t want any water at all in them. As long as the herbs are completely submersed in the oil, and the jar is well sealed after it has cooled from the heated oil, they can remain in the pantry without problems. Some ingredients, like rosemary sprigs, won’t be as attractive as their time in the oil goes on, so I usually remove them once I get the flavor I want (about a week for most herbs). Hope that helps!
Jenny @ Refresh Living says
This is such a great idea for a gift! I think I’ll be making a couple of sets for my sisters, and maybe some homemade vanilla extract, too. Thanks for sharing!!
mjskitchen says
Beautiful gift bottles! These do make wonderful gifts. Thank you so much for the link back to my garlic oil.
Amy | Canary Street Crafts says
These look fantastic! I love how pretty the herbs look and I bet they taste amazing.
Carrie @ Kenarry: Ideas for the Home says
Rachel, this is such a neat idea! I never thought of making my own infused oils. I bet your friends and family love to get them as gifts!
Rebekah || Charming Imperfections says
Talk about a classy gift! I love it!
Sara @ Shabby grace blog says
Ohhhhh, I love this idea! We use so many oils in this house, it’s nice to mix up the flavors. I’m totally going to check out your vanilla one now!!! Thanks for sharing.
Erica @ Dwell Beautiful says
Oooh YUM. I love oils for dipping bread and these are a delicious and practical gift for any foodie! 🙂
Pam @ The Birch Cottage says
Love this idea! I’ve never used Avocado Oil, but I’m a big fan of eating healthier. These will make a great gift for all my family members who enjoy cooking. Thanks for the inspiration!
Bre @ Average But Inspired says
Oh, I would love to receive one of these for Christmas! I’ll send you my address. 😉