Homemade Chili Oil
This Homemade Chili Oil is so spicy and delicious. It’s seasoned with cinnamon sticks, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili flakes. It will make all you spicy lovers fall in love as you put it on top of a ramen bowl, stir fry, or your morning eggs. 
I love spicy food so much, and this chili oil is the perfect addition for spicy lovers who want to make your own chili oil. This vibrant chili oil will make your taste buds burst with bold flavors. With its fantastic combination of ingredients, this oil has the ultimate spice level. The beauty of this flavorful condiment is that you can enjoy it as spicy as you want it or make it more mild. For low heat, don’t stir the oil before serving, and scoop a little from the top with a clean spoon. To make it spicyer, add more Sichuan peppercorns and red chili flakes. Also, you can crush the Sichuan peppercorns, creating Sichuan chili flakes and giving you a more immediate flavor impact. This is so delicious on a ramen bowl or drizzled over an Asian noodle soup, and I love making this at home so I can control the temperature of the oil. It also removes the sugar that all the store-brand options have in them. With that said, if you like a sweet and spicy combination, you could add a bit of honey or coconut sugar, and this will become your new favorite chili oil to have as a pantry staple.
Why You Will Love This Hot Chili Oil
- With a few simple steps and minimal ingredients, this is ready in less than 5 minutes.
- You can control the heat and adjust to your personal preference.
- This popular Chinese condiment is perfect to keep on hand in the fridge to add to soups, salads, eggs etc for a kick of spice.
- Requires ingredients you should be able to find in most grocery stores.
- This homemade condiment is free of sugar, dairy-free, gluten-free, Paleo, Whole30, Keto, and Specific Carbohydrate Diet legal.
Ingredients You Need For This Chili Oil Recipe
- Avocado oil: Avocado oil makes a delicious chili oil and is a great neutral oil for this recipe, but you could use any kind of neutral oil like extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil or refined coconut oil.
- Cinnamon stick: Using a cinnamon stick adds fresh aromatics and a unique depth of flavor to this spicy oil.
- Star Anise: I love using whole star anise in this spicy chili oil. It gives the oil a sweet licorice flavor that wonderfully complements the heat.
- Chinese 5 spice: Chinese 5 spice is an aromatic blend of flavors for this chili oil recipe. It typically includes star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon (or cassia), Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel seed.
- Sichuan peppercorns: These peppercorns add a unique, citrusy, and slightly tingling or numbing flavor to chili oil, creating a distinct and aromatic blend. If you have an aversion to spicy, you can remove this ingredient.
- Chili pepper flakes: Chili pepper flakes and red chili flakes are basically one and the same. These pepper flakes are a wonderful way to get some great heat and texture into this oil. You won’t want to skip this for a crunchy and crispy consistency. However, if you want medium heat, you can either remove them or use half.
What Is A Sichuan Peppercorn?
In China, Sichuan pepper goes by the name hua jiao, or flower pepper. Sichuan peppercorns are a key ingredient in Sichuan cuisine, known for their unique and distinctive flavor. They are the dried husk of the fruit from a prickly ash tree and have a bright, citrusy flavor with subtle floral notings. They are most distinct because of the numbing and tingling sense they leave on your tongue.
Where to Buy Sichuan Peppercorns
You can buy Sichuan peppercorns in the ethnic aisle in your local grocery store or at any Asian grocery stores near you. You can also buy them here on Amazon. This link is for an authentic Szechuan red peppercorn that will have incredible heat to it.
Sichuan vs. Szechuan
For all of you wondering what the difference is…there is no difference. It’s all in the spelling. Sichuan and Szechuan refer to the same region in China and its Sichuan cuisine. It’s all about different transliteration systems. Sichuan is commonly used in contemporary contexts, including in Mainland China, academic settings, and official communications, and is the preferred term in the modern day at Chinese restaurants. Szechuan is still seen in some older English texts, restaurant names, and regions, and it reflects older spelling practices and is less commonly used in contemporary contexts.
Substitute For Sichuan Peppercorns In This Chili Oil
If you can’t find Sichuan peppercorns or want less heat, you have a couple of different options for substituting them. Firstly, you can take freshly ground black pepper and combine with lemon zest to replicate the citrus and spice notes you get from the Sichuan peppercorns. Use a ratio of 1 tsp. zest to 1/2 tsp. of black pepper. Secondly, you can toast and grind coriander seeds and use them with the black pepper. You could also do just ground coriander seeds. It won’t replicate the numbing and tingling effect that you get from the peppercorns, but it will provide a similar aromatic taste.
How To Make This Aromatic Chili Oil Recipe
- In a medium pot, add the avocado oil on high heat and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the cinnamon stick, star anise, Chinese five spice, and Sichuan peppercorns. Leave them to sit in the oil for 5 minutes to allow the heat level to rise.
- Add the chili flakes to a small bowl or jar and place a fine mesh sieve over top. Pour the oil through the sieve onto the chili flakes. Discard everything left in the sieve. Leave the hot oil to cool.
Ways To Modify This Chili Oil
You can easily adjust the heat levels of this chili oil if you want a milder version. Cut the peppercorns and chili flakes in half to make this as hot as you want it. You could also crush black peppercorns and coriander seeds in place of the Sichuan peppercorns to give them less heat. You could also crush black peppercorns and lemon zest together. The black pepper and zest together give a delicious replication of the spicy, citrusy flavor that Sichuan peppercorns give. I also recommend adding honey or coconut sugar to give it a sweet and spicy taste.
What Oil Should I Use for This Chili Oil?
I personally love to use avocado oil for this chili oil because it has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor. However, traditionally, neutral vegetable oil is used for this because it also has a high smoke point and neutral flavor. It is also common to use canola oil and grapeseed oil. If you want a more traditional Asian flavor, peanut oil has a delicious nutty flavor. I wouldn’t recommend using sesame oil alone because it has a strong flavor, but putting a small amount in will add depth and a nutty aroma.
What To Serve With This Chili Oil
- This spicy condiment is delicious on eggs, whether scrambled, fried, or poached, and even on avocado toast.
- This is a great addition to drizzle it on a bowl of soup like Tantanmen Ramen, which is a soup version of Dan Dan Noodles.
- Level up your stir fry, fried rice, or any of your favorite Asian dishes like Spicy Orange Chicken or Mongolian Chicken.
- It is the perfect dipping sauce for wontons, potstickers, egg rolls (or egg roll in a bowl), and dumplings, too.
- Hear me out…vanilla ice cream! It is the perfect blend of hot and cold, smooth and crunchy, sweet and spicy, all in one bite.
- Put it on top of cream cheese and crackers, your favorite pizza, or anything you want to have a quick infusion of spice.
What About Leftovers?
This chili oil will last two months in the fridge. I recommend storing it in a mason jar or any kind of glass jar. A plastic container will likely absorb the flavor and spice of this oil, and you might regret your life decisions if you do that. After cooking, bring it to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator.
Can I Freeze This Chili Oil?
Yes! This is the perfect recipe for all you spicy food lovers out there! After preparing the oil, bring it to room temperature. I would recommend storing in ice cube trays for small batches to be used later or in a small jar. You reheat, place ice cube portions in a heat-proof bowl and microwave, or warm on the stove over medium heat until heated through.
Here are a few recipes to use this chilli oil with:
- Shrimp & Pork Egg Roll In A Bowl
- Chicken & Shrimp Fried Rice
- Asian Pork Meatballs
- Chicken Ramen
- Kung Pao Beef
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Szechuan Chicken Thighs
If you make this chili oil recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Chili Oil
Ingredients
- ½ cup avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 tsp chinese 5 spice
- 1 tbsp szechuan peppercorns
- 3 tbsp chili pepper flakes
Instructions
- To make the chili oil in a pot add the avocado oil on high heat and once is gently boiling, reduce heat to low and add in the cinnamon stick, star anise, chinese 5 spice and szechuan peppercorns. Leave them to sit in the oil for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl or jar add the chili flakes and place a sieve overtop. Pour the oil through the sieve onto the chili flakes. Discard everything left in the sieve. Leave the oil to cool.
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