About this basil olive oil recipe
If you have never tried Infused oil at home, you should try one. They are so so simple, take hardly any time and you can eyeball on the proportions too. You are most likely to have the ingredients at home as I do. To make this infused basil oil recipe at home, I have simplified the blanching process by faux blanching. In my cheat version, I just pour boiling hot water from the kettle on the basil leaves. 10 -15 seconds later, I shock the basil by ice bathing them. Pat dry to remove any excess moisture and then blend with olive oil. Strain them and easy peasy basil oil ready in under 10 minutes. Now you see how simple this infused oil recipe is! I like to use them in many dishes. Starting with drizzling on avocado toast topped with grated egg to roasted tomato or pesto pasta, Pizza Margherita, Garlic knots and many more.
Why should you try this recipe?
You have a lot of basil in your herb pot/ garden and you want to find ways to use them up. Budget friendly -It is cheap to make this blanched basil oil condiment at home and costs only a fraction of the amount as the Marks and Spencer Basil Infused olive oil. Easy to scale or half the recipe. The recipe is easy peasy and you will need only 2 ingredients - Basil and Oil. Infused oil is versatile and there are many uses beyond marinades and sauces too. Fantastic edible gifts for Christmas! Dietary needs - Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten free, Dairy free
Ingredients
You will need only 2 ingredients. However, for variations, you can have many opt-ins. Fresh Basil - For this recipe, I have used Isabella Basil from my herb pots, originally bought from Tesco. You can also use Sweet basil or Greek basil for this recipe. Olive oil- Any good quality extra virgin oil will work. If you find the flavours of the oil are overpowering, substitute with a neutral oil like sunflower oil Salt - Optional. If you would like to use it, just add ½ a teaspoon of table salt or kosher salt.
How do make Basil Infused Oil step by step?
The steps are simple and straightforward to make basil oil.
Blanching the basil - Add the basil leaves to the sieve, placed on top of a mixing bowl. Heat water in an electric kettle to 100 C and pour over the basil leaves. Allow it to blanch for only 10 -15 seconds. Do not blanch it for too long as the basil tends to brown quickly.
**If you do not have a kettle, add cold water to a pan and bring it to a boil. Add the basil leaves to the pan and blanch briefly for 10 - 15 seconds. Remove the basil with a slotted spoon.
Ice bath the basil - Quickly lift the sieve and transfer the basil to a bowl filled with ice to Ice bath. This process of shocking the basil leaves helps in retaining the vibrant green color of the basil oil.
Once the basil leaves are cool, pat dry with kitchen tissue to remove excess moisture.
Blend Basil and Olive Oil - Add the blanched basil, a cup of olive oil, and salt to the blender jar and process until well combined.
Strain -Pass it through a double mesh sieve or a cheesecloth.
Transfer to airtight glass jars and Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Tips to make Fresh Basil Oil
Blanch briefly - Only blanch for 10-15 seconds. I have tried blanching for 25-30 seconds and all the basil leaves turned brown. Smaller Quantity - The infused oil is best made in small amounts as it can go off quicker. Fresh basil oil can go rancid quicker than the ones made with Dried Basil. So always check on the color, taste, and look before using them after a week of preparation.
How to serve Basil Oil?
Basil-infused oil is versatile and there are plenty of uses beyond marinades, sauces, and dressings. There are many ways to serve -
Drizzle over roasted tomato soup and serve with crusty bread. Use it in bread dough or cracker dough. It’s delicious over the Margherita Pizza, Naan Pizza and on the Roasted pepper and Sundried tomato pasta. Serve with avocado toast or scrambled egg toast. On top of my creamy pesto gnocchi.
Storing fresh basil-infused olive oil
Store Basil-infused olive oil for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Variations
The infused oil is one of those condiments you should always make at home. It is simple and measurements can be approximate. You can add your own take to this base recipe by adding many opt-ins like other herbs and spices. Basil Spinach Infused Oil - Blanch the spinach along with the basil and follow the rest of the steps as in the recipe. Dried basil oil - Heat the oil with dried basil on low flame until it gets to 60 C. Turn it off, and allow the oil to cool down. Then bottle it and store it in the fridge, until ready to use. Rosemary Garlic Infused Oil - Don’t have basil, use any other herbs available in plenty. Heat the oil with rosemary and garlic on medium flame. Once the garlic turns brown, turn off the flame and remove the garlic.
Can I put basil oil in the freezer?
I haven’t tried freezing basil oil, but it seems possible. Pour the basil oil into ice cube trays, let it freeze. After that, put the frozen cubes in a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer.
What should I do to keep basil fresh during winter?
If you have extra basil, you can save it for winter. Put the fresh basil in ice cube trays, pour olive oil over it, and freeze the trays. Once the cubes are frozen, move them into freezer-safe bags and store them in the freezer. When you want to use basil, just take one frozen basil cube in olive oil and add it to your recipes.
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