How to Make Herb Oil

Name: How to Make Herb Oil
Prep time: 4 h
Cook time: 1 min
Yield: 3 /4 cup
Ingredients: 2 cups herbs; 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil; salt

User Reviews

5

6 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
4 hrs
Cook Time
1 min
Servings
3 /4 cup
Cuisine
International

How to Make Herb Oil

Tyler Barnes

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A simple herb oil infused with fresh, soft herbs such as parsley, cilantro, and/or chives.

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Ingredients

Servings

2 cups herbs about 1 ½ oz with stems: parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, lovage, chives, mint, tarragon, lightly packed, soft
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil or neutral oil, like sunflower, good
salt for the water

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Instructions

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Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Once the water is boiling, add the herbs and cook for about 15 seconds; just until the herbs/stems are bright green. Quickly transfer to the ice bath and let sit for 5 minutes to completely cool.
Transfer the herbs to a dry tea towel and wrap/dry. The goal is to get as much moisture out of the herbs. Transfer the herbs to a high-speed blender and add the oil. Puree until as smooth as can be. This can work with a regular blender, but it’s not quite as effective. If the mixture feels too thick to blend, add a bit more oil.
Line a sieve with cheesecloth (layered three times) or a coffee filter (I like to use my Chemex filter). Pour the oil into the sieve and let sit for a few hours, stirring occasionally. Do not press the oil through. Once done, transfer to a bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to a week (sometimes a little longer- keep an eye on it!)

Notes

I choose to leave the stems on because I blend and strain well.
Also, watch the timing- herbs blanch very quickly. Over blanching results in flavor loss. Some recipes call for 5 seconds while others call for 30 seconds. I’m more a fan of using your eyes and watching. The second the color in the stems brightens, transfer it to the ice.
I like to use olive oil because I think the flavor of the herbs + oil is delightful. However, if you really want the herbs to shine, use good neutral oil.
I choose to leave the stems on because I blend and strain well.
Also, watch the timing- herbs blanch very quickly. Over blanching results in flavor loss. Some recipes call for 5 seconds while others call for 30 seconds. I’m more a fan of using your eyes and watching. The second the color in the stems brightens, transfer it to the ice.
I like to use olive oil because I think the flavor of the herbs + oil is delightful. However, if you really want the herbs to shine, use good neutral oil.