Basil Oil Recipe
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This basil oil recipe is a delicious, versatile condiment that can be used to flavor bread, fish, meat, or vegetables. It makes a great homemade gift, too.

When basil is plentiful in the summer, I love to make lots of pesto to store in the freezer and enjoy throughout the winter.
Another delicious way to enjoy basil is this homemade basil oil recipe. I drizzle it on crusty bread or pizza for a burst of flavor. It’s delicious on meat, veggies, and pasta as well.
To make this basil infused oil, you simply blend the ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and store it in the refrigerator. I like to blanch the basil leaves in boiling water before blending in order to preserve the bright color.

This basil oil recipe is simple to make using fresh basil and good quality extra virgin olive oil. It keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week, and you can also freeze it for future use. If you have a cabinet that isn’t too warm, you can also store this at room temperature.
Other Basil Recipes
Try my peach tomato basil salad, homemade pesto, pesto pasta salad, and pesto cream cheese spread for other delicious ways to use up basil from the garden.

Basil Oil Recipe

Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves loosely packed
- 1/2 clove garlic
- 1 3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
- Blanch the basil leaves in boiling water for 10 seconds. Strain the basil and transfer it to a bowl of cold water for an ice bath to stop the cooking.
- Drain the basil again and place it in a high powered blender. Add the garlic, salt, and 1/2 cup olive oil. Process well.
- Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups of oil to the blender and pulse to combine. Scrape down the sides if needed.
- Store the basil oil in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Leftovers can be frozen in an ice cube tray.
Approximate Nutrition Info
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Price Breakdown
This infused oil costs $3.01 to make and it yields about 2 cups. This basil oil recipe is a delicious flavoring for many different meals, and it also makes a great gift.


(Note: The images in this post were updated in 2018.)
How can this be preserved to keep for a longer period of time?
Just picked my basil. Will make this oil. Also, picked our garlic (about 50 lbs) and will dry before I place in burlap to store..
does that 11kcal mean 11 thousand calories for the whole batch? looks fantastic and I am going to make it right now!
It’s approximately 11 calories per serving (tablespoon).
I made this one week ago and it is YUMMO-LICOUS. I did use extra hot garlic. It’s very flavorful and good on rotisserie chicken, sauteed veggies, shrimp, salmon, and I also used it on my pizza dough instead of sauce. I’m making more to freeze. COVID-19, and working from home, making wine, and social distancing has me really experimenting with different recipes. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Cheers!
Simply storing basil leaves, olive oil and salt in a container in the fridge will last for months. Why would this only last a week??!!
There’s conflicting information about whether it’s safe to store basil oil long-term in the refrigerator. To play it safe, I recommend freezing it.
I agree. Anything under oil will last for a very long time.
Could you use dead basil leaves?
I’ve never tried that, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. Let me know if you try it!
How long can this be stored on the counter or in the fridge
I store this in the fridge for up to a week. (It can also be stored at room temperature if your kitchen is fairly cool.) Leftovers can be frozen for future use.
Why do you need to blanch the basil, couldn’t you use it fresh
You can use fresh basil, Pam, but blanching helps to retain the bright green color.
I appreciate the question and reply as I was wondering the same thing.
Thanks so much for this! I am going to make this Christmas eve. I chose my brother who is almost as much as a foodie as I am, as secret santa this year. I was drawing a complete blank as to what to get him…Until now! I will package it with some yummy bread from a local bakery in the gift:) I may even make a double batch so I can have one too! What oz bottle does this fill?
Great gift idea, Michelle! A 16-ounce bottle would work well. I hope he likes it. 🙂
Just planted 12 basil plants! Can NOT wait to try this recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Fantastic! I need to get my basil seeds going.