Food & Cooking Recipes Healthy Recipes Gluten-Free Recipes Garlic Oil 4.0 (79) You'll want to drizzle this two-ingredient infused oil on everything. Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Servings: 16 Yield: 1 cup Jump to recipe Homemade garlic oil is a two-ingredient condiment that will deepen the flavor of everything from stir-fries to salad dressings to steamed vegetables. Making it requires just a cup of olive oil and a head of garlic, plus a saucepan for some gentle simmering. Let it cook for 10 minutes on the stovetop, then cool it to room temperature and use it to elevate your starters, sides, and entrées (or simply serve it alongside a loaf of warm bread—you won't be sorry). Garlic oil can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or be frozen into cubes for an on-demand flavor boost down the line. Olive Oil vs. Vegetable Oil and When to Use Each in Your Cooking Credit: Jake Sternquist Buying and Storing Garlic When you buy garlic, look for firm, tightly wrapped heads that feel heavy for their size. While you can certainly use grocery-store garlic for this recipe, it'll taste even better with fresh garlic, which is in season from June to August and available at farmers markets. How to Store Garlic at Home Once you've gotten your garlic home from the market, store it in a bowl or basket in a cool, dry place like your countertop. Whole heads can keep for several months, and individual, unpeeled cloves should stay firm and fresh for several weeks. Choosing Olive Oil for This Recipe For best results, we recommend using extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe. It will have the most robust flavor and work just as well in a marinade or dressing as it would as an accompaniment for bread or cooked vegetables. That said, because it's the highest grade of olive oil, it can be a pricey ingredient and you may not want to devote a whole cup of it to a single recipe. If that's the case—or if you'd simply like a milder flavor—you can use a virgin or refined olive oil instead. Storing garlic in oil can pose a serious food safety risk if not kept cold in the refrigerator (and, even then, it has a short shelf life). That's because garlic can contain spores that cause botulism, which thrive in anaerobic environments like, for instance, a jar of oil. After letting your infused oil cool to room temperature, promptly refrigerate it and use it within 3 days or freeze it for longer storage. How to Quickly and Easily Peel Garlic You'll need to peel an entire head of garlic for this recipe, but don't worry, it's easier than it sounds. First, separate the cloves from the root: Place the head of garlic on your counter with the root end facing up and press down firmly on it with both hands until you feel the cloves crack and start to loosen. You can also hold the head in your hand and whack it, stem side down, on the counter until it breaks open. Next, use the flat side of a chef's knife to smash a few cloves at a time, which will help loosen the skins before peeling off the skins with your fingers. Directions Credit: Jake Sternquist Peel garlic: Smash and peel cloves of garlic. Credit: Jake Sternquist Heat garlic in oil: Transfer to a medium pot, add olive oil, and heat over medium-low until bubbles form around garlic, 3 minutes. Let cook 10 minutes, reducing heat to low if garlic begins to brown. Credit: Jake Sternquist Let cool and transfer to a jar: Credit: Jake Sternquist Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes, before using or transferring to a glass jar. We recommend leaving the garlic cloves in the oil as they'll still contain plenty of flavor, but you can strain them out if you prefer a completely smooth oil. How to Store Garlic Oil Cooled garlic oil should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. (Do not let cooled oil sit out for longer than two hours at room temperature; if that does happen, throw it out.) For longer storage, pour oil into an ice cube tray and freeze until firm. Transfer cubes to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. How to Use Homemade Garlic Oil Once your oil has cooled to room temperature, you can begin using it in all kinds of delicious ways, including: Whisking into salad dressings and marinades for added depthBrushing onto vegetables before roasting or grilling or drizzling over cooked vegetablesUsing it to fry eggs for an elevated breakfast or brunchServing with warm bread as a snack or starterDrizzling over hot and cold pureed soupsStirring it into rice, farro, orzo, or a pasta salad 5 More Condiment Recipes to Try Test Kitchen's Favorite Aioli Hot Red-Pepper Relish Mustard-and-Herb Vinaigrette Soy-Garlic Dipping Sauce Avocado Cream Sauce Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.