Step-by-step instructions on how to make rosemary infused olive oil in your own kitchen.
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A bottle of rosemary olive oil is a wonderful ingredient to have on hand for dipping bread or drizzling over veggies, such as potatoes, or beans, such as white beans or chickpeas. It also makes a great hostess gift.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minutes meal or less.
For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Extra virgin olive oil - use a high quality olive oil for infusing.
- Rosemary - this recipe is for fresh rosemary, not dried.
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🔪 Recommended Equipment
- Small heavy bottomed pot or skillet. It's important that it's a good quality that has an even heat across the surface of the pot or pan. Avoid aluminum or non-enameled cast iron for this recipe.
- Small strainer to strain out the rosemary leaves following the infusion. If you don't have one, you can use a tea strainer.
👩🍳 Preparation Tips
- Wash and thoroughly dry the rosemary before making rosemary olive oil. If there is any water in the oil, it can cause spoilage.
- If your immunity is compromised, I recommend adding a little vinegar and water to a bowl, and wash the rosemary in it. The vinegar can destroy bacteria that could be present. Then rinse and dry the leaves very well.
- You can use dried herbs to make infused oils, but be sure they're as fresh as possible. This is the safest way to infuse an oil as the moisture has been completely removed.
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Rosemary Olive Oil
Equipment
- Small, heavy bottomed pot
- Small strainer
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil of a good quality
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Wash and thorough dry the rosemary leaves. Leave them as is or chop. I like to chop them to release more of the natural oil in the rosemary, but you can leave them whole. You can also leave them on their woody stems, although that can add a little bitterness to the oil, IMO.Pro-tip: If there's water left on the leaves, this can spoil the oil.
- Place the rosemary in a small pot, and pour the olive oil over it. Warm it over low heat for 10 minutes. Do not simmer, as this can degrade the quality of the oil.
- Remove from the heat, and cool for 1 hour.
- Strain the leaves from the olive and pour into a clean, dry jar. Seal and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
lapadia
Beautiful recipe & photo, CS! I do remember that commercial from the 60's...yikes, how time flies! 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks lapadia! Scary isn't it - how time flies??!!
lizthechef
I want to say I was here from the get-go..One glorious blog with a cookbook in the making. I have a huge rosemary plant and stare at it every year about now. Thanks for the nudge, Susan!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Liz!!! I have a huge rosemary plant too, which is why I started making rosemary olive oil a few months ago!
gluttonforlife
Nice idea. I think I'm only giving edible gifts this year, and oils are relatively easy. Thanks!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks gluttonforlife! Same here, and oils can really be dressed up so nicely for a gift. I'm on the hunt for bottles now. I know I wrote down (somewhere) a great mail order place - I need to find it this week.
Sophia
I love rosemary, but it can be an acquired taste, especially in certain dishes. I was recently developing recipes for an upcoming article in The Herb Companion magazine, and one of them was a dessert using rosemary-infused whipped cream. My husband, as hard as he tried, just couldn't get past the combination of sweet and piney herb. I, on the other hand, couldn't stop eating it out of the bowl. Looking forward to future gifts Susan!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You're right Sophia! My mother, for example, hated rosemary. It has such a distinctive flavor that once it's added to something, you really will notice it. I think your rosemary-infused whipped cream sounds wonderful and would love to try that for a topping for a pear pie I make! I'll be looking for your article in The Herb Companion!! Will it be in their next issue?
Winnie
I love this, and can't wait to see more of this series!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Winnie! It's been fun to plan. I also want to do a roundup of links as time goes on for other similar recipes that can be used as gifts.
boulangere
This looks like lunch this afternoon! I don't think I could possibly wait any longer than that to try it.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
They are sooo good, boulangere!! You will love them. But the most important thing is to crisp them at the end. It makes a huge difference! I'm trying to find time this weekend to make some of your bread!!
TasteFood
I love rosemary - this sounds wonderful!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Lynda! And sooo easy!
Hannah
Love this! Homemade gifts are just the best, particularly from the kitchen. I'm looking forward to more ideas!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Hannah! I agree - I look forward to this all year, thinking about what I might want to make for friends and family, picking out the bottles, and how I want to wrap them. There's a group of us cooking teachers here in the Bay Area who get together every November to do a 'Gifts From the Kitchen' gift exchange, which is always so much fun and FULL of ideas.
Bevi
"Shike and Bike and I hailped".. sorry I had to get that off my chest. I have the perfect beautiful bottle for this.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
LOL!! Totally!!! That's all we have to say, and instantly we remember the commercial!
Victoria Byrne
Hi, and happy new year! I read that doing this without heating it can be dangerous as it doesn't kill the botulinum spores. Delighted if you've been doing this forever and not had a problem, but this link lays out how to do it safely.. https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/4385e/
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thank you for your comment. I recommend heating the oil when making any infusing using garlic, but confess I don't always with rosemary. Here's an article stating you can heat the oil when making rosemary oil, but that it's not necessary, however I've updated the recipe to include instructions for heating it. https://www.tomsofmaine.com/good-matters/natural-products/how-make-rosemary-oil-and-ideas-using-it-around-ho