Cashew Free Garlic Basil Herb Oil
There is something deeply satisfying about making your own herb oil from scratch, and this version is as fragrant and gorgeous as anything you'd find at a fancy olive bar. Extra-virgin olive oil gets slowly warmed with smashed garlic, thyme, and rosemary until the cloves turn pale golden and the whole kitchen smells incredible — then fresh basil steeps in the residual heat, turning the oil a beautiful green-tinged shade. The low-and-slow technique is key here: keeping the heat gentle means the garlic softens and perfumes the oil without turning bitter or sharp. Once strained, you're left with a silky, herb-forward finishing oil that's completely free of nuts or nut-derived ingredients — just pure, clean pantry staples. Drizzle it over grilled bread, roasted vegetables, pasta, or a fresh burrata and you'll wonder why you ever reached for a store-bought bottle. It keeps in the fridge for up to five days, though honestly it tends to disappear much faster than that.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, lightly smashed and peeled
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine the olive oil, smashed garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan. Set over the lowest heat your burner allows and warm until the oil reaches a gentle, lazy sizzle around the garlic — small bubbles forming slowly at the edges of the cloves, about 8–10 minutes. The garlic should turn pale golden and fragrant but not brown; if it begins to color quickly, lift the pan off the heat for 30 seconds.
- 2
Remove the pan from the heat and add the fresh basil leaves, pressing them gently into the warm oil with a spoon. Let the basil steep in the residual heat for 5 minutes, until the leaves are wilted and the oil is bright green-tinged and fragrant.
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