Xanthan Gum Free Garlic Basil Herb Oil
There is something almost meditative about making your own infused oil from scratch — the slow sizzle of garlic in good olive oil, the moment fresh basil hits the warmth and turns the whole pan fragrant and green. This herb oil is built entirely from whole, recognizable ingredients: extra-virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, basil, thyme, rosemary, and a pinch of sea salt. No additives, no stabilizers, no thickeners of any kind — just pure flavor coaxed out through gentle heat. For anyone navigating ingredient sensitivities around common food additives, that kind of clean simplicity is genuinely hard to find in a bottled product. The low-and-slow technique is key here — keeping the heat minimal means the garlic turns pale golden and sweet rather than bitter, and the basil steeps in residual warmth to give the oil that gorgeous green tint without scorching. Strain it, salt it, and you have a versatile finishing oil that works drizzled over pasta, brushed onto bread, or spooned over roasted vegetables. It keeps in the fridge for up to five days, so one small batch goes a surprisingly long way.
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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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