BHA & BHT Free Garlic Parsley Herb Oil
Bottled herb oils and flavored cooking oils often sneak in synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT to extend shelf life — which makes this simple homemade version such a smart swap. Every ingredient here is clean and recognizable: extra-virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, flat-leaf parsley, a little thyme, and sea salt. That's it. The slow, low-heat method coaxes the garlic into something soft and mellow, with just a whisper of golden color before the herbs go in to steep and perfume the whole thing. The result is a deeply fragrant, silky oil that tastes like it came from a fancy kitchen — because it did, yours. Drizzle it over roasted vegetables, swipe it across warm bread, or use it as a finishing touch on pasta or grilled proteins. Straining out the solids keeps the texture clean and the flavor pure, and refrigerating it in a glass jar means you'll have it ready to reach for all week long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, loosely packed
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine the olive oil and sliced garlic in a small saucepan over the lowest possible heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened and just barely golden at the edges, about 10–12 minutes. Watch closely — the garlic can brown quickly and will turn bitter if it darkens past pale gold.
- 2
Add the parsley and thyme sprigs, if using, to the warm oil. Stir to submerge the herbs, then remove the pan from the heat. Let the herbs steep in the residual heat for 5 minutes, until the parsley is wilted and the oil is fragrant.
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