BHA & BHT Free Moroccan-Spiced Herb Oil
Warm, aromatic, and impossibly vibrant, this herb oil brings the soul of North African cooking straight to your kitchen with nothing but whole spices, fresh herbs, and good olive oil. Many store-bought flavored oils and spice blends sneak in synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT to extend shelf life, so making your own is genuinely the cleanest route. Every ingredient here is exactly what it says it is — no additives, no mystery stabilizers, just real food. The technique is simple but smart: gently warming the olive oil with crushed garlic coaxes out deep, mellow flavor before the spice blend goes in, letting cumin, paprika, coriander, and a whisper of cinnamon bloom into something truly special. Finishing with fresh parsley, cilantro, bright lemon juice, and zest keeps everything lively and green-tasting rather than heavy. Drizzle it over roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, flatbread, or a bowl of hummus and watch it disappear fast. Once you've made a jar of this, reaching for a bottle of anything pre-made is going to feel like a serious downgrade.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the oil base
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
Spice blend
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ tsp fine salt
Fresh herbs
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- 1
Combine the ground cumin, sweet paprika, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground turmeric, ground cinnamon, cayenne (if using), and fine salt in a small bowl and stir until evenly mixed.
- 2
Pour the olive oil into a small saucepan and add the crushed garlic cloves. Warm over low heat until the oil is fragrant and small bubbles form steadily around the garlic, about 4–5 minutes — do not let the garlic brown. Remove from heat.
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