The short answer: to make capsaicin oil, crush 15 g of dried hot chilies, warm them in 200 ml of neutral oil over low heat for 10 minutes without letting it smoke, then let it steep until cool and strain it. Keep it in the fridge and use it within a month. Wear gloves, open a window, and keep your hands away from your eyes from start to finish.
Capsaicin is the compound that makes chilies hot. You cannot make pure capsaicin in a kitchen, and you do not need to. Capsaicin dissolves in fat and in alcohol, so a hot chili steeped in oil gives you a capsaicin oil for cooking, and a hot chili steeped in strong alcohol gives you a pepper extract. Both carry the heat without the bulk of the chili, so you can add it a few drops at a time.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Time | 15 minutes, plus cooling |
| Makes | About 180 ml oil |
| Ratio | 15 g dried hot chilies to 200 ml oil |
| Keeps | Up to 1 month in the fridge |
Ingredients
- 200 ml neutral oil: rapeseed, sunflower or peanut
- 15 g dried hot chilies, such as bird's eye, chile de árbol or habanero
- Nitrile gloves
- A small pan, a fine sieve and a clean glass bottle
Use dried chilies only. Fresh chilies carry water into the oil. Water in oil is where harmful bacteria can grow, without any change in smell or taste.
Safety first
- Gloves on before you open the bag, off only when the bottle is closed. Capsaicin on skin burns for hours, and it moves from your fingers to everything you touch.
- Ventilation: open a window and turn on the extractor fan. Hot chilies in warm oil release a vapour that makes you cough and sneeze.
- Eyes: never rub them, and wear glasses when you crush the chilies. If oil reaches your eyes, rinse them with plenty of cool water.
- No smoke: if the oil smokes, the chilies burn and the fumes get much worse. Take the pan off the heat at once.
- Label it: write "very hot" on the bottle and keep it out of reach of children.
How to make capsaicin oil on the stove
- Crush. With gloves on, crush the dried chilies in a mortar or pulse them briefly in a spice grinder. Do not lean over the grinder when you open it.
- Warm. Put the oil and chilies in a small pan over low heat. Keep the bubbles around the chilies small and slow for 10 minutes. The oil turns orange.
- Steep. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool completely with the chilies in, about 1 hour. The longer it sits, the hotter it gets.
- Taste. Dip a piece of bread into the oil. If you want more heat, steep it overnight in the fridge.
- Strain. Pour it through a fine sieve into a clean, dry bottle. Press the chilies, then throw them away wrapped in paper.
Capsaicin oil in the Herb Lab
The NOIDS Herb Lab holds the temperature for you, so there is no pan to watch and no risk of smoke:
- Put 200 ml oil and 15 g crushed dried chilies into the Glass. Stay under the MAX mark.
- Cover with the Dish Lid and place the Glass in the Main Body.
- Turn the Rotary Control to Oil. The cycle holds 100 °C (212 °F) for about 120 to 180 minutes, then cools by itself.
- Strain through the Filter Set once it has cooled. Keep your gloves on.
How hot will it be?
| Dried chili | Heat | Flavour |
|---|---|---|
| Gochugaru or Kashmiri | Mild | Fruity, deep red, more colour than heat |
| Chile de árbol or cayenne | Hot | Clean, sharp heat |
| Bird's eye | Very hot | Thin, intense heat |
| Habanero or Scotch bonnet | Extremely hot | Fruity and fierce |
| Carolina Reaper | Beyond hot | Use a few drops at a time |
For colour and heat together, mix a mild chili with a little of a hot one. For a fragrant oil with spices and crunch, follow our chili oil recipe or the crunchy garlic chili oil.
How to make pepper extract
Pepper extract is the alcohol version. It is hotter per drop and keeps longer than the oil.
- Steep: cover crushed dried hot chilies with high-proof food-grade alcohol in a jar, close it and keep it dark for 2 to 3 weeks, shaking now and then.
- Strain: pour it through a fine sieve into a dark dropper bottle.
- Concentrate: the Herb Lab can evaporate most of the alcohol and recover it through the Condenser. The full method, with Carolina Reapers, is in our capsaicin extract guide.
How to use capsaicin oil
- Hot sauce: stir a teaspoon into a mild sauce to raise the heat without changing the taste.
- Pizza and pasta: a few drops over the top.
- Marinades and dressings: replace some of the oil with capsaicin oil.
- Soups, beans and chili: a few drops at the end, then taste.
- Hot honey: a few drops in warm honey, or follow our hot honey recipe.
Add one drop or ½ teaspoon, stir, wait a minute and taste. Heat builds. Milk or yoghurt calms a burning mouth faster than water.
How to store capsaicin oil
- Keep it in a clean, closed bottle in the fridge and use it within a month. Food-safety services advise the fridge even for oils made with dried chilies.
- Oil turns cloudy or solid in the fridge. That is normal, and it clears at room temperature.
- Always use a clean, dry spoon.
- More on why the fridge matters: does chili oil need to be refrigerated?
Questions
How do you make capsaicin at home?
You cannot make pure capsaicin at home. You extract it from hot chilies into oil or alcohol, which gives you capsaicin oil or pepper extract for cooking.
Can I use fresh chilies for capsaicin oil?
Use dried. Fresh chilies bring water into the oil, and then it must be used within 4 days. Dried chilies give an oil that keeps up to a month in the fridge.
How do I get capsaicin off my hands?
Wash them with dish soap and warm water, or rub them with a little cooking oil first and then wash. Next time, wear nitrile gloves.
Is pepper extract hotter than capsaicin oil?
Usually, yes. Strong alcohol pulls out more capsaicin than oil, and it can be concentrated further.
How long does capsaicin oil last?
Up to a month in a closed bottle in the fridge, made with dried chilies only.
