The short answer: this page gathers a year of our infusion recipes in one place. Butters, garlic and herb oils, chili oils, honeys, syrups and extracts, sorted by type and by season. Each group starts with the recipe to make first.
Here are more than 50 infusion recipes, one for every week of the year. An infusion gives a flavour time to move into oil, butter, honey, sugar syrup or a spirit. There are only five methods behind all of them, so once you can make one recipe in a group, you can make the rest. Use this page as the map: start with the first recipe in a group, then branch out.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Recipes | More than 50, in 8 groups |
| Easiest start | Honey butter or vanilla syrup |
| Most useful | Garlic oil and chili oil |
| Best gifts | Extracts, whipped honey, vanilla bean paste |
How to use this page
- Pick a base. Butter, oil, honey, syrup or a spirit.
- Start with the first recipe. It teaches the method for the whole group.
- Change the flavour. Swap herbs, spices or citrus once the method feels easy.
- Check storage. Each recipe says how long it keeps. Fresh garlic and herbs in oil always go in the fridge.
Butters
- Compound butter: the method behind every flavoured butter.
- Flavored butter: 10 sweet and savoury mixes.
- Herb butter for turkey: under the skin for a juicy bird.
- Brown butter: smells of toasted hazelnuts, done in about 10 minutes.
- Ghee: pure butterfat for high heat.
- Garlic butter: for bread, steak and pasta.
- Herb butter for steak: five butters to melt on top.
- Cowboy butter: the warm steak sauce.
- Cinnamon butter, honey butter and maple butter: sweet spreads for rolls and toast.
Garlic and herb oils
- Garlic oil: three ways compared.
- Garlic-infused olive oil: the safe, slow method.
- Garlic confit: soft, sweet cloves in oil.
- Black garlic oil: the dark oil for ramen.
- Wild garlic oil: bright green, for spring.
- Infused olive oil: the complete guide to herbs, citrus and chili.
- Lemon olive oil, rosemary olive oil and basil oil.
- Scallion oil: a 15-minute pantry staple.
- Herb-infused coconut oil: for baking and curries.
Chili oils
- How to make chili oil: the core method and the right temperature.
- Sichuan chili oil, Japanese rayu and salsa macha.
- Crunchy garlic chili oil: the chili crisp style.
- Does chili oil need to be refrigerated? Storage for every infused oil.
- Chili oil substitutes: what to use when you run out.
Cooking with your oils
- Chili oil noodles: dinner in 10 minutes.
- Chili oil eggs and five more ideas.
- Aglio e olio with homemade garlic oil.
Honeys
- Hot honey, plus five more infused honeys.
- Whipped honey: smooth, spreadable gift jars.
- Lavender honey: floral and gentle.
Never give honey, plain or infused, to babies under 12 months.
Syrups and drinks
- Vanilla syrup for coffee.
- Ginger syrup and a ginger shot made without a juicer.
- Lavender syrup, elderflower syrup and mint syrup for lemonade and iced tea.
- Rosemary simple syrup for desserts and sodas.
Extracts and pastes
- Vanilla extract: the ratio and the wait.
- Vanilla bean paste: thick, speckled and alcohol-free.
- Homemade extracts: six flavours for gift bottles.
- Orange extract, lemon extract and almond extract.
- Peppermint extract for holiday baking.
Body oils
- Calendula oil from dried flowers.
- Lavender oil for massage and bath. An infused oil, not an essential oil.
Basics and care
- Preserving your herb harvest: dry, freeze or infuse.
- Cleaning the Herb Lab: the Filter Set and Glass.
Many of these recipes have a slow, hands-off version made with the NOIDS Herb Lab. Its Oil function holds 100 °C (212 °F) for about 120 to 180 minutes, then cools by itself. That suits butters, oils and coconut oil.
The methods behind every recipe
Almost every recipe on this page uses one of five methods. Learn them and you can invent your own.
| Method | How it works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Beat in | Mix flavour into soft butter or honey | Compound butter, whipped honey |
| Warm infuse | Hold flavour in warm oil or butter, then strain | Garlic oil, herb butter |
| Hot pour | Pour hot oil over chili and spices | Chili oil, rayu |
| Simmer | Steep flavour in hot sugar syrup | Vanilla, lavender and mint syrups |
| Soak | Leave flavour in a spirit for weeks | Vanilla, citrus and mint extracts |
Each method has its own storage rule. Butters and anything fresh in oil live in the fridge. Syrups keep a few weeks in the fridge. Extracts keep for a year in a dark cupboard.
A year by season
| Season | Make now |
|---|---|
| Autumn | Vanilla extract, herb butter for turkey, brown butter, compound butter |
| Winter | Hot honey, honey butter, whipped honey, garlic oils, maple butter |
| Spring | Wild garlic oil, chili crisp, rosemary oil, scallion oil |
| Summer | Elderflower, lavender and mint syrups, basil oil, cowboy butter, calendula oil |
Questions
What is an infusion in cooking?
An infusion gives a flavour time to move into a liquid or fat. Herbs in oil, chili in honey and vanilla in vodka are all infusions.
Which infusion recipe should I make first?
Honey butter or vanilla syrup. Both take minutes and teach you to taste and adjust. Then try garlic oil, the most useful one in the kitchen.
Which infusions keep the longest?
Extracts made with spirit keep a year or more. Honey keeps well if no water gets in. Oils with fresh garlic or herbs keep only 4 days in the fridge.
Which infusions make good gifts?
Vanilla extract, homemade extracts, whipped honey and vanilla bean paste. Avoid gifting garlic or fresh herb oils, which must stay in the fridge.
