Rosemary oil is a popular infused oil used in cooking and beauty treatments. If you want to make rosemary oil quickly, heat a few sprigs of fresh rosemary in your oil of choice. However, keep in mind that this oil must be used within a week or it could go rancid. Alternatively, use dried rosemary to create an oil with a longer shelf life. Dried rosemary can be mixed with your oil of choice in a canning jar and set in a sunny place to slowly infuse into an edible oil. This method can be used with prepackaged dried rosemary or your own homemade dried rosemary.
Ingredients
Fresh Rosemary Oil
- Three or four sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Two cups (475 ml) of oil (olive oil, jojoba oil, or sweet almond oil)
Dried Rosemary Oil
- Three or four sprigs of dried rosemary OR
- One large tablespoon of dried rosemary
- About two cups (475 ml) of olive oil
Using Fresh Rosemary
1.Wash and measure the rosemary. Wash a few sprigs of fresh rosemary under cold, running water to remove any dirt and debris. Next, remove the leaves from the stem and measure out about a cup of leaves.
- Leftover rosemary leaves can be discarded or set aside for other recipes.
- Fill a small saucepan with oil.Measure out two cups of oil and pour them into a small saucepan. Most people prefer to use olive oil for its flavor, cooking uses, and cosmetic applications. However, if you’re planning on exclusively using your oil for beauty purposes, you can use jojoba oil or sweet almond oil.
- Jojoba oil and sweet almond oil should not be eaten or used in cooking.
3 Heat the rosemary in the oil. Add the rosemary sprigs to the saucepan. Place the pan over low heat on your stove. Heat the rosemary for five to ten minutes, stirring constantly. As the oil warms up, it will begin to smell like rosemary.
- If the oil begins bubbling around the rosemary, the oil is too hot. Reduce the heat and stir.
- Strain and cool the oil.Place a metal colander in a large metal bowl. Pour the oil mixture into the colander to strain out the rosemary pieces. Discard the leftover pieces of rosemary and let the oil cool in the bowl.
- Metal strainers and cheesecloths can also be used to strain the oil. Make sure the oil has cooled before using these tools.
5 Bottle the oil. Once the oil has cooled to room temperature, it can be poured into a clean bottle. Label the bottle with the bottling date and the ingredients used. However, resist the urge to add a sprig of rosemary to the bottle. It looks pretty, but it can cause harmful bacteria to grow in the oil.
6 Refrigerate the oil. Oils infused with fresh herbs should be refrigerated and used within the week. This will prevent the growth of any harmful bacteria that could cause the oil to become rancid.
- If the oil is a gift, be sure to include a “use by” date on the label.
