Fresh Herb Infused Rosemary Oil

By
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith is a food writer and certified botanist who has written five books on foraging and preserving food.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/6/21
Tested by
Tracy Wilk
Photo of Tracy Wilk
Tested by Tracy Wilk
Tracy Wilk is a professional pastry chef, recipe developer and chef instructor, and, most importantly, a firm believer in sprinkles.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Rosemary oil

The Spruce 
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
120 Calories
14g Fat
0g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 120
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 17%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 3mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

It's a great idea to have a bottle of rosemary oil in your kitchen. It is a go-to ingredient for the most obvious culinary choices, such as roasting chicken or root vegetables such as potatoes, but it's also really good on popcorn. Rosemary oil also makes a beautiful food gift.

It's not an ingredient you have to buy at a fancy olive oil shop—it's something you can easily make on your own. This rosemary oil has a deep green color and is richly aromatic with a savory taste. Choose an extra virgin olive oil you enjoy, as the flavor will be enhanced with the rosemary. You can make the oil with dried rosemary, but the result won't be nearly as delicious and the leaves take on the texture of pine needles. Fresh is best. The aroma and flavor of the fresh leaves can't be beat when it's time to infuse the oil and then use it.

When you rinse the rosemary, be sure to dry it completely before making the oil. Please see the callout below for more information about making rosemary oil safely.

It is not necessary to strip the leaves from the rosemary branches, but do lightly crush the sprigs by gently rubbing them between your clean hands. This begins to release the wonderful scent of the herb. If you happen to have a bumper crop in your garden, or you have a lot of it and you're not sure what to do with it, rosemary oil and rosemary salt are some favorite ways to preserve this herb.

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"Herb-infused olive oil is such an easy way to revamp a pantry staple. It may seem like something fancy you would buy at a specialty store, but you really can make it at home! It’s also a great way to use up extra herbs from cooking other dishes or overflow in your home garden." —Tracy Wilk

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Ingredients

Steps to Make It

It's really wonderful to make rosemary oil in a slow cooker, but if you don't have one, the stovetop method is almost as good.

Stovetop Rosemary Oil

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for rosemary oil
    The Spruce 

  2. Use a heavy pot that heats evenly. Avoid aluminum and non-enameled cast iron. Place the rosemary in the pot and pour the oil over it.

    Rosemary in a saucepan
    The Spruce

  3. Heat over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. You want the oil to warm but not simmer.

    Warm the oil with rosemary for 10 minutes
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  4. Turn off the heat and let the rosemary infuse in the oil for 1 hour.

    Turn off heat and infuse the oil with rosemary
    The Spruce

  5. Strain into a clean, dry glass bottle or jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the bottle or jar for this recipe). Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator, for up to 10 days.

    Rosemary olive oil

    The Spruce

Slow Cooker Rosemary Oil

This method may seem counterintuitive if, like us, you're used to the instruction to avoid exposing aromatic fresh herbs to high heat and to keep them covered while they are infusing. But it works beautifully.

  1. Place the fresh rosemary in your slow cooker and cover with the oil. Cook on the high setting uncovered for 1 hour.

    Rosemary in slow cooker covered with olive oil
    The Spruce 

  2. Turn off the slow cooker and let the oil cool to room temperature.

    Let rosemary oil cool in slow cooker
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  3. Strain into a clean, dry glass bottle or jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the bottle or jar).

    Rosemary infused olive oil in jar
    The Spruce

  4. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator, for up to 10 days.

    Rosemary oil

    The Spruce 

  5. Enjoy.

Tip

If you wash the rosemary before infusing it, make sure you dry it completely because any bit of moisture may spoil the oil before you've used it all. Please see the Food Safety callout on making rosemary oil safely.

How to Use

Herbal infusions give your cooking an incredible amount of versatility; plus, they're fun to make and share with others as gifts. Rosemary olive oil is a great addition to anything that would benefit from both olive oil and rosemary. Drizzle it on top of focaccia, popcorn, roasted potatoes, roasted chicken, lamb chops, or salmon.

Food Safety

Flavored or infused oils can provide an environment for botulism (a form of food poisoning) from Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Although this food poisoning happens infrequently, it does happen, so be aware of this risk and take precautions when making infused oils at home.


  • Fresh herbs should be "acidifed" by placing in vinegar to help keep any bacteria from growing before using to make infused oils.
  • Dried herbs are the safest way to make infused oils at home since they do not contain any moisture. You can also dry your fresh herbs before using by air drying, microwave or oven drying, or using a food dehydrator.
  • Flavored or infused oils made with fresh herbs, garlic, vegetables, or fruit (including peels), should be kept in the refrigerator and used within four to 10 days. 


Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Bolton, J. Bulletin #4385, Safe Homemade Flavored and Infused Oils. University of Maine Cooperative Extension.