Basil Olive Oil: What It Is and How to Use It
Basil olive oil is extra virgin olive oil flavored with basil, made to be drizzled over food at the last moment. It gives you the green, sweet, slightly peppery smell of fresh basil without a bunch of leaves wilting in the fridge, and it is the quickest way to make tomatoes, mozzarella, pasta and warm bread taste of an Italian summer.
How basil olive oil is made
Fresh basil is mostly water, and fresh leaves left in oil are not shelf-stable, so most bottled basil oils are made by infusing extra virgin olive oil with natural basil flavoring. That keeps the flavor clean and the oil safe in the cupboard. Il Boschetto’s basil oil is made this way, on Italian extra virgin olive oil, in Castiglione della Pescaia on the Maremma coast of Tuscany, where the house makes infused oils, vinegars and spice blends.
Seven ways to use basil olive oil
- Tomatoes and mozzarella. Sliced tomatoes, mozzarella or burrata, basil oil and flaky salt. Nothing else.
- Pasta. Toss hot pasta with butter and Parmigiano, then finish with basil oil off the heat; the warmth releases its aroma.
- Focaccia and bread. Brush it onto focaccia straight from the oven, as in our no-knead focaccia with basil olive oil and fleur de sel, or pour it into a dish with salt and pepper for dipping.
- Soup. A swirl over tomato soup, minestrone or white bean soup just before serving.
- Pizza. Brush the crust as soon as the pizza leaves the oven.
- Vegetables. Over grilled zucchini, roasted peppers and cherry tomatoes once they are cooked.
- Fish and chicken. A few drops over grilled fish, shrimp or chicken at the table.
A basil vinaigrette
Whisk 3 tablespoons basil olive oil with 1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Use it on a tomato salad, a bean salad or grilled vegetables.
Cooking with it
Basil oil is a condiment oil. Heat takes the basil away, so cook with plain olive oil and use basil oil to finish.
How to store it
Capped, in a cupboard away from heat and light; it keeps as long as the extra virgin olive oil it is built on. Homemade basil oil made with fresh leaves is different: refrigerate it and use it within four days. More in Does Olive Oil Expire?
Questions
What does basil olive oil taste like? Like fresh basil over a fruity olive oil: green, sweet and a little peppery.
Is basil olive oil the same as pesto? No. Pesto is a sauce of basil, nuts, cheese and oil. Basil oil is a clear oil with basil’s aroma, used by the drop.
What goes with basil olive oil? Tomatoes, mozzarella, burrata, pasta, bread, soup, zucchini and white fish.
See also our guides to lemon olive oil and lavender olive oil, and all infused olive oils and vinegars.