How to make Annatto Oil (Atsuete Oil)

What is annatto oil?

Annatto has many names. Achiote, Atsuete, Annatto are what they are typically called. Depends which culture your recipe is from.

Annatto Oil is made from annatto seeds. Typically used in Asian cuisine to as a food coloring. It gives a natural beautiful golden red color and a slight smokiness flavor.

This atsuete oil recipe is not typical. Usually, you would heat up a tablespoon of annatto seeds to however much oil you need in a recipe. I wanted to use this for marinades to add more flavor hence all the extra ingredients.

Ingredients for making Annatto Oil

*GARLIC - Smashed garlic will give this oil a ton of flavor. However, not essential - completely optional.*GINGER - Another optional ingredient. I love the taste of ginger. I like to add it to anything I make.

*LEMONGRASS - Another optional ingredient, I like to add lemongrass in it to make it more citrusy. I love the flavor and aroma of lemongrass. Again, completely optional.

BAY LEAVES - Dried bay leaves will give this a ton of flavor.

ANNATTO SEEDS - Seeds from Achiote plant. This can be a tough ingredient to find. I found this at a Mexican grocery store. If you do find this, buy in bulk. Freeze in a ziploc bag to keep it fresh.

NEUTRAL OIL - You can use whatever neutral oil you want. I like using vegetable oil or avocado oil.

** are all optional ingredients. 

How to make Annatto Oil (Atsuete Oil)

Step 1 - PREP YOUR INGREDIENTS

• Roughly chop the ginger and smash the garlic.
• Smashed and cut only the white parts of the lemongrass

Step 2 - MAKE YOUR ANNATTO OIL 

• In a skillet, add all the ingredients and put it on a low simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Step 3 - USE AND STORE

• If using in a marinade, cool your oil first.
• Store for later use. Use any airtight container such as a mason jar to store your annatto oil. Put it in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• TIP: I would freeze the leftover oil in an ice cube tray with a lid. It will be good for use for 3-4 months.

How to store

Storing your annatto oil is easy. As it becomes stale fairly quickly there are 2 ways to store it.

• Stores in the fridge for up to 1 week in an airtight container such as a mason jar.
• Freezable for up to 3 - 4 months in an ice cube tray wth a lid.

Recipes that require annatto