How to Make Cinnamon Oil

Picking Your Ingredients

Choose your cinnamon. Cinnamon oil can be made by using either cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon. Find out what is available in your area by checking at local grocery stores. If you have a local spice merchant, they may be able to help you find higher quality cinnamon than you would get at a local market. If possible, opt to use cinnamon stick. They provide a richer flavor than ground cinnamon, and some claim that ground cinnamon is not as potent and does not offer the same health benefits. Check out the different types of cinnamon. Look for Ceylon cinnamon if you want a milder taste, and try Cassia cinnamon if you want a bit more heat or a slightly more woody flavor.

Find a carrier oil. Olive oil is one of the more common carrier oils used to make cinnamon oil, but any neutral, lightly flavored oil will work. Look at the nutritional value, health benefits, and flavor profiles of your favorite kitchen oils to see which one best suits your needs. Olive oil doesn’t break down quickly, and is good for cooking and baking. Its rich flavor may change the cinnamon flavor, though. Almond oil is a lighter, nuttier oil that is also safe to use under high temperatures. Canola oil doesn’t have a strong flavor of its own and is often used for pan frying or baking, but it does not have the same rich nutritional value as some other oils. Coconut oil may have a lightly coconut flavor, and is best when used in moderation due to its high saturated fat content. Flax seed oil is rich in certain micronutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acid and has a gentle taste. It does not stand up to heat well, though, and so is recommended for dressing, dipping, or direct ingestion.

Select a storage method. You will want to store your oil in clean glass jars. Find jars with rubber seals integrated into their lids, and select the size best fits your needs. The more oil you plan on using, the larger the jar should be. Remember that your cinnamon oil will be good for the same amount of time as your carrier oil. Most cooking oils last for no longer than a year. Check the eat by dates and find containers that will fit the amount of oil you think you can consume before it turns rancid. Only use clean, intact jars with undamaged seals. Check the rim of the lid to see if any part of the rubber seal is damaged or missing.

Infusing The Oil

Sterilize the jars. Before you make your oil, sterilize the jars so that you don’t get any unwanted bacteria in your oil. Do this by using warm water and dish soap, followed by a bath in boiling water. Start by removing the lids from your jars and washing the inside and outside of each jar and its lid in warm water. Use dish soap and rinse thoroughly. Once the jars and lids have been rinsed in warm water, transfer immediately to a boiling pot of water. Keep the lids off the jars. Make sure there is enough water to entirely submerge the open jars. Remove the jars and put them face-up on a clean baking sheet. Dip the tips of metal tongs into the boiling water for two to three minutes, then use the sterilized tongs to remove the jars. Allow the jars to cool before handling.

Pack in the cinnamon sticks. If you are using cinnamon sticks, fit them vertically into the jar. Pack as many in as possible. For a quart-sized jar, you may want upward of a dozen cinnamon sticks. If a stick is too long to fit in the jar, use a kitchen knife to gently saw the stick in half and pack both halves into the jar. You may want to use new rubber or nitrile gloves while packing the jar in order to avoid transferring over any bacteria from your hands.

Add in the oil. Pour your carrier oil into the jar until all of the cinnamon sticks are completely immersed. If the jar allows, try to have at least half an inch of oil above the tops of the cinnamon sticks. Use a clean butter knife or chopstick to maneuver the cinnamon sticks if the oil is not flowing down to the bottom of the jar.

Prepare the ground cinnamon. If you are using ground cinnamon, you will cook it into the oil before placing it in the jar. Use about a quarter of a cup of ground cinnamon for every cup of your carrier oil. Mix the two together in a sauce pan over a low-to-medium heat. Stir the oil and cinnamon until combined, then let simmer for three to five minutes before removing. Let cool for up to 10 minutes. Once the oil is cooked and cooled, place in sterilized glass jar and allow to steep.

Steep the oil. Tightly seal up the jars and place them in a warm, dry area such as on a windowsill. Leave the jars in place for up to three weeks. This allows the cinnamon to release its flavors and certain nutrients into the oil. The longer you leave the jars, the stronger the oil will taste. Taste test the oil once every week or so, and allow to steep until it reaches the strength you want. Oil made with ground cinnamon can be used immediately, or may be left to steep for a stronger flavor. Try tasting the oil after a week, as ground cinnamon tends to need less time to steep. Shake the jar daily. This will help infuse the base oil with the cinnamon, and discourage any molding along the surface of the oil.

Strain the oil. Use a piece of cheesecloth to strain the cinnamon oil into another sterilized glass jar after it finishes steeping. Place the cheesecloth over the mouth of the new jar and secure it with your hand or a rubber band as you pour the oil in. To get extra oil out, allow the cinnamon to fall into the cheesecloth. Then, twist the cloth tightly around the cinnamon to force out more oil. This may get messy, so it is best done over a large bowl or in the sink.

Storing and Using The Oil

Seal and store the oil. Once the oil is successfully transferred into the new jar, seal the jar using a lid with an intact rubber seal. Store the oil in a cool, dry place such as your pantry or the fridge. You may also transfer the strained oil to a decorative bottle if you prefer. Simply make sure the bottle is sterilized in the same manner as the jars.

Refrigerate the oil. Extend the shelf life of your oil by keeping it in the fridge. Depending upon the type of carrier oil used, you could get up to double the shelf life from your cinnamon oil through refrigeration. Olive oil lasts for up to three years on its own, and thus does not need to be refrigerated. If you used coconut oil as a carrier oil, keep in mind that it solidifies at cooler temperatures. Expose it to light heat to re-liquify.

Use your oil. Cinnamon oil may be used in cooking, topically, or around your house. Some research suggests that five grams of cinnamon a day may be helpful for Type 2 Diabetes, while some naturopaths have used it as a treatment for everything from cystic ovaries to household insect infestation. Try substituting small amounts of your cinnamon oil in baking to get not only its health benefits but its rich flavor. For example, if a recipe calls for half a cup of oil, try a quarter cup of your normal cooking oil and a quarter cup of the cinnamon oil. Try using cinnamon oil topically as a muscle relaxer after a workout or when you are a little sore. Use cinnamon oil in stir-fry or as part of a marinade or dressing to impart a unique flavor.