COSTABILE Hot Chili Oil - Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Italy Infused with Spicy Red Peppers, 8.45 Fl Oz Review (2026)

What it is

This is an extra virgin olive oil from Puglia, Italy that has been infused with red chili peppers, sold in an 8.45 fl oz bottle sized for finishing dishes rather than cooking in bulk. According to the Costabile brand's own product page, the oil is made from organic, early harvested olives from a single estate and carries a polyphenol content of about 620 mg per kilogram with an acidity around 0.3 percent, both of which point to a fresher, higher quality press rather than a blended commodity oil. It is marketed as a drizzle for pizza, pasta, meats, and bruschetta rather than as an oil meant for high heat frying.

Fit for pizza night

As a finishing oil, this is meant to go on after a pizza comes out of the oven, not into the dough or sauce, which lines up with how most home cooks use chili infused olive oils. The Puglia origin matters here because that region is known for producing fruitier, more robust extra virgin oils than some northern Italian regions, so the chili flavor sits on top of a noticeably olive forward base rather than a neutral carrier oil. That makes it a reasonable match for simple Neapolitan or New York style pies where the goal is a spicy, glossy finish rather than a subtle background heat.

Heat level and ingredients

Costabile's listing describes the product as organic extra virgin olive oil from Puglia combined with a natural extract of chili peppers, but neither the brand page nor the retail listing publishes a specific heat rating such as a Scoville figure or a mild, medium, hot scale. That is worth knowing before buying, since some infused chili oils are quite mild while others are aggressively spicy, and this bottle gives no way to judge that in advance beyond the word hot in the name. Starting with a light drizzle on the first use is a sensible way to gauge the heat before committing a full pizza to it.

Storage and shelf life

Infused olive oils are more prone to losing aroma and flavor once opened and exposed to heat and light than plain extra virgin oil, which is a fair concern for anyone keeping a bottle near an outdoor pizza oven. The chili solids and any residual moisture from the pepper extract can also shorten shelf life compared to unflavored oil if the bottle sits somewhere warm for long stretches. Keeping the bottle capped between uses and storing it away from direct oven heat, rather than on a shelf attached to the oven itself, is the more practical way to preserve both the olive fruitiness and the chili punch over time.

Value and size

At 8.45 fl oz, the bottle is sized more like a condiment than a bulk cooking oil, which fits its role as an occasional finishing drizzle rather than an everyday ingredient. Buyers comparing it to larger 16.9 fl oz chili oils from other Italian producers should factor in that smaller size when judging price per ounce, since a smaller bottle naturally costs less up front but may need replacing sooner in a household that uses it often. For anyone who wants to try an Italian chili oil without committing to a large bottle, the size is a reasonable low risk entry point.

Frequently asked questions