Question: annato oil
By: trina martinez
Published: November 7, 2010

can I make annato oil from annato paste?

Answers:
Curt

Yes...annato oil is any oil infused with achiote pasta (or annato paste).  I like to use olive oil.
Chris Paulk

It makes a beautiful reddish oil that gives seafood and poultry a nice color. It's used sometimes in rice pilaf as well.
You can use annatto seeds, annatto powder or achiote paste to make it.
Chris Paulk

Katrina,
you can either heat some olive oil- (not hot-just warm it) and mix in a bit of the paste. Just a 1/4 tsp at a time, until you get the flavor and color you want. Mix it until smooth and cool the oil.
You can also try just whisking a bit of it into the cold oil.
Start with 1/2 cup of oil- more if desired and mix in the paste just a little at a time.
If you were making it from the annatto seeds- this would be the recipe. The paste is a concentrated form of the seeds- so start with less and add. 
1 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons achiote (annatto) seeds
1. Heat the oil and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat just until the seeds begin a steady bubble.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let stand for a minute.
3. Strain the oil.
Don't overheat the oil and seeds. Overheating will turn the seeds black and the oil green. The oil will be ruined..
Curt

Mix the paste with oil at a ratio that matches what you are going to use it for...the more oil the thinner the mixture.  Use a stick blender, your food processor or a wire whisk and elbow grease to mix the paste and oil.
trina martinez

thanks everyone. I love this site. I am making pasteles de yuca for the first time. My husband is from Puerto Rico and usually we have them when we visit his family for the holidays, but we can't go this year.