What Is Chili Crisp and Why Is It Everywhere?

Chili crisp appears to be all the rage these days. It’s showing up on store shelves and getting added to all sorts of products like Jack in the Box’s Chili Crisp Curly Fries (more on those here), Kettle’s Chili Crisp Chips, MaxJerky’s Chili Crisp Beef Jerky, and even chocolate bars. But what exactly is this stuff, and why are we seeing it everywhere these days?

What Is Chili Crisp?

Chili crisp (also known as chile crunch) is a Chinese-originated condiment made by infusing hot oil with fried chili peppers and crunchy aromatics such as garlic, shallots, Sichuan peppercorns, and sometimes peanuts or soybeans. Unlike traditional chili oil, which is mostly liquid, chili crisp boasts generous crunchy bits that deliver spice, umami, saltiness, along with a nice kick of heat. But this stuff will not send you screaming from the room—as I find most chili crisps land between Mild and Medium on my scale. It definitely has a kick, but there’s that earthiness from the chilis and almost a smokiness that delivers a nice flavor without setting your mouth ablaze.

And the fact is, chili crisp is nothing new. It has been a condiment on the table in Asian restaurants for decades, and I can remember adding it to my noodles or topping my egg rolls with it all the way back in the ’80s. This stuff dates back hundreds of years to the regions of Sichuan and Hunan, and as mentioned, it has been in restaurants for quite some time. It’s just that recently, it started to gain more popularity and attention.

Why Is Chili Crisp Everywhere These Days?

The simple answer is that it’s pretty good stuff, and people are starting to realize what they’ve been missing. Spice lovers like myself eagerly added it to Asian dishes at restaurants for many years, while others turned up their noses thinking it was too hot. But people have been learning that the heat is more tolerable than they expected, and they’ve started to give it a chance. On top of that, there are a few other factors that have led to its popularity:

COVID: Yep, this is something else that benefited from the pandemic (like baking sourdough bread, watching streaming shows, and playing pickleball) as people started to discover the wonders of this condiment they had ignored for so long. There were several brands on the market (leading to even more now), and you could make the stuff yourself pretty easily at home, so it became another popular pandemic trend.

Versatility: Chili crisp can be used on many things—from eggs, noodles, and dumplings to grilled cheese, avocado toast, and even ice cream! The fact is, it can spice up sweet and savory dishes, making it almost a universal condiment.

Food Shows: As with the Birria trend (more on that here), chili crisp has received a lot of attention from cooking shows. Whether it’s Guy Fieri eating pork dumplings with the stuff added, or it showing up as an ingredient on one of the Food Network’s cooking or competition shows, it has definitely been getting much more exposure on television.

Sriracha Shortage: I don’t have the receipts to prove this, but I’m going to guess that the years of Sriracha shortages may have driven people to try chili crisp. They couldn’t find the familiar sauce with the Rooster on the label, so while looking for substitutes, they may have picked up a jar of this other condiment—especially those looking for a Chili Garlic Sauce alternative. So while the Sriracha shortage may have hurt Huy Fong, it may have also boosted the popularity of chili crisp.

What Are Some Popular Brands of Chili Crisp?

Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp is one of the first chili crisps that was widely available commercially, hitting the market in 1997. Following is a quick rundown on that and five others you should be able to find in stores, specialty markets, or online:

Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp: The original “Old Godmother,” praised for its perfectly balanced crunch, savory umami, and mild heat. Chefs and critics alike call it the go-to staple that introduced many to chili crisp.

Momofuku Chili Crunch: Crafted by David Chang, this version is lauded for its bold garlic and umami-forward flavor, featuring shiitake powder and seaweed for depth.

Fly By Jing Chengdu Crunch: Packed with Sichuan peppercorns and numbing spice—a go-to when you want bold, aromatic heat.

S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil (Japanese): Known for its garlic-heavy crunch, sesame notes, and mellow spiciness—ideal for those who want texture over intensity.

Oo’mämē Chile Crisp (Global Series): Comes in various regional flavors; highly praised for its creative, globally inspired spice blends.

Mama Teav’s Chili Crisp: A Bay Area artisanal brand rooted in Cambodian home cooking; distinctive garlic-forward profile and rich umami have made it a local favorite.

Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp is a particular favorite of mine, and I should also mention Trader Joe’s Crispy Habanero Peppers in Oil as well as their Crunchy Chili Onion Oil. I have not put together a survey of chili crisps yet, but that is currently in the works.

How Do You Make Chili Crisp?

Chili crisp is actually pretty simple to make, and you can adjust the heat and flavor to your own preferences. Below is a recipe I composited from the internet, and I will be making some tweaks to it and sharing my results in a future post.

Ingredients (makes about 1 cup):

¾ cup neutral oil (avocado, peanut, or soybean)

½ cup dried shallots or onions, minced

¼ cup dried garlic, minced

3 to 4 tablespoons crushed red chili flakes

¼ cup roasted soybeans or peanuts (for crunch)

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp sugar

Optional: 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns (for numbing tingle), sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat oil to medium. Add shallots/onions and salt, cooking 3–5 minutes until golden and crisp.

Stir in chili flakes, garlic, soybeans/peanuts, sugar, and Sichuan peppercorns. Cook for about one minute to bloom the flavors.

Remove from heat. Stir in sesame seeds if using, then let the mixture cool completely.

Transfer to a jar, let sit 24 hours to develop flavor, then refrigerate (good for about 3 months).

What are your favorite chili crisps?  Let us know in the comments below.