This homemade spicy chili crisp recipe is easy to make, the perfect condiment for spooning over anything from vegetables to eggs, meats and more. Learn how to make chili crisp at home. You'll also love my homemade chili oil recipe.
Easy Chili Crisp Recipe (Chili Crunch)
Chili crisp is gaining popularity around the world. What was once a single brand or two from China made its way to the U.S. in the late 1990's, and has now made its way into kitchens and local dishes.
You may know the popular Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp brand, which is the most well known, though other brands are working their way into the market.
Many of these are wonderfully flavorful, though I prefer homemade chili crisp.
I'll show you how you can make chili crisp at home, and how you can customize the heat level and ingredients that go into it so you can make it your own, and so much better than anything from the store.
What is Chili Crisp?
Chili crisp is an infused chili oil condiment with crunchy bits, made by simmering chili peppers, onion, garlic, seasonings, and other ingredients in oil. You may also see it referred to as chili crunch, or crunchy chili oil.
It is spicy, salty and savory with an addictive umami, perfect for adding flavor and texture to anything from sandwiches to desserts.
You can use the crispy crunchy bits or just the chile oil.
You just can't get enough of it. This is the best chili crisp recipe you'll ever need, so keep this link in your recipe collection. Once you try it, you'll never want to be without it again.
Perfect for home cooks!
Let's talk about how to make chili crisp, shall we?
3 Components to Making a Chili Crisp
#1. The Oil. Chili crisp is essentially an infused chili oil, so oil is obviously the main component.
A neutral vegetable oil is ideal like avocado oil or peanut oil. However, you can make make chili crisp with any oil, such as olive oil or sesame oil.
#2. The Crispy Bits. This is the stuff that puts the "crisp" in chili crisp. These ingredients crisp up from cooking in the oil and make it crunchy.
Common ingredients include shallot, green or red peppers, garlic and ginger. Dried chili flakes are also common. There are many options.
Also popular are nuts for extra crunch, like soy nuts or peanuts.
#3. The Seasonings. For flavoring. Your options are only as limited as your imagination. I use Sichuan peppercorns, chili powder, soy sauce, sugar, msg, cinnamon and star anise.
Other options include cardamom, extra spicy peppers, herbs, so much more.
Chili Crisp Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil. A neutral oil like peanut oil or avocado oil is ideal.
- Chili Peppers. I love serranos for this, though you can use other peppers. Habaneros are great, or Sichuan peppers.
- Shallot.
- Garlic.
- Ground Sichuan Peppercorns. You can use black peppercorns.
- Red Pepper Flakes.
- Gochugaru. Or use smoked paprika or a blend of paprika and cayenne for spicier.
- Soy Sauce.
- Sugar.
- MSG. Strongly encouraged. MSG adds extra umami to the finished crisp and makes it so delicious. However, you can skip it if you have any concerns over MSG. Use sea salt instead.
- Cinnamon Stick.
- Star Anise.
- OPTIONAL ADDITIONS (for extra flavor)
- Mushroom Powder. For an umami boost.
- Sesame Seeds.
- Roasted Peanuts.
How to Make Chili Crisp - the Recipe Method
First, add oil to a small with chilies, shallot, garlic, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and star anise pods.
Simmer on medium-low for 20-30 minutes, or until the ingredients in the pot brown.
They will become crispy and golden brown, and quite fragrant.
It could take longer for the bits to brown and crisp depending on the size of your chopped peppers and oil temperature.
Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. The flavors will infuse the oil even further.
In a separate heat-proof bowl, mix together the chili flakes, paprika (or Gochugaru), soy sauce, sugar and msg.
Strain the oil into the chili flake mixture. Reserve the crispy bits in the strainer and set them aside for now to cool, which will allow them to fully crisp up in the air.
Pick out the cinnamon stick and star anise pods, then swirl the crispy bits back into the oil.
Cover and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors develop even more. Stir before serving.
You can use the chili crisp sauce right away, but it gets better after a day or so to develop and intensify that umami flavor profile.
Boom! Done! Now you have some wonderful spicy chili crisp to jazz up just about anything you'd like. It's a zest factor extraordinaire, and huge on flavor, too. I love this recipe so much.
New favorite for sure!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Chili Peppers. I used serrano peppers for this recipe, though you can realistically use any fresh pepper. Many recipes skip the fresh chilies and use only dried. I prefer both, as the fresh pods crisp up very nicely. Use jalapeno peppers or even no-heat bell peppers for a milder version. Splash in some hot sauce to make it hotter.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes. Use your favorite dried red chiles or chili flakes. There are many available from your local grocer, or in Mexican grocery stores. Popular chili peppers used for making the flakes include chile de arbol, japones, or Kashmiri chilies. Choose to your flavor and heat level preference. It works with any dried peppers. Try dehydrating chili peppers and making your own homemade chili flakes. Spice it up!
Here are answers to some of the common questions about chili crisp.
Does Chili Crisp Need to be Refrigerated? Storage Information
Chili crisp will last 1 month in the refrigerator stored in a sealed container. It should be refrigerated for longer keeping. Because of the crispy bits in the oil, refrigeration will keep it from going bad more quickly.
Note that it may congeal in the refrigerator depending on the oil used, but it will come to room temperature quickly.
Uses for Chili Crisp
Chili crisp is wonderfully versatile chili sauce and can be used to add umami, spice and flavor to any number of dishes. Try it out in the following ways:
- Spoon it over grilled or steamed vegetables.
- Punch up your fried rice.
- Make gyoza sauce.
- Swirl it into brothy soups.
- Scoop it over grilled meats.
- Add a spoonful to scrambled eggs or over fried eggs - I love chili crisp eggs!
- Drizzle the oil over ice cream or other sweets.
- Make awesome chili crisp noodles, Spicy Ramen Noodles, Gochujang Noodles (Spicy Korean Noodles) Chili Crisp Shrimp, or other Spicy Noodles!
Chili Crisp Substitutes
If you're unable to make a batch of this, consider my simple spicy chili oil recipe. You can sub in sesame seeds and crushed peanut for your crispy bits.
Or, use any hot chili oil for flavor and drizzling.
Where to Buy Chili Crisp
If you'd prefer to buy chili crisp rather than make it at home, there are several great brands out there with amazing flavor. Here are some links to Amazon (affiliate links, my friends) where you can buy some to try.
- Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp
- Don Chilio Chili Crisp (They sell different heat levels - jalapeno, serrano, and habanero)
- Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp
- Momofuku Chili Crunch
- Buy Chili Crisp
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy your homemade chile crisp. This stuff is seriously great, perfect for any spicy food lover like you. Let me know how yours turns out.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Chili Crisp Recipe – How to Make Chili Crisp
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups vegetable oil or use peanut oil
- 2 serrano peppers rough chopped
- 1 shallot rough chopped
- 10 cloves garlic rough chopped
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns or use Sichuan peppercorns
- ¼ cup red chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika or use a Gochugaru seasoning blend, or cayenne for more heat
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce adds umami
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon msg optional - use sea salt as an alternative
- OPTIONAL ADDITIONS for extra flavor
- 1 3- inch cinnamon stick
- 4 star anise pods
Instructions
- Add the oil to a small pot along with the serrano peppers, shallot, garlic, peppercorns. Add the cinnamon stick and star anise pods, if using.
- Heat the oil to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the ingredients in the pot brown. It could take longer for the bits to brown and crisp depending on the size of your chopped peppers and oil temperature.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. The flavors will infuse the oil even further.
- In a separate heat-proof bowl, mix together the chili flakes, paprika (or Gochugaru), soy sauce, sugar and msg.
- Strain the oil into the chili flake mixture. Reserve the crispy serrano-shallot-garlic bits in the strainer and set them aside for now to cool, which will allow them to fully crisp up.
- Pick out the cinnamon stick and star anise pods (if using), then swirl the crispy bits back into the oil.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors develop even more. Stir before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 6/24/22 to include new video and information. It was originally published on 2/3/20.
Michael says
Good recipe, but even with 1/3 of the recommended Sichuan Peppercorns it is too strong and overpowers everything else. I am going to make another batch and only add a little at a time until it is more balanced.
Mike Hultquist says
That's how recipes work, Michael. Balance them out to your personal preference. I personally enjoy the Sichuan peppercorns and prefer it as is. Cheers!
Curt says
How many nuts should be added and at what point in the recipe? The instructions don't mention nuts specifically, so additional information would be helpful. Thanks.
Mike Hultquist says
Curt, you would add them in step 1 with the shallots and chilies. Use 1-2 tablespoons, then you adjust to preference for later batches. Enjoy.