This homemade Chili Crisp recipe will elevate your meals with a spicy burst of flavor and the BEST crunchy texture! Vegan, Gluten-free.
Chili crisp is a spicy, flavorful chili oil with “crispy bits” that originates from the Sichuan province of China, used as a condiment. Versatile and customizable, Chili Crisp has become an essential condiment at our table. Made with dried chilis, dried onion flakes, and spices and aromatics, it adds a zippy crunch and depth to almost everything.
We use a combination of hot and mild chili varieties, dried onions, and garlic to create a deep and complex flavor profile. Using dried onion and garlic not only saves preparation time but also gives the dish a super satisfying crunch. The chilies and onions toast lightly as the oil absorbs all the harmonious flavors, resulting in a heavenly flavor bomb.
Why You Will Love Chili Crisp!
- Customization: Making chili crisp at home allows you to have full control over the quality of ingredients and their quantities. Whether you want it to be extra spicy, mildly hot, or have a unique flavor twist, you can easily customize it to your liking.
- Complex flavors: The combination of different chilies in this recipe creates deep and complex flavors. It adds a delightful kick and a hint of smokiness to any dish.
- A multitude of uses: Chili crisp can be used in many ways! It pairs well with eggs, avocado toast, tossed with roasted vegetables, tossed with noodles, drizzled over rice bowls, stir-fries, and soups; the possibilities are endless.
- Easy to make: With just a few simple steps, you can have a jar of homemade chili crisp ready to elevate your meals. It also makes a great gift!
Chili Crisp Ingredients
- Dried minced onion flakes and Dried minced garlic flakes (or dehydrated onion, shallot or garlic) See recipe notes for fresh garlic and onion
- Red pepper flakes for the spicy kick.
- Gochugaru pepper flakes or Aleppo Chili Flakes for smoky mildly spiced flavor.
- Smoked paprika for depth of flavor.
- Coconut sugar- or brown sugar, optional but the sugar really adds balance and deeper flavor.
- Soy sauce– or gluten-free liquid amino acid- just a touch gives umami.
- Cinnamon sticks and star anise pods for aromatic spice and fullness.
- Oil that is neutral in flavor, such as avocado oil, light olive oil or expeller-pressed grapeseed oil. Peanut oil lends a delicious flavor. (We prefer to avoid highly refined vegetable oil or “seed oils” in general, as they can be inflammatory.)
This recipe is yours to shape and play around with. Make it spicy or mild, add more flavor with aromatics like green or black cardamom pods, fresh ginger slices, mushroom powder.
Further enhance the flavor by adding optional ingredients to the finished oil such as:
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Crushed peanuts
- Crunchy soybeans
- Fried shallots
Feel free to experiment and adjust the ingredients based on your preferences.
How To Make Chili Crisp (instructions)
In a small pot add oil, minced onions, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, gochugaru or Aleppo, smoked paprika, salt, and cinnamon sticks and star anise.
Place on the lowest heat for 30 minutes, stirring a few times. Do not exceed 225 degrees. (Too high of heat will result in burning the chilies which will make them bitter.) Watch closely and if you smell the chilies check the temperature with a thermometer. The oil should just very lightly bubble with tiny bubbles.
While the chilies toast, add to a medium-sized bowl, the black pepper, smoked paprika, sugar, and soy sauce.
Place a metal, fine-mesh sieve over the bowl. Pour oil into the sieve letting the oil strain into the bowl over the spices. Pick out the aromatics (cinnamon sticks, star anise, and any other whole seeds added). Spread out the cooked chili mixture. Let cool for about 10 minutes in the strainer.
Mix the toasted chilis back into the oil.
Storage
Store in a well-sealed container. Chili Crunch is shelf-stable for 3 months.
We can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe! In the comments, let us know your favorite dish to enjoy chili crisp with! Enjoy!
Ways to Use Chili Crisp!
- Spoon chili crisp over avocado toast!
- Toss with noodles
- Drizzle over poached eggs
- Drizzle over roasted veggies
- Swirl into hot pots or ramen
- Add to stir fry!
We love it over spooned over avocado toast and tossed with ramen noodles!
Or served with Tinned Fish! (My favorite!)
FAQs
Chili oil is traditionally made with just crushed chilies and oil, while chili crisp incorporates crunchy, aromatic ingredients like dried minced onion and garlic flakes.
Chili crisp is made with oil, crushed chilies, dried minced onion and garlic flakes, salt, and sugar. We added cinnamon, star anise, pepper, smoked paprika, and soy sauce for even more depth of flavor!
The good news is, you get to control the heat in this recipe. As written this recipe is spicy, but keep in mind that this is a condiment that you can add to recipes to bring in a kick of heat, controlling the amount. See notes for milder chili flake options, or if you wish for more heat see the hot suggestions too!
More favorite Condiments
Chili Crisp Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/8 cups 1x
- Category: Condiment, sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Incredibly easy homemade Chili Crisp will elevate your meals with a spicy burst of flavor and the BEST crunchy texture! Vegan and Gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 cup oil avocado oil, peanut oil, or light olive oil
- 1/3 cup dried minced onion flakes or dehydrated shallots
- 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic flakes
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes (*see notes for alternative suggestions)
- 1 tablespoon Aleppo chili flakes or gochugaru (*see notes for alternative suggestions)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 star anise
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
Optional Aromatics: green or black cardamom pods, fresh ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, and bay leaves.
Optional flavor additions: mushroom powder, toasted sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, or crunchy soy nuts.
Instructions
- In a small pot add oil, minced onions, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, gochugaru or Aleppo, salt, and cinnamon sticks and star anise.
- Place on the lowest heat for 30 minutes, stirring a few times. Do not exceed 225 degrees. (Too high of heat will result in burning the chilies which will make them bitter.) Watch closely and if you smell the chilies check the temperature with a thermometer. The oil should just very lightly bubble with tiny bubbles.
- Add into a separate medium-sized bowl, black pepper, smoked paprika, sugar, and soy sauce. Place a metal (plastic will melt!) fine mesh sieve over the bowl. When the chili oil has finished cooking, pour into the sieve letting the oil strain into the bowl over the spices. Spread the cooked chili mixture out in the sieve to cool for about 10 minutes and remove the aromatics (cinnamon sticks, star anise, and any other whole seeds added).
- Mix the toasted chilis in the strainer back into the oil. Store in a well-sealed container. Chili Crunch is shelf-stable for 3 months.
Notes
This recipe is pretty spicy, adjust accordingly. Keep in mind it is a condiment and you want it to be lively and flavorful, as you drizzle it on food the heat is nicely distributed.
Hot Chili Varieties: Sichuan chili flakes, red pepper flakes, japones, arbol chilies, or chipotle peppers.
Mild to Medium heat Chili Options: Aleppo, guajillo, maras, ancho chili flakes, Kashmiri or gochugaru chili flakes. We highly recommend combining different types of chilies for a more complex flavor. You can use ready-made flakes and powders or grind up from whole peppers.
It’s important to note that if you want Chili Crisp to be shelf-stable, you should use dried onion and garlic. However, if you prefer using fresh garlic, shallots, or onion, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days. Or alternatively slow cook the alliums separately until fully crisp, as garlic and shallots that still have water content carry the risk of botulism.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 teaspoons
- Calories: 36
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 91.7 mg
- Fat: 2.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.3 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 6.2 mg
A cauliflower recipe called for chili crisp but I had never heard of it. I looked it up on your website and found this remarkable recipe. The complexity of the flavors and textures – sweet, salty, floral, sour, earthy, mild, spicy, smooth, crunchy – enhances every dish. It is really fun to make too. I used most of the suggested additions and a little less oil. Now I am bringing little jars of it as house gifts to my “cheffy” friends. As always thank you for sharing your creativity and delicious recipes.
Perfect Judy! So happy you are enjoying and sharing!
My husband and I both loved this! I used the peppers I had on hand, and it was delicious! Highly recommend!
Awesome Rusty, so glad you gave it a try!
What a beautiful recipe!!! I made half the recipe and spooned the chili crisp over some sautéed eggplant and topped with crispy noodles. So good!!!
Oh so glad you gave it a try Angeli! Sounds perfect. It is quite addictive.
Your recipes are amazing, finger licking & lip smackingly delicious
Yay, great to hear you are enjoying Vanita!
Your recipes never fail! Absolutely loved this one. Made a lot before Christmas (for us and for gifts) yet I’ve already run out since we’ve been putting it on everything! (Highly recommend adding to tuna sandwiches!)
Glad you are enjoying, tuna sounds amazing!
Hi! I’ve really enjoyed your blog, and really appreciate how well written your recipes are. Your recipes have become some of my favorites 🙂 I’d like to add in sichuan peppercorns to this. Should I toast it first, and how much would you suggest I add to the recipe? I’d really appreciate your guidance on how to use it, thanks!
Thanks for your kind words Janice.❤️ I would add 1 teaspoon up to 1 tablespoon of crushed Sichuan peppercorns. They should get toasted with the hot oil poured over them.
Recipe looks amazing!
To make it shelf stable, do I need to do a canning method, or put in jars while hot?
It is shelf stable as long as you use all dried ingredients. Putting in jars hot may help seal the lid so it doesn’t leak out.
I love your recipes and have made several. Unfortunately the recipe says to add the smoked paprika into the oil before cooking. I did this and even though I was very careful with my temperature I noticed that the paprika was very dark when I poured off the oil. When I reread the method I saw it also said to add the paprika into the oil after it is cooked.
The oil still tastes okay but there is a very slight burned flavor from the smoked paprika. I’m not sure if this is because it was cooked with the oil or not.
I will try the recipe another time and add the smoked paprika along with the sugar and soy sauce after the oil is cooked. 🙂
Hi, sorry about that Hollis! We updated the recipe to add the paprika afterwards with the sugar and soy sauce. You must of caught this before the update! Again, I apologize.
Oh my word! I just made a batch for a Christmas gift and I am absolutely ‘WOWED’. I wish i doubled the batch. I am so thrilled at how delicious this turned out. I couldn’t find star anise so i bought the extract and added 4-5 drops. I also added 1/2 cup crushed peanuts.
Sounds perfect Carolyn! Glad you enjoyed making this. Love the peanut addition. 🙂
Making this tonight and I am certain it will be as good as everything else I made made from this blog.
The instructions say to add paprika to the hot mixture and smoked paprika to the stuff in the bowl but ingredient list only shows paprika. Can you clarify?
Oh dear! Ok fixed it, smoked paprika is what it should be!
Should the smoked paprika cook with the oil or go into the bowl with the sugar and soy sauce? It’s referenced in both places.
Opps! I would add with the sugar and soy sauce. Fixed the recipe to reflect and thanks for pointing this out!
This sounds awesome. I love the idea of making this for Christmas gifts. I have a surplus of jaggery. Do you think that could be used instead of coconut / brown sugar?
Should work fine, just needs to melt into the oil.
I have read the instructions twice and understanding it between steps 4 and 5. What oil? From the chilli mixture? Do you mean pick out the cinnamon sticks and then add chilli mix to spices?
Hi Sandra, I tried to make the instructions more clear! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Thanks! That makes it clearer. I know I’m going to love this recipe.
Great! It is so addicting!
I’m already eating this 5 stars because I know it’s going to be awesome as everything is I try of yours. I’m going to make it for Christmas gifts! If I use fried fried garlic and onions would that work? I can get those both delivered in time, or would it be redundant in cooking those back into oil?
Fried instead of dehydrated? Yes! You can add both or either. The dehydrated give such a nice crunchy texture. If you fry your own make sure they are completely cooked through with no moisture left as this can carry the risk of botulism. Hopefully I am answering your question?
Cant wait to make this for a few friends as gifts given they LOVE the options for it in the stores. I know that this will be even better!
Why do I know this? Because your sense of balance with flavors & textures is so consistently ‘spot on’ in all the many recipes I’ve tried of yours!
Ahhh…so nice to hear this Welmoet! Love to hear what you think of the finished product.
Spread a bit over hummus and sprinkle with feta for an amazing dip!
Yum!
Can you substitute Braggs Liquid Aminos for the Soy Sauce to make it Gluten Free?
Yes!