TMB STUDIO
Who Makes the Best Chili Crisp?
While hot sauce and Sriracha will always have a place in our fridges, there’s another spice-filled condiment that you should be reaching for when you’re craving a kick: chili crisp!
Chili crisp is a blend of peppers, oil, garlic, onion, spices and more that adds heat and savory flavor to whatever you drizzle it on. As this condiment has exploded in popularity in recent years, you’ll now find so many options lining store shelves. So who makes the best chili crisp? Our Test Kitchen sampled a dozen to find out!
How We Tested 12 Kinds of Chili Crisp
For this taste test, our team wrangled up a dozen brands to find the best chili crisp. These jars included popular brands as well as must-try options according to our culinary and editorial teams.
Each sauce was sampled on its own and the identity was kept secret to avoid any biases. They were all judged according to these categories:
- Appearance: Chili crisps vary in color. Some may be vibrant orange and others more earthy. No matter the hue, this condiment should look appetizing and like something you can’t wait to drizzle over the top of your poke bowl.
- Texture: As the name indicates, chili crisp should have some crunch to it. Our team sought out brands with a crispy texture with plenty of sesame seeds and chili flakes.
- Flavor: The best chili crisp options should be spicy with plenty of umami notes. The flavors of chili, garlic, sesame, soy and more should all come together into a condiment you can’t wait to use.
After sampling 12 kinds of chili crisp, a few rose to the top of our shopping list. Here’s a preview of our favorites:
- Best Overall: This Little Goat Original Chili Crunch
- Best Crunch: KariKari Garlic Chili Crisp
- Best Sweet and Salty: Bowlcut Chili Crisp
- Best Spicy Chili Crisp: Momofuku Chili Crunch
Via Thislittlegoat.com
Best Overall
This Little Goat Original Chili Crunch
Whether you’re new to chili crisp or are looking for the next best jar, our team can’t recommend This Little Goat Original Chili Crunch enough.
Created by Top Chef alum Stephanie Izard, this sauce isn’t called chili crisp, it’s chili crunch—and for good reason. Every single tester noted how wonderfully crunchy this Asian-style condiment was.
But This Little Goat delivers more than just texture. It also strikes the right blend of chili flakes, onion, sesame and salt. The result is a touch spicy, a little nutty and perfectly salty. “It’s really tasty,” says Catherine Ward in the Test Kitchen. “In fact, I went back for more of this sample.”
So what should you use this condiment on? “I’d love this on top of a poke bowl or just about any sushi,” Catherine says. “It’s hard to think of anything I wouldn’t want this on; I could eat it right out of the jar.”
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Via Milkstreet.com
Best Crunch
KariKari Garlic Chili Crisp
A big part of the appeal of chili crisp is that crunchy, crispy texture. KariKari Garlic Chili Crisp delivers that in spades.
“It sounds crisp and crunchy when stirred,” explains Catherine. And you bet that this KariKari has that same crispy bite once you dig in. That’s all thanks to large pieces of peanuts, garlic and dried chili peppers.
Once you take a bite, though, you’ll find this chili crisp is wonderfully balanced. Garlic, peppers—including the wonderfully tingly Sichuan pepper—peanuts, tamari, soy and a whisper of smokiness come together in a deep amber sauce that our team universally praised.
While you can use this sauce anytime you’d reach for a spicy condiment like Sriracha or even hot sauce, Catherine suggests a generous drizzle over grilled fish or veggies.
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via umamicart.com
Best Sweet and Salty Combo
Bowlcut Chili Crisp
Chili crisp is about more than just spice—though that’s a major part of its appeal. A touch of sweetness can really take this condiment to the next level. For folks that like a little sweetness—like with a good teriyaki, sweet and sour, or plum sauce—try Bowlcut Chili Crisp.
Bowlcut’s take on chili crisp is packed with larger pieces of onion, garlic and chili flakes. This gives the sauce its distinctive bite and chew.
Flavor-wise, this chili crisp has a “light and mellow heat,” per Catherine. This is accented with garlic, onion, tamari, sesame and seaweed powder (it adds a wonderful umami note). All these play well with the hint of sweetness running through this sauce. It makes for a great accent for foods like pork tenderloin, glazed salmon or crispy tofu.
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Via Amazon.com
Best Spicy Chili Crisp
Momofuku Chili Crunch
While all types of chili crisp will deliver a little bit of heat, Momofuku Chili Crunch is the jar to grab when you want to bring up the intensity even more.
According to Catherine, “The heat is mellow at first, but it builds over time.” After a few bites, this chili crisp delivers the spice you’d expect from a condiment that uses three types of peppers: puya chilis, chilis de arbol and Japones peppers.
But Momofuku’s chili crisp is more than just heat. Ellie Crowley in the Test Kitchen explains that “the heat is balanced by sweet, salty and garlicy flavors.” A spoonful also tastes of toasted sesame and shallots. The end result is a sauce with a subtle crunch that would taste delicious stirred into rice or drizzled over your favorite stir-fry recipe.
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Taste of Home
Check Out More Test Kitchen-Preferred Products
Our Test Kitchen is constantly testing food, kitchen gadgets and cleaning gear looking for brands that deserve the right to be called Test Kitchen-Preferred.
If you want to fill your pantry and fridge with the best products, check out these tests:
- Soy sauce
- Chai tea
- Teriyaki sauce
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Originally Published: July 26, 2023