We Tried 18 Chili Crisps and These 7 Came Out On Top

Move over ketchup, mustard, and mayo, there's a new condiment that deserves a place in your fridge. Much like sriracha went from being the hot sauce at your local Vietnamese restaurant to now being everywhere including on t-shirts, chili crisp is the new hot condiment on the market.

There are many versions of this crunchy, spicy, savory, and oily sauce, all with their different ratios of chiles to oil and additional seasonings, but one thing is consistent, they all give major oomph to whatever you're eating.

Depending on the brand, the types of chiles, oil, crunchy bits, and seasonings differ. Most use a neutral oil, such as soybean or rapeseed, so the other flavorings shine, and most don't specify which type of chiles they use, simply stating "dried chile pepper" on their ingredient list. As for additional seasonings, these can run the gamut from garlic and ginger, to mushroom powder, seaweed, and yeast extract.

How We Tested

Since chili crisp is a condiment, it's rare to eat it on its own. Chili crisp is meant to enhance or be a partner to the food it tops, however for this taste test, we tried them 2 ways—straight from the jar with a spoon and tossed with plain ramen noodles. We gave them ratings based on 3 measures: crunch, oil to chile ratio, and spiciness, then had everyone in our taste panel submit their overall favorites. After slurping a lot of noodles and a lot of discussion, these came out on top.

Our Favorite Chili Crisps

The Most Versatile Chili Crisp: Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp

You can't do a chili crisp taste test without trying the OG, i.e. the original famous chili crisp. Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp was first crafted in 1984 by Tao Huabi, a female Chinese chef as a sauce for noodles in her Guizhou, China restaurant. The combination of crisp fried chiles, garlic, onion, peanuts, fermented soybeans, sugar, MSG, and a neutral soybean oil coats noodles while also providing a subtle heat and mouth-pleasing crunch. It's not the spiciest we tasted, nor the most flavorful, but it's easily the most versatile. Try it on eggs, noodles, or in a stir-fry.

The Best Spicy Chili Crisp: Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp

Packed with Sichuan peppercorns, this chili crisp has the mouth tingle eponymous with the Sichuan region. It's floral with notes of citrus and spicier though not so hot that you can't taste the food. We didn't find this one as crunchy as a few of the others but loved how the small-batch ingredients seemed to shine, as if this condiment was made in your kitchen instead of a factory. Pair it with grilled chicken, congee, or pulled pork.

The Best Mild Chili Crisp: Milu Chili Crisp

Originally crafted for the restaurant Milu in New York City, this version is more savory than spicy and has a higher oil to chile ratio than some of the others. It contains some Sichuan chile flake and the more unusual cobanero chile, as well as spices not seen in some other traditional chili crisps, such as cumin, coriander, and cardamom. Along with garlic, preserved black beans and crunchy soybeans, this delicious chili crisp is for the person who wants a ton of flavor without all the heat. It's perfect on steamed fish or as a dipping sauce for vegetable dumplings.

The Best Japanese Chili Crisp: S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil

For those that like more crisp than chile, this is your winner. S&B is the easy-to-find Japanese version of Chinese chili crisp called taberu rayu. It's made with fried garlic, onion, sesame oil, soy sauce powder, chile paste, sesame seeds, and the extra crunchy addition of almonds. This little jar is the one to reach for when you want bursts of flavor without too much heat as you crunch into your food. Since it's thicker and has only enough oil to coat the ingredients, stir this chili crisp into something saucier or with more liquid, like your next bowl of ramen.

The Most Diversely Flavored Chili Crisp: Oo'mämē Chile Crisp

The chili crisps from Oo'mämē, the phonetic way to say umami, come in 4 global versions — Chinese, Moroccan, Indian, and Mexican. Each blend takes spices and flavors from the region to create a chili crisp. The Chinese version has Szechuan influence and includes the classic mouth-numbing peppercorns, fermented black beans, and peanuts with the addition of chewy crystallized ginger. We found this version to be less crunchy but highly flavorful and interesting. Try it, along with the other global versions, on pizza, quesadillas, fried rice, or mixed with mayo for a killer aioli on sandwiches.

The Best Mexican Chili Crisp: Don Chilio Chile Crisp

If there was ever a chili crisp that lived up to exactly what the name is, it'd be Don Chilio. That's because these chili crisps are well, just crisp chiles. Made with chiles fried in olive oil and salt, this Mexican chili crisp is your perfect pairing for tacos, avocado toast, and quesadillas. Keep it mild with jalapeño or go full-on hot with habanero. Either way, made sure you crumble it up a bit before serving.

The Best Overall Chili Crisp: Momofuku Chili Crunch

Did we save the best for last? You bet we did. This chili crisp from chef David Chang is the perfect blend of savory, crunch, umami, and heat. It starts garlicky and floral and finishes warm and savory, all with crunch and medium-hot heat. There's a reason it's the one everyone wanted to take home, it has a ton of natural umami from shiitake powder, yeast extract, and seaweed shoved into this seriously decadent condiment. The original Chili Crunch was the favorite but for spice and truffle lovers, check out the extra spicy and truffle versions. You won't be disappointed.