Chili Crunch (aka Crispy Chili Oil)
This spicy, homemade, Crispy Chili Oil has an amazing crunchy texture from chopped peanuts and chili flakes. This chili crisp is seasoned with cinnamon sticks, star anise, honey for sweetness, and so much more. It will make all you spicy lovers fall in love as you can put this chili crunch oil on top of a salad, stir fry, or your morning eggs. 
Spicy food is one of my favorite things in the world. I especially love a topping that can bring so many dishes to life with its boldness of flavor and versatility. This crispy chili oil recipe is one of the staples that I have in my fridge at all times. I add this homemade chili crisp it to salads, avocado toast, stir fry, and more. It has an amazing thick texture that isn’t runny like you may think for a recipe that has the word “oil” in it. It has amazing crunchy bits from key ingredients like peanuts and chili flakes and has the ultimate spiciness, a hint of sweetness, and umami flavor, all in one bite from the honey, spice, and soy sauce. You will love this so much, and you will find things to add it to. I think it might just become one of your favorite condiments and a staple in your fridge, too.
Why You Will Love This Crispy Chili Oil Recipe
- With a few simple steps and minimal ingredients, you can make your own crispy chili oil in less than 10 minutes.
- This is a fantastic condiment to keep in the fridge to add flavor and texture to everything from eggs and avocado toast to ramen, soups, salads or meat.
- Double the recipe and preserve this crispy chili oil by canning it in glass jars to store as a pantry staple or give it as the perfect gift!
- This newly popular versatile condiment is so a lot more affordable to make at homemade rather than buy
- This Crispy Chili Oil requires ingredients you should be able to find in most grocery stores.
- This homemade condiment is free of refined sugar, dairy-free, Whole30, Keto, and Specific Carbohydrate Diet legal, and easily adjustable to be gluten-free and Paleo.
Ingredients You Need For This Crispy Chili Oil Recipe
- Oil: You can use any type of neutral oil, whether it be a neutral vegetable oil like canola oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or extra virgin olive oil. All will give delicious results.
- Fresh garlic: I like to thinly slice the garlic to give you a fantastic crispy garlic texture. I would not recommend minced garlic or dried garlic.
- Shallots: You will want to finely dice the shallots to have crispy shallots unless you like larger chunks in your chili crisp. You can also use red onion if you have it on hand.
- Star anise: Whole star anise is delicious in this chili crunch. It gives the oil a sweet licorice flavor with a bit of heat. You can find this in the spice aisle or the ethnic section of your grocery store. This is also available in Asian markets.
- Cinnamon stick: Cinnamon stick gives a wonderfully warm and aromatic chili oil that is perfection!
- Red chili flakes: You can adjust the chili flakes to your preferred spice level and make this as mild or hot as you like. You can put in just a small amount or remove them if you aren’t a fan of heat at all. You can substitute the standard chile flake for fresh red chili peppers if you want.
- Peanuts: Finely chopped peanuts are where the amazing crunch comes from. If you have a peanut allergy you can easily substitute cashews or your favorite nut. Dried soybeans would work great, too!
- Soy sauce/tamari: If you are gluten-free or Paleo, you can easily substitute coconut aminos and have a delicious, sweet result.
- Honey: I recommend pure, raw honey, as regular honey can have preservatives. You can also use coconut sugar as a low-glycemic option that will meet many dietary restriction requirements.
- Paprika or Gochujaru powder: Gochujaru is made of red chiles and is smoky, fruity, and has a note of sweetness similar to smoked paprika.
- White sesame seeds: White sesame seeds add a nutty, earthy flavor and an extra crunchy texture to this delicious oil!
What Is Star Anise?
Star anise is a spice that comes from the dried fruit of Illicium Verum, an evergreen tree native to Vietnam and China and widely used in Chinese cuisine. It is easily recognizable for its star-shaped, dark brown pods that contain little black seeds. It has a strong, sweet, licorice-like flavor similar to fennel seeds and anise seeds, but it’s a little more intense. The taste is warm and sweet, yet spicy. It almost reminds you a bit of clove.
How To Make This Crispy Chili Oil
- To make this easy chili crisp, bring the oil to a gentle simmer in a pot and then add in the garlic and shallots and leave to cook for 3 minutes.
- Add in the star anise and cinnamon sticks and cook for an additional 4 minutes until the sliced garlic begins to be golden brown.
- Add the chili flakes and chopped peanuts and cook for two more minutes before removing them from the heat and stirring in the soy sauce, honey, paprika, and sesame seeds.
- Remove the star anise and cinnamon sticks and allow the chili crisp to cool to room temperature before transferring to a jar and storing in the fridge.
Ways To Modify This Crunchy Chili Oil
- To have a milder spice flavor, you can cut back on the red chili flakes and use less star anise.
- If you are gluten-free, Paleo, or on the SCD, you can use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Add a mushroom powder to give the oil a rich umami taste.
- If you are vegan, you can substitute honey with maple syrup or agave. You can also use coconut sugar, which is low-glycemic and so delicious.
- To make this safe for anyone with a nut allergy, especially if you are giving it as a gift, I recommend using raw cashews or dried soybeans, if you can do soy.
Is This Crispy Chili Oil Spicy
Yes, this crisp recipe is a bit spicy. I would say it is a 7 out of 10 heat level, but the beauty of making your own chili crunch is that it can easily be modified for a milder version. It is not as hot as the chili oil recipe here, though.
Chili Oil vs. Chili Crunch
This chili oil recipe is much more like oil, yet it has a delicious texture to it, too. It is much hotter because of the Sichuan peppercorns and has more of a numbing sensation, but they are used very similarly. The chili oil focuses on leveling up the heat, while the crispy oil focuses on the crunchy texture and flavorful aspects. The chili crunch oil is super thick and dense and is a more complex version of chili oil that includes crunchy and crispy bits in the oil, like peanuts and red pepper flakes.
What To Serve With This Crispy Chili Oil
- This spicy condiment is delicious on eggs, whether scrambled, fried, or poached, and even on avocado toast.
- This is a great addition to drizzle on a bowl of soup like Tantanmen Ramen, which is a soup version of Dan Dan Noodles.
- Level up your stir fry, rice, or any of your favorite Asian dishes like Spicy Orange Chicken or Mongolian Chicken.
- Add a spicy crunch to your favorite green salad or cucumber salad.
- Hear me out…vanilla ice cream! It is the perfect balance of hot and cold, smooth and crunchy, and sweet and spicy to wake up your taste buds.
- This is a good recipe to put on top of cream cheese and crackers, your favorite pizza, or anything you want to have a quick infusion of spice.
- This is the perfect partner for rice dishes, baked potato, or as a dip for french fries or sweet potatoes.
What About Leftovers?
This chili oil will last two to three months in the fridge. I recommend storing it in a mason jar or any kind of glass jar. A plastic container will likely absorb the flavor and spice of this oil, and you might regret your life decisions if you do that. After cooking, bring it to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator. Serve on your favorite dishes straight out of the jar as needed.
Can I Freeze This Crispy Chili Oil Recipe
Yes! This is the perfect recipe for all you spicy food lovers out there to freeze for later! After preparing the oil, bring it to room temperature. I would recommend storing it in ice cube trays for a single serving size to be used later or in small jars. To bring it back to life, either let it thaw on the counter in a jar or store it in the fridge to thaw.
Here are a few recipes to use this spicy Chili Crisp Oil with:
If you make this Chili Crunch recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think, or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Chili Crunch (aka Crispy Chili Oil)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups avocado oil or vegetable oil
- 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 shallots finely diced
- 3 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ½ cup red chili flakes
- ½ cup chopped peanuts
- 2 tbsp soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp paprika or gochujaru powder
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
Instructions
- To make the chili crisp, bring the avocado oil to a gentle simmer in a pot and then add in the garlic and shallots and leave to cook for 3 minutes and then add in the star anise and cinnamon sticks and cook for an additional 4 minutes until the sliced garlic begins to turn a golden color.
- Add the chili flakes and chopped peanuts and cook for 2 more minutes before removing from the heat and stirring in the soy sauce, honey, paprika and sesame seeds.
- Remove the star anise and cinnamon sticks and allow the chili crisp to cool to room temperature before transferring to a jar and storing in the fridge.
Nutrition
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