My chili crisp / chili crunch rankings after trying 40+ kinds

Non-regional discussions Non-regional miscellany
1

My top 10 chili crisps and crunches:

  1. Lao Gan Ma
  2. Momofuku, Regular
  3. Fly By Jing, Chengdu Crunch
  4. This Little Goat, Spicy
  5. Boon Sauce, Regular
  6. Umamei
  7. Bullet
  8. This Little Goat, Regular
  9. Super Magic Taste
  10. Kwong Shop No. 5

Notes: when I try a chili crisp, I’m looking for complexity of flavor, a balance of heat/sweet/umami, good texture with some crunchy elements, and a versatility of applications.

If you want something more garlicky, I liked Mama Teav’s more than KariKari. If you like a more Sichuan peppercorn-heavy chili crisp, try Su, Xian Famous Foods, or Blank Slate.

The rest: Trader Joe’s, S&B, Junzi, Nowon’s, Cy Eats, RiceBox, Momofuku (other 3 varieties), ZinDrew OG/X-Batch, Su (all 3), The Flavor Society Pizza/Spicy Pizza, Fly By Jing Regular, Holy Tshili, KariKari, Co-op, CinSoy/CinSoy Spicy, Chile Crunch (red jar), Mama Teav’s Hot Garlic OG, Me’s Way, Blank Slate, Xian Famous Foods, Mr. Bing

Discontinued: Mom’s Mala (2 varieties), Sze Daddy, This Little Goat (Ranch)

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2

Wow!

What do you put it on? I only put it on white rice, but that doesn’t feel like a very Chinese thing to do.

3

So many things! Eggs, avocados, sandwiches, roasted or steamed vegetables, noodles…

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4

That is SOME dedication. Thanks for your ranking and thoughts.

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5

Thanks! I’ve only tasted one of them but luckily it is #1.

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6

Ooh, deviled eggs with chili crisp.

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7

Chili Crisp eggs on rice is on my rotation of quick pantry meals.

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8

I put it on everything I would use hot sauce on. Pizza and mixing it in with tuna are two favorites.

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9

Ah, yes! Pizza! Also a great use of chili crisp/crunch.

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10

Maybe this is a dumb question, but how spicy do the chili crisps get?

I was introduced to the S&B ryu by a friend and found it to be crispy, but also sweet and garlicky. It works well for my household, but what would be the next spice level up to go from a non-Japanese brand?

11

Not a dumb question at all, some of them can get very spicy!

I would try Lao Gan Ma and Little Goat (regular) next.

Followed by Momofuku (original) and Little Goat (spicy).

I would say all of those are between 3 and 5 on a scale of 1 = not spicy at all and 10 = extremely spicy like The Hot Ones’ The Last Dab.

Ones like Umamei and Boon Sauce can bring the heat, I would say those are closer to 7 or 8 on my scale.

If you like garlicky crisps, I would also try Mama Teav’s but make sure you get the mild. The mild jar has a blue label, the original is a white label.

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12

I don’t find Lao Gan Ma very spicy compared with most of the others I’ve tried. It has no garlic, which is one reason I like mixing it with XO.

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13

But you also have a very high tolerance for spicy food, no (based on some of your other posts)?

14

Not so much any more. It gives me heartburn.

15

Have you tried Mila’s Chili Crunch?

I usually stick with the OG Lao Gan Ma.

16

I want to but they’re charging $20 shipping for a $13 jar of chili crisp. I think their store just assumes every order contains their frozen dumplings.

17

Anybody have the scoop on why This Little Goat’s web site and social media presence is now completely gone?

I am going to have to take them off the list :frowning:

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18

Here are my favorites (as of 04/09/2025):

  1. Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp
  2. Momofuku Chili Crunch, Regular
  3. Fly By Jing, Chengdu Crunch
  4. Boon Sauce, Regular
  5. Umamei Chili Oil
  6. Bullet Sesame Oil Chili Crisp
  7. Super Magic Taste Chili Crisp
  8. Kwong Shop Chili Crisp No. 5
  9. Chilee Oil, Spicy Premium
  10. Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch, Seaweed

Note: This Little Goat and Sze Daddy are no longer in production (?) and have been removed from the above.

All the chili crisps I have tried:

  1. Barnacle Kelp
  2. Blank Slate
  3. Boon Sauce, Regular
  4. Bowlcut
  5. Bullet
  6. Calabrian
  7. Chile Crunch (red jar)
  8. Chilee Oil, Spicy Premium
  9. CinSoy
  10. CinSoy, Spicy
  11. Co-op
  12. Cravings Smoky Chipotle
  13. Cy Eats
  14. Dear Mama Chili Oil 7
  15. Fly By Jing, Regular
  16. Fly By Jing, Chengdu Crunch
  17. Holy Tshili
  18. Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch, Shrimp
  19. Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch, Seaweed
  20. Hot Boi, Fire
  21. Hot Boi, Original
  22. Hot Crispy Oil
  23. Hot Jiang, OG Spicy
  24. J. Chang Kitchen, He Thicc Tho 2.0
  25. Junzi
  26. Karanchi, Original
  27. KariKari
  28. Kwong Shop No. 5
  29. Lao Gan Ma
  30. Mama Teav, Mild
  31. Mama Teav, OG
  32. Maui Chili Chili Oil
  33. Me’s Way
  34. Momofuku, Black Truffle
  35. Momofuku, Extra Spicy
  36. Momofuku, Ghost Pepper
  37. Momofuku, Regular
  38. Mom’s Mala, Mild
  39. Mom’s Mala, Spicy
  40. Mr. Bing
  41. Nowon’s
  42. Oo’mämē, Szechuan
  43. Pi00a
  44. Redbloom, Medium
  45. Redbloom, Mild
  46. RiceBox
  47. S&B
  48. Sauce Up NYC
  49. Su, Cilantro
  50. Su, Five Spice
  51. Su, Mala
  52. Super Magic Taste
  53. Sze Daddy
  54. The Bits
  55. The Flavor Society, Pizza
  56. The Flavor Society, Spicy Pizza
  57. This Little Goat, Ranch
  58. This Little Goat, Regular
  59. This Little Goat, Spicy
  60. Trader Joe’s
  61. Umamei
  62. Umami Bomb, Medium
  63. Umami Bomb, Tingly Sichuan
  64. Umami Hottie
  65. Vargo Brother
  66. Wei Good Food, OG
  67. Wei Good Food, Secret Spice
  68. Xian Famous Foods
  69. ZinDrew, OG
  70. ZinDrew, X-Batch
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19

The og lgm still reigns supreme!

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20

I have Lao Gan Ma, which is fine, but I dislike the addition of the peanuts.
I tried Momofuku Chili Crunch, Hot Crispy Oil, and Lee Kum Kee’s Chiu Chow Style Chili Crisp Oil.

My favorite was the Lee Kum Kee brand. Best of all, it was the second cheapest option after LGM. I like it for its flavor and simplicity.

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