Homemade Chili Crisp/Crunch

A close-up of a jar of homemade chili crisp, crispy garlic and chili flecks in glossy red oil.
This is what goes on the eggs. (Better than the Momofuku, but you didn't hear it from me.)
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We go through chili crisp around here like other folks go through ketchup. It goes on eggs, on rice, on roasted vegetables, stirred into noodles, spooned over avocado toast when nobody is looking. Zach and I have a serious Momofuku habit (the chili crunch is genuinely fantastic; I will not be hearing arguments), but that little jar adds up fast, and we are not exactly rationing it a quarter teaspoon at a time. At some point you do the math on your condiment budget and you feel a way about it.

So I have been circling the idea of making my own for a while now. Big batch, a couple of mason jars, something just as good (or, let me dream, better) for a fraction of what I hand over per ounce at the store.

Before we go one inch further: credit where it is due, because that is the whole point around here. Chili crisp is not something I dreamed up in my Johns Creek kitchen. It comes out of Chinese cooking, and the jar most of us met first is Lao Gan Ma, the one with the stern woman on the label. That is Tao Huabi, the Old Godmother who built a genuine empire on chili oil and crunchy bits. Any homemade version, mine included, is standing on her shoulders (and on a few centuries of cooks who came before her).

The specific recipe I am adapting comes from Ian Fujimoto, whose reels and videos I could honestly watch all day. His method is the one that finally got me up off the couch, so what follows is his framework with two small changes for what I actually had in the pantry. If you enjoy this even a little, go subscribe to his Substack (link again at the bottom); that is the least we can do when we borrow somebody’s good idea.

My two changes are both about my pantry, not principle: I am skipping the MSG and the shiitake mushroom powder. No moral objection to either one (MSG is great, y’all, and the headache thing is a myth); I just do not have them on hand, and I am not about to buy a giant bag of each for a single recipe. I will report back on whether I miss them.

Two jars of finished homemade chili crisp on a silver tray, deep red with crispy bits suspended in the oil.
A double batch, jarred: a quart plus a Bonne Maman’s worth left over.

Notes

  • Where it lands: eggs, rice, dumplings, noodles, roasted broccoli, a grilled cheese, a sad Tuesday salad. Chili crisp does not discriminate.
  • Heat: the ratio of gochugaru to plain chili flakes is where you control the burn. Gochugaru is fruity and forgiving; if your chili flakes are the aggressive kind, ease off a little your first time.
  • The money part: a jar of the good stuff at the store is small and precious; this makes roughly three cups for the cost of pantry staples plus some dried chilies. That was the entire point.
  • Keep it clean: use a dry spoon every single time and it will last a good long while in the fridge.

And truly, go give Ian Fujimoto a follow and subscribe to his Substack. I have 5 free one-month subscriptions to share. If you want one, comment on the blog and use your real email for the contact (will not be shown publicly) and I’ll send you one. This is his recipe and his method; I just brought the jars and the opinions.

Print Recipe

Homemade Chili Crisp

Adapted from Ian Fujimoto’s “The Secret to Spicing Up Both Dinner and Life.”

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Neutral oil
  • 10 cloves Garlic about 1 whole head, minced
  • 1 large Shallot halved and thinly sliced
  • ⅔ cup Gochugaru or ground Korean chilies
  • ⅔ cup Chili flakes
  • 2" piece Fresh ginger grated or minced
  • 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 2 tbsp Rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp Soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp Sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp mushroom powder optional
  • 2 tsp MSG powder optional

Instructions

  • Mince your onion and shallot. I used my mini-prep to mince mine, so don't feel you have to use a knife.
  • Add the onion and the shallot to a medium-large pot and cover with COLD oil. Turn the heat on medium and let the oil slowly come up to temperature. Watch carefully and stir every few mins to make sure the shallot and onion brown evenly.
    2 cups Neutral oil, 10 cloves Garlic, 1 large Shallot
  • While the onion and the shallot are infusing, in a LARGE heat-safe bowl, stir together the gochugaru, chili flakes, grated ginger, sugar, and sesame seeds. (This is also where the mushroom powder and MSG would go if you are using them.) You want a bowl significantly larger than you think you need because you're going to pour the hot oil in this bowl and it will bubble and sizzle.
    2/3 cup Gochugaru or ground Korean chilies, 2/3 cup Chili flakes, 2" piece Fresh ginger, 2 tbsp Sugar, 2 tsp mushroom powder, 2 tsp MSG powder, 2 tbsp Sesame seeds
  • Once the garlic and the shallots go light golden brown, strain them out of the oil and reserve the oil. Either pour through a strainer/sieve or lift them out with a fine mesh spider. They will keep cooking for a bit after coming out of the hot oil, so don't wait for them to get deep brown.
    Spread them out on a napkin or plate and let them crisp up.
  • Return the strained oil to the pot and bring it up to 350°F. Use a thermometer for this. Burnt oil makes for sad, bitter chili crisp.
  • Pour the hot oil slowly over the spice mixture, stirring carefully. It will bubble and froth and spit. This is why you used the LARGE metal bowl. Give it a good stir and let it sit for at least 5 mins.
  • Stir in the soy sauce and rice vinegar.
    2 tbsp Rice vinegar, 2 tbsp Soy sauce
  • Let the mixture cool – not to room temp but cool enough that you can touch it – and add the browned garlic and ginger bits back into the mixture.
  • Spoon it into a jar and keep it in the fridge.

P.S. If you are the person who still believes MSG causes headaches: I love you, but the science has been on the other side of that fence for years. Salt gets a pass; let the little umami crystal live.

P.P.S. Ask me in a month how the “big batch will save money” plan is holding up once we start putting it on literally everything.