Crispy Chilli Oil: A Spicy Crunchy Condiment
Easy recipe for homemade crispy chilli oil. Packed with shallots, garlic and warming spices, this rich aromatic oil is savoury, punchy and addictive. Transform noodles, rice, veg, eggs and more with just a spoonful of this delightful condiment. Enjoy all of the flavour without the additives of shop-bought.
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It’s been a long time coming, but here’s my take on this umami-rich, salty, spicy flavour bomb that’s taken the Western world by storm in recent years. In America, this bold and flavoursome chunky oil is known as chilli crisp or chilli crunch.
Dive Right In
- Why You’ll Want To Make Crispy Chilli Oil
- Crispy Chilli Oil With Szechuan Peppers
- Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
- How To Make Crispy Chilli Oil
- Other Recipes For Chilli Condiments You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- Pin It
- The Recipe
Why You’ll Want To Make Crispy Chilli Oil
- Adjustable heat level – use mild, medium or hot chillies to suit your heat tolerance.
- Better than shop-bought – fresher, more aromatic and no additives. It’s also msg free.
- Easy to make at home – no special equipment needed, just simple steps with delicious results.
- Extra crunch – a high ratio of shallots and garlic adds extra crunch and flavour.
- Incredibly flavoursome – packed with shallots, garlic, chillies, Szechuan peppercorns and aromatic spices for a bold, savoury boost.
- Keeps well – a batch lasts for weeks, making it perfect for meal prep and flavour emergencies.
- Makes a great gift – homemade condiments are thoughtful, unique and always appreciated.
- Versatile – drizzle it over noodles, rice, dumplings, eggs, roasted veg, soups, eggs or anything that needs a lift.
Crispy Chilli Oil With Szechuan Peppercorns
Crispy chilli oil comes from Szechuan Province in China. This means that Szechuan peppercorns are an absolute must in this recipe. It’s surprising how many of the shop-bought ones don’t contain them.
Unlike plain chilli oil, crispy chilli oil isn’t used for cooking. Instead it’s spooned over the top of cooked dishes. It’s difficult to pour as it contains so many crunchy bits.
This crispy chilli oil is particularly heavy on the garlic and shallots. Once fried, they’re beautifully crunchy, but also sweet and so delicious. They’re also very easy to make.
Normally, I hate deep frying and generally avoid it. It’s true I’m a little nervous of all that hot oil, but it’s mostly that I can’t bear the waste. You’re not meant to use oil again, once it’s been heated and I can’t bear to throw it away. I wouldn’t even know how to throw it away.
Luckily, you don’t need to discard any oil with this recipe. You deep fry the shallots and aromatics, followed by the garlic, followed by the fresh chillies. Each of these flavours the oil, which you then pour over the chilli flakes, crushed peppercorns and other ingredients. Yay!
Some add nuts to their crispy chilli oil, but a) I don’t think it needs them and b) I prefer to keep it nut-free as well as vegan so that everyone can enjoy it.
After a taste test comparing a well known brand of crispy chilli oil with my recipe, CT confirmed mine was much better. Cleaner somehow and more flavoursome.
Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
Apart from the salt and sugar, there are notes worth reading below about all the other ingredients needed to make my crispy chilli oil.
Alliums
Shallots and fresh garlic shine brightly in this recipe. Crispy chilli oil really wouldn’t be the same without them. You can use any type of shallots, but banana ones are easier to slice.
Aromatics
There’s already quite a lot of flavour going on in this crispy chilli oil. There’s the sweet shallots, pungent garlic, hot chilli, numbing peppercorns and umami soy sauce. However, it does benefit from a few other aromatics, so I like to add a star anise and a bay leaf to up the ante a little.
Other aromatics you can add if you’d like: finely sliced root ginger; a piece of cinnamon stick instead of the bay leaf. Fry the gingers slices along with the garlic and add the cinnamon at the same time as the star anise.
A teaspoon of smoked paprika powder can work well. It helps to give a reddish colour to the oil. But the smokiness isn’t to everyone’s taste and can mask some of the other flavours going on.
Chillies
Birds eye or Thai fresh red chillies are best for this recipe as they’re not too big or juicy. However, choose a milder chilli if it suits you better. I used our homegrown rocoto chillies, which are big and fleshy, so they don’t crisp up as well. As you can probably see from the photos, they were also frozen.
For the chilli flakes, go with the heat level you’re happiest with, hot, medium or mild. You already have fairly hot fresh chillies, so be cautious. Having said that, I used hot ones and found the heat level just right. But then I do like a bit of a jolt.
Kashmiri chilli flakes and Aleppo chilli flakes are both quite mild. The former has the added bonus of being a very bright red, which will help to colour up your oil.
Oil
Use any neutral tasting oil that is good for deep fat frying. I use sunflower oil, but safflower oil, peanut oil or canola are all good. I’ve heard avocado oil works well and is also healthier than most, but I’ve yet to try it. Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s quite expensive.
For extra umami notes, you can stir in a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil at the very end. I haven’t used it because I think it might muddy the main flavours.
Peppercorns
Floral tingly Szechuan peppercorns have an interesting and rather addictive numbing effect. Because they’re crushed in this recipe, the effect is reduced, but present enough to be noticed. They’re not the easiest spice to source, but it’s well worth the effort seeking them out. You can use them for all sorts of recipes. I buy mine online.
A few black peppercorns add additional spicy notes to the oil and are a lot easier to get hold of.
Soy Sauce
Soy sauce gives umami notes to the crispy chilli oil that really enhances its overall flavour. I use tamari because it’s not only the best quality soy sauce I know of, but its also gluten-free. This means you don’t need to worry about anyone eating it who may have a gluten intolerance.
However, feel free to use your favourite soy sauce for this recipe. It might not taste exactly the same, but it’s bound to be delicious whatever.
How To Make Crispy Chilli Oil
Apart from a little frying, this recipe is quite easy to make. It requires no special equipment and also only takes about thirty minutes to make from start to finish.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for cooking times and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Prepare Shallots
Peel shallots then slice them finely with a sharp knife. You can use a mandolin if you prefer, but you don’t have to be too precise for this recipe. Cut large shallots in half lengthways before slicing so that you don’t end up with too many large bits.
Place a clean metal sieve over a medium sized heatproof jug or bowl so it’s ready when needed. It needs to be plenty big enough to take the oil and remaining ingredients in the recipe.
Step 2. Fry Shallots
In a large pan, heat the oil to a medium heat. Oil depth should be at least a centimetre (about half an inch). You should start to see bubbles rising up when it’s ready. Test the heat with a slice of shallot first though. If it starts to sizzle, it’s hot enough.
Add all of the sliced shallots to the pan and fry for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Add the star anise and bay leaf after the first five minutes. Give everything a good stir at this point and then every three minutes or so to make sure the shallots are evenly cooked.
They’re ready when they just start to turn brown. Don’t leave them to get properly brown as they will carry on cooking a bit after you take them out. See image below.
Carefully pour the shallots and oil through the sieve with the oil draining into the jug or bowl beneath.
Leave the shallots in the sieve to crisp up and pour the oil back into the pan. Remove the star anise and bay leaf. Transfer the shallots to a clean plate after a couple of minutes and spread them out so they can crisp up further.
Step 3. Prepare The Rest
Whilst the shallots are frying, prepare the garlic, chilli and peppercorns.
Peel the garlic and chop it fairly finely, but not so much that it will get lost. Finely chop or slice the chillies. If you’d prefer a bit less heat, remove the seeds and membranes of the chillies first. Otherwise leave them in.
Roughly crush the peppercorns with the salt in a pestle and mortar. You want bits rather than powder.
Once ground stir in the chilli flakes and sugar.
Step 4. Fry Garlic & Chilli
Bring the oil back up to the same heat again. Add the garlic and fry for three to five minutes. Watch it carefully as garlic gets horridly bitter if burnt. Stir after the first couple of minutes. As soon as it starts to change colour, drain the garlic through the sieve as you did with the shallots.
Return the oil to the pan, bring back up to heat, then fry the fresh chillies for about five minutes. They’re ready just as they start to change colour. You want to keep them as red as possible.
Step 5. Combine
Whilst the chillies are frying, transfer the crushed peppercorns etc into the heatproof bowl or jug.
Carefully drain the chillies through the sieve into the bowl so that the hot oil pours through onto the peppercorn mix. Leave the chillies in the sieve to drain and crisp up a little.
Give the oil a good stir, then add the tamari (soy sauce) and stir again.
Once the oil has cooled completely, stir in the crispy shallots, crispy garlic and crispy chilli.
Spoon into a clean 400ml jar or two smaller ones. I used a 385ml jar in the images you can see here, but had a bit left over. Screw the lid on tightly and store in the fridge. It will keep for at least a couple of months, though it will probably be long gone before then.
Try to leave it a day before tucking in so that the flavours have a chance to develop into something even more delicious. Give the jar a good stir before using.
How To Use Your Crispy Chilli Oil
Transform simple meals with this crispy chilli oil. It gives an instant hit of flavour to all sorts of dishes. Here are a few ideas on how to use it.
Toss it with cooked hot noodles for a super quick and tasty meal. Or spoon over pretty much any noodle dish.
Crispy chilli oil is delicious on all types of cooked eggs. I particularly like it on fried eggs, where I fry the egg in a little of the oil then add the crispy bits on top once cooked. It’s also very good with my leftover mashed potato omelette, which is probably the recipe I make most.
It makes an excellent topping for avocado toast, with or without scrambled eggs on top.
Perk up steamed rice with a good spoonful mixed in or add to a rice bowl.
Mix with mayonnaise to make the best potato salad ever.
Dress up simple soups with a spoonful drizzled over the top, much as you’d do with pesto.
Add a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar or lime juice to a tablespoon of crispy chilli oil. Mix in a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and a quarter teaspoon of honey. Drizzle over steamed or roasted veg or use as a salad dressing. This is a particularly good way to use up the dregs left in the jar. Just add the other ingredients to the jar, put the lid on and shake.
Other Recipes For Chilli Condiments You Might Like
- chilli & tomato chutney
- chilli sauce
- chimichurri sauce
- quince jelly with chilli
- zhoug: Yemeni hot sauce
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this crispy chilli oil, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for making or eating it?
Please rate the recipe too. And do tag me @choclette8 on Instagram with your images, I love to see your take on my recipes.
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Choclette x
Crispy Chilli Oil. PIN IT.
Crispy Chilli Oil: A Spicy Crunchy Condiment
Ingredients
- 250 ml sunflower oil or other neutral tasting oil suitable for deep frying
- 3 shallots thinly sliced
- 1 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 clove garlic roughly chopped
- 20 g fresh red chilli finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns roughly crushed
- 1 tsp black peppercorns roughly crushed
- 2 tbsp chilli flakes mild, medium or hot
- 1 tsp sea or rock salt
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp tamari (affiliate link) or your favourite soy sauce
Instructions
- Heat the oil to a medium heat. I go for my middle setting which is 5 on my induction hob out of a possible 9. Oil depth should be at least a centimetre (about half an inch).250 ml sunflower oil
- Test the heat with a slice of shallot. If it starts to sizzle, it's hot enough. Add all of the shallots to the pan and fry for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Add the star anise and bay leaf after the first five minutes. Give everything a good stir at this point and then every 3 minutes or so to make sure the shallots are evenly cooked. They're ready when they just start to turn brown. Don't leave them to get properly brown as they will carry on cooking a bit after you take them out.3 shallots, 1 star anise, 1 bay leaf
- Place a metal sieve over a heatproof bowl or jug and carefully pour the shallots and oil through it.
- Leave the shallots in the sieve to crisp up and pour the oil back into the pan. Remove the star anise and bay leaf. Transfer the shallots to a clean plate after a couple of minutes and spread them out so they can crisp up further.
- Whilst the shallots are frying, prepare the garlic, chilli and peppercorns.8 clove garlic, 20 g fresh red chilli, 2 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns, 1 tsp black peppercorns
- Once the oil is back up to heat, fry the garlic for 3-5 minutes. Watch it carefully as garlic gets horridly bitter if burnt. Stir after the first couple of minutes. As soon as it starts to change colour, drain the garlic through the sieve as you did with the shallots.
- Return the oil to the pan, bring back up to heat, then fry the fresh chillies for about five minutes. They’re ready just as they start to change colour. You want to keep them as red as possible.
- Place the crushed peppercorns, chilli flakes, salt and sugar in the heatproof bowl and stir to combine. Carefully drain the chillies through the sieve into the bowl so that the hot oil pours through into the peppercorn mix.2 tbsp chilli flakes, 1 tsp sea or rock salt, 1 tsp caster sugar
- Give the oil a good stir, then add the tamari (soy sauce) and stir again.2 tbsp tamari (affiliate link)
- Once the oil has cooled, stir in the crispy shallots, crispy garlic and crispy chilli.
- Spoon into a clean 400ml jar or two smaller ones. I used a 385ml jar in the images you can see here, but had a bit leftover. Screw the lid on tightly and store in the fridge. It will keep for at least a couple of months, though it will probably be long gone before then.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
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there are places here in australia where you can take old, used cooking oil and they do something to it so it can be used in vehicles (I think). So clever. I hate frying too! Love the sound of your chilli oil tho.
cheers
Now you come to mention it, I think they probably do the same here too. Luckily, you don’t need super hot oil to make crispy chilli oil.