u/kathryn_____

From left to right:
S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil
Momoya Chili Oil with Fried Garlic
Mama Teav’s, Hot Garlic Chili Crisp, Mild
Crispy Ho Chili Crunch

I find the S&B and Momoya have kind of a bright, quick hit of spiciness, and then fade fast. They’re of a certain milder Japanese style that is different from many other chili crisps and crunches.

The Momoya is a bit jammier than the S&B and a touch saltier. I think I prefer it slightly over the S&B.

I like Mama Teav’s Mild formula more than the spicy one. It’s great for garlic lovers looking for a deeper, savory style.

But of the four, my favorite is Spicy Ho, which is a mix of garlic and shallots.

I just opened all three jars I had and compared.

The mild sounds like it should be the same as the original with the heat removed but it has a very different taste.

It seems like a totally different product. The ingredients lists are wildly divergent as well. The original has soybeans, sesame oil, and seaweed, the other doesn’t. The mild has onion and soy protein, the other doesn’t.

And the mild is actually crispy.

If you are disappointed in FBJ original because of the oil ratio or flavor or lack of crisp, try the mild?!

(I still like Xtra Crunchy best.)

(No LLMs were used to write this post.)

What is chili crisp?

From Wikipedia: “a type of hot sauce, originating from Chinese cuisine, made with fried chili pepper and other aromatics infused in oil, sometimes with other ingredients. Multiple regional, homemade, and restaurant-original versions exist across China. The best-known commercial brand is Lao Gan Ma, which is based on the chili crisps of Guizhou province.”

It’s not chili oil.

Or chili sauce.

Or chili paste.

It’s chili crisp.

Sometimes called chili crunch.

I love chili crisp and my hobby is trying as many as possible. I put it on eggs, pizza, vegetables, sandwiches, hot dogs (with cream cheese!), avocados, noodles, and more.

Even ice cream. Yes, ice cream.

My Top 10 Favorite Chili Crisps and Crunches (as of 08/21/2026):

1. Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp: the OG, affordable, readily available, packed with beans and umami
2. Momofuku Chili Crunch, Regular: a more chef-y super savory choice taking inspiration from both Asian and Mexican cooking
3. Fly By Jing, Xtra Crunchy aka Chengdu Crunch: the crunchiest and beaniest, and so satisfying 
4. Spice Witch Black Garlic Chili Crisp: wonderful, deep umami-packed flavor, and the black garlic makes it unique
5. Bullet Sesame Oil Chili Crisp: cold-pressed sesame oil delicious goodness
6. Boon Sauce, Regular: Thai influenced, super flavorful, packs a punch, probably the spiciest in my top ten
7. Fresh Fenix Chili Crunch: a distinctive savory blend using miso, unique peppers, and cumin 
8. Milu Chili Crisp: warm, smoky, and nutty, with cumin, coriander, and cardamom
9. Crispy Ho Chili Crunch: for the crispy shallot and garlic lovers
10. Hotpot Queen Tingly Mala Toasted Seed Chili Crunch: for those who want both crispiness and mala tingle

 

Honorable mentions: Baba Yaga; Chilee Oil, Spicy Premium; Homiah Sambal, Seaweed; Kwong Shop No. 5; Lee Kum Kee; Mama Teav’s, Mild; Super Magic Taste; Redbloom, Medium; ZinDrew, OG

Retired: This Little Goat, Sze Daddy, and Umamei all appear to be discontinued and have been removed from the above.

Try my This Little Goat Spicy Chili Crunch Copycat Recipe: https://www.reddit.com/r/chilicrisp/comments/1q326n8/this_little_goat_spicy_chili_crunch_copycat_recipe/

Criteria

Why these? For me, this is the ideal chili crisp: 

a complexity of flavor;

with a balance of heat with some sweet and umami;

and a generally pleasing texture with crispy, crunch-y elements;

which is more than just an oil, sauce, or paste;

and has a versatility of applications;

and tastes good as a condiment.

It shouldn’t be too sweet or too bitter or one note super spicy. It should not leave a bitter aftertaste. There shouldn’t be large nut slices or huge garlic pieces out of proportion to the other ingredients. The garlic should not be burnt or overcooked. I also have a preference for East Asian style chili crisps.

Additional Recommendations

If you want something more garlicky, I like Mama Teav’s (much more than KariKari). 

Crispy Ho also has a lot of garlic and shallot. 

If you like a more Sichuan peppercorn-heavy chili crisp, try Blank Slate, Hotpot Queen Crunchy Garlic, Milu, NFG, Su Mala, Xian Famous Foods.

If you enjoy something more fish-forward, try Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch, Shrimp or Mee’s Way.

If you like it super spicy, try Boon Regular or Xtra Hot, Maui Chili Chili Oil, or Mama Liang’s Super Spicy.

If you like it crunchy, try Baba Yaga, Crispy Ho, Fly By Jing Xtra Crunchy (Chengdu Crunch), Homiah Seaweed, or Hotpot Queen Toasted Seed (make sure you get the right one). 

All the chili crisps and crunches I have tried, listed alphabetically:

1. Baba Yaga Chili Crisp
2. Barnacle Kelp
3. Blank Slate
4. Boon Sauce, Regular
5. Bowlcut
6. Bullet
7. Calabrian
8. Chuan Nan Spicy King
9. Chile Crunch
10. Chilee Oil, Spicy Premium
11. Cholula Chili Crisp Sauce
12. CinSoy
13. CinSoy, Spicy
14. Co-op
15. Cravings Smoky Chipotle
16. Crispy Ho Chili Crunch
17. Cy Eats
18. Dear Mama Chili Oil 7
19. Everiday Mala Chili Crisp
20. Flaming Estate Smoked Chipotle Spicy Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salsa Macha Chile Crisp
21. Fly By Jing, Mild
22. Fly By Jing, Regular
23. Fly By Jing, Xtra Crunchy
24. Fresh Fenix Chili Crunch
25. Guiz Classic Guizhou Chili Crisp with Peanuts
26. Guiz, Crunch Supreme
27. Guiz, With Fermented Black Beans
28. Hab Sauce Oregon Seaweed Chili Crisp
29. Holy Tshili
30. Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch, Seaweed
31. Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch, Shrimp
32. Hot Boi, Fire
33. Hot Boi, Original
34. Hot Crispy Oil
35. Hot Jiang, OG Spicy
36. Hotpot Queen Tingly Mala Crunchy Garlic Chili Crisp
37. Hotpot Queen Tingly Mala Toasted Seed Chili Crunch
38. J. Chang Kitchen, He Thicc Tho 2.0
39. Junzi
40. Karanchi, Original
41. KariKari
42. Kwong Shop №5
43. Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp
44. Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Style Chili Crisp Oil
45. Lee Kum Kee Original Chili Crisp
46. Lee Kum Kee Smoky Chili Crisp
47. Mama Liang’s Super Spicy Chili Crunch
48. Mama Teav, Mild
49. Mama Teav, OG
50. Masala Gossip, Green Chili Masala Crisp
51. Masala Gossip, Red Chili Masala Crisp
52. Maui Chili Chili Oil
53. Me’s Way
54. Milu Chili Crisp
55. Momofuku, Black Truffle
56. Momofuku, Extra Spicy
57. Momofuku, Ghost Pepper
58. Momofuku, Mild
59. Momofuku, Regular
60. Momoya Chili Oil with Fried Garlic Taberu Layu
61. Mom’s Mala, Mild
62. Mom’s Mala, Spicy
63. Momoya Chili Oil with Fried Garlic
64. Mr. Bing
65. Natural Plus Green (NPG)
66. Nowon’s
67. Okazu Japanese Chili Oil, Spicy Miso
68. Oo’mämē, Szechuan
69. Pi00a
70. Pig & Tiger Chili Crisp
71. Redbloom, Medium
72. Redbloom, Mild
73. RiceBox
74. S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil
75. Sauce Up NYC
76. Sauce Up White Truffle Chili Crisp
77. Seattle & Saigon Crispy Garlic Chili Oil
78. Spice Witch Black Garlic
79. Su, Cilantro
80. Su, Five Spice
81. Su, Mala
82. Super Magic Taste
83. Sze Daddy
84. The Bits
85. The Flavor Society, Pizza
86. The Flavor Society, Spicy Pizza
87. This Little Goat, Ranch
88. This Little Goat, Regular
89. This Little Goat, Spicy
90. Trader Joe’s
91. Umamei
92. Umami Bomb, Medium
93. Umami Bomb, Tingly Sichuan
94. Umami Hottie
95. Vargo Brother
96. Wei Good Food, OG
97. Wei Good Food, Secret Spice
98. White Elephant Prik Nam Mun
99. White Matsu Smoky Chilli Oil
100. Xian Famous Foods
101. Yagi Noodles
102. ZinDrew, OG
103. ZinDrew, X-Batch

After Hours Theatre Company, The Immersive Experience Institute, and Culture Lab LIC are excited to announce that tickets are ON SALE NOW for the first ever New York Immersive Invitational. 

The public showcases will happen on Sunday, August 23rd, at Culture Lab LIC in Queens at 1pm, 4pm, and 6:30pm.

We’ve got SIX TEAMS of immersive creators who have accepted an extraordinary challenge: conceive, design, build, rehearse, playtest, and premiere an entirely new short-form immersive experience in less than 48 hours. The result is an evening of daring, unpredictable, and wholly original work that can only exist for this moment.

The teams for the inaugural New York Immersive Invitational are:

Enemies of Time
Linked Dance Theatre
Odd Reverberations
Odyssey Works
PITCHBLACK Immersive Experiences and
What May Come Immersive

Audiences at the showcase will experience all six short-form pieces.

The New York Immersive Invitational is a co-production of After Hours Theatre Company, The Immersive Experience Institute, and Culture Lab LIC.

The Immersive Invitational series started in Los Angeles in 2019. This will be our seventh festival in our third city. Each iteration showcases a new lineup of local artists, ensuring that every Invitational is a one-of-a-kind celebration of the creativity and innovation that define its home. 

We could not be more excited about the incredible variety of immersive styles that will be gathered in Queens next month!

Don’t miss your chance to experience six original immersive worlds on August 23rd.

Get your tickets now at:
https://events.humanitix.com/ny-immersive-invitational

To mark the third anniversary of the final performances of The Burnt City, Punchdrunk will hold exclusive screenings of Persephone, a film of the original production as it was performed. Screenings will take place on the original set. September 25-27, London.

https://www.punchdrunk.com/work/persephone