Mr. Bing Spicy Chili Crisp brings real heat but no chili character — just anonymous burn packaged with aggressive salt and sugar. Same fine crunch as the Mild, same flat flavor. A mixing candidate, not a standalone jar. AVERAGE tier.
Mr. Bing Mild Chili Crisp delivers crunch and umami, but sweetness and salt flatten everything into one gear. Mushroom powder is interesting — but it’s a mixing candidate, not a standalone jar. AVERAGE tier.
Fusion Select looks generic but hides a surprising peppery bite. The garlic on the label? Almost nonexistent.
Real Naturals removes the oil entirely and gives you just the crunchy bits. The crunch is legit and the concept is clever — but eating it teaches you exactly what oil was doing in every other jar. An AVERAGE chili crisp that works best as a crunch supplement.
Pono Hawaiian’s Premium Island Crunch delivers some of the best crispy bits in the chili crisp game — but aggressive sea salt masks the good flavors underneath. A GOOD jar with outstanding crunch and one clear weakness.
Trader Joe’s Chili Onion Crunch is the best olive oil chili crisp I’ve tested — crunchy bits, clean heat, no raw garlic aftertaste, and a red bell pepper sweetness that ties the jar together. GOOD tier.
Momofuku’s Mild Garlic Chili Crunch earns a GOOD — grapeseed oil, seaweed, yeast extract, and coconut sugar build something genuinely interesting. Just don’t expect any heat.
Momofuku’s Extra Spicy Chili Crunch swaps the original’s front-loaded burn for a slow, center-of-tongue habanero build — and ends up feeling less spicy than the jar it’s trying to outdo. Phil’s verdict: Skip.
Momofuku’s Black Truffle Chili Crunch is GOOD — more bits than their standard jars, real truffle presence up front, and a heat that builds and lingers. The sweetness holds it back from being great, but that’s a Momofuku thing, not a this-jar thing.
Momofuku Chili Crunch leads with sweetness — coconut sugar and grape seed oil create a honey-butter opening that masks the chili underneath. Phil’s verdict: AVERAGE.