When I eat at an Asian restaurant, the first thing I look for when I sit down (or open my take-away bag, let’s be honest) is the chili oil. It’s one of my favorite all-time condiments and, as far as I’m concerned, one of the best parts about eating Asian food. I love the heat and umami combination, and not too long ago, I decided I wanted to start keeping Crispy Chili Oil on hand so that I could add it to every and any food I want.
I played around with a few different recipes before settling on a basic riff that I can adjust depending on what I have on hand and what I’m in the mood for. Sometimes, I just infuse some oil with chili flakes and salt and call it a day. More often, I throw in some peppercorn, mustard seed, fresh garlic and dehydrated onion for that extra punch of earthy, salty goodness.
I eat this stuff on basically everything, including pasta and protein, but it’s also great over eggs or on toast. Honestly? I can’t think of much that I wouldn’t eat it with. Here’s how to make it:

Crispy Chili Oil
Ingredients
- 1 cup flavorless oil
- 1 head peeled, minced garlic
- 2 tbsp dehydrated onion flakes *or minced shallots
- 2 tbsp chili flakes *use less for less heat
- 1 tbsp mixed peppercorns, roughly chopped *optional
- 1 tsp paprika *I prefer hot, but smoked or regular is fine
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds *or 1/2 tsp sesame oil, both are optional
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp honey *agave, syrup or sugar works here, all are optional
Instructions
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Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.
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When the oil is hot, add your spice mixture – except the paprika and salt – to the pan and cook until the garlic (and any other fresh ingedients) are on the verge of browning, about 2-3 minutes, and then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until everything is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Before removing the pan from the heat, add the paprika and stir.
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Off the heat, add your salt and sweetener, if you're using one, and stir to combine thoroughly. Store in a jar and keep it in the fridge for up to one month.
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*Optional additions: cumin seeds, black or yellow mustard seeds, ginger, citrus, fish sauce or soy sauce.