If you’ve ever tried chili crisp, you know it’s not just a condiment, it’s magic in a jar. Crunchy garlic and shallots sizzle in hot oil with warm spices like cinnamon and star anise, then get poured over soy sauce and aromatics for the ultimate balance of heat, crunch, and flavor. The result? A spoonful that can transform plain noodles, rice, veggies, or even eggs into something addictive.
Making chili crisp at home is easier than you think, and honestly it’s even better than store-bought. With just a handful of ingredients and about 30 minutes, you’ll have a jar of homemade chili crisp that’s crunchy, spicy, and perfectly customizable.
Garlic Shallot Chili Crisp (Crunchy & Spicy)
This homemade chili crisp is crunchy, spicy, and packed with flavor. Made with garlic, shallots, and warm spices poured over soy sauce and aromatics, it’s the perfect topping for noodles, rice, veggies, and more.
Ingredients
- 6 small shallots thinly sliced
- 2 heads of garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1¼ cup avocado oil
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 star anise pods
- 1/4 cup crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated on a microplane
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Bring shallots, garlic, cinnamon sticks, star anise and avocado oil to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Swirl around the pan occasionally but to not touch too often. The goal is for the alliums to release their moisture and get golden and crispy. This takes about 30 minutes, but start watching closely around 25 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix crushed red pepper flakes, soy sauce, honey, grated ginger and sesame seeds. Strain shallot mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and into the bowl with the soy mixture. Let shallots and garlic cool in the sieve so that they crisp up further. Discard the cinnamon sticks and anise pods. Once cooled, add the crispy garlic and shallots to the oil, mix well and store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a month.