Guide · updated 2026-09-27
“Best chili oil” is the wrong question. Best for what? We’ve taste-tested 30+ jars side by side on camera, and the honest answer is a short list of winners by use case. Here’s who won what, in our own words from the tasting.
Best overall
“Just adding it a little bit to whatever you’re eating, it automatically tastes gourmet.” Peter & Lisa, on camera
Duck fat changes everything: rich, garlicky, deeply savory. The jar we reach for when nobody’s filming.
Best value classic
Six dollars at any Asian grocery and still beats jars four times the price. Heads up: recent batches run saltier than they used to.
Best vegan
“I can’t even tell it’s vegan.” Peter & Lisa, on camera
Boon’s vegan version swaps in turnip and gives up nothing. Every Boon we’ve tried has landed in S tier.
Best no-seed-oil
“The fastest, most crazy roller coaster we’ve ever ridden in terms of chili oil.” Peter & Lisa, on camera
Pure olive oil and Mexican chiles, made in Riverside, CA in memory of the founder’s mom, Chela.
Best salsa macha
“I’ve never had cumin in chili oil. This is really unique.” Peter & Lisa, on camera
Rice bran oil, cumin, smoky and savory, with heat right in the middle. Very chunky, very addictive.
Best for seafood lovers
“A borderline of XO sauce and chili oil.” Peter & Lisa, on camera
Lee Kum Kee’s limited dried-shrimp jar: shrimpy, pasty, fiery hot. A tiny spoon goes a long way.
Crunchiest
“This might be like the crunchy winner.” Peter & Lisa, on camera
Basically garlic chips in oil. Garlic lovers, this is your jar. Runner-up: KariKari.
Best for heat-seekers
“This might be the spice winner since the Zindrew.” Peter & Lisa, on camera
Carolina Reaper in a lemongrass oil. Spice-challenge territory; the Zindrew X Batch is the other one that left scars.
Best Indian-style
“It does feel like it’d be very versatile.” Peter & Lisa, on camera
Smoky, meaty, delayed kick, and it actually celebrates Indian spices. From Chicago.
Best chili crisp benchmark
Fermented black bean umami, slow burn, polite málà tingle. Every new jar has to beat it.
Best for beginners & gifting
In every grocery store, scary to no one, still genuinely good. The gateway jar.
Best budget
$4, olive oil base, mild, addictive on eggs and avocado toast.
Best mild-but-interesting
Alaskan kelp for oceanic umami, smoky and gentle. Absurdly good on eggs.
Every jar, plotted
Where every jar we've scored lands on heat and crunch. Tap a dot for the review. Top right is crunchy fire; bottom left is silky and gentle.
The whole lineup
Chili Oil Baron aromatic · bold · unique 
Mama Teav's garlic · crispy · Cambodian 
Chingonas smoky · cumin · salsa macha 
KariKari garlic · crunch · heat 
MommyLas Filipino · crunchy · savory 
Zindrew savory · versatile · dumplings 
LKK Dried Shrimp seafood · umami · hot 
Fly By Jing Sichuan · savory · benchmark 
MìLà / XCJ restaurant-style · aromatic · versatile 
Chilee Oil sesame · mild smoke · Chicago 
Little Brother chunky · vegan · garlic 
Mr Bing versatile · peppercorn · everyday 
Hot Crispy Oil garlic · crunch · pizza 
Momofuku crunch · gateway · crowd 
Homiah rich · sambal · versatile 
DurtyBurn sesame · savory · mild 
CMK Vietnamese · smoky · intense 
Yumyumia aromatic · crispy · no MSG 
NM Brands bold · vinegar · hot 
Bowlcut sweet · sesame · family-run 
Kwong Shop fusion · oily · LA-made 
Barnacle Kelp kelp · smoky · mild 
Jus Garlic garlic · crunchy · nutty 
Bombay Indian · smoky · versatile 
TJ's Crunch onion · gateway · cheap 
Oomame sesame · black bean · ginger 
Sze Daddy Taiwanese · umami · hot pot From our side-by-side taste tests, our S tier top three are Holy Duck (duck fat richness that makes anything taste gourmet), Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow (the best widely-available classic and the best value), and Boon Sauce (batch-numbered, deeply savory, and the vegan version is just as good). Chelas Chile, a pure olive oil chili oil from Riverside, CA, rounds out the S tier. The best jar for you still depends on heat tolerance and texture.
Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chili Oil (about $6 at Asian groceries) or Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch (about $4, mild). Both are inexpensive, easy to find, and teach you what the category is about before you graduate to small-batch jars.
Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp is our benchmark: fermented black bean umami with a friendly málà tingle. For maximum crunch, KariKari or Jus' Garlic. For a crowd-pleaser gift, Momofuku Chili Crunch.
The Zindrew X Batch and CMK's Heaven's Scorch (made with Carolina Reaper) are the two most punishing jars we've tested. Both are for experienced heat-seekers only.
Yes: Chelas Chile (pure olive oil, S tier), Holy Duck (duck fat), MommyLas (annatto oil), and Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch (olive oil, budget) all avoid common seed oils like canola, soybean, and sunflower.
Boon's vegan chili oil, made with turnip. It made our S tier, and we honestly couldn't tell it was vegan. Chingonas salsa macha and Fly By Jing are also vegan.
