chili oil review
Chilee Chilee Oil
A tier: Strong picks we keep coming back to
"Grandpa Lee immigrated from South Korea to Chicago to make a better, more spicy chili oil, and the "use it on everything" billing checks out. Dark, sesame-heavy, and roughly 50/50 oil to crisp."
At a glance
- Category
- chili oil
- Style
- Korean-American, all-purpose
- Brand based in
- Chicago, IL
- Oil base
- vegetable oil
- Seed-oil free
- No
- Price
- $$
- Small batch
- Yes
Grandpa Lee immigrated from South Korea to Chicago to make a better, more spicy, delicious chili oil.
Chilee Oil has one of the best origin stories on our shelf: the brand is built around Grandpa Lee, who immigrated from South Korea to Chicago and set out to make his own version of chili oil, one that could go on “everything.”
The taste test
It’s dark, almost black, from a heavy hand with sesame, and the jar runs close to 50/50 oil to crisp, which is a good ratio if you like flexibility between drizzling and spooning. The crunchy bits are fine rather than chunky, which makes the texture feel smooth even though there’s plenty going on underneath. This is the vegetable oil version; Chilee also sells a Premium line made with avocado oil if that’s what you’re after.
The smokiness is real but mild, not the aggressive char of some other jars, and once you start reading the ingredient list, it’s clear there’s a lot layered in here. Spice level lands around a 3 out of 5 on their own scale: present, not punishing.
Verdict
A tier: genuinely versatile. This is the closest thing on our shelf to a true all-purpose chili oil, and the Korean-American immigrant story behind it makes it an easy one to root for. Great on noodles, dumplings, rice, or, per the label’s own claim, just about everything.
Best on
- noodles
- dumplings
- rice
- literally everything
Skip it if
- sesame-forward oils are not your style
- you specifically want their avocado oil, that's a separate Premium line
Keep tasting
If you like this, try...
A DurtyBurn
Garlic Chili Oil (Mild & Ghost Pepper)
Dragon's breath chili in the mild, ghost pepper in the hot, and neither one kills you. Delicious.
A Mr Bing
Chili Crisp
Our everyday jar. Real Sichuan peppercorn tingle, mushroom-powder umami, and, unlike a lot of jars this savory, barely any salt.
A Bowlcut
Chili Crisp (Original & Spicy)
Built on a childhood spent in the family restaurant, this leans sweet and oily rather than fiery: surprisingly sweet for a chili crisp, with a whisper of mala and a lot of sesame. Good in the jar, better stirred into a hot dish.