Heinz Culinary Crunch — Chili Pepper

If you want to be adventurous, but not too adventurous, and stay affordable — this one’s for you.

Yes, Heinz — the ketchup people — make a chili crunch. We found the Culinary Crunch Chili Pepper at Grocery Outlet; it’s about $6.78 at Walmart, making it by far the least expensive jar in our taste tests. There are three versions: Chili Pepper, Mandarin Orange Miso, and Garlic.

The taste test

We went in with low expectations and left pleasantly surprised. There’s a lot of oil, but also a lot of genuinely crunchy crunch — you can hear it across the room. It’s moderately spicy (medium-high depending on which bits land on your spoon), a little smoky, with an oniony-garlicky finish.

Who it’s for

Beginners and budget shoppers. If you’re chili-crisp-curious and don’t want to mail-order a $20 artisan jar to find out, this is a completely reasonable first step you can grab with your groceries.

Verdict

B tier. It does nothing wrong and nothing memorable. Big crunch, decent heat, unbeatable availability — a safe first jar that you’ll outgrow, and that’s fine. That’s what gateways are for.