Momofuku Chili Crunch Trio (Original, Extra Spicy & Black Truffle)

80% crunch, zero effort to love. The jar that converts chili oil skeptics.

We grabbed the Momofuku Chili Crunch trio (Original, Extra Spicy, and Black Truffle) during a Black Friday sale ($45 shipped for all three) and put them head-to-head.

Original Chili Crunch: 8.5/10

Look in the jar and it’s about 80% crisp to 20% oil: by any definition this is a crunch, not an oil. First taste is oddly sweet, then a genuinely surprising roasted-chili heat shows up out of nowhere, like the dark chili salsa at a good taco shop. You keep chewing and unlocking flavors: garlic, roasted chile, crunchy bits still going a minute later. Less savory-deep than Fly By Jing, but the crunch is elite.

Extra Spicy Chili Crunch: 7.5–8/10

Plot twist: we thought the regular one was spicier. Same sweet-first opening, same great crunch, but the “extra” never showed up for us. If you’re buying this expecting pain, you’ll be disappointed; if you want the Original with a slightly different roast, it’s lovely.

Black Truffle Chili Crunch: 7/10

Open the jar and it’s truffle, full stop. It tastes sweet, truffly, and almost nothing else: the chili is a rumor. On french fries it’s genuinely great. On everything else, the versatility is just lower.

Verdict

A tier. This is the crowd-pleaser: the one to gift, the one for people scared of chili oil, the one that’s now in every grocery store. Heat-heads and umami-chasers should look at our A+ shelf instead.

How spicy is Momofuku Chili Crunch? Moderate. Around 5/10 on our scale: flavorful warmth, not a challenge.