I Asked 3 Chinese Chefs for the Best Chili Crisp—They All Said the Same Thing

Like many other Americans, I wholeheartedly jumped on the chili crisp bandwagon when the condiment became popular Stateside a few years ago. While I was never exposed to this spicy oil growing up, it’s since become a permanent fixture on the condiment shelf in my fridge.

Not only does chili crisp pack a serious punch of flavor, but I can almost always find a way to include it in whatever meal I’m whipping up, whether that be a simple egg dish, noodles, frozen dumplings, soups, stir fries, rice dishes, or otherwise.

Yet, as someone who has only developed a love for chili crisp in recent years, I’m in no way an expert on the tastiest or most authentic store-bought varieties. So I decided to ask a handful of chefs what their favorite brand of chili crisp is. To my surprise, they all mentioned the same one!

The Chinese and Chinese-American Chefs I Asked

The Best Chili Crisp, According to Experts

All of these accomplished chefs agree that Laoganma Spicy Chili Crisp is the ultimate store-bought variety. “For store-bought chili crisp that’s accessible in the West, I only like Laoganma,” says Guo.

The pros say that this chili crisp offers the best flavor among widely available brands. Laoganma has a rich umami taste that is simultaneously savory, salty, and spicy, elevating whatever dish it’s added to.

How to Use Laoganma Chile Crisp

The list of ways to employ Laoganma in the kitchen is almost endless. “I like to use it with simple ingredients, such as peanut butter and soy sauce, to make basic sauces for dipping, noodles, and vegetable dishes,” says Zhu. She also uses chili crisp as a condiment for leftover meats, as well as a finishing oil for stir fries and soups. “A regular chicken-mushroom stir fry or soy sauce noodle soup will be so much more addictive with some of this chili oil added at the end,” she observes.

Guo turns to this condiment for dressing cold dishes and flavoring fried rice and eggs, too. “Or spread it over bread, buns, or savoury pancakes,” she adds.

When it comes to using Laoganma in Lau’s kitchen, he notes that “Cantonese cuisine traditionally doesn’t use a lot of chili crisp, but when we do, it’s either a standalone condiment for potstickers or other dumplings, or, more often, incorporated into a ‘spicy-sweet-sour’ sauce with rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.” This sauce can be used for dressing meats, veggies, noodles, soups, and more.

Beyond its irresistible flavor, this authentic chili crisp is incredibly accessible. You can find it at Target, Walmart, Safeway, and H Mart for less than $6 a jar. Now I’m suddenly craving soup dumplings!