27 Things to Put Crispy Chilli Oil On

If your jar has been sitting in the cupboard since you bought it, mostly used on noodles and nothing else, this list is for you. Twenty seven things, grouped by how likely you are to already have them in the fridge.

The rule that makes all of this work

Crispy chilli oil brings four things at once: fat, heat, savoury depth and crunch. So it fixes food that is missing one of those.

• Bland? It brings salt and umami. Rice, tofu, plain noodles, eggs.
• Soft all the way through? It brings texture. Congee, hummus, scrambled eggs, mashed potato.
• Rich and heavy? The chilli cuts through. Cheese, cream sauces, fatty meat.
• Already spicy, salty and crunchy? Leave it alone. This is the one category where it adds nothing.

Eggs and breakfast

1. Fried eggs

The gateway drug. Crispy lacy edges, a runny yolk, a spoonful straight over the top so the oil runs into the yolk. If you only ever do one thing on this list, do this one.

2. Scrambled eggs

Soft scrambled eggs are texturally one note, which is exactly the gap this fills. Fold most of it through at the end, off the heat, then spoon a little more on top.

3. Avocado toast

Yes, it is a cliché. It is also just correct. Avocado is fatty and soft and mild, which is the perfect target. Add flaky salt and lemon.

4. Congee or oatmeal-style savoury porridge

Congee is deliberately plain, which is why every good bowl comes with something sharp on top. This does the job of three condiments at once.

5. Breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches

Egg, cheese, bread. Three soft things in a row. Spoon it in before you wrap.

Noodles, rice and carbs

6. Chilli oil noodles

Whisked with soy sauce, black vinegar, garlic and a splash of starchy noodle water it becomes a full sauce in about ninety seconds. Full method in our 10-minute chilli oil noodles.

7. Instant ramen

Use half the flavour sachet and a spoon of this instead. Better yet, start with a proper sun-dried knife-cut noodle and skip the sachet debate entirely.

8. Plain steamed rice

Rice, chilli oil, a fried egg. That is a genuine dinner and it takes twelve minutes. Half of Asia has been doing this forever.

9. Fried rice

Off the heat, stirred through at the very end so the crunch survives the wok.

10. Mac and cheese

The single best use nobody expects. Rich, heavy, uniformly soft, and it desperately wants heat and crunch on top. Try it once and it becomes permanent.

11. Buttered pasta or cacio e pepe

Not traditional, obviously. Still excellent. The chilli plays a similar role to the black pepper, just louder.

Vegetables

12. Roasted brussels sprouts, cauliflower or broccoli

Roast hard until the edges properly char, then toss after they come out. Burnt-edge bitterness and savoury chilli oil are made for each other.

13. Roast potatoes and fries

Straight out of the oven while they are still glossy, so the oil clings and the solids stick.

14. Smashed cucumber salad

Bash the cucumber, salt it, drain it, then dress with chilli oil, black vinegar and garlic. Ten minutes, and the crunch on crunch works better than it has any right to.

15. Grilled corn

Butter first, then chilli oil, then lime and salt. An Asian answer to elote.

Meat, fish and tofu

16. Crispy tofu

Tofu is the blankest canvas in the fridge. Fry it hard, then spoon this over while it is still hot.

17. Roast or grilled chicken

Especially thighs. Serve the jar at the table and let people help themselves.

18. Salmon

Roast or pan-fry, then spoon over at the end. The fat in the fish and the fat in the oil get along, and the chilli keeps it from feeling heavy.

19. Steak

Slice it, spoon chilli oil over the cut surface, let it sit for a minute. It behaves a bit like a chimichurri, just richer.

Bread, cheese and dips

20. Cheese toasties and grilled cheese

Inside, not on top. A thin layer against the bread before you close the sandwich.

21. Burrata and mozzarella

Tear the ball open, spoon it into the middle, add black pepper and good bread. Two ingredients, dinner party energy.

22. Hummus and yoghurt dips

Swirled into the surface with a little olive oil. Also excellent stirred into labneh or Greek yoghurt as a dip in its own right.

23. Dumplings and gyoza

Mixed with soy sauce and rice vinegar it becomes a dipping sauce that will make plain soy taste like nothing forever after. If you want to make the dumplings yourself, we run soup dumpling workshops in Amsterdam.

Sounds wrong, tastes right

24. Pizza

Margherita especially. Then try it alongside a drizzle of hot honey and see what happens.

25. Popcorn

Melted butter first so it distributes, then chilli oil, then salt. Shake hard in a big bowl.

26. Mayonnaise

Stir a spoonful through and you have an instant spicy mayo for burgers, sandwiches, chips and fish. Keeps a few days in the fridge.

27. Vanilla ice cream

Cold, sweet, creamy, then a slow savoury warmth arriving underneath. It sits somewhere near salted caramel and it is the thing people remember from dinner.

When to add it, and how much

Three things separate people who love their chilli oil from people whose jar goes stale in the cupboard.

Add it at the end. This is a finishing condiment, not a cooking oil. Fry with it and the crunchy solids go soft and the fried garlic can catch and turn bitter. Off the heat, or at the table.

Stir the jar first. The garlic, chilli and sesame sink. Pour off the top layer and you get oil with barely any flavour, which is why some people conclude a chilli oil "tastes of nothing". Go in with a spoon and dig.

Start with a teaspoon per portion. Because you are spooning rather than shaking, the dose is entirely in your hands. Easier to add more than to rescue a bowl you have flooded.

Want the full breakdown of what crispy chilli oil actually is, how chilli crisp differs from chilli oil, and how to store it? That is all in our complete guide to crispy chilli oil.

FAQs

What food goes best with chilli oil?

Anything fatty, starchy or bland. Fried eggs, noodles, rice, dumplings, roasted vegetables, cheese and avocado toast are the reliable starting points. It works because it adds fat, heat, savoury depth and crunch all at once, so it fills whichever of those a dish is missing.

Is chilli oil good on eggs?

It is arguably the best thing you can do to an egg. A fried egg with crispy edges and a runny yolk gives the oil somewhere to go, and the richness of the yolk balances the heat. It works on scrambled and boiled eggs too.

Can you put crispy chilli oil on sweet things?

Yes, and vanilla ice cream is the one to try first. Sweet, cold and creamy against savoury heat works in the same way salted caramel does. Keep the portion small.

What should you not put chilli oil on?

Anything that is already spicy, salty and crunchy, since there is nothing left for it to add. Very delicate flavours also get overwhelmed, so go carefully with things like raw white fish or a light broth.

How much crispy chilli oil should I use?

About a teaspoon per portion to start. Because you spoon it rather than shake it, you control the dose exactly. Stir the jar first so you get the crunchy solids rather than just the oil on top.

Keep reading

• Crispy chilli oil: the complete guide
• The best crispy chilli oils in 2026
• 10-minute chilli oil noodles
• What is hot honey? Plus 15 ways to use it

Found a use we missed? Tag us. We collect these.