Chili Crisp Showdown: Lao Gan Ma vs. Fly By Jing vs. Homemade

Chili crisp is the condiment that broke containment. It started as a regional Chinese specialty — fried chilies, garlic, and aromatics suspended in oil — and ended up on truffle pizza menus and ice cream toppings within five years. We tasted the three options most home cooks pick between: the original Lao Gan Ma, the modern craft entry Fly By Jing, and a homemade Sichuan-style batch.

What chili crisp actually is

At minimum: chili flakes plus aromatics (garlic, shallots, sometimes ginger or Sichuan peppercorns) suspended in oil that has been heated to bloom the chilies and then cooled. The crispy bits at the bottom are the whole point — the oil is just delivery.

Lao Gan Ma (“Angry Lady”)

The original. Salty, MSG-forward, heavy on fermented black bean, lower on garlic. Texture is more powder than “crisp.” Heat is medium. Best on steamed eggs, white rice, plain noodles. It tastes like home cooking, not like a chef finished it.

Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp

The craft entry. Higher chili-to-oil ratio, more aromatic from caishin and Sichuan peppercorns, a numbing málà quality the others lack. More expensive but more flexible — it works on Western foods (pizza, eggs, roasted vegetables) in a way Lao Gan Ma doesn’t.

Homemade

Fastest version: heat 250 ml of neutral oil to 220°F (105°C). Pour over a bowl containing 4 tbsp chili flakes, 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorn powder, 4 cloves crispy fried garlic, 2 tbsp fried shallots, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar. Cool fully, then bottle. Keeps a month in the fridge.

The verdict

If you cook Asian food regularly, keep both Lao Gan Ma (for rice, eggs, dumplings) and Fly By Jing (everywhere else) in the door of your fridge. The homemade version sits between them.

Where to buy

Check current chili crisp options on Amazon.

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