Spicy chili crisp dipping sauce is a creamy, garlicky sauce with a kick of heat. It comes together in just 5 minutes with 6 ingredients, thanks to a base of store-bought vegan mayo and jarred chili crisp.
It’s the perfect dipping sauce for your appetizer platter. Use it as a vegan fry sauce, or serve it alongside onion rings, sweet potato fries, or fried green beans. It also makes a mouthwatering sandwich spread and finishing sauce on rice bowls.
I have recently fallen hard for chili crisp.
Friends gave me a Fly By Jing chili crisp sampler set for Christmas. (Or should that be crisp-mas?) I quickly fell in love with their Sichuan chili crisp. Since then, I’ve been putting that savory sauce on everything that needs a kick of heat.
While the sauce is tasty on its own – drizzled over noodles, dumplings, and fried rice, sometimes you want to expand on those flavors by adding them to a creamy dipping sauce.
That’s where this 6-ingredient chili crisp dipping sauce comes in.
Chili crisp is added to vegan mayo, apple cider vinegar, garlic, granulated onion, and a pinch of salt for a spicy, garlicky dip that has brings some heat to the party.
It’s a yummy dipping sauce for fries, air fryer green beans, sweet potato fries, onion rings, or anything that could be improved with a spicy edge.
But it’s not just for dipping!
This delicious sauce can also be drizzled over rice bowls or spooned onto bao. You can even use it to dunk your pizza crust! (Keep scrolling for more serving ideas later in the post!)
In this post:
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.
Vegan mayo: Vegenaise is my favorite mayonnaise. But there are loads of egg-free mayo brands on the market. Use whatever kind you like.
Chili crisp: My current favorite is Sichuan chili crisp from Fly By Jing, but there are tons of chili crisp options available. Give this dipping sauce a whirl with Lao Gan Ma, Momofuku, Mr. Bing, or whatever chili crisp you love most.
Heads up: While most chili crisps are vegan, very occasionally a brand will include fish sauce or anchovies. So it’s best to read the label before buying.
Garlic: While you can use a standard chef’s knife to mince garlic very finely, I prefer to use a garlic press or Microplane zester for this dip. They get the garlic so fine it’s almost a paste, which helps it to permeate into the sauce.
Apple cider vinegar: ACV adds tang. It can be replaced with white wine vinegar, white vinegar, or rice vinegar.
Granulated onion: This adds bite & rounds out the flavor. It can be replaced with onion powder.
Salt: A pinch of salt brings it all together and heightens the flavors.
Step by step instructions
Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
Making this creamy dipping sauce couldn’t be easier!
Combine the following in a bowl:
- Vegan mayo
- Chili crisp
- Apple cider vinegar
- Granulated onion
- Grated or pressed garlic
- Salt
Tip: While this spicy vegan sauce can be enjoyed right away, it’s even better after the flavors have had time to meld. If you can, pop it into the refrigerator in a covered container for several hours for before digging in.
Make it your own
You can make this delicious chili crisp dipping sauce recipe your own by varying the ingredient amounts.
- To make it spicier, add more chili crisp.
- For more tanginess, add more apple cider vinegar.
- For less tanginess, omit apple cider vinegar.
- For variety, use rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.
- If you’re not a raw garlic fan, omit it.
- To make it saltier, add more salt.
Like spicy sauces but don’t have any chili crisp? Try my sriracha mayo dipping sauce instead!
Serving ideas (fries, sandwiches & more)
This spicy vegan dipping sauce goes well with fried appetizers. It can also be used as a sandwich spread, drizzled onto a burrito, or added to a rice bowl.
Use it as a dipping sauce with:
- Air fryer green beans (shown above)
- Baked french fries
- Onion rings
- Fried zucchini
- Fried yellow summer squash
- Beer battered fried pickles
- Air fryer potato peels
- Air fryer polenta fries
- Vegan pigs in a blanket
Use it as a sandwich spread on:
Use it as a finishing sauce on:
- Beer battered fried green tomatoes
- Vegan burritos with seitan chorizo & tots
- Veggie wraps with vegan chick’n (instead of tahini sauce)
- Brussels sprouts fried rice
- Bulgogi tofu bowls
Storage instructions
Keep spicy chili crisp dipping sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last about two weeks (if you don’t eat it before then).
It has such a lengthy storage time because mayo and chili crisp both last a long while in the fridge. Plus, vinegar and garlic have anti-microbial properties.
I do not recommend freezing it.
FAQ
Of course! Fly By Jing is my current favorite, but there are loads of beloved options on the market. Try it with Lao Gan Ma, Momofuku, or whatever strikes your fancy.
Just remember to check the ingredient list, because occasionally fish paste or anchovies can slip into chili crisps.
Absolutely! Add more chili crisp to taste or even a pinch of red pepper flakes to ramp up the heat.
Yes, definitely! This sauce actually gets even better after the flavors have had time to meld. You can make it a day or two in advance and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Spicy chili crisp dipping sauce (vegan)
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise)
- 1 teaspoon chili crisp (Fly By Jing is my favorite.)
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 clove garlic grated or pressed
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine vegan mayonnaise, chili crisp, apple cider vinegar, granulated onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. For the garlic, I recommend using a Microplane zester or garlic press, so that it becomes very fine, almost like a paste. (If you don't have one, mince it finely.)
- You can serve the chili crisp mayo dipping sauce right away. But for the best results, I recommend putting it in a covered container and refrigerating it for several hours. The flavors get a chance to deepen and meld, and it becomes even more delicious.
Notes
- If you’d like it to be spicier, add more chili crisp.
- If you’d like it tangier, add more apple cider vinegar.
- If it needs to be saltier, add more salt.
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