It's been a while since Trader Joe's has introduced a new condiment. The last creations Trader Joe's introduced were the Umami Mushroom Seasoning and the Everything but the Bagel seasoning. One knocked it out of the park. The other is still sitting in my pantry cabinet. Now, we have a new seasoning that is oil-based but seems like the partial contents of a spice cabinet have been emptied into it: Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch.
Taste
If you are an EBTB seasoning fan, you'll probably swoon over this. Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch has some of the same flavors: onion, garlic, and salt.
As an added bonus, it comes in oil. But the intriguing part here isn't the name. It's the fact that you have an oil-soaked crunchy condiment that has a mild heat.
Yes, there are crushed chili peppers in this, but they just give a bit of warmth more than anything else. Otherwise, the other pepper in this is bell peppers which contain no kick at all.
So if you are afraid of the heat, then use just a little of this and you'll get flavor and crunch.
I had mine with a bowl of pasta. I used a normal teaspoon with it. I still found it needed a touch of salt to amp up the flavor.
The second bowl of pasta (the next evening), I got a bit braver and had a heaping teaspoon with my pasta. The heat was more noticeable as was the crunch. While the heat was more present it didn't rise to anything above a mild-medium.
Now, what give it the crunch? Well all of the spices here are dehydrated. Meaning the water has been removed. Despite the fact that the spices are sitting in olive oil, they aren't fully rehydrated. Why? Because oil just isn't water.
Frequently asked questions
The following are commonly asked questions about Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch.
No, this is shelf stable as it contains no water.
The Trader Joe's product is far less spicy. So if you are looking for a kick then reach for Lao Gan Ma instead. If you want more onion and garlic flavor then reach for the Trader Joe's product.
You can use this with chicken, pork, beef, tofu, seafood, pasta, vegetables, pasta, and bread. Each of those has potential for solid flavor pairings.
So what can I put this on?
This is a pretty flexible spice mix. Chicken, pork, beef, tofu, pasta, vegetables, pasta, bread all come to mind. This could be used as part of a marinade, mixed in with a more bland sauce, mixed with butter to make rich and tasty compound butter, which are just the start of ideas.
But overall, this is a pretty flexible seasoning blend.
For $3.99 this is loaded with seasonings and really can amp up the flavor of a dish.
What if I want to make this at home?
I've got you covered. I've been working on a copycat as soon as I got this. Plus, I hated reading on social media about how far people were searching for these little jars. You can see my recipe here. It's a total Chili Onion Crunch dupe and you can see it in the reviews of how good it is.
Overall
Would I purchase this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch again when I don't have time to make this at home.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Visual Rundown
The jar of Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch:
Calories and ingredients
How to enjoy this:
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch
Product Name: Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch
Product Description: Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch is loaded with onions, garlic, and peppers in olive oil.
Price: $3.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch is a new seasoning oil that is loaded with spices
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Flavorful
- Packed with way more spices than oil
- Good enhancement of flavor with the added textural element
Cons
- Spice junkies might be disappointed in this
- It probably needs a bit more salt to really amp the flavor up
I'm so excited about this product. I am the Condiment Queen! I love me some condiments.
Did you get a chance to find this one yet?
I love EBTB so I’ll have to try this:)
Did you get a chance to try it yet?
No not yet. I haven’t been down the states yet this summer to pick it up. Maybe I’ll get a Chance next week when I’m taking a short trip down
just bought and drizzled it over Sliced tomato/mozzarella/Basil/Balsamic vinegar (Bruschetta like with out the bread or Caprese saladish)....Bottom line.... YUM! Added great flavor, not too much salt, little heat kick...but also that fun CRUNCH texture that makes you go Wow...that's fun and Flavorful!
Hey Kelly! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this!
So far we have put it on meatballs subs, schwarma chicken (also from TJ's) and another Chinese dish. You described it perfectly. It has a very mild heat, the crunch makes things interesting. We like it so far.
Hey Susie! It sounds like you've experimented quite a bit on this one. Thanks so much for sharing your list of ideas!
Its good. But not as good as Lao Gan Ma!
Hey Andrew! Perhaps not, but the is waaaay more mild in nature too. Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to stop by!
Yes!!!!!! Just had this yesterday!
We made Naan Pizza!
1st spread the Trader Joe’s Chili Onion Crunch all over the Garlic Naan
2nd cover the chili onion crunch with Quattro Formaggio (Cheese).
3rd place a few tablespoons of the TJ pizza sauce.
Cook at 350 for 15-20 min!
Great appetizer!
Absolutely love the crunch! Will try it on scallops next!
Hey Khutch! Thanks so much for sharing this. Sounds delicious! Thanks again for taking the time out of your day to share with everyone.
Is the Chili Onion Crunch gluten-free?
It lists “natural ingredients “ which could contain gluten.
Hey Jo! It is not labeled as being gluten-free so I won't ever assume it is. The ones who would know are Trader Joe's and it would be worthwhile asking them. Here is the link to reach out to them: https://www.traderjoes.com/contact-us/product-feedback
If you want one that can be made gluten-free, stay tuned for my copycat recipe which posts tonight.
I was thinking about toasted baguette with goat cheese, sliced asian pear & chili onion oil. I've just read some revues that said the garlic was "stank".
Hey Kristina! Great suggestions for this. I didn't find the garlic bad in this at all. Some people are more sensitive to garlic than others too. I'm posting a copycat recipe tonight at 8PM if you want to make it yourself. Thanks so much for stopping by!
I copied someone else’s suggestion: pizza using naan as a base, then pimiento cheese, and the chili onion crunch on top. Pretty darn good! I did make a copycat of this myself before I was able to get to TJs, mine was much hotter (I didn’t have any proportions to go by, just the ingredient list) – and I found that the original TJs version was a lot milder. I’ll use up the jar, no problem (LOL) and then will copycat it again. Thanks for your review!
Hey Cele! That's the beauty of the comments section: to see how others are using products. While I come up with my suggestions my readers always come up with awesome ideas. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing!
That sounds interesting!
It really was an interesting try. It's become hard to find recently, but hopefully it will be back on shelves soon. Thanks for stopping by!