Chile Crisp Snack Mix
Updated June 25, 2026
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Ready In
- 50 min
- Rating
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Ingredients
2 cups woven rice cereal, such as Chex
2 cups shrimp chips (look for the Calbee brand)
2 cups fried wonton strips (see Tip)
1 cup small cheese crackers, such as Cheez-Its
1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup chile crisp, such as Lao Gan Ma
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons Chinkiang (black) vinegar
½ tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons dried wakame seaweed
2 tablespoons raw white or black sesame seeds
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
12 grams carbs; 96 milligrams cholesterol; 254 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 459 milligrams sodium; 13 grams protein; 2 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 275 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 2
Combine the rice cereal, shrimp chips, wonton strips, cheese crackers and peanuts in a large bowl.
- Step 3
Melt the butter in a small pot over low heat. Add the chile crisp, sweet chili sauce, Chinkiang vinegar and soy sauce and whisk until smooth and emulsified. Add the wakame and sesame seeds and stir until the seaweed is rehydrated and soft, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 4
Pour this mixture over the dry snacks and toss well to combine. Spread into one layer on the lined baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
- Step 5
Bake, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is darkened in places and there are no damp spots, 40 to 50 minutes. This will allow it to dry out and gently toast; the mixture will continue to crisp up as it cools. (The shrimp chips are your best indicator of doneness: Once they start to take on color, you’re nearing the end.) Do not overbake! Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Store the snack mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
You might not find fried wonton chips at the Asian grocery, so here are a couple options: Most Chinese takeout restaurants will happily sell you a bag or two, or you can find them in your grocery store’s salad dressing aisle since they’re a popular topping.
Private Notes
Comments
@Nunzio Or we could just put our thinking caps on and experiment.
From AI. NYT Cooking Should do this itself ### 1. The Best Option: Straight Balsamic Vinegar (with a tiny adjustment) Since there is already soy sauce in the recipe, you don't need to add more. Balsamic will give you that dark, syrupy color and depth, but it is sweeter than Chinkiang. * **The Swap:** Use **2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar**, but cut back just a tiny bit on the sweet chili sauce (maybe a hefty teaspoon less) to keep the sugar balanced. ### 2. The Umami Option: Worcestershire Sauce + White or Rice Vinegar Worcestershire pairs incredibly well with butter, soy sauce, and chile crisp. It has the fermented depth of black vinegar but lacks its sharp acidity. * **The Swap:** Use **1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce + 1 tablespoon Rice vinegar** (or apple cider vinegar). This gives you the perfect balance of deep umami and clean tartness. ### 3. The Clean & Bright Option: Rice Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar) If you just want the acidity without altering the flavor profile too much, standard rice vinegar works beautifully with these Asian-style ingredients. It will just be a little lighter in color and more front-forward with its sharpness. * **The Swap:** Use **2 tablespoons Rice vinegar** plus a tiny drop of molasses or dark brown sugar if you want to mimic that molasses-like undertone of black vinegar. This snack mix looks incredible—the addition of wakame seaweed with the chile crisp is a brilliant touch! Which of these vinegars do you have on hand to work with?
Strong recommend to get a bottle of black vinegar for this if you don’t have one: it’s the unmistakeable tang you may be missing in dumpling dipping sauces, and you won’t regret having it in your cupboard.
Send help. Am unable to stop eating these.
Hard to find some ingredients in small rural town without driving out to bigger cities, and even then it’s hit or miss. But since no wonton chips: crumbled ramen noodles without seasoning packet; black vinegar: very dark balsamic vinegar+rice vinegar+brown sugar worked great; roasted salted peanuts (I wanted pecan pieces but forgot to roast them so used peanuts that were on hand); if no shrimp chips, try Bugles chips, corn Chex, or puffed corn; can use some seasoning from shrimp flavored ramen if you want that flavor (and need extra salt.) I packaged in 2.5 oz portions and gave to friends who like spicy. Yes, it was spicy, crunchy, and well-received. But no one asked for the recipe LOL. I would make again, and have no problem with any substitutions or portions, ratio of what-to-what, as this is a ‘suggested’ list of ingredients with great results. It did take about 60 min to get rid of all the ‘moisture’, stirring every 10 min. It fills the 13x17 sheet pan at more than ‘1 layer’ so next time I might use 2 of same size pans and check every 10 min over 40-50 min. I might want it sweeter, so maybe add another couple Tbsp brown sugar to the liquids.
This recipe is annoying - All of these ingredients are sold by weight, not volume. But it turns out if you double it you use 1 4oz bag of shrimp chips, 2 4oz bags of wonton strips, most of a small box of Cheez-Its, nearly a whole jar of chili crisp (!), and half a 12oz box of Chex (sigh). Still not sure what a tablespoon of dried wakame looks like.