This spicy Sichuan party dip has everything we love about our favorite Chengdu wontons in chili oil except in a totally unexpected creamy, spicy, crunchy dip that's perfect for scooping up with homemade crispy-fried wonton chips (or any crackers or crudité). I like to call this stuff Sichuan gold because you can dip it, spread it, or slather it on just about anything. Cream cheese, homemade Sichuan red chili oil (xiangla hongyou), toasted sesame seeds, scallions, and a few spices and seasonings make this a super tasty dip you can bring to any party. Plus, you can choose how spicy or mild to make it.
Inspiration for this tasty cream cheese dip recipe came from a craving I was having for Sichuan wontons recently. But I'd run out of my usual stockpile of pork wontons I keep in the freezer and this happy "accident" occurred instead. This is an easy party dip recipe that's guaranteed to be one of the first things scooped up at your next get-together.
A Note About Sichuan Red Chili Oil (Homemade vs Store-bought)
This Sichuan cream cheese dip recipe is another reason to make our all-time favorite condiment (ever), homemade chili oil (xiangla hongyou) -- we eat this on everything from crackers to eggs, drizzled over homemade dumplings and even Bolognese tortellini in brodo, on salad, in tacos...basically everything. In a pinch, you can use a high-quality store-bought brand.
But to be clear, Lao Gan Ma's Crispy Chili In Oil (in the photos below) is not the same thing as fragrant Sichuan chili oil (xiangla hongyu) and it includes fermented black beans which give it so much umami, but it doesn't share any of the same flavor profiles as Sichuan red chili oil. Instead, try to find a higher quality Sichuan xiangla hongyou chili crisp oil, or make your own using Sichuan Chef Liu's recipe that he taught me to make while I was living in Chengdu (link above) -- it's incredibly easy and it might just be the best condiment in the world.
To save even more time, you can also buy pre-made wonton wrappers and fry them up in minutes, but making wonton wrappers from scratch is highly recommended because they're easy and so worth the crispy, bubbly result (these photos don't lie). I have two recipes for wonton wrappers here on the blog (one using all-purpose flour and one using bread flour which I've used for this post and can be found in the recipe card below.
What are Chaoshou Sichuan Wontons (the Inspiration for This Dip Recipe)?
If you've never had Hóng Yoú Chāo Shǒu (红油抄手) or chaoshou, check out my friend Vivian's recipe (they are the very best and a true Chengdunese specialty). Chaoshu are a typical Sichuan snack food or street food made up of 3 components: store-bought or homemade square wonton wrappers, a ginger-infused pork filling, and spicy Sichuan wonton sauce. If you're lucky, you'll get crispy pork to top it all off.
What Is Cream Cheese Chili Crisp Oil Party Dip?
Essentially, this Sichuan party dip recipe is the creamy, crunchy, dippable (vegetarian) version of chili oil wontons. But if you want to go all out, feel free to top it off with seasoned crispy-fried pork and fried shallots which makes it even more delicious.
Why We Love This Spicy Chili Oil Party Dip
- It has all of our favorite wonton flavors but in a dippable, spreadable party dip
- You can make it as spicy or mild as you like
- It's just as good eaten as a dip as it is spread on grilled cheese or bruschetta
- This vegetarian dip is full of umami flavor
- Homemade wonton chips are super crispy & light (and you can make any shape)
- Homemade chili oil is far superior to store-bought versions.
- Sprinkle it with seasoned crispy-fried pork for even more flavor and texture
- If you use store-bought wrappers and pre-made Sichuan chili crisp oil, it's ready in 15 minutes
Ingredients
This Sichuan party dip has 3 main components: a cream cheese base, homemade Sichuan red chili oil, and homemade crispy wonton chips. I used 4 tablespoons of chili oil in this recipe (mostly the crispy solids), but I recommend adding 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting it, and adding more to taste. This way, you won't end up with a dip that's too spicy (depending on how hot your chili oil is, to begin with).
You can also add a teaspoon (4.5g) or so of Sichuan green flower pepper oil (teng jiao oil) which will add a slightly citrusy undertone and mala mouth-numbing quality to the dip. Taste it first without and then decide if you'd like to add the teng jiao oil.
Dip Ingredients
- wonton wrappers (homemade or store-bought)
- cream cheese
- light soy sauce
- homemade Sichuan red chili crisp oil (xiangla hongyou) (sub store-bought)
- Shaoxing wine
- scallions (sub chives)
- toasted sesame seeds
- Sichuan green flower pepper oil (teng jiao oil) (optional)
- fresh ginger for infusing the soy sauce (optional)
Optional Pork Topping Ingredients
- fatty ground pork
- garlic
- soy sauce
Optional Garnishes
- fresh cilantro leaves
- crushed roasted or fried peanuts
- scallions (green parts only)
- crispy fried scallions
- finely sliced fresh red chili
How to Make Spicy Cream Cheese Dip
When I made this dip for the first time, Luca told me I needed to add this to the "aperitivo list" because he loved it so much. I hope you'll enjoy all of the flavors as much as we do.
- Infuse the soy sauce with ginger if desired. Cut the ginger into matchsticks and add it to the soy sauce if desired and set aside to steep for 20 minutes and up to 1 hour then remove the ginger and repurpose for another use, or discard.
- Make the dip. Add the remaining dip ingredients to a mixing bowl (except the wonton) and mix well to combine. Adjust the seasonings if desired and add a pinch of salt if needed. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Fry the wontons. If using store-bought wonton wrappers, cut them in half to make bite-sized chips. If using homemade wontons, cut the wrappers into any desired size or shape. Fry the wontons in batches in preheated 350°F/180°C neutral vegetable oil (being sure not to overcrowd the pot). Fry until golden, bubbly, and crispy (about 2 to 3 minutes) turning them over as needed to ensure even frying. Remove them to a paper towel-lined plate, sprinkle immediately with salt, and repeat until all the wonton skins have been fried.
- Serve the dip. Drizzle the dip with a little more chili crisp oil, and garnish with cilantro, crushed peanuts, crispy fried pork, and sliced fresh red chili if desired, Enjoy!
Chili Oil Party Dip step-by-step recipe photos
Check Out How to Make Homemade Sichuan Red Chili Oil (xiangla hongyou) (check out the full recipe post over here)
Check Out How to Make Homemade Wonton Chips (check out the full recipe post over here)
Looking for a Few More Delicious Dim Sum or Auththentic Sichuan Dishes?
If you're looking for a few more easy Chinese recipes or you love Sichuan food as much as we do, here are a few of our favorites you can make at home.
- Dim Sum Har Gow Shrimp Dumplings (虾饺) (The Ultimate Guide)
- Homemade Chinese Soup Dumplings Xiaolongbao (小笼包) (100% From Scratch)
- Classic Sichuan Wonton Soup (Long Chāo Shǒu or Dragon Wonton 龙抄手)
- Vivian’s Spicy Sichuan Chili Oil Wontons w/Crispy Pork (Hóng Yoú Chāo Shǒu 红油抄手)
- BBQ Chicken and Pork Bao Buns (Chinese Steamed Pork Buns) Bāozi 包子
- Easy Egg Drop Soup with Crispy Fried Wonton Strips (Danhuatang 蛋花湯)
- Fluffy-Soft Homemade Pork Buns (Momofuku & Ippudo-Style)
- Takeout Style Pork and Green Bean Stir-Fry w/Glass Noodles
- Easy Pork and Chive Potstickers w/Sautéed Napa Cabbage & Carrots (Jiaozi)
- 20-Minute Singapore Mei Fun Noodles (Shrimp Mei Fun)
- Easy and Delicious Pork Potsticker Recipe (Cantonese Style Jiaozi)
- Crispy Pork and Chive Spring Rolls w/Glass Noodles & Vegetables
- Steamed Pork & Chive Money Bag Dumplings (Beggar’s Purse Dumplings)
- Chinese Special Fried Rice 扬州炒饭 (Yangzhou Fried Rice)
Let's get started!
We'd love to hear how this recipe turned out for you🤗! If you make it, please rate it and leave a comment after the recipe. And if you love it so much you feel like shouting it from the rooftops on social, we definitely won't mind!
📖 Recipe
Spicy Cream Cheese Chili Oil Dip (w/Homemade Crispy Wonton Chips)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 ounces of Party Dip 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This spicy Sichuan party dip has everything we love about our favorite wontons in chili oil except in a totally unexpected creamy, spicy, crunchy dip that's perfect for scooping up with homemade crispy-fried wonton chips (or any chips!) or crudité. I like to call this dip Sichuan gold because you can dip it, spread it, or slather it on just about anything. Cream cheese, homemade Sichuan red chili oil (xiangla hongyou), toasted sesame seeds, scallions, and a few spices and seasonings make this a super tasty dip you can bring to any party. Plus, you can choose how spicy or mild to make it.
Ingredients
Sichuan Dip Ingredients
- 1 package of wonton wrappers (or ½ recipe of homemade wonton wrappers, fried)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (240g)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons homemade Sichuan red chili oil (mostly the solids), plus more for drizzling (sub store-bought)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (15g) (sub tamari or slightly less regular soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (5g) (sub dry sherry in a pinch)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (8g)
- 2 scallions, finely diced (green parts only) (sub chives)
- up to 1 teaspoon Sichuan green flower pepper oil (teng jiao oil) (optional)
- fresh ginger for infusing the soy sauce (optional)
Optional Pork Topping Ingredients (see instructions in recipe notes)
- 2 ounces fatty ground pork (60g)
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
Optional Garnishes
- fresh cilantro leaves
- crushed roasted or fried peanuts
- scallions (green parts only) (sub chives)
- crispy fried scallions
- finely sliced fresh red chili
Instructions
- Infuse the soy sauce with ginger if desired. Cut the ginger into matchsticks and add it to the soy sauce if desired and set aside to steep for 20 minutes and up to 1 hour then remove the ginger and repurpose for another use, or discard.
- Make the dip. Add the remaining dip ingredients to a mixing bowl (except the wonton wrappers and ginger) and mix well to combine. Adjust the seasonings if desired and add a pinch of salt if needed. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Fry the wontons. If using store-bought wonton wrappers, cut them in half to make bite-sized chips. If using homemade wontons, cut the wrappers into any desired size or shape. Fry the wontons in batches in preheated 350°F/180°C neutral vegetable oil being sure not to overcrowd the pot. Fry until golden, bubbly, and crispy (about 2 to 3 minutes) turning them over as needed to ensure even frying. Remove them to a paper towel-lined plate, sprinkle immediately with salt, and repeat until all the wonton skins have been fried.
- Serve the dip. Drizzle the dip with a little more Sichuan chili crisp oil, and garnish with cilantro, crushed peanuts, crispy fried pork, and sliced fresh red chili if desired, and Enjoy!
Notes
- I used 4 tablespoons of chili oil in this recipe, but I recommend adding 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting it, and adding more as you wish to taste and to reach the desired consistency. This way, you won't end up with a dip that's too spicy (depending on how hot your chili oil is to begin with).
- You can also add a teaspoon (4.5g) or so of Sichuan green flower pepper oil (teng jiao oil) which will add a slightly citrusy undertone and more mala mouth-numbing quality to the dip. Taste it first without and then decide if you'd like to add the teng jiao oil.
HOW TO COOK AND SEASON THE CRISPY-FRIED PORK TOPPING OPTION:
If you want to add crispy fried pork: Add the pork and smashed garlic to a skillet set over medium-high heat and cook until the pork renders the fat and is cooked through. Allow it to cook for a few more minutes so it starts to brown and crisp up, at this point, add the soy sauce and stir well to combine. Cook it about 1 to 2 minutes longer to crisp up even more and remove to a plate to cool.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Refrigerating Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Nibbles + Bits
- Method: Mix & Stir
- Cuisine: Sichuan-Insipired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Made the Recipe? Tell Us What You Think!