Grab This Dollar Tree Dupe Of An Iconic Trader Joe's Condiment To Save Money On Spiciness

Replenishing your spice and condiment collection can be expensive, with luxury products from supermarkets or specialty stores quickly taking a big chunk out of your food budget. If you're on the lookout for budget-friendly options that are comparable to more expensive versions, Dollar Tree is a surprisingly great place to start. Dollar Tree spices, seasonings, and condiments range from 79 cents to $1.50 each, and you can find a variety of options, including specialty blends and international products. In fact, the Dollar Tree has an affordable dupe of an iconic Trader Joe's condiment.

Katayama Crunchy Chili Onion Home Spice is very close in taste and quality to Trader Joe's Crunchy Chili Onion. Yet the Dollar Tree version is only $1.50 a jar, or $3 for 6.36 ounces, while TJ's is $4.49 for a six-ounce jar. Katayama's version is bold, bright, and punchy and contains a blend of oil, dried onion, garlic, red chili, paprika, and salt and pepper — an ingredients list that's very similar to the Trader Joe's version. It's the perfect way to spruce up instant ramen or add some kick to your morning omelet.

Although the product costs around $9.99 if you buy it on Walmart, the chili crisp at Dollar Tree is exactly the same product but for much, much less. Buying food from Dollar Tree in bulk can help you save even more money. A 24-pack of 3.18-ounce jars of crunchy chili onion is $36, or 47 cents per ounce. By comparison, you would need to buy 12 to 13 jars of the Trader Joe's version to get a comparable volume, which would run you $53 to $58, or 74 cents per ounce.

With the best chili crisp brands ranging in price from $10 to $40 a jar, it's easy to understand why shoppers would be looking for a more budget-friendly alternative. Luckily, this Dollar Tree dupe is actually as good as its Trader Joe's counterpart. In a post on the r/DollarTree subreddit, a Redditor asked for feedback on Katayama Crunch Chili Onion Home Spice. Many commenters recommended it, with one person saying that the product was "comparable to Trader Joe's. Not exact but super close." A chili oil enthusiast on the thread raved about the product, saying that "it's actually amazing! You are going to love it!" The commenter went on to recommend that the OP try adding it to rice.

If you like your chili oil to have a bit of a kick without being overwhelmingly hot, this product may be perfect for you. As one reviewer claimed, "this stuff is pretty damn good, It isn't spicy by any means but it does have a nice crunch, buy it you will not be disappointed." Another Redditor said that though it wasn't as spicy as they expected, the flavor was pretty good overall. A discerning shopper agreed in that the Dollar Tree chili crisp tastes nice but the spice level is lower than what they prefer. However, they add that, "Compared to the brand I usually buy, the price is attractive enough to disregard that." Overall, the consensus seems to echo that of a commenter who rated the product "not as good as the fancy spicy ones we get at the local Asian market but for the price it's a great deal."