8 Spicy Ingredients That Make Breakfast Sizzle With Awesome Flavor

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Sometimes, a little (or a lot of) spice first thing in the morning is what you're craving. The standard American breakfast, however, tends to focus on either sweet or savory, though you're certainly welcome to drizzle some Tabasco sauce over your eggs. If you want a real "kick," the type that clears the sinuses, your options typically start at lunchtime. But it doesn't have to be that way. Spicy breakfasts exist around the world, from the chilaquiles of Mexico to egg bhurji in India. There's no reason that your first meal of the day can't also be one that makes you cry tears of tongue-scorching joy.

These eight spicy ingredients won't just add a heated tingle to your tongue; they'll add awesome flavor as well. A couple are animal products like sausage and cheese, offering a bit of distinctive umami with their spice. Several are sauces, pastes, oils, or spreads — flavor bombs you can dip, smear, daub, or slather to your heart's content. There's even some spicy produce on the list if you're craving that fresh piquancy. So without further ado: the heat. 

If you haven't delved into the world of chorizo sausage yet, now is the time to try. With its massive dose of flavor, it's the perfect way to spice up the first meal of the day. A few tidbits of knowledge to start with: Mexican and Spanish chorizo are quite different, though both are almost always pork. Mexican chorizo is a crumbly, typically spicier sausage that contains hot peppers like jalapeños along with vinegar and garlic. It's also raw and thus must be cooked before consuming. Spanish chorizo, on the other hand, is dry-cured and edible out of the package. Spanish pimentón (smoked paprika) is its calling card, not peppers, so you'll find more of a deep, smoky warmth rather than a chile-pepper blast. Check its label, though: There are different varieties, some hotter than others.

With its crumbled form, Mexican chorizo is perhaps the most versatile. Try whipping up cream gravy for biscuits with Mexican chorizo, cilantro, and a little chipotle chili powder. You could also cook it up and scramble eggs with it for a spicy, high-protein breakfast. If potatoes are a must, chorizo is a perfect protein for a breakfast hash, complete with bell peppers, sour cream, and salsa.

Spicy Spanish chorizo is a delight to slice and consume on its own, but you might also enjoy it on brioche with an egg (bougie bonus points if you make it quail). Or, for a crowd, a pot of Spanish baked eggs, chock-full of chorizo, veggies, and a rich red sauce, is the way to go.

When it comes to spicing up breakfast, chiles may seem obvious, but there's so much more to do with them than just slice them and sprinkle them over an egg in the hole. For you scrambled egg fans out there, take inspiration from egg bhurji, a spicy North Indian/Pakistani dish rich with coriander, turmeric, cumin, onion, cayenne, and beautifully flecked with bits of tomato. In addition to the cayenne, ½ to one chopped jalapeño or serrano pepper is enough to add zesty heat to a dish made with four eggs. Jalapeños may not be as spicy as they used to be, but they can still pack a punch. Include the seeds for more spice, or remove them with a tool like a Zulay Kitchen Jalapeño Corer & Seed Remover.

If feeding a crowd, try jalapeños in a casserole or baked egg dish. Layer bacon, cheese, and minced jalapeño, cover with creamy, beaten eggs, and bake shortly before layering on more cheese and sliced peppers for another round in the oven; each slice should be filled with spice. For even richer Tex-Mex flavor, opt for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Chipotles are dried, smoked jalapeños; when they're packed with tomatoey adobo sauce, you get smoky, tangy, spicy flavors that power up any dish. Try a skillet egg bake with ½ a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (use more for more spice), beans, cheese, onions, and garlic. You could also mince the peppers and use them in breakfast tacos with eggs, potatoes, and other taco toppings of your choice.

The next time you're at the grocery store, grabbing your billionth block of sharp cheddar, don't forget that spicy cheese is a thing. Every inch of habanero jack is peppered (no pun intended) with habanero and jalapeño peppers, giving you ample spice in a rich, melty, buttery-flavored vehicle. You could buy a block and grate or slice it as needed. If you're more of a simple breakfast sandwich type, a package of Great Value Hot Jalapeño & Habanero Jack Deli Style Sliced Cheese is as shockingly well-priced as it is well-reviewed.

Try shredded habanero jack in an omelet, or do an inside-out grilled cheese by sprinkling 1 tablespoon or so of grated spicy jack on the outside of your bread. When you flip it, the exterior cheese (because you'll certainly have cheese inside the sammy, too) will become all nice and crunched up.

For a more Southern, homestyle breakfast dish, make spicy cheese grits. Apply some elbow grease and grate about 1 pound of habanero jack (or do a 50-50 split with sharp cheddar) for six 6-cup servings, and add it to a pot of cooked grits. Stir until the cheese is all melted and the grits look utterly irresistible.

Chili crisp (or chili crunch — there's not really a difference) is a condiment made of oil infused with fried chili peppers, seasonings, garlic, and potentially a slew of other tasty ingredients. It's crunchy and brimming with salty, savory, spicy flavors — perfect for adding a little toothsome heat to your breakfast.

You could follow the wise steps of J. Kenji López-Alt and fry your eggs in chili crisp oil before topping them with extra crisp. Chili crisp also makes savory oatmeal even better, so maybe try serving those eggs atop your high–fiber bowl of Quaker or what have you. Note that, while it's not necessary, preparing your oats with a chicken bouillon cube goes the extra mile in filling your dish with savory, umami notes that perfectly complement chili crisp. And if veggies are on your mind in the early hours (good for you!), add in some sauteed greens like Swiss chard, a natural pairing with chili crisp.

Taters take well to this crispy, spicy condiment, too. Cut your spuds into bite-sized chunks, and toss them with seasonings and a couple of tablespoons of chili crisp. When the breakfast potatoes are done roasting, add more chili crisp and other garnishes of choice, such as chives, dill, or Parmesan cheese. For protein, finish the dish with sliced hard-boiled eggs.

If you think spice is nice but you don't have a bottle of Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Chili Sauce in your fridge, now is a good time to fix that. Sriracha sauce is a thick, smooth chili paste also containing vinegar, sugar, garlic, and salt. There's a pleasant sweetness behind it that balances out its moderate spice level and makes it a perfect condiment for drizzling and dipping, especially at breakfast. Squirt it on eggs as if it's ketchup, or whip up Sriracha mayo for a breakfast sandwich.

Beyond that, try making a sweet-and-spicy glaze with it to brush onto baked bacon. This is as simple as whisking together maple syrup, soy sauce, and Sriracha, but you could also do a sweeter, candied-bacon version with brown sugar and honey in place of maple syrup. Start with 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and Sriracha, then add ¼ to ½ cup of maple syrup or honey and brown sugar.

And if you're having a boozy brekkie, that essential breakfast cocktail, the bloody Mary, pairs perfectly with Sriracha. To incorporate its rich spiciness, just add ½ teaspoon or more of the chili paste instead of Tabasco to your standard cocktail recipe and enjoy the extra oomph it brings to your morning.

Don't be tempted to think that gochujang is an offshoot of chili crisp simply due to its scarlet hue and visually busy texture. Gochujang is an entirely different creature. Integral to Korean cuisine, this salty, spicy, umami-rich chili paste is made with glutinous rice, gochugaru (Korean red chili powder), and fermented soybeans that give it its good-funky notes. It's also a tad sweet, further adding to its big personality.

Gochujang is typically meant to be combined with other ingredients that transform it into sauces, glazes, or whatever else your cooking calls for, but you could certainly try dabbing some on a jammy egg and letting the yolk cut delectably through the heat and funk. But its heat and umami-bomb savoriness would also upgrade your shakshuka when swapped in for tomato paste. Alternatively, grab a bottle of Food Network Kitchen Inspirations Gochujang Cooking Sauce, toss it with a bowlful of brown rice, and whip up a Korean-inspired breakfast bowl topped with bacon, fried eggs, and sesame oil. You could even get your Southern U.S.-Korean fusion on by omitting rice and using a base of grits cooked with pimento cheese.

Hummus is arguably just as versatile as any sauce or paste on this list of breakfast spicer-uppers — if you buy the spicy versions, of course. When Chowhound ranked the best and worst store-bought hummus, two spicy contenders came in second and third place, and either would be excellent daubed on toast. Top it with avocado and lime or extra-toasted chickpeas for textural contrast. Or, if you're watching carbs, smear it on a slice of Bettergoods Keto Friendly Honey Wheat Bread (it was the winner when we ranked keto bread brands from worst to best).

You could also take a leaf from Mediterranean cuisine and incorporate spicy hummus into the Italian vegetarian cinque e cinque sandwich: a chickpea flour pancake sandwiched within a bread roll. Add the spicy hummus of your choosing for an extra protein-packed morning treat with a kick. For something lighter and simpler, fill an egg white omelet with spicy hummus, or use it as one creamy, spicy filling along with spinach and cheese.

There are different kinds of "spicy," and the sinus-clearing kick of prepared horseradish is the perfect condiment to cut through the richness of fattier breakfast foods without setting your tongue on fire. It won't take much (seriously, if you've never tried horseradish, just a dab'll do it at first), but the dollop you use will add an invigorating punch of that iconic clean, biting "heat."

As with gochujang, horseradish is great for mixing with other ingredients. It's fantastic with beef, including burgers, so try it on breakfast sliders by making horseradish mayo with equal parts of each condiment. A more involved horseradish sauce is another possibility, with sour cream mayo, apple cider vinegar, and spices adding a gorgeous tanginess to contrast with that pungent bite. Whichever you concoct, smear it on the bun before building the sandwich, and enjoy the contrast between the piercing, "cold" heat of the horseradish mayo and the hot, savory fats of the beef and cheese (and egg, if you're including it). A cheesy omelet can provide a similar effect with less effort — try spreading the top with a little prepared horseradish or one of your horse-spiked sauces. You just may find this underdog spicy ingredient to be your new breakfast favorite.