How to Make Thai Chili Flakes (Prik Bon)

Learn how to make Thai Chili Flakes (Prik Bon) with these ultra-easy steps using only one ingredient! Customize it with your choice of dried peppers and control the chili spice level to your needs when making it from home!

Check out these recipes using Thai chili flakes. Thai chili oil, Prik Nam Som, Thai red curry paste, Laab Gai, Yum Woonsen, Thai chili dipping sauce, and mango dipping sauce. Also, check out this Homemade Sriracha, a Thai hot sauce.

These fiery flakes, made from hot chili peppers, can be enjoyed in their flakey or powdered form. 

Jump to:

• Why Try Making Your Own Chili Flakes?
• Ingredients
• How to Make Thai Chili Flakes
• Notes on the Types of Thai Peppers
• Thai Dishes Using Thai Chili Flakes
• Helpful Kitchen Notes and Tips
• Variations & Substitutes
• Storage
• Top Tip!
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Related Thai Recipes You'll Love
• ​Helpful Kitchen Tools
• How to Make Thai Chili Flakes (Prik Bon)

Whether you prefer the fine powder to give your dishes a subtle heat or the vibrant red chili flakes for that extra spice, Prik Bon is the must-have ingredient for all Thai food lovers.

So, get ready to sprinkle some dry ground chili flakes and let the flavor explosion begin.

Why Try Making Your Own Chili Flakes?

• It's easy and only requires one ingredient.
• When you make chili flakes from fresh Thai dried chilies, they have a much stronger flavor than those you buy at the store. They also taste spicier.
• It's also much cheaper to make your own. A small container of store-bought Thai chili flakes costs around $5-8, while a bag of whole dried chilies you can use to make your flakes costs half that.
• You can also control the spiciness level using milder chili peppers instead of hot ones.

Ingredients

Thai dried chili peppers. You only need one and only essential ingredient to make this recipe! Fresh chilies will not work for this recipe. 

• Find dried chili peppers at any Asian market near you.
• My favorites are the Thai spur chilies or Prik Chee Fah peppers.
• For my sassy days, I reach for the ultimate Thai peppers. The birds' eye chilis! Check out the details on these tiny but powerful peppers below.
• Use any dried chilies of any variety. Experiment with different types like Spur chilies to discover unique flavors and spice levels.
• Use as much or as little as needed. A quick tip, though. If you are going to be using a spice grinder, it is best to have at least ⅓ cup of whole pepper, so all the pieces of the peppers get ground up in the small machine.

How to Make Thai Chili Flakes

1. On medium how heat, toast the chilis in a hot pan for 5-6 minutes or until the peppers start to turn a little dark color and the fragrance is filling your kitchen. 

Turn the fan on to avoid coughing and sneezing due to released oils.  High heat is not recommended for toasting chilis. 

3. Remove the peppers from the pan to a plate and cool before grinding. Once cooled, place the peppers in a spice grinder and grind to the flake size.

3. Ground a few extra seconds for a fine chili powder form. If making fine chili powder, strain it through a small fine mesh strainer to remove big pieces.

Using a mortar and pestle, simply pound the peppers away until the desired size.

Notes on the Types of Thai Peppers

There are many types of Thai peppers used in Thai cooking.  You can make Thai chili flakes using dried peppers such as Thai spur chilis (Prik Chee Fah), Thai bird's eyes chilis (Prik Kee Noo), or Thai Jinda peppers. 

Each pepper has a slightly different heat level, with the Thai bird's eyes being the hottest. So go ahead and spice up your meals with these flavorful options!

Top Tips for Fresh Thai's bird's eye chilis 

Finding Dry Thai's bird's eye chiles in my area can be challenging, but don't worry! You can try checking out the larger Asian supermarkets, as they might have them in stock. 

However, if you can't find the dried chiles, the good news is that fresh ones are usually readily available in most Asian markets. If you come across fresh chiles, the easiest solution is to get a bunch, take them home, and dry them yourself.

Let me guide you through the simple steps of drying your bird's eye chilis!

Read on.

How to Dry Fresh Bird Eye Chilis (Or any other chilis!)

Here's a simple guide to drying and grinding your chili flakes

1. Start by washing the peppers thoroughly under cold water using a colander. Afterward, gently pat them dry with a paper towel and set them on a plate or baking rack to air dry naturally.

2. Allow the peppers to sit at room temperature for a few days until completely dry. It's important to make sure they are really dry. Break a piece open to check for any remaining moisture.

If they're still moist, leave them to dry completely for 2-3 days.

3. Once the peppers are fully dried, you can make chili flakes. Simply follow the recipe card below to grind them into flakes.

Done. It's that easy! 

Thai Dishes Using Thai Chili Flakes

• Nam Jim Jaew, a Thai chili dipping sauce with fish sauce, honey, green onions and Thai chili powder
• Thai tom yum soup. A famous Thai soup with lemon grass, galangal, kaffir leaves and tamarind. 
• Chicken Salad, Thai Larb recipe. A renowned Thai salad made with ground meat, lime juice, fish sauce, and fresh herbs.
• Thai beef salad using fresh vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, and shallot.

Helpful Kitchen Notes and Tips

• Use gloves to protect your skin when handling hot peppers.
• If using a spice grinder, leave the pepper whole rather than breaking them up. The large, chunky pieces will help the blades pick up the pieces for grinding better than the small pieces. 
• A small food processor will not work well for grinding a small amount of chili flakes unless you are making a huge batch of 2+ cups. 
• Experiment with Different Thai Peppers. Use various Thai peppers to explore diverse flavors and spice levels.

Variations & Substitutes

Feel free to customize your Thai chili flakes based on your preferences. Adjust the spiciness by choosing different chili varieties, and store any excess in the freezer for a longer shelf life.

Storage

• For storage, store your chili flakes in an airtight container. 
• For extended shelf life, keep excess flakes in the freezer. This ensures they remain fresh and potent, ready to enhance your dishes whenever needed.
• If you cannot use all the peppers you bought, store them in an airtight container for the next time.
• Keeping pepper flakes and whole peppers in the freezer is the best secret to making them fresh for a long time. Up to 6 months. 

Top Tip!

Make hour chili flakes less spicy by removing the seeds! Trim the top knob of the dried pepper, shake out the seeds, and that's it! Wear kitchen gloves for this step to prevent burning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Thai Recipes You'll Love

• Khao Khua is Thai toasted rice powder with a crunchy texture for Thai soups and salads. 
• How to make sticky rice (glutinous rice)
• green curry paste
• What is palm sugar? Learn how to use this unique Thai ingredient.
• What is kaffir lime? An important ingredient used in Thai cooking.  
• What is lemongrass? Learn how to use fresh lemongrass in your Thai cooking. 

​Helpful Kitchen Tools

• Spice Grinder. A spice grinder is your best companion to achieve the desired texture for your chili flakes.
• Small Mason Jars. Store your homemade chili flakes in small mason jars for easy serving.
• Fine mesh strainer and stone mortar and pestle.

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