crujiente
adjectiveCEFR B1
What does “crujiente” mean in English?
crunchy / crispy
crunchy / crispy (texture that makes a cracking sound when bitten)
Example sentences
La clave de una buena tempura es el rebozado muy fino y el aceite bien caliente para que quede crujiente y no empapado de grasa.
The key to good tempura is very thin batter and very hot oil so that it comes out crispy and not soaked in fat.
Asa el pollo a temperatura alta los últimos diez minutos para que la piel quede bien crujiente y dorada.
Roast the chicken at high temperature for the last ten minutes so that the skin comes out really crispy and golden.
How to use it
Crujiente means 'crunchy' or 'crispy' — a texture description for food that makes a cracking sound when bitten. It is an adjective derived from the verb crujir (to crunch/creak). The related noun is el crujido (the crunch sound). Common collocates: pan crujiente, corteza crujiente, verduras crujientes, tempura crujiente. It is invariable in singular/plural but agrees in number with the noun it modifies.
Common mistake
English has two words for this texture — 'crunchy' (raw vegetables, nuts) and 'crispy' (cooked batter, skin) — but Spanish uses crujiente for both. The verb quedar (to turn out, to end up) is the natural collocate: quedar crujiente = to turn out crispy. Using estar crujiente is also fine in a more static description.