These crispy Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips is a super simple recipe using just corn tortillas and flaky salt. The corn tortillas can be fried or baked to golden perfection within 15 minutes, so they are crunchy and sturdy for your favorite dips or salsa for snack time or a party appetizer.
As an Arizona girl, I always remember Mexican restaurants on how good their tortilla chips are. The fresher and hotter, the better!
Did you know you can make Mexican restaurant-style corn tortilla chips at home? You can make homemade corn tortilla chips by cutting corn tortillas into triangles, frying them in hot oil or baking in the oven, and seasoning with flaky salt while they're still hot. It's that simple.
This recipe is perfect for taking hosting a party to the next level or if you want to repurpose old or leftover corn tortillas that are dry or stale. Serve them up with guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, or queso. You can also use them to make Nachos Chaat!
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- This recipe gives you guidelines on how to fry tortilla chips in oil or bake them in the oven with minimal oil.
- It'll help you figure out how to maintain the best temperature and conditions for frying the corn tortillas so that you don't end up with soggy or over-fried chips.
- Homemade tortilla chips are better than store-bought tortilla chips because they aren't as dry or break as easily from mass production that may lead to funky shapes or poor packaging.
- Corn tortilla chips are gluten-free and vegan since they are made with nixtamalized corn to produce masa which makes corn tortillas. The only other ingredients are salt and oil for frying.
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
- Corn Tortillas - Use white or yellow corn tortillas that are 4-6 inches in diameter. They usually don't get larger than that since there is no gluten development, so they would crumble otherwise. I've tried both homemade corn tortillas and store-bought standard corn tortillas, and have only had issues with the oil spluttering if the tortillas that were too moist. It's best to use tortillas that are dry and stale.
- Oil - Use a neutral oil that has a smoke point over 375°F. I recommend vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, etc.
- Salt - Be sure to salt your chips immediately out of the oven! I absolutely love Maldon flakey sea salt.
How to make Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips
Start off by identifying how many chips you need. Each corn tortilla will make 6 chips. Another consideration is that a serving size for tortillas is usually 2 tortillas, or 12 chips a person.
Make a stack of 4 tortillas. Using a chef's knife, cut the tortillas into 6 triangular wedges.
Continue this process with the rest of the tortillas.
1. Frying Instructions
If you use a food thermometer here, you'll have a much better outcome with your tortilla chips. Pour the oil into a heavy bottom pot, covering about 2 inches of the bottom. Heat the oil between 325°F and 350°F.
Carefully drop 6-8 triangles into the hot oil, being sure to give them plenty of space. Use your slotted spoon to gently push the chips underneath the oil and flip them after 30 seconds to get an even fry.
After about a 1-2 minutes cooking time, the tortillas will turn a beautiful golden brown and crisp up. This process is extremely fast so don't walk away. Then, the crispy chips are ready to be removed from the hot oil using a slotted spoon to drain the excess oil.
Transfer the chips to a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack or paper towels to continue draining excess oil.
Be sure to spread the chips out as much as possible into a single layer so that the residual heat doesn't make them soggy.
While the chips are still hot and fresh out of the fryer, sprinkle a healthy amount of flaky sea salt.
2. Baking Instructions
Baking corn tortillas may result in less crispy chips but will still be absolutely delicious! At the end of the day, this method uses significantly less oil.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Cut the tortillas into 6 triangles. Place them in a single layer on a half baking sheet.
- Spray the tortillas with a neutral oil or brush them with a light coating of oil.
- Once the oven is hot, transfer the baking sheet to the middle rack of the oven.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, being sure to check on if they've crisped up. Rotate the sheet tray halfway through to encourage even baking.
- Remove the sheet tray from the oven and sprinkle generously with flaky salt while the chips are still hot.
What to Eat with Tortilla Chips
Use these homemade tortilla chips for the best nachos ever! Or they're great as a side for taco night at home. Toss them in chili powder or your favorite seasoning blend for a little extra flavor.
You can also serve homemade chips at a party with pico de gallo, salsa, and guacamole for dipping. I promise your guests will notice the difference.
Expert Tips and Tricks
Here are some tips to making the best corn tortilla chips at home:
- Use dry corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas, which are too moist to crisp up as well as corn tortillas. Stale tortillas have the best results - so use old tortillas or let the tortillas sit uncovered at room temperature for a couple of hours.
- Don't crowd the pan. Only add as many chips as you'll be able to remove with the slotted spoon within seconds. A few seconds too long in the oil and you'll have overcooked tortilla chips.
- Heat the oil to between 325°F and 350°F. The chips only need 1-2 minutes in the oil. Once the oil temperature is at 375°F, they can burn within seconds.
- Remove the chips from the oil when they're a little less done than you want. They'll continue to cook after you take them out. The chips may look perfectly golden when you remove them from the oil, but by the time it stops cooking they'll be dark brown as pictured on the left below. The browned chips are a bit harder and nutty. You can still use them for nachos!
- Season with flakey salt immediately after removing the chips from the oil so that the salt adheres to the chip.
- Let the chips cool to room temperature before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make tortilla chips from flour tortillas. Use smaller 6-inch tortillas. Be sure to dry them out so that the moisture doesn't cause the oil to splatter.
Corns tortillas have many pros: they're gluten-free, higher in fiber, fewer calories, and may have a more favorable flavor. The cons, however, is that they are drier and break easily.
In contrast, flour tortillas have gluten, they're high in calories, and they're higher in fat. They should be eaten in moderation. However, their pros are that they're fluffier and sturdier than corn tortilla chips.
Homemade fried tortilla chips can be stored in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to a week. If there's even a tiny bit of moisture, they'll get stale or soggy faster. You can refresh homemade tortillas at 350°F in the oven for 3 minutes, or until they're crispy again.
The temperature of the oil wasn't high enough. The oil should be at a minimum of 325°F, otherwise they will stay pale in color and lightly soggy from soaking up oil.
The temperature of the oil may reduce between batches so be sure to periodically check the temperature of the oil with a food thermometer.
The temperature of the oil for frying homemade tortilla chips should be between 325°F and 350°F.
Spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil spray. Cut each tortilla into 6 wedges. Place them in a single layer in the basket of an air fryer. Air fry at 350°F for 5-7 minutes, being sure to monitor that they don't overbrown. Sprinkle immediately with flaky salt.
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Homemade Tortilla Chips
Ingredients
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup neutral oil
- flaky salt, to sprinkle
Instructions
- Stack 4 corn tortillas on a cutting board. Slice the tortillas into 6 triangles each, to create a total of 24 chips.
- Pour oil into a heavy bottom pot to cover 1-2 inches of the bottom. Heat the oil to 325℉, up to 350℉. While you're waiting, line a sheet tray with a cooling rack with paper towels or parchment paper underneath to catch the oil.
- Carefully drop 6-8 triangles into the hot oil. Gently push them under the oil with a slotted spoon. After 30 seconds, flip the triangles and continue to fry for another minute while continuing to gently push the triangles under the oil. The chips will have been fried for a total of 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the crispy tortilla chips out of the oil using the slotted spoon and set them in a single layer on the cooling rack to drain the excess oil. Generously sprinkle flaky salt immediately.
- Continue frying the chips in batches, being sure to salt after each batch.
- Serve the chips at room temperature with guacamole, salsa, or pico de gallo.
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