How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips

Homemade tortilla chips made from fried flour tortillas are delicious paired with your favorite salsa or cheesy dip. Fry them in oil or cook in an air fryer.

I used to be firmly in the corn tortilla chip camp.  But now that I’ve had homemade tortilla chips made from flour tortillas, I have a new favorite.

I thought nothing could be better than those ultra-thin, ultra crispy, restaurant-style corn tortilla chips. Then I had an order of fried flour tortilla chips and salsa from Crafted, a local taco joint.

Mind blown! 

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Jump to:

• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips
• What to Serve with Homemade Tortilla Chips
• Storage & Reheating
• More Snack Recipes
• 🎥 Recipe Card & Video

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These chips are seriously delicious. They’re crunchy yet slightly chewy, salty with a touch of sweetness with little air pockets that make the perfect salsa delivery system.

If youre a fan of Mexican pizza, these chips have the same delectable texture.

I still love traditional corn tortilla chips for things like these Pulled Porch Nachos or Nachos with a Surprise Inside. But flour tortilla chips definitely deserve a place on the snack table.

Want to see a brief overview of the process before diving into the recipe? Watch my web story on how to make tortilla chips.

Ingredients

This recipe couldn’t get any simpler to make. You only need three ingredients.

• flour tortillas
• salt
• vegetable or canola oil for frying or cooking spray for air frying

See recipe card for quantities and a cooking demo video.

How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips

The snack is so easy to make, you don’t really even need a recipe!

These tortilla chips can be deep fried in oil or cooked in an air fryer. But the results will be a bit different.

The deep fried ones have air bubbles that form when the flour tortillas are placed in hot oil. They have an amazing crispy-chewy texture and a slightly sweet-and-salty flavor.

The air fried flour tortilla chips are crispier. And they’re definitely healthier since they’re only brushed or sprayed with oil.

Since they’re not fried in oil, the air fryer homemade tortillas don’t puff up and form those big, satisfying air bubbles. But I have a little trick that will help the tortillas fluff up slightly in the air fryer.

In a side-by-side taste test, my family liked the fried tortilla chips better. But the air fryer ones are still very good.

Deep Fried Method

1. Slice flour tortillas (they must be flour!) into eighths. Use a pizza cutter to quickly slice through several flour tortillas at once.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet or deep fryer over medium-high heat.
3. When the oil is hot, drop tortilla triangles into the hot oil and cook until golden brown on each side.
4. Remove and drain on paper towels, sprinkling liberally with sea salt or coarse kosher salt while the chips are still warm.

Cook’s Tip: Fry the chips in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. As the oil heats, you may need to reduce the temperature to prevent chips from burning or browning too quickly.

Air Fryer Method

These chips can also be made in the air fryer. They will be crispier than deep fried chips, and they won’t have those delicious big air bubbles.

If you want them to puff up some, brush the tortillas with water or dip them in water before air frying, as shown in the video below.

1. Preheat air fryer to 350 ℉.
2. If you want the chips to have air bubbles, generously brush the flour tortillas, front and back, with water. You can also dip them in a shallow bowl of water.
3. Next, brush each tortilla, front and back, with oil or coat with cooking spray.
4. Slice the oiled flour tortillas into triangles with a knife or pizza cutter.
5. Place the tortilla wedges in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until brown and crispy. Depending on your air fryer, you may need to flip the chips halfway through.
6. Remove from the air fryer and sprinkle immediately with coarse salt.

Air fryer cooking times may vary. I use a Ninja Foodi Grill 5 in 1, and it takes between 5-6 minutes to make homemade tortilla chips in it.

What to Serve with Homemade Tortilla Chips

Serve with your favorite salsa or dip. These chips go great with my Corn & Squash Calabacitas, and I also love them with this spicy and sweet corn salsa recipe from How Sweet It Is.

I would also serve them with this Slow Cooker Chili Cheese Dip.

You know what would also be great with these chips? Homemade guacamole.

My fresh-from-the-freezer recipe is a great way to use up leftover avocado that is in danger of turning brown in the fridge. (FYI, this Guac-Lock storage container is a great way to store guacamole and prevent browning.)

Storage & Reheating

These tortilla chips are best when served hot out of the fryer. You can store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

Reheat leftovers in the oven or an air fryer at 300℉ until hot, about 5 minutes.

More Snack Recipes

If you liked this tortilla chips recipe, try these other snack and party favorites.

Pin This! Homemade Tortilla Chips

🎥 Recipe Card & Video