How To Make Homemade Tortilla Chips - Simply Recipes

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How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips

This step-by-step recipe for homemade tortilla chips gives you options to bake, fry, microwave, or air fry.

By Elise Bauer Elise Bauer Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University. Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process Updated January 13, 2026 24 Ratings Save Print In This Recipe Expand

• Ingredients
• What Oil to Use for Frying
• Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

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Why Make This

• These fresh, crunchy homemade chips are easy to customize with your favorite seasonings.
• Choose between frying, oven baking, microwaving, or air frying for crisp results.
• Serve warm with salsa or guacamole for a satisfying snack.

Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. You know why there is no ice cream in my home? Because if it's there, I'll eat it all. Chips and crackers? Their days are numbered in hours, or maybe minutes.

So my pathway to moderation is just to not buy the things that I shouldn't be eating all the time. Or I will eat them all the time.

(Here's the point where I blame my parents, you know, the ones who never fed us enough growing up; of course, when I mention this to them, you can practically see the indignation steaming out of their ears.)

Ingredients for Homemade Tortilla Chips

Back to danger. There are three staples that you can always find at our house: corn tortillas, oil, and salt. This is all you need to make the most wonderful, fresh, crunchy, perfectly golden, homemade tortilla chips.

How To Make Tortilla Chips: Cooking Methods

In fact, if you are cooking light, you don't even need oil. So there's no excuse not to make them, only every ounce of willpower we possess.

There are three basic ways that we make homemade tortilla chips around here. 

1. The classic way, fried in a little oil. 
2. Bake them in the oven. 
3. Bake them in the microwave.

Fried in oil tastes the best (of course), but if we are in the mood for cutting back on calories, we'll bake them.

Best Types of Oil for Frying

Frying your chips? Choose from these oil options:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Olive oil
• Peanut oil
• Corn oil
• Canola oil
• Avocado oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Vegetable oil
• A mixture of any of the above oils

Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

For quick chips in an air fryer, toss the cut tortillas in a bowl with a little oil and salt and air fry at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes. Do only a single layer at a time.

Dips for Your Chips!

• Perfect Guacamole
• Spinach Artichoke Dip with Bacon
• Pico de Gallo (Fresh Salsa)
• Queso Dip

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes Print Save

How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips

Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 15 mins Total Time 25 mins Servings 6 to 7 servings Yield 72 chips

You'll need oil if you are frying the chips. If you are baking or microwaving, all you need are the tortillas and salt.

No need to buy fancy tortillas at the supermarket. Corn tortillas are best because of their flavor. Buy a standard corn tortilla for the best results. You can use homemade corn tortillas, but keep a close eye on the cooking times, which may be longer or shorter depending on their thickness.

Keep Screen Awake

• About 3/4 to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil (more or less depending on how many chips you are making)

• Corn tortillas (each tortilla will make 6 chips)

• Kosher salt (or other coarse salt), to taste

Fried Tortilla Chips

1. Dry the tortillas:

   The tortilla chips will fry better if they are a bit dried out first. Either leave the whole tortillas out overnight, exposed to air so they are stale the next day, or dry them out a bit in the oven or microwave.

   To dry them in the oven: lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5 minutes or 200°F for 10 minutes.

   Or lay them out in a single layer (working in batches) on a paper towel in a microwave oven and microwave them for 20 to 60 seconds, depending on how strong your microwave is and how many tortillas you are drying.

   You don't want them crisp at this point, just as dry as they would be if you left them out overnight.

2. Cut each tortilla into 6 triangle shaped wedges

3. Heat the oil in the pan:

   Pour oil into a medium skillet to a depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. (Make sure you are working with a completely dry pan or the oil will sputter as it heats.)

   Heat the oil on medium high heat until a small piece of tortilla placed in the oil sizzles, about 350°F. If a small tester piece of tortilla browns too quickly, the oil is too hot. Remove the pan from heat to let the oil cool a bit before continuing.

4. Fry the tortilla chips:

   Place a paper towel on a large plate and have several other paper towels ready. Place a handful of tortilla triangles into the hot oil, in a single layer.

   Use metal tongs, a metal slotted spoon, or long wooden chopsticks to distribute the tortilla triangles. Be sure they aren't overlapping and that all sides get coated with oil.

   Fry for about 2 minutes until the chips just begin to lightly brown and get firm, and are no longer pliable.

5. Move the chips to a paper-towel-lined plate:

   Use the tongs, a slotted spoon, or wooden chopsticks, remove the chips from the oil to the paper-towel-lined plate.

   Sprinkle with salt.

   Place another paper towel over the top of the chips to be ready for the next batch.

   Simple Tip!

   As soon as you put the tortilla triangles into the hot oil, because you are working with such a small volume of oil, the oil temperature will lower. You can compensate for this by increasing the heat to high. As soon as the chips begin to color, reduce the heat to low, so the oil doesn't overheat in between batches.

   Continue to cook the chips, working in batches, placing the freshly fried chips over a new layer of paper towel each time, and sprinkling with salt.

   When the chips are all fried, pat any excess oil from them with a fresh paper towel, and eat! These chips are best eaten when warm and freshly made.

Baked Tortilla Chips

1. Preheat the oven and cut the tortillas:

   Preheat the oven to 350°F.

   While the oven preheats, cut the tortillas into wedges

2. Place on a baking sheet:

   Spread the tortilla wedges out on a baking sheet in a single layer.

3. Bake:

   Bake the tortilla wedges for about 6 minutes, then use tongs to turn the wedges over.

   Sprinkle with a little salt, and bake for another 6 to 9 minutes, until they are just beginning to color. Remove from the oven and let cool. Sprinkle with more salt to serve.

Microwaved Tortilla Chips

1. Cut the tortillas into wedges:

2. Line your microwave:

   Use a paper towel to line the bottom of the microwave.

3. Microwave the chips:

   Working in batches if necessary, spread the tortilla wedges over the paper towel in a single layer, with an inch or so between the wedges. Microwave until the tortilla chips are crispy, but not burnt.

   The time will vary depending on the strength of your microwave and how many tortillas you are cooking. In our microwave, it's about a little less than 1 minute per tortilla. But start at half of that and add time as needed.

   Sprinkle with salt to serve. Great with guacamole and pico de gallo.

   Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know with a rating and review!

• Gluten-Free
• Quick Vegan
• Easy Vegan
• Easy Vegetarian
• Vegetarian

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
107	Calories
3g	Fat
18g	Carbs
2g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label ×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 7
Amount per serving
Calories	107
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g	4%
Saturated Fat 0g	2%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 185mg	8%
Total Carbohydrate 18g	7%
Dietary Fiber 3g	9%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 33mg	3%
Iron 1mg	3%
Potassium 77mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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