How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips (In the Air Fryer and Oven)

Learn how to make homemade tortilla chips in the air fryer and the oven. Our easy recipe shows you two methods to make healthier homemade tortilla chips than the deep fried version that still taste amazing on their own or dunked in your favorite dips.

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Tortilla chips are the eternal favorite snack in this house.

My kids go through tons of tortilla chips.

They could take or leave potato chips but tortilla chips?

Oh yeah. That’s their jam.

And they love that I will make tortilla chips for them from store bought tortillas.

Since they are baked or air fried and not deep fried it feels like a better for them snack to enjoy, which feels like a serious Mom win.

Less bad for you things? More wholesome.

And these tortilla chips are seriously perfect for dunking into fresh tomato salsa, beer cheese, or even a spicy habenaro salsa recipe or serving as a snack or side for a bowl of chili or soup.

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools

To make these crunchy, satisfying snacks you just need:

• Store bought tortillas– Look, I know bigger isn’t always better but I definitely recommend using the large burrito sized, flour not corn tortillas. 
• Cooking spray– You could substitute olive oil or olive oil spray if you prefer but plain old nonstick cooking spray works like a charm.
• Seasoning– Salt and pepper but you could add a lot of other seasonings to the mix if you prefer. Hang tight- we’ll talk about that later.

You also need some basic kitchen tools to make tortilla chips in the air fryer, namely an air fryer. I have, love and highly recommend this basket air fryer from Instant Pot.

To make tortilla chips in the oven, you need a couple more kitchen supplies:

• Kitchen shears– to cut the tortillas into chip shapes
• Cookie sheets
• Aluminum foil

Cutting the Tortillas for Chips

Cutting the tortillas is probably the trickiest part of this whole recipe and it’s not really tricky at all.

You could use a pizza cutter to slice your tortillas into eighths the way you would a pizza.

Or, you could do what we like to do and use a pair of kitchen shears and fold up the tortillas as shown so you can make multiple cuts at once.

Fold the tortillas in half.

Right down the middle like a big giant unfilled taco.

Fold the folded tortilla in half again.

Fold that half in half again so the tortilla is now in quarters.

Cut the tortillas

Then, cut the the tortilla along the folded seam, keeping them stacked.

Finish, by cutting the stack of quartered chips in half.

Either way works- it’s entirely up to you.

How to Make Tortilla Chips

Making these is really easy no matter how you decide to do it.

Prep the tortillas

To do it:

Cut the tortillas.
Cut the tortillas as described above.

Season the chips.
Spray the cut tortillas with nonstick cooking spray or mist very lightly with olive oil. Then season as desired with salt and pepper or other seasonings of your choice.

Cook til crunchy! 
See below for exact instructions depending on if you are baking tortilla chips in the oven or making tortilla chips in the air fryer.

Homemade Tortilla Chips in the Air Fryer

To make crunchy air fryer tortilla chips, follow steps 1 and 2 above and then:

Preheat your air fryer and add the chips to the basket.

Set your air fryer to 350.

Once it’s ready, place the chips in the basket of the air fryer so they aren’t touching or overlapping.

Cook for 7-8 minutes. Flip the chips midway through the cooking process.

Cool and repeat until done.

Place the cooked chips on a wire rack to cool and repeat the process with the remaining chips until done.

How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips in the Oven

To make crunchy baked tortilla chips in the oven, follow the instructions for prepping the tortillas above and then:

Put the cut chips on a baking sheet.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with nonstick spray. Arrange the chips so they aren’t touching or overlapping.

Bake.
Put the trays in the oven and bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 4 minutes to 5 minutes.

Cool.
Let the baked chips cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Seasoning Options and Ideas

I’m only using salt and pepper in my basic version of this plain tortilla chip recipe, but you can definitely jazz these up even more.

Some of my favorite variations and seasoning ideas include:

• Cilantro lime– Toss the baked chips with fresh lime zest and chopped or dried cilantro.
• Smoky southwestern– After tossing the chips in the cooking spray, sprinkle both sides with a mix of smoked paprika, cumin and chili powder.
• Ranch– Toss the unbaked chips in ranch seasoning before baking.
• Cinnamon sugar– Toss the baked chips in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar while they are still warm.

Storing

Serve the chips immediately once they are cooled or store them in a large ziplock bag for up to a week.

FAQs

Is it cheaper to make them at home?

Yes! The store brand of flour tortillas cost anywhere from 7 to 8 cents per ounce.

Ready made tortilla chips are upwards of 28 cents an ounce depending on the brand,

Are air fryer tortilla chips healthier?

Since they are air fried instead of deep fried, you are cutting a lot of the calories and saturated fat of the store bought or deep fried kind.

Will these tortilla chips be crispy?

Yes! If they aren’t crispy you may need to let them air fry or bake for an extra minute depending on how you’ve made them.

Should I use flour tortillas for chips?

The recipe pictured shows flour tortillas.

They are my favorite and turn out deliciously crunchy and sort of puffy.

That said, if you are more of a corn tortilla chip fan, you absolutely could make this with your favorite corn tortilla version.

Why aren’t my air fryer tortilla chips crispy?

If your chips aren’t crisp, there are two culprits: either the air fryer was overcrowded or the chips weren’t fried for long enough at a high enough temperature.

Tips and Tricks

• Make sure none of the chips are touching or overlapping no matter what method you use.
• The chips will continue to crisp as they cool.
• For extra crispy oven baked tortilla chips chips, turn the oven off after the time is up and let the chips sit in the oven with the door open for an extra minute or two.
• In the ingredients section, while it’s specified not to do this with corn tortillas, you could if you choose. The texture of the chip will be less puffy than and crispier than a flour tortilla chip.

Serving Suggestions

These homemade tortilla chips just beg for dips. Some of my favorite dips to dunk these in include:

• Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe
• The Best Zesty Pineapple Mango Salsa
• Basic Beer Cheese
• The Best Fresh Pineapple Habanero Salsa
• Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Lemon Pesto Hummus
• Beer Cheese Queso
• Buffalo Cauliflower Dip
• Caramelized Onion Cheese Dip
• Easy Jalapeno Popper Dip (with Cream Cheese)

And don’t forget to serve them as a side to any taco night! Perfect with ground beef tacos or other fancier tacos like barbecue chicken tacos or even pineapple beef tacos or in an appetizer spread with these 5 Ingredient Easy Chicken Taquitos

Did you make this? Let me know!

Did you make these homemade tortilla chips or any other recipe on my site? Leave me a comment below and let me know how you liked it.

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