These baked homemade tortilla chips are super easy, perfectly crispy, and taste fantastic! A great option to use up leftover tortillas, and you can flavor them any way you like.
There’s not much better than taco night, and we have one almost every week!
To me, a perfect taco night includes fresh, warm tortillas, a yummy filling like Carnitas, and plenty of delicious toppings.
What DOESN’T sound perfect to me is making corn tortillas for dinner and then no one wanting to eat them as leftovers because they’re not as soft.
We don’t want to waste food, so what do we do with leftover corn tortillas?
Make homemade tortilla chips!
HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIPS
If you’ve never made tortilla chips before, you’re in for a treat! These tortilla chips are:
- Baked, not fried! No need to mess with a frying pan, tongs, vegetable oil, and paper towel!!
- Super flavorful, with a bit of heat.
- The perfect way to use up old tortillas! And beats buying store-bought bags of tortilla chips.
- Good whether you use corn or flour tortillas.
- Delicious! The whole family couldn’t keep their hands off of them.
While I try not to make too many corn tortillas in the first place (gotta keep food waste low to save money!), making baked tortilla chips is now my go-to solution for leftover tortillas.
TORTILLAS FOR CHIPS
I’m about to show you how to make tortilla chips, but if you want to first make the tortillas, you can use any of my homemade tortilla recipes:
If you prefer to use leftover tortillas from the store, those work too! Look for tortillas with simple, real food ingredients.
TORTILLA CHIPS RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Use as little as three ingredients to make this tortilla chips recipe:
- Corn tortillas
- Cooking spray
- Salt (try THIS sea salt…not only is it free of microplastics, but you can get a FREE 8oz. bag here – just pay shipping and handling!)
Now, if you want to get fancy, you’ll need these things too:
- Lime juice
- Chili powder
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Cumin
Remember, this second list is completely optional. If all you have is tortillas, cooking spray, and salt, you’re good to go!
HOW TO MAKE TORTILLA CHIPS
Whether or not you use the optional ingredients, the method is the same:
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Step 2. Cut out tortilla triangles with a sharp knife or pizza cutter by first cutting them in half, then in half again. Then cut each quarter in half. If you want the chips to be smaller tortilla wedges, you can cut them again.
Step 3. Place the cut tortillas in a gallon-sized resealable bag and spray them for 2-4 seconds with cooking spray. Add the seasoning(s), seal the bag, and shake well, until the seasonings are distributed evenly. If you’re using the lime juice, add it to the bag and shake well again.
Step 4. Place the tortilla chips in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly spray them with cooking spray again.
Step 5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, and then flip them over to cook until they’re evenly golden brown, 5-10 more minutes.
Step 6. Let the tortilla chips cool to room temperature before eating.
Homemade tortilla chips are best the day that you make them, but you can store them in an airtight container or resealable bag for a couple of days on the counter.
SEASONED TACO CHIPS
You’ll notice that the bare-bones tortilla chips recipe simply calls for a sprinkle of salt, but the optional ingredients are spices and lime juice.
If you’re looking for seasoned taco chips, add the extras and kick the flavor up a notch. The seasoned tortilla chips are my favorite!
For a sweet treat, try tossing your homemade tortilla chips with a bit of cinnamon and sugar before baking instead.
TO SERVE HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIPS
Tortilla chips are delicious with all sorts of dips! Our favorites are:
Tortilla chips also make a great side for these meals:
And of course, leftover tortilla chips are the base for these delicious Tex-Mex Migas!
TORTILLA CHIPS FAQS
Why are my tortilla chips chewy?
Chewy tortilla chips are likely underbaked, so you’ll want to keep them in the oven a bit longer. Do watch them though, because they can easily go from perfectly crisp to overdone in a few minutes!
What’s the difference between nachos and chips tortilla?
Nachos are tortilla chips topped with cheese. They usually have additional toppings as well, like beans, sour cream, lettuce, or pico de gallo. These homemade tortilla chips would be a great base for nachos!
Is there a difference between corn chips and corn tortilla chips?
Corn chips and tortilla chips actually have pretty similar ingredients – masa, salt, and oil – but corn chips are thicker and are fried, while tortilla chips are thinner and generally baked first.
MORE EASY MEXICAN DINNER RECIPES
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Tortilla Chips
These baked homemade tortilla chips are super easy, perfectly crispy, and taste fantastic! A great option to use up leftover tortillas, and you can flavor them any way you like.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Sides
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Cut the corn tortillas into triangles by first cutting them in half, then in half again. Then cut each quarter in half. If you want the chips to be smaller, you can cut them again.
- Place the cut tortillas in a gallon bag and spray them for 2-4 seconds with cooking spray. Add the seasoning(s), seal the bag and shake well, until the seasonings are well distributed. If you’re using the lime juice, add it to the bag and shake well.
- Place the tortilla chips in a single layer on a cookie sheet and lightly spray them with cooking spray again.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, and then flip them over to cook until they’re evenly golden brown, 5-10 more minutes.
- Let the tortilla chips cool to room temperature before eating.
Notes
- Homemade tortilla chips are best the day that you make them, but you can store them in an airtight container or resealable bag for a couple of days on the counter.
