How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips

There’s something magical about homemade tortilla chips. They elevate any salsa or dip you pair them with and are easier to make than you might think.

Homemade tortilla chips also impress the heck out of people. Even though most major chip brands only list corn tortillas, salt and oil as the ingredients, it never seems to occur to people that they could fry their own chips. 

We always have corn tortillas, oil, and salt in the house, so these are also my necessity chips. It’s what I make when I really need a snack and we don’t have any chips in the house. I can make a batch of these tortilla chips faster than I can get to a store, and they’ll taste SO MUCH better than 99% of the chips on store shelves. 

Plus they elevate any salsa or dip you pair them with. I love eating these chips with my 5 Minute Blender Salsa or Fresh Mango Peach Salsa and a Citrus Margarita (or two).

Ingredients

• Corn tortillas - Either white corn or yellow corn tortillas work here. I buy mine at the store, but homemade tortillas would be amazing for chips.
• Vegetable or canola oil - Choose your favorite high-heat, low flavor oil for frying.
• Salt - Regular table salt work great and sticks to the chips well.

How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips

Fill a pot or high-sided pan with 3-4 inches of oil. 

Heat the oil over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes before testing to see if it’s ready.

Tip: The easiest way to test it is to drop in a small piece of tortilla. If it floats on the top and the oil bubbles around it, the oil is the correct temperature. If it sinks to the bottom, the oil isn’t hot enough. Remove the piece of tortilla and wait another minute before testing again. 

Once the oil is to temperature, carefully put 8-10 pieces of tortilla into the hot oil.

Let it fry for 30 seconds before flipping the pieces over with tongs or a metal spider. Let them fry another 30 seconds before removing the chips to the wire rack.

Continue working in batches until all of the tortilla pieces are cooked. 

When you are done frying, sprinkle the warm chips with salt. 

Remove your pot of oil from the heat, place it on a cool burner, and leave it alone until it’s completely cooled. 

Recipe Tips

• Have everything ready before you start frying. Tortillas cut, pan prepped, family out of the kitchen. The frying part goes quickly and you want zero distractions or you’ll burn the chips! 
• These store well in a zip top bag for up to a week in the pantry. 

What to Serve with Homemade Tortilla Chips

While delicious on their own, homemade tortilla chips pair perfectly with any salsa or dip. Try my creamy refried bean dip, 5 minute blender salsa, black bean mango salsa, or corn and avocado salad.

Drink Pairings for Homemade Tortilla Chips

Of course citrusy tequila drinks immediately come to mind when we're talking about chips and salsa. But they don't have to be boozy! Try my creamy coconut margarita, a refreshing Paloma cocktail, a non-alcoholic margarita on the rocks or a grapefruit Paloma mocktail.

If you tried this Homemade Tortilla Chip Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Thank you!

Working With Hot Cooking Oil

Safety Tips

If you’re new to frying and working with hot oil, there are some things you should know for keeping your kitchen as safe as possible. 

Banish everyone else from the kitchen. Oil splatters and the last thing you want is even one drop landing on a kid or pet. No one else should be near you when you’re frying.

Keep the pot lid close by. You won’t need the lid to your pot for frying, but it’s the fastest and safest way to stop hot oil from getting out of control. Keep the lid nearby just in case you accidentally get your oil too hot and need to stop it from smoking or flaming. 

Oil does NOT boil. You will only know how hot it is by using a thermometer or adding in a piece of food to test the temperature. Get it too hot and that piece of food you drop in could burn or flame immediately. If that happens, or you see any smoke coming off your oil, immediately turn off the burner, put the lid on your pan, and move the pan to a cool part of the stove. Wait until the oil has cooled significantly before removing the lid. 

Water will cause hot oil to splatter everywhere. Keep any water - really, all liquids - away from the oil when you’re frying. You can hydrate - or sip that margarita - after you’re done cooking.

Disposing of Used Cooking Oil

Do not, do not, DO NOT pour cooking oil down the drain. Cooking oil will ruin your plumbing. Don’t pour it down your kitchen sink. Don’t pour it down the bathtub. Don’t flush it down the toilet. 

If you have a lot of oil left in your pot, you can save it OR dispose of it properly.

I save mine. Let the oil cool completely. If you want to save it, strain it through a fine mesh strainer to remove any food bits and then pour it into a container. Save it in your pantry for use in future frying (only).

If you want to toss it, pour the completely cooled cooking oil into a container you don’t mind parting with, put a lid on it, and put it in the garbage can. 

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