Got tortillas? Then you’ve got what it takes to make Air Fryer Tortilla Chips! With a little spray of oil and salt, you’ll have deliciously light and crisp chips for dipping into your favorite pico, guac, or other dip. You can cook these in your air fryer or bake them in the oven. Either way is easy and delicious.
Serve these Air Fryer Tortilla Chips with Homemade Salsa or alongside Taco Layer Dip. If you buy the large package of tortillas, be sure to use them up in one of these Enchilada Recipes.
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Chips are universally considered fun food. They are at home at parties, football games, the beach, the lake, the campsite, and in the packed lunch. Crisp and light, they are the perfect vehicle for dipping into all kinds of yummy goodness.
While there’s all kinds and brands to choose from, I’d like to make the case that homemade Air Fryer Tortilla Chips just may be your best option.
Why Make This
Air Fryer Tortilla Chips are easy to make. With just three ingredients, all budget foods to keep on hand anyway, these chips come together in minutes.
They’re delicious! Just try keeping folks away from these. They bake up crisp and golden, perfect for dipping.
They put your air fryer to good use. Let’s be honest. You need to justify the kitchen real estate for that baby. Use it or lose it. Homemade tortilla chips are a good way to use it.
They make use of a versatile ingredient. If the budget is limited and you don’t want to spend money on chips, invest in corn tortillas. Then you can make anything you want with the raw ingredient: chips, tacos, enchiladas, and tostadas.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for Air Fryer Tortilla Chips:
oil – I like to use spray cooking oil as it distributes the oil lightly and evenly. If you prefer, you can brush the tortillas with a neutral cooking oil.
corn tortillas – Homemade corn tortillas are fairly time intensive to make, so for chips I recommend using store bought tortillas. You can also use flour tortillas, just reduce the cooking time as they are likely to brown more quickly.
salt – A light sprinkle of salt is all you need to finish your Air Fryer Tortilla Chips. If you want to take your chips into a different direction, you can season them with cinnamon sugar, Tajin, or Za’atar.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make Air Fryer Tortilla Chips:
- With a sharp knife, cut the tortillas into sixths, but cutting in half, and then cutting each half into thirds.
- Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees.
- Lay the tortilla triangles in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spray with oil and sprinkle with salt. Flip them over and spray and salt again.
- Place the basket in the fryer and cook 5-8 minutes, shaking at least once. The chips may flip or move due to the high speed fan in the fryer. This is okay. Cook time will depend on how crisp and browned you like them. Continue cooking the chips in batches until all are done.
To bake tortilla chips in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lay the tortilla triangles in a single layer on a pizza screen or baking sheet. Spray with oil and sprinkle with salt. Flip them over and spray and salt again.
- Place the screen in the oven and cook 5-8 minutes. Cook time will depend on how crisp and browned you like them. If you’re not using a pizza screen, you may want to flip the chips at the halfway mark so that both sides brown lightly. Continue cooking the chips in batches until all are done.
FAQs & Recipe Costs
If you want to skip the spray oil, you can. Just watch the cooking time and adjust. The chips will likely brown more quickly and have a slightly different texture.
If you’ve already got a bag of tortilla chips, you can easily reheat them in the air fryer. Place them in the basket for 2 to 3 minutes until they’re the temperature you like.
While corn tortillas are traditional for chips and are also gluten-free, you may find yourself wanting to make flour tortilla chips. They cook up light as air! Follow the same directions, just check them sooner to make sure they don’t burn.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- spray cooking oil – $0.10
- corn tortillas – $0.38
- salt – $0.20
While your costs may vary depending on where and how you shop, you can expect to pay about 50 cents for a small batch of Air Fryer Tortilla Chips, about 25 cents/serving.
Dips for Chips
Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
Instructions
- With a sharp knife, cut the tortillas into sixths, but cutting in half, and then cutting each half into thirds.
To cook in the air fryer:
- Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees.
- Lay the tortilla triangles in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spray with oil and sprinkle with salt. Flip them over and spray and salt again.
- Place the basket in the fryer and cook 5-8 minutes, shaking at least once. Cook time will depend on how crisp and browned you like them.
- Continue cooking the chips in batches until all are done.
To bake:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Lay the tortilla triangles in a single layer on a pizza screen or baking sheet. Spray with oil and sprinkle with salt. Flip them over and spray and salt again.
- Place the screen in the oven and cook 5-8 minutes. Cook time will depend on how crisp and browned you like them. If you're not using a pizza screen, you may want to flip the chips at the halfway mark so that both sides brown lightly.
- Continue cooking the chips in batches until all are done.
To fry in oil:
- In a deep fryer or large pot, pour in oil to a depth of at least one inch. Heat this to 375 degrees.
- While the oil is heating, place a metal cooling rack over a flattened paper bag or bed of paper toweling to catch dripping oil.
- In batches, fry the tortillas until crisp, about a minute per batch, turning once. Transfer the cooked chips to the prepared rack to drain.
- Sprinkle the chips with salt according to your taste and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on May 4, 2009. It has been updated for content and clarity.
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