Crispy Air Fryer Tortilla Chips (Plus Oven Method)
How to make crispy Air Fryer tortilla chips at home from scratch or with store-bought tortillas (oven method also included). These healthy tortilla chips are wonderfully crunchy/ crispy for all your dipping, garnishing, and nacho needs (flavor options included)!
Read the recipe notes below for the various flavor options!
Instructions
Step 1: Cut the tortillas
If you’re preparing the corn tortillas from scratch, then do that first. Once prepared and cooled – it’s time to cut them.Depending on the size of the tortilla and the size of the chips you want, you can cut them into 4-6 pieces. I stacked them up in small stacks then used kitchen scissors (a sharp knife or pizza cutter would also work). Chop them in half, then in half again for 4 pieces. For 6 pieces, I find it easiest to use a pizza cutter- chop them in half, then angle two diagonal cuts to make 6 equal-sized pieces.
Step 2: Season the tortilla chips
Lightly brush or spritz the tortilla chips with a bit of oil or cooking spray and optionally slat or any seasonings (options in notes).
Step 3: Cook the healthy tortilla chips
To air-fry tortilla chips:
Preheat your air fryer (if required) to 350ºF/175ºC – this usually takes just 4-5 minutes.
Then place a single layer of tortilla chips in your air fryer basket – this will need to be done in batches to avoid too much overlapping.
Cook for between 4-6 minutes – test one at the 5–6-minute mark, and if they need a little longer, then keep an eye on them for a further minute or so.Remember that they will crisp up further as they cool, and each air fryer can vary with cooking times, so you may need to adjust the times slightly. I don’t find it necessary to shake/turn the tortilla chips at the halfway point, but feel free to do so if preferred (or if the air fryer has caused the chips to blow about and stack up).
Allow the chips to cool on a wire rack; they will continue to get crunchier as they cool. I like to make mine a couple hours at least before serving (although I will nibble on a few – admittedly.)
For oven-baked tortilla chips:
Place the tortilla chips in a single layer across a baking tray. I like to use a wire tray so air can fully circulate around the chips.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF/175ºC (fan-assisted) for 7-8 minutes. This may be increased to 10 minutes based on the oven tray you use and your oven.
Once ready, allow the homemade corn tortilla chips to cool to crisp up further before enjoying.
Video
Notes
For Homemade flavored corn tortilla chips:
Paprika: Combine around 1tsp of smoked paprika with salt. You could optionally add a tiny pinch of sugar (it enhances the flavor in a way that’s hard to describe without trying them).
‘Cheesy’: Combine nutritional yeast (1-2 Tbsp) with a little smoked paprika and optionally just a pinch of garlic powder. Feel free to add a little cayenne/chili powder for more heat.
Rosemary & Garlic: Combine a little crushed dry rosemary with garlic powder and salt for simple herby tortilla chips.
Chili Lime: You can use chili lime seasoning or make your own by reducing the oil a little and replacing it with some lime juice (around 1/3-1/2 Tbsp lime juice) and chili powder (to personal preference).
Cinnamon sugar: There are a couple of ways you could do this; first, you could reduce the oil used to add a little maple syrup and then combine equal parts of cinnamon and sugar (coconut sugar would work well). Alternatively, omit the maple and simply combine cinnamon and sugar – between ½ -1 tsp of cinnamon and sugar based on how much flavor you want on the chips. I like to save some cinnamon sugar to one side to sprinkle over the chips after air frying.
Pumpkin spice: During fall, swap out the cinnamon above for pumpkin spice – it’s delicious on these homemade corn tortilla chips, I promise!
Recipe Notes:
Don’t overcrowd the basket: For the crispiest results, you don’t want to overcrowd your air fryer basket. It’s better to cook them in batches than end up with uneven, not quite crispy results.
Don’t omit the oil entirely: Air fryers may allow you to cook with less oil, but you’ll still need a little if you want crispy homemade tortilla chips. Also, homemade tortilla chips made with no oil lose their crunchiness a lot faster.
Air fryer tips: It’s important to do what’s best for your specific model. Some need preheating, and some don’t. Also, some will cause the chips to move around a lot and may require a trivet or something placed over the chips to stop them from moving around.
Keep an eye on the tortilla chips: When you air fry tortilla chips, they take just minutes to cook to perfection, and each air fryer model will be slightly different. So, keep an eye on them with your first batch, so you know what works best for your model.