You’re looking for a quick snack. Looking for a way to use leftover corn tortillas? Looking for warm tortilla chips from a restaurant? You can stop looking, I have the answer for you: air fryer tortilla chips.
Don’t you just adore the warm tortilla chip baskets that some restaurants provide? I could easily destroy a basket on my own. Depending on how many of us are splitting the chips, we usually need to order at least a few baskets. Exactly, one for you all and one for myself.
Now that I’ve found out how easy it is to make homemade tortilla chips in both my oven AND my buddy the air fryer, I may have to retire my popcorn popper. That will never occur, just kidding.
To learn just how simple it is to make this recipe for tortilla chips, continue reading. Only three ingredients—corn tortillas, oil spray, and salt—are required. Because they were AIR-fried rather than deep-fried, these little ones aren’t grease-filled bombs either. Gotta love it!
About This Recipe
The best way to use up leftover tortillas is to make homemade tortilla chips. I constantly seem to have a half-package lying around. Perhaps you made breakfast tostadas, tortilla soup, or fish tacos and are unsure what to do with the leftover tortillas. Voila! Crispy chips are just around the corner for you, so there’s no need to waste them.
Since this recipe calls for an air fryer, very little oil is used in the preparation. Therefore, you can bid those fat calories farewell. The clean-up is super easy too.
By the way, did you know that corn tortillas are gluten-free and vegan? They are essentially just corn that has been ground. Although it’s a very condensed description, the only actual ingredient in corn tortillas is corn. When made with lard or another type of fat, flour tortillas can also contain a lot of sodium.
Also Check: 20+ Instant Pot Air Fryer Recipes 2023 – Tasty & Delicious
What You’ll Need
- Corn Tortillas: Check the taco size. The taco size is the easiest to cut into wedges the size of potato chips, but any size will do. The best tortillas are those made of white corn, yellow corn, or even flour.
- Avocado or Olive Oil Spray: The chips will taste better and be crispier with just a light misting of spray. The oil would be used much more if you brushed it on the chips.
- Kosher Salt: You can use it in any quantity you like. In the Make It Your Own section, we’ll go into more detail about flavorings.
How to Make Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
If you have tortillas in your refrigerator, you can soon enjoy some chips. Take those, some cooking spray made of olive oil (or any other cooking spray), and some coarse salt.
While both corn and flour tortillas worked well in my tests, I preferred the corn tortillas because they came out a little bit crispier.
- Depending on the size of your tortillas, slice each into 6–8 pieces. I use a pizza cutter to make it really easy.
- Spray the tortillas lightly with cooking spray, then sprinkle with salt.
- Without interfering with each other, place the tortillas in the air fryer basket and cook for 3 minutes at 350 degrees. Flip them over, give them another light spray, add more salt (if you think they need it – the amount of salt is a personal preference), and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until browned and crisp.
- From one brand to another, air fryers do differ. While some require it, mine doesn’t. Keep an eye on yours because it might take longer or less time to crisp up the chips.
- Remove them from the basket, and they will continue to crisp as they cool. You’re ready to start dipping once they have cooled.
Note: Some recipes use no oil but instead brush the tortillas with lime juice before baking. When I tried it, the results were soggy that I wasn’t satisfied.)
Baked Tortilla Chips
Don’t have an Ari Fryer? You can bake your homemade tortilla chips!
If you don’t yet have an air fryer, you can also bake the chips. The same procedure applies: slice, spray, salt, then arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes at 350 degrees, flip, and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until crisp and browned.
How to Store Them
If you store tortilla chips from an air fryer at room temperature in a zip-top bag or an airtight container, they will stay fresh for up to two weeks. Do not freeze or chill.
TIPS & RECIPE NOTES
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. Your chips will cook better if not crowded or layered in the basket. Depending on the number of chips you may have to cook them in batches.
- Flip the chips about halfway through the cooking time so both sides cook evenly.
- To increase the crunch of your chips, you can spray the chips with oil about halfway through the cooking time.
Conclusion
When making tortilla chips in an air fryer, place the tortillas in the basket without overlapping them and cook for 3 minutes at 350 degrees.
These air fryer tortilla chips are incredibly quick and simple to make, and they always come out crispy and delicious! Olive oil, salt, and tortillas are the only ingredients required. See how happy your entire family will be when you serve them warm air-fried chips!
FAQs
How Long Do You Air Fry Tortilla Chips?
They’ll cook at 350F for 7-9 minutes. The white tortillas typically required a minute or two more than the yellow tortillas during the recipe testing I did. The maple cinnamon chips were also ready in 5-7 minutes. (This is likely because of the maple syrup and coconut sugar).
How Do You Make Crispy Tortilla Chips?
Use your air fryer to make tortilla chips at home. It really crisps chips up nicely. Re-fry them in the air fryer for a minute or two if you discover that they aren’t as crispy as you prefer.
The air fryer can also be used to crisp up store-bought chips that have become a little stale. Try heating them for 15 seconds on High in your microwave if you don’t have an air fryer.
What Temperature Do You Cook Tortillas in the Air Fryer?
I find for the crispiest tortilla chips that air frying them at 350°F (175°C) works best. They burn too quickly at higher altitudes.
How Long Should You Preheat An Air Fryer?
Most of the time, it is not necessary to fully preheat air fryers because they heat up so quickly.
Read More: How to Preheat an Air Fryer – Will Food Become More Delicious?
What is the Best Tortilla to Use for Air Frying Tortillas?
Although I didn’t test many different brands, the yellow corn tortillas produced the crispiest chips when compared to the white corn and flour tortillas.
Try the following Air Fryer recipes if you are interested!
