You need this simple recipe for Air Fryer Tortilla Chips. You won’t believe how easy it is to make fresh corn tortilla chips in the air fryer, at home, and without deep-frying!
AIR FRYER TORTILLA CHIPS RECIPE
I absolutely love air fryer tortilla chips. They are great for dipping into all types of dips and spreads.
Homemade tortilla chips in the air fryer are so much better than chips from a bag, and you can enjoy them fresh, in just a few minutes.
Air Fryer Tortillas are just like the hot, fresh chips at your favorite Mexican restaurant! I love them with salsa, and I love them as a simple, salty snack on their own!
If you love tasty dips, you might want to also make this hot corn dip to go with your chips.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS AIR FRYER CHIPS RECIPE
It's Easy: Making air fryer tortilla chips is really easy. You only need some corn tortillas, a small amount of oil, and salt. Tortilla chips in the air fryer are ready in just 6 minutes!
Less Mess: You can deep fry tortilla chips, but then you need to deal with all of that oil that will splatter all over your kitchen! Using the air fryer to make chips is a much neater experience.
Save Money: You'll save money by making your own chips, rather than spending a fortune on processed chips that aren't nearly as satisfying.
Healthier Chips: When you make tortilla chips at home, you can control the amount of salt and fat in them. You also have control over the portion size. You can make just 1 or two servings of chips instead of having a jumbo size bag in the cupboard.
INGREDIENTS IN AIR FRYER TORTILLA CHIPS
Corn Tortillas - Choose your favorites here. Any brand or style of corn tortilla will work, but smaller ones make better chip sizes. If you only have large, burrito size tortillas, consider cutting them into square or rectangular pieces rather than wedges so they are more manageable.
Salt - What is a chip without salt? Reduce the salt in the recipe if you're on a low salt diet or just don't want as much.
Spray Oil - I recommend buying an oil mister and using your favorite oil that way, but an aerosol spray oil will work in a pinch. You can make tortilla chips with olive oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, or any oil that you enjoy cooking with.
Just three ingredients are needed to make tortilla chips in the air fryer!
If you have any questions about making tortilla chips in the air fryer, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
HOW TO MAKE TORTILLA CHIPS IN AIR FRYER
- Remove the desired amount of corn tortillas from the package. You'll only be able to fit so many chips (I can fit between 3 and 6 cut tortillas) in the air fryer at a time, but you can cook them in batches if you'd like to make a lot of chips.
- Stack the tortillas on top of each other. This makes cutting them into chips super easy and quick. Cut the stack of tortillas in half, then in half again and again until you have triangles. I typically get 8 chips from each tortilla.
- Spray oil on your tortilla triangles, then salt. Put the tortillas into the air fryer basket or tray. You can stack them or overlap them as needed, but avoid layering them too much. Air fry as directed in the recipe card below.
- Enjoy your homemade tortilla chips with some salsa or your favorite queso dip!
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for making tortilla chips in the air fryer, please see the recipe below.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH AIR FRYER TORTILLA CHIPS
As a Snack: These chips are great on their own as a snack, but go best with something else, like salsa or dip. Choose your favorite prepared salsa and get to dipping! Tortilla chips also go really well with hummus.
For Taco Night: I often serve tortilla chips with Mexican dishes, just like I'd enjoy at a Mexican restaurant. You could try our Air Fryer Taco Pie with these chips. I also think chips and salsa would be perfect with Air Fryer Mushroom Tacos, Air Fryer Tofu Tacos, or Air Fryer Fish Tacos.
On The Side: Add a crispy side dish to a bowl of Chili or a bowl of chicken tortilla soup.
As the Main Event: You know what tortilla chips are really great for? NACHOS! Leave the chips right in the air fryer basket, top them with cheese, meat, beans, or whatever else you enjoy, and warm the nachos in the air fryer for just a few more minutes to melt the cheese.
STORAGE TIPS
You'll probably eat these chips as soon as you make them, but if you happen to have some self-restraint and find yourself with leftovers:
Keep homemade tortilla chips in an airtight container or a ziptop bag at room temperature. They will stay fresh this way for about a week.
ARE CORN TORTILLAS GLUTEN FREE?
If you follow a gluten-free diet for any reason you will want to make sure that the tortillas you buy are in fact gluten-free.
If your tortillas are made with only corn, you should be good. Watch out for tortillas that are a mix of corn and flour. Those are not gluten-free.
HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIP FLAVOR VARIATIONS
This recipe uses just simple salt to season air fryer tortilla chips, but you can get creative with the flavors, and make your homemade chips extra exciting.
Seasonings sold for popcorn are great to use with homemade chips. I've seen nacho cheese (make your own Doritos!), parmesan garlic, and even sweet flavors like kettle corn seasoning. Kernel Seasons is the brand I see in my local grocery store, but there are others too.
Instead of pre-packaged seasoning mixes, add things from your spice rack, like garlic powder, smoked paprika, lemon pepper, or cajun seasoning.
Adding cinnamon and sugar would make these chips sweet and perfect for a fruit salsa. I'd suggest sprinkling cinnamon sugar on the chips after they've come out of the air fryer, but while they're still hot. This way the sugar won't burn but it will still stick to the tortillas.
A spritz of lime juice before cooking would elevate the flavor of these chips quite a bit. They remind me of the chips from Chipotle when I add a bit of lime and salt.
I'd love to hear about what other ideas you have to flavor your tortilla chips!
AIR FRYER TORTILLA CHIPS TROUBLESHOOTING
Are your tortilla triangles flying around too much? I didn't have an issue with this, but some machines might have fans that blow harder and cause the chips to move around in the air fryer. Try placing a trivet or an air fryer rack on top of the chips to keep them from moving all the way up to the fan.
Cooking time may vary. Different brands of tortillas and different brands of air fryers may cause the chips to cook faster or slower. Check your chips a few minutes early just in case. Add extra time in two-minute increments until the chips are perfect.
Are your homemade tortilla chips sticking together? I didn't have trouble with this myself, but if your tortillas are sticking to each other, try adding a bit more spray oil to the bottom layer. You may also need to do multiple batches so that there are less chips in the basket.
Chips cooking unevenly? Because we're stacking the chips on top of each other a bit, you may find that the overlapping parts of the chips are less crispy than the rest. Try gently stirring or shaking the chips halfway through the cooking time, or cook less chips next time.
MORE AIR FRYER SNACK RECIPES
We have lots of delicious snack recipes here that you can make in the air fryer.
Have you tried Air Fryer Chicken Wings yet? See our recipe for the crispiest wings. It's not as complicated as you might think!
Another snack that will really impress your friends is Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers. Make them for a football party or a holiday party, they are so easy and delicious!
For a really simple and quick snack, you should try Air Fryer Pizza Rolls. These frozen pizza snacks are fun for kids to make after school too.
HOW DO YOU REHEAT TORTILLA CHIPS IN THE AIR FRYER?
If you have bagged chips, chips from your local taco restaurant, or your own homemade chips leftover, you should try warming them up in the air fryer!
2-3 minutes at 350°F/180°C is the perfect amount of time to make your chips taste fresh again.
CAN I MAKE FLOUR TORTILLA CHIPS IN THE AIR FRYER?
Yes, this recipe will work with flour tortillas instead of corn ones. The chips made from flour tortillas (or low-carb tortillas) aren't as crispy as corn chips, but they are still yummy!
CAN I MAKE TORTILLA CHIPS IN THE AIR FRYER WITHOUT OIL?
Chips made with oil are definitely going to be tastier than those without, but you can cook corn tortilla wedges using this method without any oil. They will get crunchy!
To get salt to stick to the oil-free tortilla chips, add fresh lime juice, then salt after the chips are done cooking.
Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 Corn Tortillas
- Salt
- Spray Oil
Instructions
- Remove tortillas from package. Stack them on top of each other.
- Cut tortillas in half, in half again, and in half again to create triangles.
- Spray tortilla triangles with oil, then sprinkle with salt.
- Place tortilla triangles into air fryer basket or tray. They can be stacked.
- Air fry at 250F/176C for 6-7 minutes. Shake mid way through cook time.
- Enjoy with salsa or your favorite dip.
Notes
- If you are gluten free, be sure to verify that the corn tortillas are indeed gluten free. Sometimes you will get a flour and corn mixture.
- You can stack the tortilla triangles on each other, they shouldn’t stick.
- We did not have any trouble with the tortillas flying around but you could always put a trivet on top of them to ensure they are secured.
- The cooking time may vary depending on the brand of your air fryer and the brand and thickness of the tortillas.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the "Air Fry" function.
Nutrition
Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
Sarah
These make the legit best chips ever! We LOVE them! Just like getting fresh ones at our favorite Mexican restaurant! winning!
Maria
Tortilla chips are just SO much better when they are freshly made! Another air fryer win. These turned out perfectly.
Susie Robinson
So easy to make. Tastier and cheaper than the shop bought ones. Thank you for this easy tortilla recipe!