Baked Tortilla Chips – Crispy & Wholesome, Straight from Your Oven

Let’s face it, tortilla chips are just plain good. They are the perfect compliment to guacamole, bean dip or as the base for nachos. That is, if they last long enough to get there before they’re bathed in salsa or pico de gallo and devoured. What could be better?

Making your own, of course. It’s simple, so there’s no reason not to.

A word of caution to this tale, though. If you’re expecting a light, fluffy, crisp chip with this method, you aren’t going to get it.  This recipe makes a very crunchy, but rather dense chip. Let me tell you why… (It’s scientific.)

When a tortilla chip is deep fried, the hot oil traps any escaping steam inside the tortilla itself. this creates air pockets (bubbles) inside the chip, which separates the layers of masa, creating a much lighter chip.  A 350-degree oven simply can’t pull this off. Any moisture in these chips will easily make it past the layer of oil on top. (Perhaps in a convection oven the results would be different.  Without a convection oven to test this theory in, I can’t say.)

Having said that, I think that these chips are much better suited to dipping because they don’t break easily. Because they are much denser than store-bought chips, they are also ideal for nachos because the cheese won’t make them soggy as quickly, allowing you to scoop up more of the good stuff before the chips outlive their usefulness.

In any case, these have passed the acid test of my tortilla chip loving wife and 6-year-old son, who has deemed that the red variety of baked tortilla chips are the best chips ever made. (He likes them so much that he won’t share them with anyone!)

Give this recipe a try and let us know what you think in the comments.  I’ll be working on a lighter version in the near future and would be happy to hear any suggestions that you might have.

Yield: 24-48 chips

Baked Tortilla Chips

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Baked tortilla chips are a simple and delicious snack that can be made in just minutes. Enjoy them hot with your favorite salsa.

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Ingredients

• 8 - 12 Corn 6-inch corn tortillas (Any variety will do)
• 2 Tbsp Vegetable oil or olive oil
• Coarse Sea Salt or Kosher Salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees (177 C, Gas 4)
2. Brush both sides of each tortilla with oil. Stack the tortillas and cut in quarters, sixths or strips, depending on the style of chip you're after.
3. Arrange tortillas in a single layer on two large baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 14 - 16 minutes, rotating the baking sheets once at 7 minutes. Serve hot.
4. Share and enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to season the chips any way you'd like. Shake in a bag with Taco seasoning or ranch dressing mix prior to baking for ranch or taco style chips, or sprinkle with seasoned salt or beer salt to add your own flavors!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 198mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 5gSugar: 9gProtein: 7g

Nada. These are good chips, Y’all