If you’re tired of flimsy chips that break under the weight of your favorite dips, you’ve got to try this baked tortilla chips recipe! With just three ingredients—corn tortillas, oil, and salt—you can whip up sturdy, homemade chips perfect for even the thickest guacamole.
Pro tip: adding a squeeze of lime gives them an extra burst of flavor.
Table of Contents
One of my pet peeves is when I’m going in for a big ole’ scoop of a thick and chunky homemade guacamole only to hear…
CRACK! The tortilla chip breaks.
Even in Texas where we have a TON of different chip varieties, I find a lot of store-bought ones tend to have this issue.
Why I turn to this recipe again and again!
That’s why lately I’ve been resorting to making a big batch of my own homemade chips to snack on all week. And you know what?! They’re SO much better and super simple to make.
Like 3 ingredients and ready in under 20 minutes kind-of-easy.
Plus, my secret addition of a bit of lime juice gives them a TON of flavor! They’re so much better than store-bought!
The ingredients you need for homemade chips.
Notes about the ingredients needed for this Homemade Tortilla Chip recipe are below. Jump to recipe for the exact measurements.
- Tortillas. Either white or yellow corn tortillas are used. When choosing your tortillas, look for ones that are about 5- to 6-inches in diameter and are relatively thick and sturdy on their own. If they are smaller or larger you’ll have to adjust the amount of oil and salt accordingly. Excellent brand options include Guerrero, Mission Foods, El Milagro, and Tia Rosa.
- Oil. Vegetable or avocado oils are preferred since they have little to no added flavor. Olive oil may also be substituted if that’s what you have available.
- Salt. Sprinkle on as much or as little of this as you’d like. Coarse sea salt will add a wonderful, salty crunch to the chips, but regular table salt gives you very similar results.
- Lime Juice. While this is optional, it is highly encouraged! It gives these chips the most subtle flavor but adds a wonderful zest of freshness to them.
How to Make Baked Tortilla Chips at Home
Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts. Jump to recipe for the printable instructions.
1. Brush the corn tortillas with oil.
When selecting which tortillas to use from the package, select the ones that are still whole and not cracked.
In a small bowl whisk together the oil, salt, and lime juice. This way all of the flavors will be evenly distributed on the chips.
While the tortillas are still whole, use a pastry brush to cover both sides in a light coating of the oil mixture. Avoid brushing too much oil on the tortillas. If you do this, they will become soggy when baked and not crispy and crunchy.
You should have just enough of it to coat twelve 5-inch tortillas.
2. Cut tortillas into quarters.
Once the tortillas are coated in the oil, use a large knife or a pizza cutter and slice them into quarters or sixths.
If you like large chips, you’ll want to make 4 chips out of 1 tortilla. If you prefer smaller chips, make 6 chips out of 1 tortilla.
3. Bake chips in the oven.
Arrange the coated and cut tortillas in a single layer on a large baking sheet. It’s OK if some of them overlap a little bit, but use an extra baking sheet if you run out of room.
Bake the chips in a preheated 375°F oven. This is a hot enough oven temperature that the tortillas will crisp up nicely but low enough that the oil will not burn off.
The cooking time will vary depending on the type of baking sheet you use. For a lighter-colored sheet bake for 12-14 minutes, and 8-11 minutes if a darker-colored baking sheet is used.
FAQs
If your chips turn out chewy, they either have too much oil or were cooked at too low of a temperature. Don’t overdo the oil and make sure your oven is completely preheated before baking.
Yes, you can! Pop the chips in a 375°F oven for a few minutes and they’ll be nice and crispy.
These dips go great with tortilla chips!
Since tortilla chips are traditional in Mexican cuisine, there are quite a few Mexican-inspired dips that are perfect to serve them with:
- Mexican Shrimp Ceviche
- Fresh Mango Avocado Salsa
- Homemade Guacamole
- Fresh Tomato Salsa
- Tomatillo Salsa Verde
- Roasted Tomato Salsa
- Fresh Mango Avocado Salsa
- Texas Caviar Dip
- Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
You can also crush up extra chips and add them to Migas Tacos, or make some Sheet Pan Nachos.
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Baked Tortilla Chips
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Ingredients
- 12 corn tortillas 5 to 6-inch, yellow or white
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. salt plus more to taste
- 1 tsp. lime juice optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Whisk together oil, lime juice and salt in a small bowl. Brush oil mixture over both sides of each tortilla using a pastry brush. Cut each corn tortilla into 4 or 6 triangles using a knife or pizza cutter.1 Tbsp. olive oil, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. lime juice, 12 corn tortillas
- Place tortilla triangles in a single layer on two large baking sheets. It's OK if some of them overlap slightly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes if using a light baking sheet or 8-11 minutes if using a darker colored baking sheet. You’ll know the tortilla chips are done baking when they are crisp and golden.
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Video
Notes
- Storage: Once your freshly baked tortilla chips have completely cooled, place them in a large 1-gallon sized ziplock bag. They will last for up to 3-4 days at room temperature.
- Reheating: If the chips start to get a bit soft after storing, simply pop them into a 375 degree oven for a few minutes to crisp them back up.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Was wondering if these would stay crisp if nacho’s were made in the oven with them?
They would! Just be sure to bake the chips first and they should be delicious!
These were so easy to make and tasted great! Unfortunately there were none left over to keep for another day!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Judy! That’s a good problem to have–ha! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I used some Chili Infused Olive oil and my husband loved it!!!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Annette! That sounds amazing. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Fantastic recipe, so fast, easy, and DELICIOUS!! Prep was done before the oven was to temp, and finished with clean-up before they came out of the oven!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Michael! The process is super easy. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
These are so easy to make and better than store bought! I only had 3 tortillas, so halfed the recipe and it was perfect for my husband and I with our chili. Thanks for the recipe!!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Lyn! These are delicious in chili. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I love the idea of making my own chips. I was looking to bake without vegetable oils as these may be contributing to heart disease, listen cardiologist Dr. Pradip Jamandas. What vegetables is vegetable oil from? Thank you for the recipe, i may use spray on olive oil. Avocado oil is also spray on to keep it light.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Lisa! You can use whatever oil you prefer. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Delicious and healthier than fried! My oven runs hot so I reduced temp to 370, baked for 5 minutes, flipped, then baked for 5 minutes more! Yummy addition to my taco bowls and also makes great nachos
Is it possible to preserve them for more than a month or two, If yes how?
If you have a way to vacuum seal them without breaking the chips you might have some luck, but otherwise they only last for about a month before they get stale!
IS THAT MORE LIME AFTER BACKING ?
You can if you’d like but it’s not necessary!
Enjoyed these today with a salad. Will be making them again for sure.Thanks!
Yay! So happy to hear that, Sue. Thanks for the comment and rating 🙂
they turned out really crispy and tasted amazing
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the comment!