Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips

Homemade tortilla chips baked in the oven with just a little olive oil and salt cook up to crispy perfection! Squeeze a little fresh lime juice when they come out for a boost of flavor, and serve with your favorite salsa, dip, or use them to make nachos. All you need is some corn tortillas and 15 minutes!

If you have some corn tortillas hanging out in your fridge, this is a great way to use them up. You can have delicious, golden, crispy, thick homemade tortilla chips in only a few minutes.

I love store-bought tortilla chips out of the bag. But homemade chips taste different than the kind you buy at the store, and they’re a real treat. If you’ve never tried them, now’s the time!

Homemade tortilla chips are made with cut up corn tortillas, with a little oil to coat and salt to season. I like squeezing on a little fresh lime juice for extra flavor when they’re done baking.

They aren’t quite as crispy as store-bought chips, but still crispy enough, with a slightly chewy texture that makes them taste more hearty. You’re going to love this easy recipe!

Ingredients and substitutions

• Corn Tortillas – any kind will do. I used yellow, and white are also common. You may be able to find “fancier” tortillas, such as with a mixture of grains, blue corn, or half corn and half wheat. Any should work, but keep an eye on them as they bake, since different varieties may cook differently. Trader Joe’s has great corn tortillas with only corn, salt, and lime as the ingredients (which is ideal).
• Olive oil and Kosher Salt – you can use another oil, like vegetable, canola, etc. You can also use another kind of salt (you may need less if it’s fine).
• Lime Wedges (optional) – a squeeze of fresh lime juice on fresh baked tortilla chips adds flavor, especially if you want to cut back on the added salt. It’s delicious, but not essential.

How to Bake Homemade Tortilla Chips

1. First, preheat your oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I STRONGLY recommend using parchment paper for this recipe- not only is it nonstick, but it helps temper the heat a bit, meaning your chips won’t burn as easily.
2. Use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut the round tortilla chips into quarters (or 6ths, if you want more).
3. In a large bowl, mix the tortillas with oil and salt. I recommend using your hands to ensure every side of every chip is evenly coated in the oil and salt- gently, so they don’t break. You could also use a pastry brush to coat them in oil on the baking sheet, then sprinkle with salt, but personally I don’t like cleaning pastry brushes if I can help it.
4. Arrange the chips on the prepared baking sheet. They can overlap or touch slightly, and will shrink a bit as they cook (see photo below). But try not to stack them too much, otherwise they may not cook evenly and may stick together.
5. Bake! I recommend baking in the top half of your oven for the best heat distribution without having to flip the chips. You may also want to rotate the baking sheet once halfway through baking to ensure even cooking.
6. Finally, squeeze lime juice on top and sprinkle with more salt if needed.

Tips and Tricks

• Keep an eye on the chips as they bake! Once they start to brown, they will continue browning, and eventually burn, very quickly.
• The chips will crisp up more a few minutes after cooking, so you can let them sit for a little on the warm baking sheet for the best crunchy texture.
• Make sure the parchment paper covers the entire bottom of the baking sheet. If parts of the chip overlap onto the pan, those parts may brown faster.

How long are these good for?

These baked homemade tortilla chips are best served fresh. They can be kept for a few days in an airtight container or bag, but will get a bit stale. That doesn’t mean you can’t eat them- and stale chips are great crumbled up in soup, loaded with guac, or used to make nachos!

Recommended Equipment

• Parchment Paper – these precut sheets are super convenient.
• Rimmed Baking Sheet – I love Nordic Ware half bakers sheets. They’re cheap, lightweight, and they cook food so evenly and are so versatile! I use these sheet pans for everything from cookies to bbq chicken.

Recipes to serve with the chips

• Nachos with Refried Beans
• Tortilla Soup (you can cut the tortillas into strips for this if you prefer)
• Homemade Restaurant-Style Salsa
• Specialty salsas, such as peach salsa, mango salsa, or pineapple salsa
• Guacamole
• Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Hummus
• Mediterranean Seven Layer Dip

Love the idea of homemade chips? You might also want to try making homemade potato chips from scratch!

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