For our Cinco de Mayo celebration we had last Saturday night, we made our own tortilla chips. Before you picture me rolling out tortillas and deep frying the little strips or triangles, think again. I purchase warm, fresh tortillas from my favorite local Mexican market, cut the tortillas and transform them into chips.
These homemade tortilla chips are not like buying a bag of Juanita’s Tortilla Chips, which in my opinion are the best tortillas chips around. These homemade tortilla chips follow my regular home cooking strategy – taste good (if not great) but are healthier for you than regular store bought. We all know how bad chips are for us to eat, but they taste so good. These are chips you can make at home and you won’t end up feeling bad after you’ve eaten them.
These homemade tortilla chips are also excellent when making nachos at home. They can withstand lots of weight – which is important when you’re making nachos, right? We had a taste test when making these so you’re getting three versions – all are good for different reasons. We love having taste tests of food!
- corn tortillas
- salt
- canola oil
- spray bottle with water
- Set oven to 300 degrees.
- Cut tortillas into any shape you prefer – strips or triangles.
- Place shapes on baking tray – preferably one that is not solid – a metal cookie cooling rack or a perforated tray works.
- Use your chosen version (listed below) to prepare your chips.
- Bake in oven for 25 minutes.
- Check for doneness by sampling.
Version 1 – Just bake without any additional salt.
Version 2 – Spray with a mist of water and sprinkle with salt. The water helps hold the salt on the tortilla.
Version 3 – Brush cut tortilla shapes with canola oil and sprinkle with salt.
Here’s what we found during our taste test session….
- If you’re going to dip your chips into guacamole or salsa, there’s no reason to add oil and salt. The taste is masked by the dip.
- The plain chips (version 1) on their own are best when eaten with a dip.
- If you have any left, store in a sealed container.
Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo at your house? Do you like tortilla chips?
Go Gingham related links:
These chips are good with spicy homemade hummus
Other spices you may like to try on these chips can be found here
Weekly Meal Plan
These chips would be good with this salad, too
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Go Gingham 
Sadly, I have noticed that people don’t get all that into Cinco de Mayo out here on the East Coast. At least not in my neighborhood…which is too bad! It sounds like your chips are really yummy – will have to give it a try!
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They’re very yummy chips! Just have your own Cinco de Mayo party…I know you’re a trend setter 🙂
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There is no better chip than Juanita’s, so I can rarely have them in the house because of their undeniable deliciousness. So, I also make my own corn chips (and whole wheat pita chips) on an as-needed basis, so no partial-bag leftovers call to me from the kitchen. I’m anxious to try baking them at 300; I usually do mine at higher heat because I’m impatient, but I bet the lower heat makes them crispier. And using a rack is a brilliant idea – that’s the sort of thing I count on you for, Sara!
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I thought my snack foods were the only ones that called out to me! Michelle, it’s amazing how quickly a bag of Juanita’s goes down around here. That’s why I started making these! I’d love to hear how these compare to yours. And, I make my own pita chips, too!
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I love Juanita’s too! But now you’ve given me a new idea to try: Making these with home-made tortillas. I’ve been using a mix (Maseca) and a tortilla press. I know it would be labor-intensive (and not very frugal), but I bet it would be really good!
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Frugal doesn’t mean it doesn’t cost much – if you’re making it at home rather than going out to eat you’re already being frugal! Plus, if you enjoy making them then it’s a nice indulgence for you 🙂 They sound delicious!!
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MMMm we love chips. We do the same thing but brush with a smidge of butter sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve stuck in vanilla ice cream with honey and hot fudge!
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Oh my! The sweet version of the homemade chip – yum!! That sounds dangerously good 🙂
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