Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

Air Fryer Tortilla Chips are a crispy, crunchy snack you can make in just 10 minutes! Never be without tortilla chips again. All you need are 3 ingredients and 10 minutes to whip up a perfectly dunkable air fried chip!

Is there anything worse than discovering you’re out of tortilla chips when a craving for chips and salsa hits?

A few weeks ago, I was rummaging around for a bag of tortilla chips, but couldn’t find a single one–not even the crummy dregs at the bottom of the bag–anywhere. I had a huge bowl of Black Bean and Corn Salsa in the fridge, and not a single chip to be found. Quite the tragedy.

I almost gave in to despair, but then my eye caught on the giant bag of corn tortillas that’d be hanging out in the pantry since the last time we made Chicken Tortilla Soup.

“Will it fry?” I asked myself. (This is a question I find myself asking quite often since we got our air fryer).

10 minutes later, I got my answer, and it was a resounding YES. With just three ingredients, you can have all the craveably crunchy goodness of tortilla chips in the air fryer, without deep frying.

Ingredients in Homemade Tortilla Chips

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Tortillas: I air fried both corn tortillas and flour tortillas and both worked, though the corn was my favorite both in flavor and texture.
• Cooking Spray: You can use an olive oil spray or a standard non-stick spray for these.
• Salt: I like the intensity of Kosher salt, but you can use iodized–just use a light hand! Sea salt is also lovely and adds extra crunch.

How to Make Tortilla Chips in The Air Fryer

1. Spray the tortillas on both sides with cooking spray. I worked in batches of 3 tortillas at a time. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may be able to fit more.
2. Cut your tortillas into chip sizes. Sprinkle with salt.
3. Air fry at 375 for 6-8 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Note: the chips won’t be completely crisp, right away, but will crisp up even more as they cool, usually about 15 minutes.

Tips for Air Frying Tortilla Chips:

• I used a standard 5-6 inch corn tortilla and found cutting it into sixths was just the right chip size. For bigger tortillas, cut into 8ths or 9ths.
  • You can also cut these into strips for topping Shrimp Taco Salad, Mason Jar Chicken Taco Salad, or Taco Burgers.
• Don’t overfill the fryer. It’s okay if there’s some overlap between the chips, but you don’t want multiples stacked on top of each other.
• These fly around a lot in the air fryer, and I found it was best to remove the grate, place the chips on the bottom, then add the grate over top. Otherwise the chips fly under and in between the little grate slots.
• Toss the chips halfway through for even browning.
• Every air fryer is different. Always read your manual to determine whether preheating is necessary, and check the chips on the low end of the cooking time to avoid burning them.

Air Fryer Chips Flavor Variations:

The best part about homemade tortilla chips is getting to flavor them with whatever you want! Here are some ideas beyond basic salt!

• Use the Smoky BBQ, Cinnamon Sugar, or Parmesan Garlic mixes from this Homemade Popcorn Seasonings post. Note: the cinnamon sugar will look very dark when fried.
• Ranch seasoning
• Homemade Taco Seasoning
• Zesty Lime Tortilla Chips- Brush with lime juice and sprinkle with chili powder and salt.

How to store:

Once the chips are cooled, store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag.

How long do homemade tortilla chips last?

The chips stay nice and crunchy for about 5 days!

What to serve with Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

These air fryer chips are so versatile! Pair them with your favorite salsa or use them to dunk into a bowl of hot, melty Slow Cooker Queso or Mexican Five Layer Dip.

Serve them as a side with Salmon and Mango Salsa, Watermelon Salsa, and Grilled Sweet Corn Salsa.

You can even them as the base for Doritos Taco Salad and Walking Tacos!