Ready for a wholesome snack? You can make air-fryer tortilla chips with way less oil than used for deep-fried tortilla chips.

Air-Fryer Tortilla Chips

A quick, easy, wholesome snack ready in less than 15 minutes? Sounds like our recipe for air-fryer tortilla chips! We love how straightforward it is to learn how to make tortilla chips in an air fryer. You can bake a batch of however many tortilla chips you need to satisfy a craving.
Season them simply with salt, or raid your spice cabinet for chili powder, paprika or nutritional yeast for a flavorful chip. Once they’re out of the air fryer, break out your favorite salsa or whip up an easy guacamole and dive in!
Ingredients for Air-Fryer Tortilla Chips
- Corn tortillas: Feel free to use yellow or white corn tortillas for these homemade tortilla chips in the air fryer. You could also go the extra mile and use homemade corn tortillas!
- Cooking spray: Our Test Kitchen pros made a list of the best cooking sprays that coat evenly for the best crisping and browning power. If you don’t want to go out and buy a bottle, some of the best substitutes for cooking spray include melted butter and olive oil.
- Salt: Sprinkle kosher or flaky salt on top of the air-fryer tortilla chips. We don’t recommend using iodized salt since the granules are so small that it becomes easy to accidentally over-salt the chips.
Directions
Step 1: Slice your tortillas
Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. Stack the tortillas on top of each other, and shape them into triangles by slicing them once horizontally and then again vertically.
Editor’s Tip: For a small batch meant for one to two people, four tortillas are plenty to start with.
Step 2: Arrange in air fryer
Working in batches, place the tortilla triangles in the air-fryer basket and arrange them in a single layer. Spray a generous amount of cooking spray over each tortilla slice.
Step 3: Air-fry tortilla chips
Sprinkle the tortilla chips with salt to taste. Air-fry the tortillas until they’re browned and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve them while they’re warm and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Spice ’em up: Open your spice cabinet and take a peek. Chili powder, paprika, Mexican seasoning blends and nutritional yeast are great spices to kick up the flavor of these homemade tortilla chips in the air fryer.
- Add fresh lime: For those who can’t get enough of lime-flavored tortilla chips, make them at home! Either grate a lime over the tortillas or squeeze fresh lime juice on top.
- Go the sweet route: Omit the salt and toss these homemade tortilla chips from the air fryer in cinnamon sugar for a churro vibe.
How to Store Air-Fryer Tortilla Chips
Your air-fryer tortilla chips are best served immediately, but if you have leftovers, let them cool completely to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container or resealable bag at room temperature. They can be kept for up to four days.
How do you reheat air-fryer tortilla chips?
Who doesn’t love warm, fresh tortilla chips? To revive your air-fryer tortilla chips, pop them in a 350° air fryer until warm, one to two minutes.
Air-Fryer Tortilla Chip Tips
How should I serve air-fryer tortilla chips?
Enjoy air-fryer tortilla chips as a simple snack with the best salsa, some guacamole, or cheesy and spicy queso dip. You could also toss them in chicken tortilla soup for a delicious dinner or use them as a base for chilaquiles or homemade nachos.
Homemade tortilla chips in the air fryer level up the snacks for a party too. Serve these homemade tortilla chips with gooey spinach artichoke dip, a hearty buffalo chicken dip or any favorite dips for chips.
How do you prevent the tortilla chips from blowing around in the air fryer?
If the chips start blowing around in the air fryer, place an air-fryer trivet or rack on top to help keep them in place.
Why are my tortilla chips soggy?
The key to learning how to make tortilla chips in the air fryer is not overcrowding the basket. If it is overcrowded, you run the risk of soggy chips. Overcrowding means overlapping the tortilla chips, which will steam them instead of crisp them. Air-fry in batches to allow the tortilla chips to lay flat in a single layer and crisp individually.
Can I bake the tortilla chips in the oven instead?
You absolutely can bake these tortilla chips in the oven instead of the air fryer. Bake the tortilla chips in a 400° oven until crisp, six to eight minutes.
Air-Fryer Tortilla Chips
Ingredients
- 4 corn tortillas (6 inches)
- Cooking spray
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Preheat air fryer to 350°.
- Stack tortillas on top of each other; shape into triangles by slicing once horizontally and then again vertically.
- Working in batches, place tortilla pieces in air-fryer basket; arrange in a single layer. Spray a generous amount of cooking spray over each tortilla slice, then sprinkle with salt, to taste. Cook 8-10 minutes or until browned and crispy.
Nutrition Facts
1 serving: 105 calories, 1g fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 22mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 3g fiber), 3g protein.
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