Homemade Tortilla Chips Recipe

How to construct the solid foundation upon which truly perfect nachos are built.

Updated July 22, 2023

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Closeup of cheesy nachos made with homemade tortilla chips. — Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Sure, you can make good nachos by opening up a bag of chips, dumping them in a pan, dousing them with shredded cheese, and tossing them in the oven. But if you want perfect nachos, there are a few extra steps you can take to bring them from good-enough-to-get-the-job-done to gets-the-job-done-with-flying-colors-and-maybe-even-does-some-extra-work-on-the-weekend-to-impress-the-boss-(and-the-boss-is-you).

Most national brands of store-bought chips are too thin, turning soggy soon after topping. To solve this problem, we start by frying our own chips from fresh corn tortillas.

March 2017

Recipe Details

Homemade Tortilla Chips Recipe

Active 6 mins

Total 10 mins

Serves 7 to 10 servings

Makes 100 chips

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Ingredients

1 1/2 quarts (1.4L) peanut, vegetable, or canola oil
16 fresh corn tortillas, stacked in groups of 8 and cut into 6 wedges each
Kosher salt

Directions

Heat oil in a large wok or Dutch oven to 350°F (177°C). Add 1/3 of tortilla chips and cook, agitating and flipping them constantly with a wire mesh spider, until bubbles slow to a trickle and chips are pale golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined bowl, season with salt, and toss. Allow to drain for 30 seconds, then transfer to a second bowl. Repeat with remaining chips in 2 more batches.

Special Equipment

Wok, Dutch oven, wire mesh spider, digital thermometer

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
234	Calories
16g	Fat
21g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 7 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories	234
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g	20%
Saturated Fat 1g	6%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 273mg	12%
Total Carbohydrate 21g	8%
Dietary Fiber 3g	11%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 39mg	3%
Iron 1mg	3%
Potassium 89mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.