These Air Fryer Tortilla Chips are made with just 3 ingredients — corn tortillas olive oil spray and coarse salt. Air fried until perfectly golden and crispy for just $0.25 a serving and so much better than anything from a bag.
These have completely replaced store-bought chips at our taco nights — the flavor and crunch from the air fryer is so much better than anything from a bag and they take less than 10 minutes to make. Once you make your own you will never go back to store-bought and at $0.25 a serving you are saving money every single time.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
- Budget Friendly — $0.76 total for a full batch that beats any store-bought bag
- Only 3 ingredients
- Ready in under 10 minutes
- Crispier and more flavorful than store-bought chips
- No deep frying, no messy oil and healthier than traditionally fried chips
If you love easy homemade snack recipes like this one you will also love our Easy Guacamole Recipe, Homemade Salsa Recipe, and Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe. They are all budget-friendly, made with simple ingredients, and perfect for serving alongside a big batch of homemade tortilla chips any night of the week.
Ingredients
- Corn tortillas — the classic choice for homemade tortilla chips. 6-inch corn tortillas give you the most authentic chip flavor and texture. Yellow corn tortillas give a slightly nuttier flavor while white corn tortillas are slightly milder. Flour tortillas work as a substitute for a softer less traditional chip. Low carb tortillas also work for a lower carb version
- Olive oil cooking spray — gives the chips an even light coating that helps them crisp evenly in the air fryer without making them greasy. Avocado oil spray works as a great substitute. You can also skip the oil entirely for a lower fat chip — they will be slightly less crispy but still delicious
- Coarse salt — the simple classic seasoning. Coarse salt gives you a satisfying crunch in every bite. See the Seasoning Ideas section below for more flavor options
Carrie’s Tip: Do not skip the resting step after the air fryer — place the cooked chips on a paper towel for 2–3 minutes before serving. The chips continue crisping as they cool and those few minutes make the difference between a chip that is almost crispy and one that snaps perfectly every single time.
How to Cut Tortillas Into Chips
The way you cut the tortillas affects both the shape of your chips and the cooking time — here is the best method:
The stack and slice method
Stack 3 to 4 tortillas on top of each other — this saves time and gives you uniform chips. Cut the stack in half then cut each half into 3 triangles for 6 chips per tortilla. A pizza cutter works better than a knife for clean even cuts that do not drag or tear the tortillas.
How many chips per tortilla
A standard 6-inch tortilla yields about 6 chips when cut into triangles. This recipe uses corn tortillas cut into 4 even triangles for a slightly larger chip that holds up well under dips.
How piece size affects cooking time
Smaller pieces cook faster and can burn quickly — check at the 2-minute mark. Larger pieces need the full 3 minutes per side. Always cut as uniformly as possible so every chip finishes at the same time.
How to Make Tortilla Chips in Air Fryer
Here’s how you can make your own tortilla chips in the air fryer.
Step 1 – Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees. If your air fryer does not have a preheat option, then run the air fryer for 5 minutes. This will allow the air fryer to heat at 350 degrees F.
Step 2 – Cut each of the tortillas into 4 even pieces.
Step 3 – Then lightly spray the tortilla pieces with the spray olive oil and season it with salt. Line the bottom of an air fryer basket with the tortilla chips.
Step 4 – Cook for 3 minutes per side until the tortillas are browned and crispy.
Step 5 – Remove the chips from the basket and let them cool to room temperature. This allows them to finish crisping them up.
Step 6 – Serve immediately with your favorite dips and enjoy!
How Long do you Air Fry Tortilla Chips
After cutting the tortillas into triangles place them in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spray with olive oil and season with salt. Make sure you have preheated the air fryer if your model has that function.
Air fry the tortilla chips for about 3 minutes per side or until they are browned and crispy. Place on a paper towel for 2–3 minutes to allow them to finish crisping up.
Cooking time will vary based on your specific air fryer model — start checking at the 2-minute mark to prevent burning especially for smaller pieces.
Oven Baked Tortilla Chips
No air fryer? No problem — the oven gives you equally crispy chips with just a few extra minutes of cook time.
Place the cut tortilla triangles in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray with olive oil and season with coarse salt. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 4 minutes then flip each chip and bake for another 4 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Place on a paper towel for 2–3 minutes to finish crisping before serving.
Tips for Success
- Cook in batches. Do not overcrowd the basket — chips need space for the air to circulate and give them an even crisp. Cook in batches depending on how many tortillas you are cooking
- Always flip halfway through. Flipping the chips at the 3-minute mark ensures both sides get evenly browned — skipping the flip gives you chips that are crispy on top but soft on the bottom
- Spray with oil. We like to spray the tortilla chips with cooking spray before air frying — this increases the crispiness of these chips significantly. Spray before putting them in the air fryer. You can also skip the oil entirely for a lower fat version — they will be slightly less crispy but still delicious
- Preheat the air fryer. Always preheat to 350°F before adding the chips — a cold air fryer extends the cook time and can result in uneven crisping
- Allow chips to cool on a paper towel. After the chips have finished cooking allow them to cool on a paper towel for 2–3 minutes — this allows the residual heat to finish crisping them up before serving
- Basket vs oven style air fryers. If you have an oven-style air fryer you may not need to flip the chips at all since the heat circulates more evenly from all sides. Check at the 5-minute mark instead of flipping
- Chips Moving around. If the lightweight chips start moving around or clumping in the basket, pause partway through and use tongs to shake or redistribute them into an even layer before continuing.
Serving Suggestions
- Homemade Salsa – This is our favorite Homemade Salsa Recipe and we make it all the time. It is easy enough to whip up for a snack and it is seriously so good. Since you only need a few ingredients, it is a breeze to make.
- Our Favorite Queso Dip – This is a very authentic queso dip and we don’t use any processed Velveeta. This recipe uses just good old fashion white American cheese. The perfect cheese dip for dipping tortilla chips.
- Pico de Gallo – This delicious recipe is so incredibly simple and the flavor is authentic and amazing. It makes the best dip for tortilla chips and we love to serve this at parties.
- Make Nachos – Pile the tortilla chips with your favorite nachos toppings for an amazing meal. We love to add ground beef, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and sliced jalapenos.
Seasoning Ideas
We used coarse salt as a simple seasoning on these air fryer tortilla chips — but you can definitely use other seasonings for extra flavor. Here are some suggestions:
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Taco seasoning
- Cinnamon sugar for a sweet version
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Chili lime seasoning
Storage and Freezer Instructions
Room Temperature
- These chips are best served fresh, but if stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they’ll stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. Do not refrigerate, as moisture in the fridge will soften them.
Re-crisping Soft Chips
- Place leftover chips back in the air fryer at 350°F for about 1 minute to restore the crunch — this works surprisingly well and brings them back close to fresh-from-the-air-fryer crispy
Freezer
- Not recommended — tortilla chips do not freeze well and become soft and stale when thawed
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common reasons are overcrowding the basket, skipping the preheat step, or not flipping halfway through — always cook in a single layer, preheat to 350°F, and flip at the 3-minute mark for the crispiest result.
Preheat to 350°F, cut tortillas into uniform triangles, spray lightly with oil, cook in a single layer for 3 minutes per side, and always let them rest on a paper towel for 2–3 minutes after cooking for the crispiest finish.
Spray both sides lightly with olive oil cooking spray, season with coarse salt, and air fry at 350°F for 3 minutes per side — the oil and high circulating heat is what transforms a soft tortilla into a perfectly crispy chip.
Yes — basket-style air fryers require flipping at the halfway mark while oven-style air fryers circulate heat more evenly and often do not need flipping. Check at the 5-minute mark if using an oven-style model.
Yes — skip the olive oil spray entirely for a lower fat chip. They will be slightly less crispy than the oiled version but still delicious and perfectly snackable.
Yes — flour tortillas give a softer less traditional chip and corn tortillas give the most authentic crunch and flavor. Low carb tortillas also work for a lower carb version.
These Air Fryer Tortilla Chips have completely changed taco night in our house — crispier than anything from a bag and just $0.25 a serving for a chip that tastes so much better than store-bought. Now that I can make homemade tortilla chips in under 10 minutes I can have chips and salsa any time I want and the next time you are hosting a gathering you can impress your friends and family with delicious homemade tortilla chips instead of opening a bag.
If you make them leave a star rating and a comment below — I love hearing what dip your family served them with first!
Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
Ingredients
- 9 Corn Tortillas
- Olive Oil Cooking Spray
- 1 teaspoon Coarse Salt
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. If your air fryer does not have a preheat setting, run it at 350°F for 5 minutes.
- Cut each tortilla into 4 equal pieces.
- Lightly spray the tortilla pieces with olive oil cooking spray and season with coarse salt.
- Arrange the tortilla pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove the tortilla chips from the air fryer and let them cool completely. They will continue to crisp as they cool.
- Serve immediately with your favorite dips.
