If you’re tired of flimsy chips that break under the weight of your favorite dips, you’ve got to try this baked tortilla chips recipe! With just three ingredients—corn tortillas, oil, and salt—you can whip up sturdy, homemade chips perfect for even the thickest guacamole.

Pro tip: adding a squeeze of lime gives them an extra burst of flavor.

Homemade baked tortilla chips on a white plate next to a bowl of guacamole.

One of my pet peeves is when I’m going in for a big ole’ scoop of a thick and chunky homemade guacamole only to hear…

CRACK! The tortilla chip breaks.

Even in Texas where we have a TON of different chip varieties, I find a lot of store-bought ones tend to have this issue.

Why I turn to this recipe again and again!

That’s why lately I’ve been resorting to making a big batch of my own homemade chips to snack on all week. And you know what?! They’re SO much better and super simple to make.

Like 3 ingredients and ready in under 20 minutes kind-of-easy.

Plus, my secret addition of a bit of lime juice gives them a TON of flavor! They’re so much better than store-bought!

White and yellow corn tortillas, oil, salt, and a lime as ingredients for a tortilla chip recipe.
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The ingredients you need for homemade chips.

Notes about the ingredients needed for this Homemade Tortilla Chip recipe are below. Jump to recipe for the exact measurements.

  • Tortillas. Either white or yellow corn tortillas are used. When choosing your tortillas, look for ones that are about 5- to 6-inches in diameter and are relatively thick and sturdy on their own. If they are smaller or larger you’ll have to adjust the amount of oil and salt accordingly. Excellent brand options include Guerrero, Mission Foods, El Milagro, and Tia Rosa.
  • Oil. Vegetable or avocado oils are preferred since they have little to no added flavor. Olive oil may also be substituted if that’s what you have available.
  • Salt. Sprinkle on as much or as little of this as you’d like. Coarse sea salt will add a wonderful, salty crunch to the chips, but regular table salt gives you very similar results.
  • Lime Juice. While this is optional, it is highly encouraged! It gives these chips the most subtle flavor but adds a wonderful zest of freshness to them.
White corn tortillas and yellow corn tortillas.

How to Make Baked Tortilla Chips at Home

Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts. Jump to recipe for the printable instructions.

1. Brush the corn tortillas with oil.

When selecting which tortillas to use from the package, select the ones that are still whole and not cracked.

In a small bowl whisk together the oil, salt, and lime juice. This way all of the flavors will be evenly distributed on the chips.

While the tortillas are still whole, use a pastry brush to cover both sides in a light coating of the oil mixture. Avoid brushing too much oil on the tortillas. If you do this, they will become soggy when baked and not crispy and crunchy.

You should have just enough of it to coat twelve 5-inch tortillas.

Oil being brushed onto corn tortillas.

2. Cut tortillas into quarters.

Once the tortillas are coated in the oil, use a large knife or a pizza cutter and slice them into quarters or sixths. 

If you like large chips, you’ll want to make 4 chips out of 1 tortilla. If you prefer smaller chips, make 6 chips out of 1 tortilla.

Tortillas being cut with a pizza cutter.

3. Bake chips in the oven.

Arrange the coated and cut tortillas in a single layer on a large baking sheet. It’s OK if some of them overlap a little bit, but use an extra baking sheet if you run out of room.

Bake the chips in a preheated 375°F oven. This is a hot enough oven temperature that the tortillas will crisp up nicely but low enough that the oil will not burn off.

The cooking time will vary depending on the type of baking sheet you use. For a lighter-colored sheet bake for 12-14 minutes, and 8-11 minutes if a darker-colored baking sheet is used. 

FAQs

Why are my baked tortilla chips chewy?

If your chips turn out chewy, they either have too much oil or were cooked at too low of a temperature. Don’t overdo the oil and make sure your oven is completely preheated before baking.

Can you crisp up stale tortilla chips?

Yes, you can! Pop the chips in a 375°F oven for a few minutes and they’ll be nice and crispy.

A chip being dipped into guacamole.

Recipe Tips

  • Brush the tortillas before cutting. It’s much easier to brush on the oil before cutting them into triangles.
  • Add a squeeze of lime juice. A little bit goes a long way, but it does give a delightful and subtle flavor to the chips.
  • Don’t overdo it on the oil. If you brush on too much, the chips will become soggy when baked.
  • Know the difference. Lighter baking sheets take longer to crisp up the chips while darker pans cook up more quickly.
  • Sprinkle on some salt. Do this just before serving! This added touch gives the chips a wonderful crunchy texture and an extra salty bite.

These dips go great with tortilla chips!

Since tortilla chips are traditional in Mexican cuisine, there are quite a few Mexican-inspired dips that are perfect to serve them with:

You can also crush up extra chips and add them to Migas Tacos, or make some Sheet Pan Nachos.

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4.90 from 28 votes

Baked Tortilla Chips

If you're tired of flimsy chips that break under the weight of your favorite dips, you’ve got to try this baked tortilla chips recipe! With just three ingredients—corn tortillas, oil, and salt—you can whip up sturdy, homemade chips perfect for even the thickest guacamole.
Yield 6 servings
Prep 8 minutes
Cook 12 minutes
Total 20 minutes
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Ingredients 

  • 12 corn tortillas 5 to 6-inch, yellow or white
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ tsp. salt plus more to taste
  • 1 tsp. lime juice optional

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Whisk together oil, lime juice and salt in a small bowl. Brush oil mixture over both sides of each tortilla using a pastry brush. Cut each corn tortilla into 4 or 6 triangles using a knife or pizza cutter.
    1 Tbsp. olive oil, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. lime juice, 12 corn tortillas
  • Place tortilla triangles in a single layer on two large baking sheets. It's OK if some of them overlap slightly.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes if using a light baking sheet or 8-11 minutes if using a darker colored baking sheet. You’ll know the tortilla chips are done baking when they are crisp and golden.
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!

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4.90 from 28 votes

Video

Notes

  • Storage: Once your freshly baked tortilla chips have completely cooled, place them in a large 1-gallon sized ziplock bag.  They will last for up to 3-4 days at room temperature.
  • Reheating: If the chips start to get a bit soft after storing, simply pop them into a 375 degree oven for a few minutes to crisp them back up.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 183mg, Potassium: 97mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Have made these several times! They come out perfect.
    I do mix lime juice and salt first then Sprinkle over oiled chips before baking❤️

    1. Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Barb! Sounds tasty. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!

  2. 5 stars
    Super easy and a great use of some day-old tortillas. I used zero carb flour tortillas for mine. They turned out really good. The only downside is this type of tortilla bakes up to be a bit sweet. But by the time you add salsa and other condiments for nachos, that little bit of sweet was minimal, and it felt pretty good to have an almost carb-free meal! I’ll make these again!

    1. Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Pamela! It’s the best use for older tortillas. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!