Wanna learn how to make tortilla chips? It’s easy!
Everyone loves the freshly-made kind you get at a nice Mexican restaurant… mmm. But, unfortunately, almost all tortilla chips are fried in very unhealthy oils which are way too high in PUFA, are often GMO, and are totally rancid. The corn itself is usually GMO, too, sadly.
You can learn how to make tortilla chips at home that are super healthy and taste even better than the best tortilla chips you’ve ever had! I promise.
How to Make Tortilla Chips—Fry them in Healthy Saturated Fat!
Fried chips don’t have to be unhealthy. In fact, if you simply switch the frying fat from those PUFA-heavy oils which are very delicate and easily heat-damaged, to fats and oils which are mostly saturated, that pretty much does the trick right there! Saturated fats are healthy to cook with because they are very heat-stable, and healthy to eat because our bodies are meant to have far more saturated than unsaturated fats for proper cell structure and to support the metabolism.
When I make tortilla chips, I like to use coconut oil to fry them in. Of course, you don’t have to use coconut oil for this recipe—pastured lard, beef or lamb tallow, or even ghee (clarified butter) would work wonderfully, too.
But, I try to work in as much coconut oil as I can, because of its many health benefits that go beyond those of all sources of healthy saturated fat. Coconut oil boosts your metabolism, raises your body temperature, is a potent antioxidant, and is the richest source of a very healthy fatty acid found in breast milk—lauric acid. Coconut oil does so many good things for you, that I try to cook with it whenever I can!
Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips
- Organic regular or sprouted corn tortillas
- Coconut oil, or other healthy frying fat (or a combination!) Find the highest-quality virgin coconut oil HERE
- Real sea salt
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In a skillet (here’s my guide to choosing healthy cookware, for what kinds of skillets I recommend), melt enough fat to create about at least a half-to-one-inch of cooking oil. The amount will of course depend on how large your skillet is. Let the oil heat to frying temperature. A good way to test for this is to dip a wooden utensil—a chopstick works wonderfully—and look for the oil to bubble around it. That’s when it’s ready.
While the oil’s heating up, slice your tortillas into whatever shapes you’d like. I usually slice in half, and then each half into thirds, in triangle shapes. But you could do crunchy tortilla strips, or other shapes!
Gently place the tortillas into the oil, and let them fry. Use metal tongs to flip the chips over. It takes a bit of practice to know when to turn them, but you’ll get the hang of it. Of course, we’re going for a light golden brown on both sides. Once you get there, pick up each chip with the tongs, and give it a little shake over the pan to flick off the excess oil. Put the chips on a plate to cool. Add salt while they’re hot and steamy—it’ll stick better that way.
Now that you’re done cooking your chips, you don’t have to toss out all the oil! Save that liquid gold for next time, by simply pouring through a strainer into a glass jar. You can continue to reuse coconut oil this way very easily, cooking with it several times.
Enjoy those crunchy, healthy chips! Muy bien!
Have to ask which taste better fried or baked?
We bought a deep fat fryer (Amazon) and use it at least 4 times a week. I now make all our own corn chips and they are delicious! We also use expeller pressed coconut oil because my dh doesn’t like the coconut flavor. Top them off with pink Himalayan salt and they are perfect!
I’ve been wanting to make my own tortilla chips for a while because pretty much all the ones I see at WF and elsewhere are fried in canola. So are the corn tortillas usually, which made me check out the Food For Life’s Sprouted Corn Tortilla’s ingredients and it doesn’t list any oil. Hmmm is it possible that they make it without any oil?
How can you be sure the corn is non gmo? especially as it’s now been shown to have escaped from monsanto sites?
I just made a batch of tortilla chips using coconut oil and I have to say they were awesome! Coconut oil gets hot enough for frying and has a neutral flavor. Since it has so many benefits, I’ll be doing this from now on.
Well…I have all the ingredients to make these. I have no excuse, except that I am a sucker for store-bought tortilla chips, I am. It’s like one of the few, last surviving processed foods in our house (non-gmo + organic and all, but still). Time to take the homemade plunge, I better not like these more than store-bought darn it! 😉
Not that I am sure these don’t taste great, and I am all for making my own foods. However, not all corn is GMO. White corn is currently still safe since it has not been genetically modified by anyone. There are plently of all white corn tortilla chips in the stores, just have to be sure to look at the oils they use to avoid canola and other GMO or young oils.
Even if the oils used in those mass produced chips is organic, it’s still vegetable oil which is high in PUFAS. That’s a bad deal all around. Making your own is the best way to avoid them. We make these exact tortillas into tostada shells, just fry them whole in coconut oil. YUM!
Did you really pay $100 for sprouted corn tortillas from Amazon??!! There must be another option!
Something doesn’t seem right about that price. I paid $3.19 at Whole Foods recently. The Amazon price works out to $7.66 per package.
Would deep frying organic potato slices in coconut oil lead to a healthier potato chip?
Anything you fry in a saturated fat such as coconut oil is going to be much better for you than anything fried in unsaturated fats (fats which are liquid at room temperature). Unsaturated fats break down when heated into unhealthy components.
Thanks for this! It was just what I was looking for. If you’re using a cast-iron skillet, another benefit is that at the same time you’re making the chips you’re re-seasoning the pan.