Tortilla chips are a beloved snack for many, but sometimes you want to take your tortilla chip experience to the next level. While plain tortilla chips with salsa or guacamole is a classic pairing, there are many ways to upgrade your tortilla chips to make them even more delicious and fun to eat.
Add More Flavor
One of the easiest ways to upgrade your tortilla chips is to add extra flavor. Instead of plain tortilla chips, look for ones with added seasonings and spices. Some popular options include:
- Chile and lime tortilla chips
- Jalapeño tortilla chips
- Cheddar and sour cream tortilla chips
- Chili and lime tortilla chips
- Barbecue tortilla chips
- Ranch tortilla chips
The added flavors like lime, spicy peppers, cheese, and barbecue can take your tortilla chip experience from boring to bold. The zesty, savory seasonings complement dips and salsas even more. You can also make your own seasoned tortilla chips by brushing plain chips with olive oil or melted butter and sprinkling on your own blend of spices before baking.
Try New Shapes
Tortilla chips don’t have to always be in the standard triangular shape. Look for fun, new tortilla chip shapes to create interest. Some creative shapes you may find include:
- Rounds or circles
- Hearts
- Stars
- Hexagons or diamonds
- Wavy chips
- Scoops or bowls
The different shapes allow you to scoop and pile on dips better, as well as provide added crunch. It also makes for a more visually interesting snack mix or appetizer platter.
Make Your Own Tortilla Chip Bowls
For an edible bowl, you can deep fry or bake tortillas into crispy tortilla bowls. To shape the tortilla, carefully press the tortilla into a bowl, muffin tin spots, or other rounded mold. Spritz or brush with oil before baking or frying until crisped. The resulting tortilla bowl is perfect for holding dips, salsas, or other fillings.
Top with Dips and Toppings
Take your tortilla chips up a notch by topping them with extra ingredients and delicious dip pairings. Some tasty ideas include:
- Chili con queso or nacho cheese sauce
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Pico de gallo
- Queso fresco
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced tomatoes
- Jalapeños
- Black olives
- Sliced avocado
- Shredded chicken
- Ground beef
- Bacon bits
Get creative with combining different dips and toppings to make each tortilla chip unique and full of textures. Think tacos or nachos, but in individual tortilla chip form.
Bake Your Own Tortilla Chips
For extra fresh and hot tortilla chips, make them from scratch at home. Simply take small corn or flour tortillas and cut them into wedge shapes. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and spritz or brush with oil. Season with salt, chili powder or other spices. Bake at 400°F for 5-10 minutes until lightly browned and crisped. Customize them with your favorite oil and spice blend.
Fry Your Own Tortilla Chips
Frying gives you extra crispy and crunchy tortilla chips. You can either deep fry or pan fry. Cut corn or flour tortillas into pieces and heat 1-2 inches of oil to 350-375°F in a pot or pan. Fry the tortilla wedges a batch at a time until golden and crispy, turning occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season with salt or spice blend. Be careful when deep frying and watch the oil temperature.
Make Tortilla Chip Nachos
For easy individual nachos, top tortilla chips with cheese and bake or broil until melted. Arrange tortilla chips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top with shredded cheese, like cheddar, Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, or queso blend. Add any other desired toppings like beans, salsa, jalapeños, olives, etc. Bake at 400°F or broil for 2-5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. The broiler method gets an extra crispy, melty result. Serve immediately.
Bake Tortilla Chip Cheese Crisps
These cheese crisp “crackers” are made by baking salted tortilla chips topped with cheese. The cheese melts over the chips, binding them together into a crispy, cheesy chip. Simply layer corn tortilla chips on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle shredded cheese, like cheddar, cotija, or Oaxaca, evenly over the tops. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes until cheese is fully melted and lightly browned. Allow to slightly cool before breaking into cracker-sized pieces.
Make Candied Tortilla Chips
For a sweet and salty treat, make candied tortilla chips. These are tortilla wedges tossed in a cinnamon sugar mixture before baking. Mix 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and brush over plain tortilla wedges. Toss the chips in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes until crisped. Let cool slightly before eating.
Try Tortilla Chip S’Mores
Use tortilla chips instead of graham crackers for a fun, crunchy twist on classic s’mores. Build the s’mores on tortilla chips with marshmallows and chocolate squares. You can even sprinkle on a bit of cinnamon sugar. Microwave them in 15 second intervals until marshmallows puff up, or toast them carefully over a campfire or grill, rotating frequently.
Make Tortilla Chip Crumbles
Crush up flavored or plain tortilla chips to use as a crunchy topping on salads, soups, baked potatoes, tacos, casseroles and more. Place tortilla chips in a sealed plastic bag and gently crush with a rolling pin into smaller crumble-sized pieces. Sprinkle the tortilla chip crumbles on as a substitute for croutons or breadcrumbs to add taste, texture and crunch.
Coat With Flavored Salts
Up the flavor of plain tortilla chips by tossing them in flavored salt mixtures. Try lime salt, lemon pepper, ranch seasoning, chili lime seasoning, taco seasoning or other spice blend salts. Simply add the chips and flavored salt to a bag and shake to evenly coat. The flavored salts add a burst of extra flavor to the crunchy chips.
Dip in Flavored Butters
Whip up a flavored butter, spread onto a plate and use for dipping tortilla chips. Try mixing herbs, garlic, chili powder or other spices into softened butter. You can also top melted butter with parmesan cheese, lemon zest, chopped chipotle peppers or other mix-ins. Flavored butters complement the corn and wheat flavors of tortilla chips nicely.
Skewer Appetizer Bites
Assemble tasty little appetizers on skewers using tortilla chips as an edible base. Try combinations like:
- Tortilla chip, cube of grilled chicken, grape tomato and basil leaf
- Tortilla chip, slice of mozzarella, olive and grape tomato
- Tortilla chip, folded slice of deli meat, pickle and cheese cube
- Tortilla chip, cantaloupe ball, mint leaf and feta crumble
Get creative with savory, sweet and cheesy skewer combinations for a fun presentation.
Make Tortilla Chip Pizza Bites
For personal-sized mini pizzas, top tortilla chips with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings. Use a larger round tortilla chip as the base and add a spoonful of pizza or marinara sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese, diced peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, etc. Broil for 1-2 minutes until cheese melts. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Bake Granola-Crusted Chips
For extra crunch, coat tortilla chips in granola before baking. Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter and brush over plain tortilla wedges. Dip each chip into a bowl of granola, pressing lightly so the granola adheres. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5-7 minutes until crisp. Let cool before serving for added crunch.
Make Tortilla Chip Breadcrumbs
Use crushed tortilla chips instead of regular breadcrumbs to coat chicken, fish or pork before baking or frying. Place chips in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin into fine crumbs. Dip chicken, fish fillets, pork chops or other items into flour, whisked eggs and then the tortilla chip crumbs before frying or baking. The chips add corn flavor and crunch to the coating.
Bake Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries
Make smoky spiced sweet potato fries by coating with crushed chipotle tortilla chips. Cut sweet potatoes into wedges or fry shapes and place in a bowl. Crush up a bag of chipotle lime tortilla chips into crumbs and pour over the sweet potatoes. Toss to coat evenly. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, lightly spritz with oil and bake at 425°F for 20-25 minutes until browned and tender, turning halfway.
Make Tortilla Española
This traditional Spanish omelette incorporates thinly sliced potatoes fried in olive oil. To upgrade the potatoes, use crushed tortilla chips instead. Sauté some diced onions in olive oil until softened. Add crushed tortilla chips and cook 2-3 minutes more. Then pour whisked eggs over the mixture and cook, covered, over low heat until the eggs are set. Flip out onto a plate into a round cake shape. Top with salsa if desired.
Coat Breading for Frying
For extra crunchy breaded and fried foods, add crushed tortilla chips to the breading mix. Blend 1 cup tortilla chip crumbs with 1⁄2 cup flour and 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt, garlic powder and paprika. Dip chicken, fish, veggie slices or other items in flour, egg and then the tortilla chip breading. Deep fry until golden brown and crispy. The chips help form an extra crunchy crust.
Make Tortilla Chip Waffles
Instant breakfast waffles are made with crushed tortilla chips added right to the waffle batter. Simply prepare waffle batter from a mix or scratch recipe as directed. Fold in 1⁄2-1 cup of roughly crushed tortilla chips. Cook according to waffle maker directions until crisped and browned. Top with butter and syrup for a sweet-salty flavor.
Bake Chile Relleno Casserole
In this casserole, tortilla chips are layered with chiles, cheese and cream for amazing flavors. Lightly grease a casserole dish and add layer of crushed tortilla chips. Top with roasted, peeled green chiles, monterey jack cheese, and cream sauce. Keep layering chips, chiles, cheese and sauce. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. The tortilla chips add texture that soaks up the delicious sauce.
Make Tortilla Chip Encrusted Fish
For a crispy, crunchy crust on baked fish, coat with crushed tortilla chips. Crush chips into fine crumbs and mix with a pinch of chili powder and salt. Brush fish fillets with mayonnaise on both sides. Press the tops of the fish into the chip mixture to adhere. Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes until fish is opaque and crust is browned. The chips form a flavorful, nutty coating on the fish.
Nutritional Content of Tortilla Chips
Here is the typical nutritional content in 1 ounce or about 14 chips (28g) of salted tortilla chips:
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 150 |
| Fat | 8g |
| Carbohydrates | 18g |
| Fiber | 1g |
| Sodium | 135mg |
Tortilla chips are lower in fat and calories than some crunchy snack foods like chips or cheez-its. They contain mostly unsaturated fat from the corn or wheat source. They also provide a small amount of fiber. However, the sodium content can quickly add up from the salt flavoring.
Tips for Healthier Tortilla Chip Eating
Here are some tips to lighten up tortilla chip recipes:
- Look for baked chips rather than fried
- Choose salt-free or low sodium varieties
- Portion into healthy serving sizes
- Avoid extra salty dips and toppings
- Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
- Load up with veggies rather than just cheese
- Use smaller tortillas cut into chips for portion control
- Dip in guacamole or hummus instead of queso
Creative Tortilla Chip Recipes
Check out these delicious recipe ideas that use tortilla chips in creative ways:
Tortilla Chip Crusted Chicken Strips
Chicken tenderloins coated in crushed chili-lime tortilla chips then baked until crispy.
Buffalo Tortilla Chip Chicken Nachos
Chipotle tortilla chips topped with buffalo chicken, blue cheese dressing, tomatoes, and green onion.
Baked Tortilla Chip Avocado Fries
Crunchy panko and crushed tortilla chip coating on avocado wedges for plant-based “fries”.
Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Tortilla Bowl
Crispy fried tortilla bowl filled with hot jalapeño cream cheese dip and topped with bacon.
Tortilla Chip Crusted Tilapia Tacos
Fish tacos with Parmesan and panko tortilla chip crusted tilapia, cabbage, avocado and chipotle crema.
Churro Tortilla Chips
Cinnamon sugar dusted tortilla wedges with chocolate dipping sauce.
Conclusion
Tortilla chips are endlessly versatile. With creative flavors, seasonings, shapes and cooking methods, you can take tortilla chips from boring to gourmet. Spice them up with chile powders, lime juice or taco spices. Fry or bake them into fun forms like bowls, nachos or churros. Top with yummy melted cheeses, meats, salsas and more for tasty appetizers or snacks. Crush them up to coat foods or add crunch to casseroles or bakes. With so many ways to transform them, tortilla chips can upgrade any meal or snack.