Homemade Chili Cheese Tortilla Chips

Crispy, crunchy and loaded with zesty flavor, my homemade chili cheese tortilla chips are a healthier way to enjoy our favorite seasoned tortilla chip snack. Made with organic corn tortillas lightly fried in healthy avocado oil, then seasoned with good quality cheddar cheese powder and warming spices, this homemade chili cheese tortilla chips recipe is fun to make at home, and out of this world delicious to snack on!

Homemade tortilla chips with zesty chili cheese flavor

If there's one thing my hubby and I have a hard time resisting while at the market it's salty, crispy, “chippy” things.

Over the years, we've gravitated towards the healthier snack items, ones we can feel at least a little bit better about eating. So we prefer the organic, Non-GMO options, with as few ingredients listed on the packaging as possible, but still with lots of crunch and flavor.

While there are many healthier options to choose from these days, I sometimes like to experiment in the kitchen to see if I can create a homemade version of something we enjoy. Enter these homemade chili cheese tortilla chips as something we can easily whip up for ourselves, and with everything we love in a crispy snack!

Packed with lots of zesty, cheesy and mildly spicy flavor, these homemade tortilla chips are super crispy-crunchy, and made with only very simple, healthy ingredients we all know (and can even pronounce)!

Honestly, these tortilla chips are probably our favorite salty snack at the moment. They're a bit of a novelty, and an especially fun recipe to prep and share with friends and family. We like to add some fresh salsa and/or guacamole, or even my Mexican corn dip for something a little bit extra special!

My recipe for homemade chili cheese tortilla chips

I love that there's nothing in the ingredient list that isn't recognizable. Homemade tortilla chips are actually quite easy to make, and all we're doing here is adding some really yummy seasoning to give them a chili cheese slant.

I like to use organic ingredients whenever possible, so I use organic corn tortillas and cut them into wedges for frying.

And because I prefer to use a heart healthy oil, I opt for avocado oil for the frying, since it is neutral in flavor, and has a high smoke point. This means that you can use it to fry (or cook with it at a higher temperature), without compromising the integrity and flavor of it.

As for the chili cheese seasoning, I use a good quality cheddar cheese powder here, one with minimal ingredients in it, and nothing artificial. I order mine online (you can find the name of it in the tips & tidbits section below for convenience).

For that zesty flavor, I love a small combo of spices such as cumin, chili powder, and granulated onion and garlic for savoriness and warmth.

Here's a glance at my homemade chili cheese tortilla chips recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get stared, I cut my corn tortillas into triangle wedges, and set aside.
2. Next, I mix together my chili cheese seasoning mix and set that aside.
3. Then, I bring my oil up to 360°, and working in batches, I fry the corn tortilla wedges for about 3 minutes, until crispy and deeply golden.
4. When done, I drain the fried chips on paper towels, season with salt, and then add them to a large bowl to season with the chili cheese seasoning.
5. I repeat the process with more batches until all corn tortilla chips are fried and seasoned.
6. Once all the chips have been added to the bowl for seasoning, I give one more sprinkle of chili cheese seasoning, and gently toss all of the tortilla chips together to make sure each one is well coated.
7. After they have cooled just a bit, I add them to a serving bowl or platter, and serve them on their own or with a tasty dip.

Recipe

Homemade Chili Cheese Tortilla Chips

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These homemade chili cheese tortilla chips are a deliciously healthy take on a favorite snack chip, made with simple, organic ingredients!

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican-American

Yield: Serves 6 (10 chips each)

Nutrition Info: 148 calories (per 10 chips)

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 10 corn tortillas (about 5 ½ inch diameter in size)
• 1 (slightly heaping) tablespoon cheddar cheese powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon granulated onion
• ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling after frying chips
• Avocado oil (about a 16.9 ounce bottle), for frying

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. To dry the corn tortillas out a bit (to help make them crunchier once fried), lay them out on a couple of paper towels in a single layer for about 30 minutes. Then, stack about half of the corn tortillas on a cutting board in front of you, and cut them in half vertically. Cut each half into thirds, to create 6 triangle wedges from each tortilla. Repeat with all the corn tortillas until you have 60 tortilla triangle wedges total. Set those aside in a bowl to hold.
3. Next, add the cheddar cheese powder and the remainder of the ingredients up to and including the ½ teaspoon of salt to a small bowl, and mix together to combine well. Set aside this chili cheese seasoning mix.
4. Place a large cast iron skillet or other deeper, heavy-bottom skillet onto the stove, and fill with the avocado oil. Turn the heat on and allow the oil to come to 360° temperature.
5. While the oil heats, line a baking sheet with a couple of layers of paper towel for draining the fried tortilla chips, and have a large bowl handy to put the chips into afterwards, to season them.
6. When ready to fry, carefully add a batch of corn tortilla triangle wedges into the hot oil in a (roughly) single layer (you'll work in about 3 to 4 batches), and allow the chips to fry for about 3 minutes, moving them around a bit with tongs to help them fry evenly.
7. Once a deep golden brown and crisp, remove the chips from the oil and onto the paper towels to drain, and sprinkle fairly generously with salt while hot. Allow the chips to sit on the paper towel for a minute or so.
8. Meanwhile, add another batch of corn tortilla triangle wedges to the hot oil to fry, and while those are frying, carefully take the already fried tortilla chips from the paper towel and place into the large bowl (they'll still be hot, so be careful), and give a hefty sprinkle of your chili cheese seasoning over top (about a couple teaspoons worth), and gently toss if you can. Leave the seasoned chips in the bowl.
9. Then, remove the corn chips that are frying, and repeat the process again with the draining on the paper towels, salting, then adding the ones from the paper towel into the bowl with the others, and seasoning again, then frying another batch.
10. Once you have finished your last batch of corn tortilla chips, add those the bowl with the others, and give a final sprinkle of the rest of the chili cheese seasoning, and gently toss all of the tortilla chips together, making sure they're all well seasoned and coated.
11. Leave the tortilla chips in the bowl for a few minutes (to slightly cool), then scoop all of the seasoned chili cheese tortilla chips out of the big bowl and into a serving bowl or platter, and enjoy on their own, or with fresh salsa, guacamole, or your favorite dip.
12. Store any leftover chili cheese tortilla chips in a thick ziplock bag, or even covered with plastic wrap in the same bowl you served them in, for up to 3 days.

Tips & Tidbits for my Homemade Chili Cheese Tortilla Chips recipe:

• Good quality cheddar cheese powder for the cheesiest flavor: I've opted for yellow cheddar cheese powder here for the cheesiest flavor. I experimented with the white cheddar powder as well, and while it was good, it lacked a little of the “umami” depth that the yellow cheddar had. I ultimately ended up using a brand called "Judee's Yellow Cheddar Cheese Powder", and purchased it online. The flavor is great, made with really good, simple ingredients.
• A combo of fresh spices for lots of zestiness: The combo of chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and garlic really creates lots of bold, zippy flavor, and I like to use fresh, organic spices here. If you like things a bit more on the spicy side, you can even add a pinch of cayenne pepper or chipotle powder as well!
• Don't be afraid to salt the chips: While I do add salt to my chili cheese seasoning mix, I also like to fairly generously salt my freshly fried tortilla chips when hot out of the oil. The corn tortillas are pretty bland on their own, and really need a couple rounds of seasoning. So go ahead and sprinkle fairly liberally with some salt when they come out of the oil in addition to the chili cheese seasoning you'll ultimately sprinkle on at the end.
• What to serve with homemade chili cheese tortilla chips: I love to simply serve these chips with fresh salsa and my homemade guacamole, but my Mexican corn dip is also out of this world with these!
• How to store homemade chili cheese tortilla chips: These chips typically last pretty well for up to 3 days, the first couple days being the freshest. I usually just keep them in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap, or place them into a thicker ziplock bag for storage.

Hungry for more zesty recipes? Check out my recipe for Mexican Corn Dip, Guacamole, Chicken Taquitos with Avocado Ranch Dipping Sauce, Tortilla Crunch Chicken Strips, or my recipe for Shrimp Tostada Bites!