These air fryer tortilla chips are the easiest, crispiest snack ever. Sprinkled with chili lime seasoning, with less oil and lower sodium, these homemade chips take only 15-minutes! Naturally gluten free and vegan.
Tortilla chips are the best snacking food. Because of the air fryer this tortilla chips recipe has less sodium and uses less oil. The result? Restaurant style chips that are crispy and fresh.
I love making homemade tortilla chips. The only problem is to make them right, they typically use too much oil.
I prefer recipes that use simple, fresh ingredients. I’m a huge believer in easy side dish and snack recipes like this one that pack huge flavor. For other simple, delicious side dishes try Healthy Mexican Street Corn (Elotes), Air Fryer Tater Tots (3 Ways!) or Fresh Mexican Avocado Salad.
Jump to:
- Highlights of this Recipe
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- Tips for Making Healthier Tortilla Chips
- Diet Substitutions
- Step-By-Step Instructions
- Air Fryer Tips & Tricks
- Why Did My Air Fryer Tortilla Chips Not Cook Correctly?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Other Side Dishes You May Also Like
- What Do You Serve with Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Highlights of this Recipe
This recipe is:
- Easy
- Healthier
- Quick
- Fun
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Corn Tortillas. Corn tortillas make these restaurant style chips. Substitute for your preference of tortillas - flour or grain free.
- Olive Oil. Substitute for your favorite neutral oil like avocado or grapeseed oil.
- Chili Lime Seasoning. Use Tajin or even Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning.
Tips for Making Healthier Tortilla Chips
My suggestions to make this side dish healthier:
- Season Your Own. Add your own seasoning to reduce sodium!
- Nutrition Facts. Read the nutrition facts when purchasing the corn tortillas.
- Portion-control. It’s easy to make the entire bag of tortilla chips and then feel stuffed and sick to your stomach. It helps to make it in smaller batches like this.
My favorite brands for corn tortillas are Guerrero or Trader Joe’s!
Diet Substitutions
Vegan. This air fryer recipe already is!
Gluten Free. This recipe already is! Make sure to use corn tortillas or other gluten free tortillas.
Paleo / Whole30. Use grain free tortillas.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Mix Tajín and Olive Oil 
Spread the tajín / olive oil mixture onto the tortillas 
slice into 4 or 6 even triangles
STEP ONE: Mix the chili lime seasoning and olive oil. Brush it onto one side of the corn tortillas.
STEP TWO: Cut in half and then again into either four or six equal parts.
STEP THREE: Preheat the air fryer. Air fry the tortilla chips.
STEP FOUR: Shake after 1-minutes, and then remove after 3-minutes total.
STEP FIVE: Complete next batch.
TIP! By placing the air fryer rack on top of the tortilla chips, you make sure that the corn tortillas don’t move around too much.
Air Fryer Tips & Tricks
- Use the air fryer rack to prevent your tortilla chips from flying around too much.
- Make sure to preheat the air fryer to allow for the crispiest tortilla chips! My Ninja Air Fryer suggests 3 minutes of preheating so that is what I typically do.
- Spread out frozen chips in an even layer.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. Do it in batches rather than overcrowd your air fryer.
- It’s best to shake the air fryer basket halfway through the frying time. This helps make sure all sides are evenly crisped. You can shake the basket or use tongs to toss the tortilla chips.
Why Did My Air Fryer Tortilla Chips Not Cook Correctly?
- Preheating. My Ninja XL Air Fryer needs to preheat for 3-minutes. Confirm with your manual on whether your air fryer needs to preheat.
- Too Much Oil. Air fryers don’t need much oil in order to get crispy sides. Only brush one side with oil and do a small amount.
- Too Much Tortilla. Don’t overcrowd your air fryer - the open area is what helps the tortillas get crispy on all sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store air fryer tortilla chips in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for 4-5 days.
Yes! You can use any kind of tortilla for homemade tortilla chips. Corn tortillas result in the crispiest chips.
If you use gluten free tortillas then it will be gluten free!
Store tortilla chips in an airtight ziplock bag and make sure to remove as much air as possible.
Other Side Dishes You May Also Like
What Do You Serve with Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
📖 Recipe
Chili Lime Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
Equipment
- Pastry, BBQ or Silicone Brush
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 5 Corn Tortillas
- 2 TBSP Olive Oil
- 2 TSP Chili Lime Seasoning
Instructions
- Mix olive oil and chili lime seasoning in a small bowl.
- Using a brush or spoon, spread oil-chili lime seasoning evenly on one side of corn tortilla.
- Repeat with all corn tortillas. Make sure oil mixture is spread thinly across corn tortilla, almost to the edge.
- Cut corn tortillas in half and then into one-half again for a larger chip, or into one-third for smaller chips.
- Preheat air fryer to 390ºF for 3 minutes.
- Place pieces of one cut tortilla in the fryer (4-6 chips depending how large you cut the chips).
- Close air fryer and set air fry for 3 minutes at 390ºF.
- Pause the air at 1.5 minutes and shake the basket.
- Place air fryer back and air fry for final 1.5 minutes.
- Remove corn tortilla chips and repeat with the next batch until complete.