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    Home » Family Style Dinners

    Fried Tortilla Strips

    Published: Jul 24, 2020 » Modified: Sep 29, 2022 » By: Kylie » This post may contain affiliate links. » 2 Comments

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    These Homemade Fried Tortilla Strips take just 10 minutes to make from start to finish and are the perfect crunchy accompaniment to your favorite soups and salads! They only require 3 ingredients - corn tortillas, vegetable oil, and salt - and are tastier than any store-bought version!

    White bowl filled with corn chowder topped with Cotija cheese and tortilla strips
    Table of Contents show
    You'll Love These
    Instructions
    Tips for Frying
    How to Know They're Done
    Storing Tortilla Strips
    Frying Tortilla Chips
    Recipe
    Fried Tortilla Strips

    You'll Love These

    • They are almost too good. You've all seen that meme making it's way around the internet, "You never realize how little self-control you have until you're sitting in front of unlimited chips and salsa." That logic definitely applies here. You can't have just one. I mean obviously because they're tiny. But you probably can't just have one HANDFUL either! Luckily, you know exactly what's in these little strips of deliciousness, so you can eat to your heart's content!
    • I make these tortilla strips at least once a week and I'm pretty sure that you will too as soon as you see how quick, easy, and delicious they are. They are the perfect crunchy, salty addition to any of your family's favorite dishes including Vegan Chickpea Chili, Vegan Lentil Tortilla Soup, Shredded Short Rib Chili, or Black Bean & Corn Stuff Shells.
    • They are SO simple. They've got just three ingredients - corn tortillas, oil, and salt - and they take just a few minutes to fry up perfectly crisp. I've always got leftover corn tortillas in the back of the fridge from making Easy Vegetarian Enchiladas, Chicken Street Tacos, or Blackened Salmon Tacos so I know that I can throw these tortilla strips together at a moment's notice.
    White paper towel lined plate with homemade fried tortilla strips on it

    Instructions

    Add oil to a 9 inch cast iron skillet (or similar sized pan) over medium heat. Slice tortillas in half.

    Small cutting board with corn tortillas cut in half

    Then slice them into ½" strips.

    Small cutting board with sliced corn tortillas on it

    Fry them for about 3-5 minutes, stirring every minute or so until they are golden brown and crisp.

    Cast iron pan with tortilla strips frying in oil

    Use a slotted metal spoon to remove tortilla strips from the pan and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately sprinkle the tortilla strips with a moderate amount of Kosher salt.

    White paper towel lined plate with homemade fried tortilla strips on it

    Serve with your family's favorite meals (like One Pot Mexican Mac & Cheese) and enjoy!

    Tips for Frying

    • To test and see if the oil is hot enough, carefully add a small drop of water to the cast iron skillet of oil. If it sputters and sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. You will also notice that when you add the tortilla strips, the oil sizzles a lot - this is a good sign!
    • A slotted metal spoon works best for removing tortilla strips from the pan. This is my favorite - it's got a nice long handle so you can keep your hand far away from the hot oil.
    • As you continue cooking the batches of tortilla strips, add more layers of paper towel to the plate. You can just layer the cooked tortilla strips and paper towels on top of each other while you're cooking. This will ensure that each batch of tortilla strips has a fresh layer of paper towel to soak up any excess grease.

    How to Know They're Done

    • It can be hard to tell when the tortilla strips are done. One good indicator is that the oil will stop bubbling as much. It will still bubble a bit, but once the tortilla strips are crispy, you'll notice a distinct reduction in bubbles and sizzling.
    • Another good way to test is to use a metal spoon to remove one of the tortilla strips, place it on the paper towel-lined plate and allow it to cool enough to eat. Then give it a taste to see if it's crunchy or still slightly soft.
    • The corn tortilla strips will also turn slightly darker in color as they cook which is another good indication that they are done!
    White bowl filled with corn chowder topped with Cotija cheese and tortilla strips

    Storing Tortilla Strips

    • Homemade tortilla strips are best enjoyed fresh, right after cooking. However, they will stay pretty fresh in an airtight container for about 24 hours.
    • Let them cool completely on a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet. I would let them cool for at least an hour or two. Then transfer to an airtight container and store on your counter for about a day.
    • After a day they will become stale and the flavor just won't be as great. You can always tell at a restaurant when you've gotten older tortilla chips because the flavor and crunch just aren't as good as freshly made tortilla chips.

    Frying Tortilla Chips

    • This recipe can easily be adapted to make tortilla chips instead of strips. Just cut the tortillas in half and then cut each half into 4-5 triangles.
    • Plan to cook the tortilla triangles in 3-4 batches as well and you'll likely have to add an extra minute or two of cooking time.
    Print

    Recipe

    Fried Tortilla Strips

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    These fried tortilla strips take just 10 minutes to make from start to finish and are the perfect crunchy accompaniment to your favorite soups and salads! They only require 3 ingredients - corn tortillas, vegetable oil, and salt - and are tastier than any store-bought version!

    • Author: Kylie
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 5 minutes
    • Total Time: 10 minutes
    • Yield: 10 servings 1x
    • Category: Side Dish
    • Method: Stove Top
    • Cuisine: Mexican/American

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 10 corn tortillas
    • 2 cups vegetable oil
    • Kosher salt

    Instructions

    1. Add oil to a 9 inch cast iron skillet (or similar sized pan) over medium heat.
    2. Slice tortillas in half and then into ½" strips.
    3. Cook the tortilla strips in 3-4 batches. Once the oil is hot, add a couple handfuls of the tortilla strips to the pan.
    4. Fry them for about 3-5 minutes, stirring every minute or so until they are golden brown and crisp.
    5. Use a slotted metal spoon to remove tortilla strips from the pan and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately sprinkle with a moderate amount of Kosher salt. 
    6. Continue with the remaining 2-3 batches of tortilla strips, frying them in the oil and transferring to a paper towel-lined plate.
    7. Serve with your family's favorite meals and enjoy!

    Notes

    To test and see if the oil is hot enough, carefully add a small drop of water to the cast iron skillet of oil. If it sputters and sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. You will also notice that when you add the tortilla strips, the oil sizzles a lot - this is a good sign!

    A slotted metal spoon works best for removing tortilla strips from the pan. This is my favorite - it's got a nice long handle so you can keep your hand far away from the hot oil.

    As you continue cooking the batches of tortilla strips, add more layers of paper towel to the plate. You can just layer the cooked tortilla strips and paper towels on top of each other while you're cooking. This will ensure that each batch of tortilla strips has a fresh layer of paper towel to soak up any excess grease.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 97
    • Sugar: 0.2 g
    • Sodium: 136.8 mg
    • Fat: 4.9 g
    • Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
    • Trans Fat:
    • Carbohydrates: 12.7 g
    • Fiber: 1.8 g
    • Protein: 1.6 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Keywords: tortilla soup chips, tortilla strips for salad, fried tortilla chips

    « Vegan White Chickpea Chili
    Mexican Street Corn Soup »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lissa

      December 30, 2020 at 8:59 am

      Vegan chickpea chili is an amazing recipe! This coming from someone who makes a lot of chili! Thank you.

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        December 30, 2020 at 11:15 am

        As a fellow chili LOVER, I must agree! That chickpea chili is one of my favorites!! 🙂

        Reply

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    HELLO FROM THE MIDWEST - I'm Kylie and as a mom and blogger, I understand how hard it can be to get a wholesome dinner on the table at the end of a long day. Here at Midwest Foodie, I focus on sharing simple recipes that make it easy to feed your family real food.

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