Fried Tortilla Strips

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!

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 or Shredded Short Rib Chili.
• 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.

Instructions

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

Then slice them into 1/2″ strips.

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

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.

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!

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.

Try these easy soup recipes next!