Oil-Free Tortilla Chips

These oil-free tortilla chips have all the crunch of traditional tortilla chips, with a fraction of the fat. They only taste indulgent!

I love sweets, but there's no way I can deny the fact that tortilla chips have always been my kryptonite.

Salty, crunchy, perfect for dipping into refried beans, or homemade salsa, or avocado lime ranch dressing (it's like a creamy guacamole!).

Piled high and smothered with vegan nacho cheese.

I really, really love tortilla chips. Like, so much, I think my next tattoo should probably be tortilla chips.

Yes, really.

Now that I'm doing my best to be more calorie-conscious, I have to stop bringing home a bag or two of greasy, fried, store-bought tortilla chips every time I leave the house.

(Yes, it really got to that point. My name is Amber and I'm a tortilla chip addict.)

Wait, are tortilla chips vegan?

In general, yes. Most commercially-made tortilla chips are fried in vegetable oil (sunflower, safflower, canola, etc.). Unless they're fried in lard or another animal-derived fat 🤢, or contain flavoring that uses dairy, tortilla chips are usually vegan.

But remember, just because something is vegan doesn't mean it's good for you. I mean, Oreos are technically vegan, and we probably all know those would never be considered a health food.

Three servings (84g) of store-bought Tostitos tortilla chips has 420 calories and 21g fat. We're using three servings because no one actually eats one serving. At least not in my world. Three is, like, the bare minimum.

The entire batch (84g) of these homemade oil-free tortilla chips contains 351 calories and 11g fat. And that's if you use all the tahini mixture, which you probably won't. (I also don't recommend eating the entire batch in one sitting, but it happens. Maybe more than once, when you're testing the recipe over, and over, and over. Oops.)

By making these healthy baked oil-free chips, we're cutting the fat nearly in half and avoiding super processed, void-of-any-nutrition oil. (Which is still a win, even if you do accidentally eat the whole batch.)

Hello crispy, crunchy, salty, satisfying, oil-free (guilt-free!) tortilla chips.

Ingredients

You will need:

• Corn tortillas (try to find tortillas without added oil or preservatives)
• Tahini to add a small amount of fat and help the tortilla chips get extra crispy
• Water to thin the tahini and make it easy to brush onto the tortillas
• Salt, if you love a salty chip like I do (optional)

See the recipe card at the end of this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Instructions

First, preheat your oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the tahini and water, stirring until it's smooth and creamy.

Brush the tahini mixture on one side of the first tortilla.

Flip the tortilla over and brush the tahini mix on the other side.

Cut the tortilla into six equal triangles.

Arrange the tortillas on the pan in a single layer. Repeat the brushing and cutting steps one tortilla at a time, before placing the cut pieces on the baking sheet with the rest of the soon-to-be chips.

Sprinkle the triangles with salt. We're baking them low and slow to get a nice, even crispiness and avoid sad, undercooked, chewy chips. Bake them for 15 minutes, flip them, and bake them for another 15-20 minutes. They should be a beautiful golden color when they're done.

Enjoy your crispy, salty, not-terrible-for-you tortilla chips!

Helpful Tip: Don't try to rush the brushing and cutting process. I tested a couple versions of this recipe where I stacked the tortillas after brushing them and cut them all at the same time. When I tried to peel the layers of triangles apart to place them on the baking sheet, they stuck together and fell apart. Be patient and prepare your tortillas one at a time. It will be worth it in the end!

Variations

If you like your tortilla chips with a hint of lime, you can reduce the amount of water used for the tahini mixture by one teaspoon and add one teaspoon lime juice.

For a spicy version, stir ¼ teaspoon of chili powder into the tahini mixture.

Equipment

An inexpensive pastry brush comes in very handy for brushing the tahini mixture onto the tortillas. If you don't have one, try dipping the back of a spoon into the tahini mixture and using that to spread it onto the tortilla.

I used a light-colored half-sized sheet pan for these chips. If you use a darker baking sheet, your chips might cook faster than the times I've suggested. Check your chips frequently to make sure they don't get too dark.

Storage

These oil-free tortilla chips will stay good for a week or more if stored in an air tight container. If they start to get stale, just pop them in a preheated 325°F oven for 1-2 minutes to crisp them back up.

Oil-Free Tortilla Chips

Amber Asakura

These oil-free tortilla chips have all the crunch of traditional tortilla chips, with a fraction of the fat.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American, Mexican-inspired

Diet gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, vegan, wfpb

Servings 3 servings

Equipment

• Pastry brush
• Baking sheet

Ingredients

 

VolumeWeight

 

1x2x3x

• 1 Tablespoon tahini
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 5 corn tortillas (look for tortillas without added oil or preservatives, or use sprouted corn tortillas)
• ¼ teaspoon salt (optional)

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 300°F and line a large light-colored baking sheet (13" x 18") with parchment paper. See notes if your baking sheet is smaller or darker-colored.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the water and tahini. It will look separated at first, but keep stirring until it’s smooth and creamy. If it’s too thin, add additional tahini half a teaspoon at a time until it thickens up just enough to not be watery.
• Use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to spread a thin layer of tahini mix on one tortilla.
• Flip the tortilla over and spread tahini mix on the other side.
• Cut the tortilla into six equal pieces and place the triangles on the parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer, leaving a tiny bit of space between each one.
• Repeat with the remaining four tortillas. (If you have tahini mix left over, you can start the brushing and cutting process over with a couple more tortillas after you take the first pan of chips out of the oven. Otherwise, discard the leftover mix.)
• Once all tortilla triangles are on the baking sheet, sprinkle them with salt (if using) and place them in the oven.
• Bake the chips for 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven, flip each chip over, and return them to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, until the chips are lightly golden brown.
• Store the chips in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

If your baking sheet is smaller than 13" x 18", only prepare enough chips to fit on the sheet at one time. Once the first batch comes out of the oven, start the process on the second batch. If you brush the tahini mixture on the tortillas and let them sit for too long, they will get soggy and start to disintegrate.

If you're using a darker-colored baking sheet, your chips might cook faster. Check them frequently during the last 10 minutes of baking to make sure they don't overcook.

The regular corn tortillas I used in this recipe work perfectly fine, but these sprouted corn tortillas are my favorite, on the rare chance I can find them in stock near me.

One serving is 10 chips.

Nutrition

Calories: 117kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 214mgPotassium: 97mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg

Keyword gluten free, oil free, tortilla chips, vegan, wfpb, whole food plant based

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and let us know how it was!