Seed-Oil-Free Tortilla Chips Fried in Lard

Shop-bought tortilla chips are almost always fried in seed oils. The fix is simple: cut tortillas into wedges and fry them in lard until golden and crisp. Ten minutes of frying gives you a bowl of proper chips with a clean ingredient list, and the leftover lard goes back in the jar for next time.

This is the classic totopo method — corn tortillas, hot fat, salt — with a flour-tortilla option if you already make our lard flour tortillas.

Makes: about 48 chips (from 8 corn tortillas) · Serves: 4 as a snack · Prep: 10 minutes · Cook: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 corn tortillas (about 15 cm / 6 inches), or 6 flour tortillas made with lard
• About 400g leaf lard or rendered pork fat, for frying (you will not use it all)
• Fine sea salt, to taste
• Optional seasonings: a pinch of smoked paprika, chilli powder or garlic powder

Method

1. If the tortillas are soft and pliable from the packet, leave them on a wire rack for 20–30 minutes so they dry slightly. Slightly stale tortillas fry crisper and take up less fat.
2. Stack the tortillas and cut each stack into 6 wedges (like a pizza). Keep the wedges in a single layer so they do not stick.
3. Put the lard in a heavy, deep pan or Dutch oven. You want 3–4 cm of melted fat. Clip on a thermometer and heat over a medium heat to 175–180°C (350–360°F).
4. Fry a small handful of wedges at a time — overcrowding drops the temperature and makes greasy chips. Stir gently with a slotted spoon so they colour evenly. They take 60–90 seconds and are done when they are deep golden and the bubbling has slowed.
5. Lift them onto a tray lined with kitchen paper. Salt them while they are still hot so the crystals stick. Toss with any optional seasoning.
6. Bring the fat back to 175–180°C between batches. When everything is fried, let the chips cool for 5 minutes; they crisp further as they sit.
7. Strain the cooled lard through a fine sieve into a clean jar and keep it in the fridge for the next fry. Discard it only when it smells off or has darkened heavily.

Tips

• Dry the tortillas a little before frying. Soft, damp tortillas steam and stay chewy.
• Keep the fat at 175–180°C. A clip-on thermometer on a Dutch oven makes this easy; our deep-frying in tallow guide covers the same temperature discipline for a different fat.
• Salt in the first 30 seconds out of the fat, while the surface is still slightly tacky.
• Read corn-tortilla labels. Many brands list canola or "vegetable oil". Look for masa harina, water, lime and salt only — or make your own.
• Same technique, different snack: our tallow-fried fries use a double fry in beef tallow.

Background reading: Wikipedia's tortilla chip page covers the history of totopos and mass-produced chips.

FAQ

Can I use flour tortillas?

Yes. Homemade lard flour tortillas make a softer, puffier chip that is excellent with dips. Corn tortillas give the classic shatteringly crisp totopo. Check shop-bought tortillas for canola, sunflower or "vegetable oil" in the ingredients and skip those.

Why fry in lard rather than oil?

Lard is the traditional fat for frying corn tortillas into chips in Mexican cooking, and it is one of the fats we cook with on this site (butter, ghee, tallow, lard, coconut and olive). Its smoke point sits around 190°C (370°F), so 175–180°C is a comfortable frying range. See our what is lard guide and best fat for frying without seed oils.

Do I need a thermometer?

It helps a lot. Too cool and the chips soak up fat; too hot and they brown before the centre dries. An instant-read or clip-on thermometer keeps you in the 175–180°C window. If you do not have one, drop in a test wedge: it should sizzle hard at once and colour in about a minute.

Can I bake them instead?

Yes, for a lighter chip. Brush both sides lightly with melted lard, cut into wedges, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 190°C (170°C fan, 375°F) for 10–14 minutes, turning once, until golden. They will not be quite as blistered as fried chips.

How long do they keep?

In an airtight tin at room temperature they stay crisp for 3–4 days. If they soften, 5 minutes in a 160°C (140°C fan, 325°F) oven brings them back.

What should I serve them with?

Guacamole, salsa, a bean dip, or alongside tacos. They also work in a lunch box with a small pot of dip — see our seed-oil-free kids' lunch ideas.

More ideas: seed-oil-free snacks · what is lard · best fat for frying without seed oils · kids' lunch ideas.

Part of: Seed-Oil-Free Recipes · Shop the pantry →