It's Actually Really Simple to Make Fritos, Doritos, & Tostitos at Home

Chips are one of the most overpriced snacks on the market, and they're wildly unhealthy... even though they don't need to be.

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But here's the good news: you can buy a pack of small corn tortillas, which usually comes with 80 tortillas, for the same price as a bag of chips. And with those tortillas, you can make a lot of chips—in three different Frito-Lay styles—very easily.

1. Hot Garlic Fritos

Fritos, especially the chili cheese variety, are a crowd favorite. I'm partial to a spicy garlic flavor, which isn't available commercially, so I love making this homemade version when I'm hungry for a snack.

To make Fritos, start by cutting tortillas into small strips. It's easiest to do this with a pizza cutter, but if you don't have one, a knife works just fine. Cut each tortilla into thirds horizontally, then into narrow strips vertically. Each tortilla makes around 20 or so strips; if you prefer a snack-sized amount, each snack bag contains 2 oz./60 chips, so 3 tortillas per person would be a good estimate.

After the tortillas have been cut, toss them in a small amount of oil (vegetable or olive oil is fine) and spread them in a single layer across a baking sheet.

Bake the tortilla strips for 10-15 minutes at 375°F until they turn a light golden color and become crispy. Keep a close eye on them, as they can burn quickly.

While they're in the oven, make a spice mixture, using two parts salt, two parts garlic powder, one part chili powder, and one part smoked paprika.

After the Fritos are done baking, drizzle a little oil on them, and toss them in the spice mixture until they're well coated. In my opinion, these are much better than the Fritos you get in the store.

Spicy Nacho Doritos

Fritos are tasty, but Doritos are definitely on the next level of savory. They're amazing as a taco shell, but I like to snack on the homemade chips, especially because I can adjust the seasoning to my preference.

To make homemade Doritos, stack your tortillas and cut them into six wedges, like you would a pizza. I used 4 tortillas, or 24 chips, which is the equivalent of a 2 oz. snack-size bag.

Next, lay the wedges on a baking sheet in a single layer, and rub a little oil on both sides of each chip.

Place the baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 12-18 minutes, until the chips are crisp but not burnt. While they are in the oven, remove a cheese packet from a box of mac and cheese and empty it into a bowl. Add a teaspoon of salt and some cayenne powder (as little as a pinch or as much as a tablespoon, depending on how spicy you like your chips).

As soon as the chips are done baking, toss them in the spicy cheese mixture until they are heavily coated, and then devour... with a lot less guilt. (You can use your leftover mac and cheese noodles for another pasta dish of your choosing, or for homemade mac and cheese.)

Tostitos, or Tortilla Chips

Making basic tortilla chips couldn't be easier—dip them in salsa or guacamole, enjoy them with eggs... whichever way you decide to eat them, they're way better than the Tostitos or Mission brands you'll find in stores.

Cut the tortillas into six wedges, as described in the Doritos recipe; make as many as you'd like.

Lightly coat both sides with olive oil, place on a baking sheet, and bake in a 400ºF oven for 10-12 minutes, until the chips are a light brown color.

Sprinkle a small pinch of salt on them, and enjoy. If you can't finish them all in one sitting, place the tortilla chips in an airtight bag for up to a week.

All three of these recipes are quick, easy, and much more cheap and healthy than their store bought counterparts. They're the perfect snack hack for your cravings, and I hope you give them a try.

Let us know in the comments if you've tried any of these hacks, or if you've got other snack hacks to share with us.

Even More Chips Hacks:

• 5 Ways to Make Plain Potato Chips Taste More Like Gourmet
• 5 Delicious Ways to Reinvent Your Stale Potato Chips
• 3 Easy Methods for Making Gourmet Chips at Home
• 7 Life-Changing Hacks for How You Eat Potato Chips & Bagged Snacks
• The Dead-Simple Trick to Getting Chips Out of a Pringles Can

Photos by Brady Klopfer/Food Hacks