Placing a bag of tortilla chips and some dips on the counter provides handy nibbles for a few friends with drinks, or just add cheese and jalapenos to make some giant platters of nachos for game night. The tortilla chip’s simplicity may be one of the reasons why its sales are expanding faster than potato chips.
Original tortilla chips were always composed of maize, but today’s tortilla chips are available for a variety of diets, including greater fiber, reduced salt, gluten free, and lower fat. To help you find the greatest taste for your salsas, we examine some of the best tortilla chips on the market. We also look at the nutritional value of tortilla chips and provide some suggestions on how to use up those broken parts!
Best Selection
The white maize Tostitos Original Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips (18 oz) are our top choice for larger-sized all-purpose nachos.
Budget Selection
Our budget selection for USDA organic salted tortilla chips is the 365 Everyday Value organic white corn tortilla chips (12 oz).
Contents
- Quick Comparison: Top 10 Best Tortilla Chips
- 1. Tostitos Original Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips
- 2. 365 Everyday Value Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips
- 3. Garden of Eatin’ Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
- 4. Siete, Sea Salt Tortilla Chips
- 5. Donkey Authentic Tortilla Chips
- 6. Garden of Eatin’ Red Hot Blues Corn Tortilla Chips
- 7. Julio’s Seasoned Corn Tortilla Chips
- 8. Food Should Taste Good, Tortilla Chips
- 9. Tostitos Oven Baked Tortilla Chips
- 10. Lay’s Santitas White Corn Tortilla Chips
- Considerations When Purchasing Tortilla Chips
- Conclusion
Quick Comparison: Top 10 Best Tortilla Chips
| Product Name | Grade |
|---|---|
| Tostitos Original Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips | A+ |
| 365 Everyday Value Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips | A+ |
| Garden of Eatin’ Blue Corn Tortilla Chips | A |
| Siete, Sea Salt Tortilla Chips | B+ |
| Donkey Authentic Tortilla Chips | A |
| Garden of Eatin’ Red Hot Blues Corn Tortilla Chips | B+ |
| Julio’s Seasoned Corn Tortilla Chips | A |
| Food Should Taste Good, Tortilla Chips | A- |
| Tostitos Oven Baked Tortilla Chips | B+ |
| Lay’s Santitas White Corn Tortilla Chips | A |
1. Tostitos Original Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips
Highlighted Characteristics
Tostitos Original Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips (18 oz) are a typical tortilla chip produced with white maize that is great for dipping or nachos. Some people think these tortilla chips are a touch too salty, and they may be a little thin and prone to breaking when dipped into chunkier salsas.
Pros
Cons
2. 365 Everyday Value Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips
Highlighted Characteristics
The 365 Everyday Value organic white corn tortilla chips (12 oz) have a typical salted taste made with actual stone ground corn. These tortilla chips are USDA certified organic.
Pros
Cons
3. Garden of Eatin’ Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
Highlighted Characteristics
The Garden of Eatin blue corn tortilla chips (22 oz) are made from organic blue corn and are also Non-GMO Project Verified, kosher, and gluten free. They also do not include any artificial preservatives, flavors, colors, or hydrogenated oils. Some purchasers believe they lack taste, and since they are blue corn, they may be heavier than yellow or white corn, and they, like other chips, may be damaged during delivery if not wrapped properly.
Pros
Cons
4. Siete, Sea Salt Tortilla Chips
Highlighted Characteristics
Cassava flour, coconut flour, and avocado oil are used to make the Non-GMO Project Verified 12 pack Siete sea salt grain free tortilla chips (5 oz). These are grain free and verified gluten free, as well as devoid of soy and dairy, Paleo friendly, and vegan. These chips have a long shelf life and may be stored for up to five months before consumption.
Sadly, depending on how effectively they are wrapped, they may arrive smashed, and as gluten free tortilla chips, they may be substantially more expensive than ordinary chips.
Pros
Cons
5. Donkey Authentic Tortilla Chips
Highlighted Characteristics
Preservatives and trans fat are also absent from the gluten-free box of 12 Donkey genuine tortilla chips unsalted (14 oz). They are created in the United States from white corn. If you like salted, you will find them to have a more bland flavor; nevertheless, if you desire a reduced sodium diet, they are an excellent choice. There is also a chance that you could get these tortilla chips with shipping damage.
Pros
Cons
6. Garden of Eatin’ Red Hot Blues Corn Tortilla Chips
Highlighted Characteristics
The Garden of Eatin Red Hot Blues corn tortilla chips (16 oz) are produced with blue maize and seasoned with cayenne pepper. They are also certified organic, Non GMO Project Verified, gluten free, and kosher. They also do not include any artificial preservatives, flavors, or hydrogenated oils. These chips are thicker and firmer than conventional tortilla chips, and since they are hot, you may want to enjoy them with salsa or dip.
Pros
Cons
7. Julio’s Seasoned Corn Tortilla Chips
Highlighted Characteristics
The twin pack of Julios seasoned corn tortilla chips (19 oz) are yellow corn tortilla chips with a Tex-Mex style seasoning. There is a possibility that they may arrive damaged, like with any sensitive food. Several customers are also upset since these tortilla chips contain MSG. Since they are only accessible in specific states’ grocery shops, the remainder of the Nation can only buy them online.
Pros
Cons
8. Food Should Taste Good, Tortilla Chips
Highlighted Characteristics
The gluten free 12-pack of Food Should Taste Good Brand black bean multigrain chips (5.5 oz) contains black beans, flax, sunflower, and sesame seeds, quinoa, and sea salt. They have no artificial preservatives or flavors.
They are reduced sodium chips with added fiber and no cholesterol. Non-GMO, kosher, and vegan options are also available. They have a distinct taste than ordinary tortilla chips and may not match as well with traditional dips and salsas, so you may need to explore with more adventurous dips.
Pros
Cons
9. Tostitos Oven Baked Tortilla Chips
Highlighted Characteristics
As compared to traditional fried corn tortilla chips, these whole corn Tostitos baked tortilla chips offer 50% less fat (6 grams per 2 oz serving). They are also devoid of gluten. Like with every tortilla chip, there is a chance of crushing during shipment, and although they are reduced fat, the salt level may be more than intended.
Pros
Cons
10. Lay’s Santitas White Corn Tortilla Chips
Highlighted Characteristics
Lays Santitas white corn tortilla chips (11 oz) are gluten free and salted, making them excellent for snacking or nachos. Like with any delicate item, there is a chance that they may arrive broken, and some people believe that they are a touch too salty. Some people believe they contain less salt than conventional tortilla chips and are thinner when used in chunkier dips.
Pros
Cons
Considerations When Purchasing Tortilla Chips
The Tortilla Chip’s Evolution
The Spaniards introduced the name tortilla or torta, which is Spanish meaning cake, to Mexico. When wheat came and the flour tortilla emerged, Mexicans used the term tortilla to designate their flat corn and flour cakes, which were always formed from crushed corn pulp.
There are many possible roots for how tortilla chips became popular in the United States, including the fact that they were first manufactured in the form of fried up leftover tortilla dough (tostados) in southern California in the 1900s.
Rebecca Webb Caranza, who co-owned a Mexican deli and tortilla factory in Los Angeles with her husband during the 1940s, is also credited with the mass manufacture of tortilla chips. When they added an automated tortilla machine to enhance productivity, they discovered that the number of malformed tortillas rose as well. Caranza decided to chop them up and cook them since they didn’t want to keep tossing them away.
These tort chips were first distributed to relatives and friends, but once news spread about the novel delicacy, the couple began selling penny bags of tortilla chips at their deli. The chips quickly spread throughout the state, and big manufacturers began to produce their own tortilla chips.
Frito-Lay soon created their own version of these tortilla chips, dubbed Doritos (Spanish for “little golden things”). While many purists do not consider Doritos to be authentic tortilla chips, the growing popularity of nachos prompted Frito-Lay to introduce its own tortilla chip, Tostitos.
Tortilla chips are becoming more popular, with sales now outpacing potato chips, despite the fact that potato chips remain the most popular snack in the United States.
How are Tortilla Chips Made?
Tortilla chips are traditionally prepared with yellow corn, white corn, wheat flour, or blue cornmeal. Tortilla chips made with various grains or even black beans are quite popular nowadays. In chip manufacturing, the raw material always influences the quality, color, and cooking characteristics of the final tortilla chips.
Conventional tortilla chip production has remained mostly unchanged throughout the years. To remove the husk of the corn, it is roasted in pots over a fire and then soaked for 8 to 16 hours in a food-grade quicklime and water solution. The quicklime is essential because it acts as an antimicrobial and contributes scent, taste, and color to the chips.
The liquid (nejayote) is drained off after cooking, and the solids (nixtamal) are dried and processed into coarse corn flour (masa) using hand grinders or stones. The masa is formed into thin disks by hand or in a press and cooked on a heated griddle or, in contemporary factories, a gas oven.
Alternatively, seasonings. After the tortilla chips have cooled and lost some of their moisture, they are ready to be fried. The amount of time and temperature required for frying varies on the variety of corn used, although most are cooked for 90 seconds or fewer. When the tortilla chips have been cooked, they are sprayed with salt and pepper.
To prevent the tortilla chips from losing their crispiness, they are quickly bagged after cooling.
Corn Tortilla Chips and Corn Chips
Corn chips are created from maize meal that has been formed into a certain shape, such as Fritos. Corn tortilla chips must go through the conventional nixtamalization process, which involves the use of quicklime.
Nachos’ introduction
Ignacio Anaya, who was born in Piedra Negras, Mexico, developed nachos, or topped corn tortilla chips. When several guests came at the restaurant one day, he walked into the kitchen, sliced up some tortillas, and topped them with jalapenos and cheese since he didn’t have a cook. Nachos Especiales was the name he gave to this meal. Nachos should always have two main components: tortilla chips and cheese.
Tortilla Chips’ Nutritional Value
A 2 oz portion of classic corn tortilla chips with vegetable oil and salt has about 280 calories and 38.4 grams of carbohydrates. Starch accounts for 34.3 grams of these carbohydrates, with sugar accounting for around 1 gram. The rest is fiber, which accounts for around 10% of our daily fiber intake. If the corn chips are accompanied with a quarter cup of salsa, the fiber content rises to 17%.
This serving’s fat content accounts for about 111 of the 280 total calories. Since tortilla chips are typically cooked in unsaturated oil, this amount has just around 1.4 grams of saturated fat and no cholesterol.
While corn chips are salted, they are nevertheless fairly low in sodium, with a serving providing 7% of the recommended daily limit of 2,300 mg of sodium for healthy individuals.
If you wish to improve the protein level of corn chips, half a cup of refried beans with your corn chips would provide 23% or 19% of the daily necessary protein consumption for women and men, respectively. Blue corn, a maize variation rather than corn, has less carbohydrate and about 20% more protein than white corn tortillas.
Vitamins and minerals found in corn tortilla chips include manganese, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B6 and vitamin E.
Tortilla Chips With Cracked Shells
There are several methods to use up broken chips, whether they are the yummy pieces left at the bottom of the family bag or a bag that has been accidentally smashed. Why not make some Mexican or Tex-Mex morning dishes like migas or chilaquiles? Maybe put them in the bottom of the bowls before serving the chili?
Broken chips may be crushed further to form breadcrumbs, or they can be used as a topping for mac and cheese or casseroles. Another alternative is to make an easy nacho pot pie, or to add them to a green salad, as a soup topping, or to stuff hotdogs with them for added crunch.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that tortilla chips have only been available in the United States for a short time, they are already giving potato chips a run for their money. This article has discussed the evolution of tortilla chips, how they are created, and, perhaps most significantly, what you may do if you open a bag of tortilla chips and discover that they resemble breadcrumbs rather than chips.
Whether you like classic salted tortilla chips, chips that match your dietary restrictions, or chips that are a bit more exotic or hotter, we hope our evaluations of the finest tortilla chips have been useful in making your chips and dip pick.