Totopos are delightful, crispy, and addictive Mexican corn chips super versatile and simple to make. You can serve them with a variety of sauces and dips or season them with spices.
Totopos is a basic Mexican recipe consisting of deep-fried or baked triangles of corn tortillas. They are known outside of Mexico as tortilla chips or nachos.
Those crispy chips are widely used in Mexican cuisine, either as a base for Sopa Azteca and chilaquiles or as an appetizer along with salsas and dips in many restaurants.
Mexican totopos are traditionally made of nixtamalized corn tortillas, usually old and stale as those become sturdy and are best for holding up salsas and dips.
The ancient pre-Hispanic cultures of the region of Oaxaca and Chiapas were the first ones to make triangles out of the corn tortilla disc and toast them in a clay oven called comixcal.
In Oaxaca and Chiapas, the recipe is still made in the simple but traditional way by just leaving the tortillas toast on a comal or in a clay oven. They are often made of blue corn tortillas.
Ingredients
- TORTILLAS: Preferably use stale corn tortillas.
- OIL: Use a type of vegetable oil for frying, like sunflower oil, corn, or canola.
- SEASONING: For plain totopo chips use only salt, any type you prefer.
How To Make Totopos Chips
Cut the tortillas
Pile 3-4 corn tortillas on a cutting board and cut them into 6 wedges (like a pie). You can cut them into any shape you like such as triangles, strips, squares, small circles, and diamond shapes as well.
Stale the tortillas
Option 1: Spread the tortilla triangles onto a single layer on a countertop or table. Allow them to dry for a few hours. You can also cover them with a clean kitchen towel and leave them there overnight.
Option 2: Place tortilla triangles on a baking sheet or plate, try to separate them a bit so they won’t stick to each other, and create moisture. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for at least one hour then proceed with the recipe.
Top Tip: Stale tortillas will yield sturdy totopo chips, so don’t skip this step.
How To Fry Them
There are a few things you need to know about frying homemade totopitos chips:
Use plenty of oil: If you want those tortilla chips to be crispy and evenly golden you will need enough oil. Just enough for the tortillas to be well covered.
Oil should be about 340°F (170°C), if you don’t have a cooking thermometer just make sure the oil won’t smoke because that means it is too hot.
Fry in small batches: Don’t overcrowd the pan, if it’s your first time making tortilla chips, you might want to use a small pan and work in small batches until you feel confident with the recipe.
Don’t forget to flip them: They need to cook on both sides, so flip them a couple of times to allow them to fry evenly on both sides.
Remove them at once: Use a spider strainer to remove all chips at once, Depending on the temperature and the thickness of the tortilla, it will take from 40 seconds to 1 minute for them to be ready.
As you take them out of the oil, place them onto a paper-lined plate to absorb excess oil, then sprinkle with salt and enjoy.
How To Bake Tortilla Chips
So, if you want to enjoy those Mexican corn chips but cut down the calories, here are two options that use very little oil and therefore are healthier:
- Baking: Place the uncooked tortillas on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 375ºF (190ºC). You can use cooking spray or olive oil to lightly brush them. Then bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and crispy.
- Air frying: Lightly spray the tortilla triangles with cooking spray on both sides. Add them to the air fryer basket without overlapping them. Cook for 3 minutes at 350°F (176°C), then flip them and keep cooking for 2-3 minutes more or until nicely gold and crispy.
Expert Notes
- Choose the right tortillas: Use corn tortillas to make your totopo chips. Flour tortillas won’t be as crunchy.
- Cut the tortillas: Cut the tortillas into triangles or strips using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. Make sure the pieces are all roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: Fry the tortilla chips in small batches so they will get evenly golden brown.
- Season the chips: While the corn tortilla chips are still warm, sprinkle them with salt or any other seasonings you like, such as chili powder, garlic powder, or cumin. You can also brush them with lime juice or sprinkle them with grated cheese for extra flavor.
Recipe Variations
If you wanna enjoy these crispy bites as they are, you might want to add some flavor. Here is what we recommend:
- Salt. The most common choice, just as they come out of the oil, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt.
- Spicy. Add a pinch of your favorite chili blend powder, for a smoky taste, we recommend chipotle or guajillo powder.
- Garlic. You can either fry 3-4 garlic cloves with the skin on in the same oil where you are frying the chips, or you can add a pinch of garlic powder once they are done.
- Herbs. Oregano, thyme, marjoram, or even basil.
How To Eat
You can eat these just like you eat tortilla chips or nachos. Here are a few ideas of what to serve with:
- Guacamole: Guacamole and totopos chips are a perfect combination. It is the perfect pairing for the most loved Mexican dip.
- Soup: Serve them with sopa de verduras or any of your favorite soups, just as you do with croutons.
- Loaded totopos: Load these with Bolognese sauce, top with cheese, and enjoy.
- Salsas: Try them with molcajete salsa, tomatillo red salsa or this delicious cilantro lime crema.
- Dips: You can serve these with creamy dips of your choice. For example this creamy tuna dip, or this delicious smoked queso.
- Salads: Use them to scoop up this Mexican ceviche or this mango pico de gallo.
Note: Make a large batch of those tortilla chips and store them to make chilaquiles verdes any day of the week!
How To Store
Allow the chips to cool down, then place them in an air-tight container or a resaleable bag and store them at room temperature.
These are the perfect snacks that stay on your kitchen counter or in the cabinets crispy and crunchy for up to 6-7 days.
FAQ
What is Totopos in Mexico?
In Mexico, totopos are a type of snack food made from deep-fried or baked corn tortillas that have been cut into quarters or triangles. They are a popular and traditional food in Mexican cuisine and are commonly served as an appetizer or snack, often accompanied by salsa, guacamole, or other dips.
How to pronounce totopos?
Totopos is pronounced as “toh-toh-pohs” with the stress on the second syllable “toh-TOH-pohs”.
What totopos means in Spanish?
The word totopo comes from a combination of the Nahuatl words totopochtli and tlaxcaltotopochtli those two words combined translate into “to crunch/toast” and “toasted tortilla” which is an interpretation of “a tortilla that makes noise when chewed”.
More Crispy Tortilla Recipes
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Mexican Totopos Chips
Equipment
- 1 frying pan
Ingredients
- 16 corn tortillas
- oil for frying (as needed)
- salt (optional)
Instructions
- Make batches of 4 tortillas piled and cut them into 6 wedges, like a pie.
- Line a baking tray with 2 or 3 layers of kitchen paper towels and set aside.
- Heat a good glug of vegetable oil in a medium frying pan (about 340°F/170°C).
- Carefully, add a batch of tortilla wedges into the oil making sure they're all in a single layer and immersed in the oil.
- Fry for about 1 minute, flipping once or two times to allow the chips to fry evenly.
- Remove with a spider strainer and place onto the tray lined with paper towels.
- Repeat until all tortilla wedges are used.
- To serve them with salsa & guacamole season them with a pinch of salt or leave them plain if you intend to use the chips for other recipes.
Notes
- Baking: Place the uncooked totopos on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 375ºF (190ºC). You can use cooking spray or olive oil to lightly brush them. Then bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and crispy.
- Air frying: Lightly spray the tortilla triangles with cooking spray on both sides. Add them to the air fryer basket without overlapping them. Cook for 3 minutes at 350°F (176°C), then flip them and keep cooking for 2-3 minutes more or until nicely gold and crispy.
I didn’t know corn chips have such an amazing background history and I didn’t know they were called totopos, thank you so much for the informative post and recipe.