Keto Tortilla Chips
Published May 2, 2022 • Updated March 11, 2026
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I make these at least once a week. Three ingredients, 10 minutes of frying, and you get crispy almond flour chips with those signature bubbles for only 1.6g net carbs.
Chips are the snack I miss most on keto. For a while, homemade pork rinds were my only crunchy option, and I went through a phase where I tried every crispy snack I could make. Keto Cheez-Its, cheese crisps, store-bought brands. All good in their own way, but none of them scratched the tortilla chip itch. So I built this recipe from scratch.
Three ingredients, 10 minutes, and you get a crispy low carb chip that holds up to serious dipping. I’ve loaded these with salsa, hummus, and piled them into full nacho plates, and the center didn’t buckle once.
These are the keto tortilla chips I spent years trying to crack. They fry up with those signature bubbles you see on Juanita’s, not the sad, flat, cheese-based crisps you get from fathead dough. Not cut-up store-bought tortillas that taste like fried flour. The almond flour and protein powder base gives you actual chip structure with real crunch.
I tested this recipe with whey protein powder and without. The version without? Flat, soft, bent when I picked it up. The protein powder is the ingredient that transforms this from a fragile almond flour cracker into a chip that actually crunches when you bite in. The whole recipe comes together in about a minute, rolls out thin between parchment paper, and fries in 10 minutes flat.
What makes these different
- No cheese in the dough. Fathead-style chips give you a puffy, flatbread texture that doesn’t crack or crunch like a real chip. This almond flour and protein powder base fries up thin and crispy with structural crunch you can hear across the room.
- No store-bought tortilla shortcuts. Those low carb tortillas everyone cuts up are flour-based and contain gluten. They taste like fried flour tortillas, not corn chips. I wanted that corn chip snap, and this is the recipe that finally delivers it.
THE KETOFOCUS FANS HAVE SPOKEN
“These are awesome! And if you want a lower calorie version just air fry them. They come out perfect! Just keep and eye on them. They cook fast.”
➤ from YouTube subscriber @nancyyaccarino2625
“I just made a batch of these. Oh I love them too much . I’ve made the ones with mozzarella and they are delish too but these are soooo good. Thank you for the 3 options too. I grow and dehydrate my seasonings and they all work well. The possibilities are endless. Thanks!!!”
➤ from YouTube subscriber @monav1423
How to make these chips
- Make the dough by combining almond flour, unflavored protein powder, xanthan gum, salt, and hot water. It comes together in about a minute.
- Roll it out between parchment paper as thin as you can get it without tearing. If you can almost see through the dough, you’re in the right spot.
- Cut into triangles with a pizza cutter or knife. Let the pieces sit for 5 to 10 minutes while you heat the oil.
- Fry in avocado oil at medium heat until golden brown with bubbles.
Key ingredients
- Almond flour is the base. It gives the chips substance, a slightly nutty flavor, and turns golden brown as it fries.
- Protein powder is what makes these chips actually crispy. I’ve had readers try to skip it or substitute collagen, and the result is a soft, bready chip with no crunch. Use unflavored whey isolate and don’t skip it.
- Xanthan gum holds the dough together for rolling and frying. I’ve had a reader test psyllium husk as a swap, and the dough fell apart on the parchment paper before it even hit the oil. If you’re sensitive to xanthan gum, try half the amount (still makes good chips, just slightly more fragile). An egg also works as a substitute.
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Ingredients
2/3 cup almond flour -
1 tablespoon unflavored protein powder
-
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
-
1/2 teaspoon salt
-
3 tablespoons hot water
-
1 dropperful corn extract, optional
-
avocado oil for frying
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make dough
In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, protein powder, xanthan gum and salt. Stir to combine. Pour in hot water and mix until dough forms.
Roll it out
Place dough in between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out in all directions (attempting to form a rectangle shape) until the dough is very thin. The thinner the dough, the crispier the chip. To easily keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper, carefully peel away the top parchment paper. Then replace and flip over. Then remove the new parchment paper on top. Now the dough will remove easily when you cut your shapes.
Cut into triangles
Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the dough into triangle shapes. Let the dough dry for several minutes – usually the time it takes to prep and heat the oil.
Fry in oil
In a large skillet add enough avocado oil to cover the dough as they fry. Heat oil to medium heat. Once hot, add a few triangles to the oil (enough to cover the surface) and fry until golden brown. You can flip the chips if desired or lightly press them individually into the oil with a metal spatula.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these with coconut flour?
I haven't tested coconut flour for this recipe. Coconut flour absorbs significantly more liquid than almond flour, so if you try it, start with about 2 1/2 tablespoons and add hot water a teaspoon at a time until the dough is pliable. The texture and flavor will be different since you lose the nutty taste that almond flour brings.
How many carbs are in tortilla chips?
A serving of Juanita's (13 chips) has 14g net carbs. My recipe gives you a full serving for only 1.6g net carbs, roughly 88% fewer carbs. I've put these side by side with regular chips at get-togethers and people grab them without asking.
Can I make these in the air fryer?
I designed these for a pan with avocado oil, but several readers have air fried them with great results. They cook faster and come out just as crispy. Watch them closely because they brown fast in the air fryer. I'd start checking at 4 minutes. You can also bake them at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway, but baked chips come out more cracker-like without those bubbles. The air fryer gets you closer to the fried version.
What oil is best for frying?
Avocado oil is my first choice because of the high smoke point and neutral flavor. I've used coconut oil and it works, but you get a slight coconut taste. You need enough oil to submerge the chips, about 1 to 2 inches in a small pot. I drop a tiny scrap of dough in first to test the temperature. If it browns in under 10 seconds, the oil is too hot. Back it down and wait a full minute before adding the batch.
Can I substitute the protein powder?
I've only tested unflavored whey isolate, and that's what I recommend. Reader Teri tried egg white protein powder and got a soft, bready result, more like a sopapilla than a chip. Reader VN used Vital Wheat Gluten with 2 extra tablespoons of water and said it worked well. Collagen powder doesn't produce crispy chips. I haven't tested soy or pea protein, so I can't vouch for those.
Can I use a tortilla press instead of rolling?
Yes, and I wish I'd tried it sooner. Multiple readers use a press between two sheets of parchment paper and say it's faster and more consistent than rolling by hand. Reader Marianne shapes the dough into small balls, presses them flat, cuts each round into quarters, and gets 32 chips that way. My freehand triangles are never that even.
Does psyllium husk work instead of xanthan gum?
No, and I wouldn't recommend trying. Reader ML tested psyllium husk and the dough wouldn't even peel off the parchment paper. Psyllium doesn't hold the dough together the way xanthan does once it hits hot oil. If xanthan gum bothers your stomach, I'd try using half the amount rather than swapping it out completely. Some readers have used an egg instead with good results.
How do I freeze these for later?
I freeze the cut, unfried triangles flat on a parchment-lined sheet until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag. They keep for about 2 months. Fry straight from frozen with no thawing, just add about 30 extra seconds to the fry time. I've also frozen fried chips and re-crisped them at 300F for 3 to 4 minutes, but the texture is noticeably better when you fry from raw.
Brought these to a get-together last weekend and set them out with salsa. Two people asked where I bought the chips. Pulled up the recipe on my phone and neither one believed it until I showed them the three-ingredient dough.
If you let the cut triangles rest 5 minutes before they hit the oil they puff way more and the bubbles are SO much bigger (tested two batches back to back, it's not nothing). Also went heavier on the salt post-fry and it brought out something in the almond flour I was not ready for.
Oh interesting on the rest time. Xanthan gum needs a beat after you cut through it before hot oil hits it - that tracks. And post-fry salt is just different from building it into the dough.
These are exactly what they promise, crispy and light with barely any carbs. Rolled mine too thick the first time and they stayed chewy instead of crisping up. Thinner than you think is the move.
The thick ones are basically just fried dough at that point. Totally different texture. Glad you caught it on your own.
I've tried probably every keto chip brand out there and the crunch is always off. These actually puff up and bubble when they fry, like a real tortilla chip. Nothing I've bought has ever done that.
Those bubbles are my favorite part. The xanthan gum hitting hot oil is what causes it, and you can't get that from anything pre-made.
Made these for game day and my teenager (the one who loudly announces he doesn't eat 'fake versions' of things) grabbed the bowl thinking it was regular tortilla chips, ate probably half of it, and then got suspicious and asked me where I bought them. When I told him they were keto and homemade he just stared at me and then kept eating. That was my moment, because he's not easily fooled and those bubbles that form in the oil, the way they look coming out, they actually look like the real thing. The almond flour dough came together so fast I kept second-guessing myself, but the crunch was real and stayed real through the whole salsa bowl. My one knock is the oil temperature, I went too hot on my first batch and they got dark before I could pull them, so go medium heat and give it a minute to settle. Four stars until I get the timing down, then probably five.
That teenager had no chance with those bubbles. On the oil temp - I drop a tiny scrap of dough in first. If it browns in under 10 seconds, it's too hot. Back it down and wait a full minute before adding the batch.
Weekly staple at this point. Roll them thinner than you think you should.
Yes! If you can almost see through the dough, you're in the right spot.
Made a batch for the playoff game. Gone in 20 minutes. Need to double next time.
Next batch I'd roll them thinner than you think you need to. That's when you get those bubbles and the real crunch.
The corn extract makes these. Tastes like actual corn chips.
Right?! The corn extract is one of those things that seems optional but it really does make a difference.
Can you substitute the protein powder for collagen powder?
Unfortunately, you can't substitute collagen powder for the whey isolate protein powder.
Very good! Easy, crunchy, and able to scoop up pico de gallo and guacamole. I use my tortilla press and two little parchment sheets to make small round chips. It's fast and it saves me the rolling and cutting. Bless you!
Tortilla press is such a smart call for these. Consistent thickness every time and way faster than cutting triangles. I'm stealing this.
These were good! They hit the spot.
I didn’t have any unflavored protein powder so i subbed in Vital Wheat Gluten and it worked perfectly. I did need to add like two extra tbs of water though I think. I cut them, sprayed with coconut oil and air fried them for like 5-6 minutes. Came out really good. Delicious delivery method for guacamole
VWG for the protein powder is a new one to me. Makes sense it works, both add structure. These are basically a guac delivery vehicle.
The very first keto recipe I ever tried for anything, that actually turned out crispy results. These are so much better and crispier that the ones I made with cheese. Thank you!!! I will definitely try more of your recipes now. By the way, I used coconut oil because I didn't have avocado oil. They still turned out crispy and beautiful, but I think they will be even tastier with avocado oil.
Coconut oil works, you just get a slight coconut taste in the chip. Avocado oil goes neutral so nothing competes with the corn flavor.
What a great recipe! I used Tajin to season the dough, then separated it into 4 balls. I don't have a tortilla press (yet) so I flattened each disk with a rolling pin, then with a pizza cutter rolled each disk into 8 triangles. One of our favorite dinners is carnitas nachos and let me tell you, these chips fit the bill...thanks for this awesome recipe 😋
Tajin in the dough is clever. That citrus-chili flavor with carnitas nachos actually makes a lot of sense.
Just made these for our KETO Cinco de Mayo dinner and the chips turned out delicious. Followed the recipe and made a few operational changes - shaped the dough into a small 1.5" diameter roll. Divided into 8 pieces, and used my tortilla press with parchment on both sides. Cut them in quarters with a pizza cutter and fried them up. 32 chips were perfectly crisp and awesomely delicious. Thank you for creating this recipe.
Tortilla press is such a smart call. Stealing it. My freehand triangles are never that even.
I made two batches today, one following the recipe, only I used egg white protein powder instead of whey protein powder because that's what I had. The second batch I replaced a quarter cup of almond flour with Lupine flour. Also experimented with some flavorings, sweet corn and corn bread. I preferred the lupine flour batch made with corn bread extract as far as flavor. Neither batch came out crispy, more bready, like a sopapilla, they puffed up and reminded me of that. I think they would be good drizzled with keto honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Would using a different protein powder cause them to not get crispy?. I was hoping egg white would be a fine substitute, so I don't have to buy another protein powder. Thanks
Yeah, I bet it was the egg white powder instead of the whey protein powder. Thanks for experiment though. I love sopapilla. Maybe that's a good replacement for that. I'll have to try it! Thanks!