Homemade Cool Ranch Tortilla Chips and Homemade Ranch Mix Recipe

So I don't like to admit this, but occasionally, I eat Doritos.

I KNOW. I know. They aren't exactly healthy... I mean... they are chips...

But they are SO good. And they taste really great with my Crockpot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, which I just so happened to be having for lunch yesterday. I didn't have any of the bagged stuff, so I decided I needed to make my own in a hurry.

Honestly the recipe I am about to give you ISN'T exactly healthy either... (though you can bake them instead of fry them like I did... I was in a hurry and wanted them that exact moment so frying was quicker... and tastier)... but you can control everything that goes in them, and you can pronounce everything that goes in them, which is a total win. There are some other cool ranch dorito copy cat recipes out there that are closer to the actual dorito, but they use processed cheese powder and I wanted something that was made from seasonings in my cabinet and stuff I actually know... I have no idea what is actually in that powdery cheese stuff.... so I didn't even think about it being a component of ranch doritos until after I made mine and looked some recipes up. I am sure they taste great, but for what I was going for, I think I hit the nail on the head.

You can do this the easy way and use a packet of ranch dressing mix from the store, or if you really want to make it from scratch (and cut out even more preservatives and stuff we can't pronounce) you can mix up a small jar of homemade ranch mix. The rest is stuff you probably have on hand and can mix up in a jiffy. You can even mix the seasoning in a large batch to have ready any time you want some cool ranch chips.

Homemade Ranch Mix

1/4 c. milk powder/powdered buttermilk (like what you use in biscuit mix)
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons dill weed
2 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt)
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon dried chives
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Pulse all the ingredients in your magic bullet (just once or twice should do it), or a blender or food processor. Just pulse until blended. Transfer to a glass jar or clean empty seasoning bottle and use in place of the commercial ranch dressing mix in your regular recipes.

Or use in the recipe below. :)

Homemade Cool Ranch Tortilla Chips

4 large burrito size white flour tortillas (or any type of tortilla you prefer)
oil for frying
3 tablespoons homemade ranch mix (or a packet of the store bought stuff)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
a little salt and pepper to taste


Cut the tortillas into wedges. I stack mine up on my cutting board and use my pizza cutter to cut 8 equal wedges.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, or if you have a deep fryer, heat that up. If you are using a frying pan, make the oil about 1" thick. We use a large covered cast iron cooker that we keep oil in all the time. When we are done frying, we just put the lid on it and put it on the back of the stove. That way we can have delicious greasy fried food any time we want.... (Hey! We can't ALWAYS be healthy!).

While the oil is getting hot, add the remaining ingredients to a small bowl.

Mix really well

Add the tortilla wedges to the hot oil and fry for about 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. You really have to watch them because they go from beige to brown in seconds. See the picture on the left they are still a little light, then in the picture on the right they are almost perfect. Don't forget to flip them!

Remove from the oil to drain on paper towels.

While chips are still hot and oily, sprinkle seasoning mix evenly over them. You can add to a bowl and lightly toss, or just sprinkle over the top like I did. I had a little mix left over after my chips because I only fried up 2 tortillas, but you can make as many or as few as you want, and you can make them as seasoned as you desire.

I hope you enjoy your homemade cool ranch tortilla chips! I had mine with my lunch - leftover Crockpot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup!