Baked Nacho Cheese Chips

Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Make the nacho cheese seasoning by whisking together the nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. This blend makes more than you need for one batch — store any extra in a jar for popcorn, roasted vegetables, or future chip batches.

3. Stack the tortillas and cut them into 6 triangles each. Spread them in a large bowl and drizzle with the avocado oil. Toss with your hands until every chip is lightly coated.

4. Arrange the chips in a single layer across both baking sheets with no overlapping. Sprinkle the sea salt evenly over the chips, then dust generously with the nacho cheese seasoning while the oil is still tacky so the powder sticks.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The chips should be golden at the edges and feel firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle any remaining seasoning over the hot chips.

6. Let the chips cool completely on the pans. They crisp up significantly as they reach room temperature. Taste and adjust with more seasoning or salt if you want a stronger nacho flavor.

Why It Works

Nacho cheese tortilla chips from the store get their flavor from a combination of MSG, maltodextrin, artificial colors (including Yellow 6 and Yellow 5), and seed oils. This homemade seasoning achieves a remarkably similar cheesy, savory flavor profile using nutritional yeast — a deactivated yeast rich in B vitamins, including B12, that has a naturally cheesy, umami taste. Turmeric provides a golden color without synthetic dyes, and it brings its own anti-inflammatory compound, curcumin. The avocado oil replaces the soybean and corn oils used in commercial chips with a stable, heat-friendly fat. Sea salt rounds out the flavor while providing trace minerals absent from the refined salt used in processed snacks.

Tips

• Make extra seasoning. Double or triple the nacho cheese powder recipe and store it in a sealed jar. It keeps for months and is excellent on popcorn, scrambled eggs, roasted cauliflower, or mixed into mac and cheese.
• Apply seasoning while chips are warm and oily. The seasoning powder only sticks to the chips if there’s oil or moisture on the surface. Sprinkle it on right after tossing in oil and again right out of the oven while they’re still warm.
• Try cheese crisps instead. For an even cheesier version, sprinkle a small pinch of finely shredded cheddar on each chip before baking. The cheese will melt into a thin crispy layer right on the chip.