Air-Fryer Bake & Shake “Doritos”
Serious Eats / Jackie AlpersThere’s nothing quite like the sensation of licking that thick bright-orange coating of nacho cheese dust from your fingers after polishing off a bag of Doritos. The savory, cheese-dusted tortilla chips have always been a part of my life. I remember the joy of discovering a small bag packed alongside my PB&J in day camp lunches, and girls passing big bags around at sleepover parties while we watched TV shows slightly too old for us. These days I have nothing against a good packaged, mass-produced snack from time to time, but I also really enjoy my own DIY version of Doritos.With the help of my air fryer, they’re easy and fun to make. In my homemade version of the popular crunchy chip snack, corn tortillas are cut into quarters and air fried until crisp, then tossed in my custom cheesy, savory seasoning blend that tastes pretty darn close to the original Doritos seasoning.Serious Eats / Jackie AlpersBut let’s face facts: Doritos tortilla chips, which are perfect in every way and universally loved by almost everyone, cannot truly be produced without the assistance of factory machines and perhaps a dedicated team of lab-coated scientists. I will leave that to the experts at Frito-Lay. My goal with this recipe was to create a fun-to-make stand-in that will make you pause and say, “Hey, these really do taste like Doritos!” not an exact replica.A Very Brief History of DoritosBefore we talk about how to get that signature Doritos flavor, let's learn a little about this beloved snack, which was invented at Disneyland in the early 1960s and introduced nationwide in 1966. It may be surprising to learn that the original Doritos flavor was Toasted Corn, not the ever-present Nacho Cheese, which wasn’t invented until 1972. In 1967, a year before I was born, a mild “Taco” flavor hit the shelves. It has just a hint of taco seasoning, which perhaps was considered bold at the time. Tips for Making Air-Fryer "Doritos”Start with my homemade super savory “Doritos” blend. The combination of salty and savory powdered cheese, dried buttermilk, nutritional yeast, dried tomato powder, savory spices, and a touch of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is what makes my copycat Doritos blend taste so good and so close to the real thing.Serious Eats / Jackie AlpersFor the powdered cheese, I like to use Yellow Cheddar Cheese Powder. It’s the closest match both visually and in flavor to real Doritos. King Arthur Baking’s white cheese Better Cheddar is also excellent. The seasoning makes a full cup, which is enough for two batches of chips, and it stores well at room temperature for up to a month. I also like to mix the seasoning blend with cottage cheese or sprinkle it over popcorn or hard boiled eggs for flavorful snacks. You can even mix it with sour cream or Greek yogurt for a flavorful dip.Choose from three seasoning blends. These days there are all kinds of wild Doritos flavors: Coffee in Australia, Roast Mediterranean Chicken in Taiwan, and even a Late Night Loaded Taco flavor in North America. The main recipe includes my spin on Doritos’ classic Nacho Cheese flavor blend, but I’ve also included two time-honored flavor variations: Taco and my personal favorite, Cool Ranch.Serious Eats / Jackie AlpersLet the air fryer do the work. I love my air fryer and use it whenever I can. Not only is it a somewhat healthier and much less messy alternative to deep frying, but thanks to the air fryer’s ability to heat quickly and its constant air flow, foods cooked in the appliance come close to the crispy fried texture of deep fried foods. It’s why I love to use it to make my own tortilla chips. But even air-fried food needs some fat to get crispy, so be sure to lightly coat the corn tortillas with neutral oil before quartering and air frying them to ensure that they brown and crisp evenly. The bit of oil will also help the seasoning cling to the chips. Use fresh corn tortillas. I found in testing batch after batch of chips that the seasoning blend will not adhere properly to stale or dried out tortillas. Store-bought packaged tortillas work great, but make sure they are soft and pliable. If you hear a popping sound towards the end of the cooking time, this is totally normal and nothing to worry about, and actually a good thing—it's just the chips blowing around inside the air fryer, a sign they are almost fully crisp. (Although in my experience, this popping sound doesn’t occur with every batch.)Season the chips while hot. This is critical for the seasoning to properly cling to every chip. You can toss everything together in a bowl, but I prefer to shake it all up in a sealed gallon-size zip-top bag. It’s a fun bake and shake experience. Serious Eats / Jackie AlpersI’ll admit my DIY Doritos aren’t exactly the same experience as popping open a bag of the real thing, but they’re still pretty darn close, with the bonus of being a lot of fun to make.For the Nacho Cheese Seasoning Mix: In a bowl, add all of the ingredients and whisk to combine. Transfer 1/2 cup of the mix to a quart-size resealable bag; set aside. Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup seasoning mix in a separate airtight container for a later batch. Serious Eats / Jackie AlpersFor the “Doritos”: Preheat a 6-quart air fryer at 350°F for 3 minutes. Place 1 tortilla on cutting board and spray lightly with cooking spray or brush top lightly with oil. Flip tortilla over and spray the second side lightly with cooking spray or brush lightly with oil. Repeat brushing the remaining tortillas with oil, stacking the oiled tortillas together. Using a chef’s knife, quarter all of the tortillas. Serious Eats / Jackie AlpersSpread all of the cut chips into an even layer (some chips will overlap; this is OK) in the preheated air-fryer basket and cook, shaking the basket every few minutes, until chips are lightly browned and crispy, 12 to 14 minutes. The tortilla chips may start to flip around inside the air fryer and make a sound like corn popping when they are almost done.Serious Eats / Jackie AlpersUsing tongs, immediately add the warm chips to the bag with the prepared seasoning mix. Seal and vigorously shake the bag until the chips are thoroughly coated. Transfer chips to a serving bowl, gently shaking excess seasoning mix back into the bag, (Excess seasoning can be added to the remaining blend to reserve for later use.) Serve.Serious Eats / Jackie AlpersFlavor VariationsCool Ranch Doritos Flavor: Add one .4 ounce (11g) packet Hidden Valley Ranch Restaurant Style Dressing powder to the dried seasoning mix in step 1.Taco Doritos Flavor: Add one 1-ounce (28g) packet Lawry’s Taco Spices and Seasoning Mix to the dried seasoning mix in step 1 and reduce the salt to 1 tablespoon (10g).Special Equipment6-quart air fryer, silicone-coated tongs, quart-size resealable bagsNotesYellow Cheddar Cheese Powder was the closest match both visually and in flavor to Doritos. King Arthur Baking’s white cheese Better Cheddar is also excellent.Of the four taco seasoning blends I tested, Lawry’s Taco Seasoning Mix tasted the closest and had the most pronounced taco flavor overall. Of all the varieties of Hidden Valley Ranch powder available, The Restaurant Style Dressing Mix produced the closest match to Cool Ranch Doritos.Make-Ahead and StorageThe seasoning mix is shelf stable and can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 month. The seasoning blend makes about 1 cup, which will make at least 2 batches of chips. Any excess powder left in the bag after shaking can be returned to the storage container.The seasoned chips can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
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