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These homemade tostada shells are the perfect crispy, crunchy base for all your favorite Mexican toppings! Includes baking and air fryer instructions.
Tostadas are a great meal when you have random ingredients in your fridge that you’re not really sure what to do with. You can totally customize them and use all your favorite toppings to meet everyone’s cravings – vegetarian, kid-friendly, meat lovers, you name it!
Making sure your tostada shells are sturdy and crispy to be able to hold all your toppings is very important. I find that many store-bought tostada shells can be too brittle, and half the bag tends to be broken before I even use them! So I like to make my own in the oven for a slightly healthier option and to make sure they don’t break. Here’s why I love this recipe:
- It’s quick and easy. A batch of tostada shells is ready in only 15 minutes; you can’t beat that! I’ve also included air fryer instructions for an even quicker option.
- It’s healthier. Traditional tostadas are fried, which is delicious but can quickly weigh you down. These homemade tostada shells are baked in the oven and are equally as flavorful and crispy.
What Are Tostada Shells?
Tostada shells are corn tortillas that have been baked or fried until crispy. They’re often topped with things like refried beans, cheese, shredded chicken, other meats, salsa, and various toppings.
I like to think of tostadas as a big round tortilla chip that’s topped with my favorite toppings or an open-faced crunchy taco.
Making your own tostada shells is a great option when you don’t have any at the house or you can’t find any in stores near you.
Ingredients in Tostada Shells
- Corn tortillas: Make sure to use thick, high-quality corn tortillas to prevent breakage. I don’t recommend using extra-thin corn tortillas.
- Oil or cooking spray: I like using cooking spray because it’s easy to spritz onto the tortillas, but you can also use your favorite oil and brush it on with a pastry brush. Canola, vegetable, olive, or avocado oil all work great.
- Salt: A touch of salt gives the tostadas some extra flavor and won’t leave them bland. I like using fine salt because it sticks better to the tortillas, but you can use your favorite finishing salt if you prefer.
How to Make Tostada Shells
Spray or brush both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray or oil. Lightly sprinkle with salt and place them 2 large baking sheets in a single layer.
Bake for 5 minutes, flip, and continue baking for an additional 4-5 minutes until golden brown and crispy like a tortilla chip.
Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite toppings or let them cool completely before storing in a bag in a cool, dry place.
Recipe Tips
- Keep a close eye. Tostadas can go from undercooked to burnt very quickly! So keep an eye on them while in the oven or air fryer.
- Batch it. These tostada shells are super easy to batch. Just make your desired amount and then store them in a cool, dry place for 1-2 weeks.
- Use different tortillas. Tostada shells are traditionally made with corn tortillas, but you can use flour tortillas if you prefer. Just note it will have a fluffier texture and won’t be as crispy.
- Add your own flavor. Tostada shells are usually kept pretty simple since the flavor usually comes from the delicious toppings, but you can definitely personalize them. Here are some ideas:
- Make it smoky: Sprinkle them with smoked paprika or chipotle powder.
- Add citrus. Squeeze a little fresh lime juice on top before baking for a tangy lime flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Assemble and serve your tostadas with layers of delicious toppings like:
- Beans: Refried beans, canned black beans recipe, or pinto beans.
- Protein: Chicken tinga, carnitas, birria, barbacoa, carne asada, picadillo, salsa verde chicken, chorizo recipe, ceviche, or aguachile.
- Vegetarian options: Sofritas, ensalada de nopales, spicy roasted cauliflower, or nopales con huevo.
- Salsas: Salsa verde, salsa macha, black bean and corn salsa, or salsa Mexicana.
- Other classic toppings: Shredded cheese, crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, or Mexican crema.
Air Fryer Method
Only need one or two tostada shells? You can crisp them up in the air fryer without having to heat up the entire oven! Here’s how:
- Place 1-2 corn tortillas in the air fryer basket and put a small ramekin dish (or other heat-safe dish, like a coffee mug) on top to keep them in place. Air fry at 390℉ for 3-4 minutes, adjusting the tortilla halfway through so that the parts underneath the ramekins are also air-fried
- Note: Please note that the size and brand of your air fryer can yield different results. If your air fryer releases a more gentle stream of air, you may not need a ramekin dish to keep them in place. The size of your air fryer can also affect baking time.
Storage
Store completely cooled tostada shells in an airtight container or resealable bag in a cool, dry place to keep them fresh. If they lose their crunch, reheat them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp them up.
Tostada shells should stay fresh for about 1 to 2 weeks when properly stored.
More Mexican Recipes
If you tried this Tostada Shells Recipe or any other recipe on Isabel Eats, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing about your experience making it!
Tostada Shells
Ingredients
- Olive oil or cooking spray
- 8 corn tortillas
- Fine salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray two large baking sheets with cooking spray.
- Lightly brush or spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil or cooking spray and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Lightly season with salt.
- Bake for 5 minutes, flip them over, and bake for another 4-5 minutes until the tortillas are crispy like a tortilla chip.
- Remove from the oven and serve with toppings such as refried beans, shredded cheese, chicken tinga, carnitas, or ground beef.
Notes
- Air fryer instructions: Place 1-2 corn tortillas in the air fryer basket and put a small ramekin dish (or other heat-safe dish, like a coffee mug) on top to keep them in place. Air fry at 390℉ for 3-4 minutes, adjusting the tortilla halfway through so that the parts underneath the ramekins are also air-fried.
- Keep a close eye. Tostadas can go from undercooked to burnt very quickly! So keep an eye on them while in the oven or air fryer.
- Batch it. These tostada shells are super easy to batch. Just make your desired amount and then store them in a cool, dry place for 1-2 weeks.
- Use different tortillas. Tostada shells are traditionally made with corn tortillas, but you can use flour tortillas if you prefer. Just note it will have a fluffier texture and won’t be as crispy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated with new photos and more helpful tips.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
I have used this recipe sooooo many times, and my tostadas always come out perfect! I like to put chipotle chili powder and flake sea salt on mine—delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe with the world!!!
I made tostada shells with mini flour tortillas. Topped with shredded cheese and placed back in oven long enough to melt the cheese. Once that was done I added seasoned ground beef, salsa crema, and guacamole. Topped with plain salsa, salt/pepper and more shredded cheese. Microwaved for 30 seconds to melt the cheese.
Hi I. Love your beautiful recipes
Will u please print the recipe to make the tortilla
Marlene
Can I use flour shell for tostadas instead of corn shell
Hi Deborah! Yes, you definitely can!
Taco Bell at home! Love it! Yum yum at Chez Mike
After making corn tortillas as directed in the Maseca package (I actually did 1/2 recipe) and having a manual tortilla press, I cooked the tortillas until little brown spots showed up on both sides. Then I allowed them to cool mostly.
At this point, I had the oven pre-heated to (convection 375F) 400F. I sprayed baking pan with spray oil (lightly) and placed the cooled tortillas. I again sprayed lightly the top with spray oil.
As indicated here, I baked for 5 minutes on one side and then 5 minutes on the other side (my tortillas are small, around 3 inches diameter).
They were stiff and nice. Incidentally, waiting 10 more minutes to serve did not make them appreciably stiffer and serving from the oven was better in my opinion. However, they’ll keep well in the refrig. for a few days.
I just made these for my husband, and he loved it! They were delicious and crunchy. Great way to stay healthy and eat something we love. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
I tried this recipes and they came out kind of stale feeling and hard to chew. Were they in the oven too long or not long enough? The edges of most were crispy. Thanks!
Hi Alicia! That sounds like it may have been the problem. Try it again and let us know how it goes!
wow use 8 corn tortillas… How do you make them?
I usually use store-bought for making these since they’re usually a little thinner and crisp up better than homemade. But here’s a homemade corn tortilla recipe if you want to make them!
I would like to learn how to make them from scratch the tortillas and the tostadas too
Hello Michelle! There are recipes for both corn and flour tortillas on our site!
Can I use flour tortillas instead of corn?
Yes, though I’ve never made them with flour tortillas so I don’t know if the cook time will be the same. If you try it with flour tortillas, just keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn or anything.
We always fry our tortillas for tostadas and have never thought about baking them. What a great idea! I’m going to tell my parents about it too, I think they’ll want to give this a try.
Yes! It’s such an easy and healthy way to make tostada shells!