How to make authentic homemade Chicharrones Chips, the popular Mexican street food snack! Deep fried and doused in hot sauce or chili powder and lime these vegan snacks are irresistible.
Recipe first posted on September 22, 2021 and last updated with new photos on December 8, 2023.
If there’s one thing my family universally loves, it’s chicharrones chips. We make these flour chicharrones at least once a week.
I’ve been making them at home since we lived in North Dakota and the kids were little. We lived nowhere near any street vendors that might be selling them already fried, so we had to do it ourselves.
They quickly became our favorite snack and now, living in Southern California finding already fried chicharrones is easy, I still regularly make them at home.
what are chicharrones?
Chicharrones de harina (also known as duros de harina) are the addictive, crunchy wheat chips in the ever-adorable wheel shapes, doused in lime juice and generously sprinkled with tongue-tingling spice mix or hot sauce (my favorite is Valentina).
They come in different shapes, the classic ones are rectangular and a dead-ringer for crispy, fried pork rinds (pig skin) or chicharrones, hence the name. Fried pork skins or pork skin chips are another favorite crunchy snack but these flour-based wheat snacks are much easier to make at home and a bit healthier too.
These fried wheat crisps with that signature potato chip crunch are a popular street food in Mexico. You will find them everywhere sold in a large plastic bag. The vendor will sprinkle the duritos with Cholula and lime and shake everything up in the bag until they are well coated. They are better than the best potato chips.
I found the dried wheels in the Mexican section of our local grocery store so I’m almost positive you can find them in yours. If you live near a Latin grocery store, even better!
Ingredients
- Mexican pinwheel chips. You can find them at Mexican grocery stores or online.
- Kosher salt
- Ground cumin
- Ground chile de árbol chile powder. Look for this in the Mexican spice aisle.
- Ground cayenne pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Key limes or regular limes
How To Make This Recipe
step one
Combine the spice mix. Mix all the spices together in a small bowl. If you don’t want to make your own spice mix you can use Tajin or hot sauce like Tapatio instead.
step two
Next, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Fry a few at a time in a single layer in the hot oil until they puff up to twice their size and become crisp.
step three
Remove the fried chicharrones with a slotted spoon letting the excess oil drain back into the pan. Place on a plate lined with paper towels. Then toss with fresh lime juice and the spice mix. Enjoy immediately, they get soggy quickly.
*CHEF’S TIP: To make them in advance, fry the chicharrones chips but don’t add the spices or lime. Let cool completely then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Add the spices and lime when you are ready to serve them.
tips for deep-frying at home
Deep-frying at home can be intimidating, very hot oil can be dangerous. But if you follow a few simple tips, you can safely and easily fry your favorite foods with no trouble at all.
- First, make sure your pan in very dry. Water and hot oil are enemies and can cause the oil to violently pop and sputter when it gets hot.
- Next, only fill the pan up half-way full with oil. Once you add the food the oil bubbles up and you don’t want it to be so full that it boils over.
- Use a deep-fat thermometer to measure the oil temperature. You want the oil to be between 350°F-375°F for this recipe. Adjust the heat so it stays in this range.
- Don’t have a deep-fry thermometer? You can tell when the oil is ready by inserting a chopstick into the hot oil. If it is immediately covered in bubbles, the oil is hot enough.
- After frying your chicharrones, let the oil cool down completely. Then pour it into an empty resealable bottle (I usually pour it back into an empty bottle I have in the recycling) seal it back up and throw the oil in the garbage—don’t pour it down your sink.
- Last, and most importantly, keep a box of baking soda within arm’s reach at all times. Baking soda will put out a grease fire. Water will only make it worse.
Want to try a healthier version? If you really don’t want to fry your chicharrones, you can also pop them like popcorn. Check out this video on make duros in the microwave! Or try frying them in the air fryer.
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mexican street food in your own kitchen!
Homemade is always better than store bought so when you make your own chicharrones de harina at home, let me know. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Chicharrones de Harina {Fried Mexican Wheat Crisps with Chile and Lime}
How to make homemade chicharrones de harina or Mexican fried wheat crisps—the ultimate crunchy street food snack. These crispy wheels are totally addictive.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground arbol chile
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 1/2 cups dried chicharrones de harina
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Mix the spices. Combine salt, cumin, chile, and cayenne in a small bowl.
- Heat the oil. Heat about 3 inches of oil in a deep pot over medium heat until it reaches 350°F on a deep fat fry thermometer or until a piece of bread browns in 30 seconds. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set near the pot.
- Fry chicharrones. Once oil is hot, carefully add the chicharrones a few at a time. Fry on one side until they poof open (about 30 seconds), flip and cook for another 30 seconds or until they have opened completely and are beginning to brown.
- Drain with a bamboo skimmer. Remove with a slotted spoon or a bamboo skimmer to the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicharrones checking occasionally that the oil is maintaining a constant temperature.
- Season. Squeeze the lime over the top and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Serve immediately.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 71Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 219mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 8g
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Silvia Martinez says
You have taken me to my childhood years. I use to eat tons of them with lots of salsa Valentina and lime juice. Yum!!
Kate Ramos says
Oh that makes me so happy Silvia!
Vanessa Mota says
My mouth waters! Mexican snacks are so good!
Kate Ramos says
Seriously addictive!!
ALe says
They are just the best! Love them!!
Kate Ramos says
I know!! I always forget how simple and delicious they are.
Patricia Belcher says
But are these churros fattening. They are made of wheat?
Kate Ramos says
Hi Patricia, yes they are made of wheat. They are better for you than traditional chicharrones which are made from pork skin, but they are certainly not health food.
Diane says
Hola
Some great Cinco de Mayo ideas!! I love your top you are are wearing in the first picture. Where did you get that top…it’s beautiful. I’m fairly new to your blog, I’m enjoying your post.
Kate Ramos says
Hi Diane! Thank you! The top is from Anthropologie.
Cristina Ropp says
Hi there! My husband sent me this recipe after purchasing a huge bag of these at our local Vallarta Market. They are definitely addicting! I am so excited to try your recipe but am wondering: how do you shape the batter into these pinwheels after adding the dried chicharrones de harina to the salt and spice mixture? Will the lime juice be enough to moisten the dry ingredients? I seem to be missing a few steps between combining the ingredients to the frying. Thank you for your help!!
Kate Ramos says
Hi Cristina! All you need is the ingredients in the third image down. There is no batter required. You simply drop the dried wheels from the bag into the hot oil and they puff up into the larger wheels. After they are fried and have puffed up, then you sprinkle them with the lime juice and spice. Hope this helps!
Judy Walter says
I love duros and will try this recipe. I have only used salt. After they are deep fried how many days are they still good?
Kate Ramos says
Hi Judy! They don’t keep fresh for very long, maybe a day or so, then they get stale so only make what you think you’ll eat right away.
Sarah says
This is not a recipe for homemade chicharrones. It is a recipe for syore-bought chicharrones. You literally call fpr chicharrones in the “recipe”….