These Homemade Tostada Shells are the perfect crispy crunchy base for all your favorite Mexican toppings! They’re baked, not fried, and ready in only 15 minutes!
Want to make tostadas but can’t find any tostada shells at the grocery store? It’s a-okay because making them at home is super easy! All you need is a little oil, some corn tortillas and salt.
What is a tostada?
Tostadas are corn tortillas that have been baked or fried until crispy and topped with things like refried beans, cheese, chicken, ground beef, and many other toppings.
I like to think of it as a big round tortilla chip that’s topped with my favorite toppings. Or an open-faced crunchy taco. Or a crispy Mexican pizza. I mean, what’s not to love about that?!
Making your own tostada shells are a great option when you don’t have any at the house or you can’t find any in stores near you. Here’s how to make them.
How to make tostada shells
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and spray two large baking sheets with cooking spray.
- Lightly spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and place them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Lightly season them with salt.
- Bake for 5 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the tortillas are crispy like a chip.
That’s it! Pretty much one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever see!
Tips and tricks for making tostada shells
These tostada shells stay super crispy when stored correctly. To store, place them in an airtight container or ziplock bag and leave them on the counter or in a cupboard at room temperature for up to 1 week. Don’t refrigerate them or they’ll get soggy.
Feel free to add different seasonings and spices to add some different flavors to your shells! Here are a few suggestions.
- Chili lime – chili powder, lime juice and salt
- Jalapeno – jalapeno powder, onion powder, salt
- Cheesy – grated Parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, salt
If you don’t have cooking spray, you can use any cooking oil you have. Just lightly brush it on with a pastry brush or a paper towel.
While tostada shells are delicious on their own, they’re even better when they’re topped with tasty foods! Here are a few of my favorite toppings that turn tostadas into a filling weeknight meal.
Toppings for tostada shells
- Mexican Carnitas
- Easy Shredded Chicken
- Mexican Refried Beans
- Chicken Tinga
- Chorizo and Eggs
- Mexican Picadillo
- Mexican Barbacoa
Don’t forget the shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and salsa!
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 8 corn tortillas
- salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray two large baking sheets with cooking spray.
- Lightly spray both sides tortillas with cooking spray and place in a single layer on prepared baking sheets. Lightly season with salt.
- Bake for 5 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the tortillas are crispy like a chip.
- Remove from oven and serve with toppings such as Mexican refried beans, slow cooker carnitas, chicken tinga or juicy shredded chicken.
Isabel’s Tips:
- Be sure to keep a close eye on the tostadas after the first 5 minutes. If your oven runs hot, they can go from undercooked to burnt quickly!
- They should be crispy and light golden brown when they're ready. Keep in mind that they will dry out and firm up a little once they've cooled.
Nutrition Information
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. 🙂
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!
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!