Homemade Fritos Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients for Fritos? ›

CORN, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN AND/OR CANOLA OIL), AND SALT.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornmeal and salt. Add ⅓ cup boiling water and mix with a fork until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon oil and mix again. The batter should be thick and slightly runny; if necessary, add more boiling water 1 teaspoon at a time for the desired consistency.

The three ingredients you'll find in Fritos are corn, salt, and corn oil. Unfortunately, in this case, less doesn't equate to "better for you." According to The Daily Meal, snacks like Fritos contain highly processed corn which has little to no nutritional substance and also includes a good amount of sodium.

It's “food-grade corn” – used to make products like Doritos, Tostitos and Fritos. Andy Jobman's fifth-generation family farm has been growing both yellow and white corn for Frito-Lay since the Gothenburg plant was established.

The ingredient list on a bag of Fritos reads, “Corn, Corn Oil, and Salt. No Preservatives.” All said and done, buying a bag of Fritos is probably the way to go here.

Major ingredients at Frito-Lay are cornmeal, corn, potatoes, oil, and seasoning. Using potato chips to illustrate rapid inventory flow: potatoes are moved via truck from the farm to regional plants for processing, to the warehouse, and to the retail store. This happens in a matter of hours—not days or weeks.

Fritos use a specific kind of corn

As Doolin perfected his Fritos corn chips recipe, he knew that it all had to start with great corn. After all, not much is added to that main ingredient. According to NPR, Doolin actually came up with his own hybrid of corn, making a custom variety to produce the perfect chip.

Fritos are made by deep-frying extruded whole cornmeal, unlike the similar tortilla chips, which are made from cornmeal and use the nixtamalization process (known as masa). It is one of two brands representing Frito-Lay along with Lay's.

Irregular inventory levels can be the result of fewer workers in plants or behind the wheel of distribution trucks. And demand for snacks is higher than it was pre-pandemic. At 30 plants across the U.S., Frito-Lay turns potatoes, corn and other food products into the brand's iconic snack foods.

Supply and demand are again to blame for the nearly 50% increase since 2020. Consumers snatched up comfort foods during the pandemic — no matter the price — causing shortages and reinforcing manufacturers' ability to charge higher prices.

Why is Fritos called Fritos? ›

C.E. Doolin launched “Fritos” in 1932, inspired by a recipe he had purchased from Gustavo Olguin, a Mexican-American restaurant owner in San Antonio, where Doolin had worked as a fry cook. Olguin's “fritos” (the name came from the Spanish word frit, meaning fried) were small fried corn chips made from masa dough.

Frosted (corn) Flakes and Fritos' corn chips: ultra-processed.

adjective. deep-fried [adjective] (of food) fried in oil that covers it. fried [adjective] cooked in oil.

Fritos is a brand of corn chips and dipping sauces created in 1932 by Charles Elmer Doolin and produced since 1959 by Frito-Lay. Unlike the similar tortilla chips, which are made from cornmeal and uses the nixtamalization process (known as masa), Fritos are made by deep-frying extruded whole cornmeal.

Skim Milk, Water, Canola Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Tomato Paste, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Natural Flavors, and Less Than 2% of the Following: Maltodextrin (Made from Corn), Jalapeño Peppers, Salt, Vinegar, Disodium Phosphate, Yeast Extract, Sodium Citrate, Annatto, Monosodium Glutamate, ...

The potatoes are peeled, sliced, washed, fried (with hot sunflower oil), salted (with Morton Salt), then packaged. FritoLay promotes environmental sustainability by minimizing waste. They do this by providing the edible waste to farms as feed and by transforming misused packaging into products like handbags.

According to Frito-Lay's website, Fritos Original Corn Chips are gluten-free, along with their Lightly Salted Corn Chips, Reduced Fat Original Corn Chips, and Fritos Scoops! Corn Chips. Other Frito flavors are made with gluten-free ingredients, but they are made in a facility where there is risk of cross-contamination.