Description
Turn a pack of pita bread into the crispiest, crunchiest homemade pita chips with just olive oil and za’atar, or your favorite seasoning. Bake or air fry them then pair with dips, use as a base for Greek nachos, or scatter over salads as crunchy croutons.
Ingredients
- 6 pita breads (ideally pita pockets, but flatbreads or naan work too)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons za'atar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (if your za'atar is quite salty, skip this, but if it's more herb heavy, add the salt)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven. Heat your oven to 400°F (180°C fan) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix the za’atar and olive oil. Add half the za’atar, half the olive oil, and half the salt (if you’re using it), to a large bowl and mix well. I find it easier to mix the pita chips in two batches so you can really make sure they’re coated in the seasoning properly.
- Chop the pita into triangles. Slice each pita pocket in half, to open up the pocket into two thinner rounds. Slice those rounds into triangles. If you’re using thicker Greek-style pita or flatbreads, you don’t need to split it, but they chips will take a little longer to crisp up.
- Mix the pita and oil. Add half the pita triangles to the bowl with the seasoning and give them a good mix so each triangle is coated well. If you’re baking the pita chips, arrange them on one of the lined baking sheets. Try to make sure they’re in a single layer – a little overlap is ok, but you don’t want them piled on top of eachother or they’ll steam and won’t get crispy. Add the remaining olive oil, za’atar, salt, and pita triangles to the bowl and toss again to coat, then arrange the pita on the other baking sheet.
- Cook the pita chips (oven instructions). Transfer the baking sheets to the oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they’re deeply golden and crispy. Keep an eye on them as they can quickly burn. Leave the chips to cool completely on the baking sheets – they’ll crisp up further as they cool.
- Cook the pita chips (air fryer instructions). Add the seasoned pita chips to your air fryer basket, trying not to overlap or pile them on top of eachother too much. You’ll likely need to do this in batches. Air fry at 350°F (180°C) for 6 to 10 minutes, giving the basket a shake halfway through the cooking time. Let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
Notes
PLAY AROUND WITH YOUR SEASONING: You can easily mix up the seasoning depending on what you have in your cupboard – I’ve made these with smoked paprika and chilli flakes, rosemary and sea salt, everything bagel seasoning, or simply sea salt and they’re equally delicious – so play around with your flavor combinations.
HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR PITA CHIPS ARE CRISPY: I recommend splitting your pita pockets open before slicing into triangles. This will help them cook and crisp quickly. Don’t overcrowd the pan. A little overlap is fine, but if you pile them on top of eachother they’ll steam, instead of crisping. Use two sheet pans if you need to, and air fry them in batches. Cool them completely before storing them. If you put warm pita chips into a container, the steam will soften them.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: I find the pita chips are best used within 1 week of making them, and you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll keep longer, but they can start tasting a bit stale.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: snacks
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: middle eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12 chips
- Calories: 219
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 392mg
- Fat: 9.5g
- Saturated Fat: 1.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg