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A dish as gorge-worthy as its name suggests, our Arizona cheese crisp recipe gives you everything you need to whip up this cheesy, buttery, and crispy snack from the comfort of your own home.
Arizona Cheese Crisp Recipe
Crunchy toasted tortilla, oozing melted cheese, and a fiery but welcome kick of chili – what’s not to love about this Mexican-influenced Arizonan favorite?
Incredibly, finding Arizona cheese crisp is rare beyond the state borders. So we wanted to inspire you to make this simple southwestern dish at home, and give everyone a mouthful of cheesy magic they won’t forget in a hurry!
What is Traditional Arizona Cheese Crisp?
At its simplest, a cheese crisp is an open flour tortilla, covered in cheese, and placed on a metal pan, coated in butter, to be baked until crisp in the oven. It really is that simple!
Variations
Cheese: cheddar, monterey jack, and oaxaca are just three of the many kinds of cheese used to make this dish. If it melts, it’s worth a shot!
Peppers and chilis: To add some heat and kick, some people will add peppers to their cheese crisp, as we have done in this recipe. We’ve used green chili, but you can give any type of hot pepper or chili a try.
Other toppings: We’ve used diced tomatoes, avocado, and lime juice in our recipe. Sliced onion and cilantro are two other common toppings used for cheese crisps.
Recipe Ingredients
To make our Arizona cheese crisp recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Flour Tortillas – 2 flour tortillas (get the thinnest tortillas you can find)
- Butter – 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Cheddar Cheese – 3.5 oz (100 grams) cheddar (or your favorite melting cheese)
- Green Chilies – 2 tbsp diced
Optional
- Avocado – 1/2 avocado, diced
- Tomatoes – 1 tomato, diced green chillies
- Lime Juice – 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- Salt – to taste
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).
Step 2 – Shred the cheese. While you can use pre-shredded cheese, it doesn’t melt as well, and it doesn’t taste as good as real cheese! We used a mix of mature and extra-mature cheddar. But you can use sharp cheddar, monterey jack, asadero, or any cheese you like that melts well.
Step 3 – Melt the butter in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds (in 5-second increments, so it doesn’t make a mess in the microwave).
Step 4 – Poke holes with a fork in the flour tortillas.
Step 5 – Brush the flour tortillas on both sides with the melted butter. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can use the back of the spoon to spread the butter around the tortilla.
Step 6 – Place the tortillas on a baking sheet or pizza stone and place it in the oven, baking for about 6-7 minutes until it’s your desired crispness. Pull them out of the oven.
Step 7 – Increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).
Step 8 – Add the cheese and the diced green chilies to the tortillas and place back in the oven until the cheese is melted (about 4 minutes).
Step 9 – Add any optional toppings. We used diced avocado, diced tomatoes, lime juice, and flaky sea salt.
That first bite is a thing of wonder, it really is! Straight away, you get the satisfying crispy crunch of the tortilla, followed swiftly by the salty, gooey goodness of whatever cheeses you chose.
If you want to add a little depth, get those sweeter, zesty flavors in there with tomato, avocado, and lime juice, and prepare for a snack that will have you coming back for more.
Arizona Cheese Crisp Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 flour tortillas get the thinnest tortillas you can find
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3.5 oz 100 grams cheddar (or your favorite melting cheese)
- 2 tbsp diced green chilies
- 1/2 avocado diced (optional)
- 1 tomato diced (optional)
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice optional
- Salt – to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).
- Shred the cheese. While you can use pre-shredded cheese, it doesn’t melt as well, and it doesn’t taste as good as real cheese! We used a mix of mature and extra-mature white cheddar. But you can use sharp cheddar, monterey jack, asadero, or any cheese you like that melts well.
- Melt the butter in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds (in 5-second increments so it doesn’t make a mess in the microwave).
- Poke holes with a fork in the flour tortillas.
- Brush the flour tortillas on both sides with the melted butter. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can use the back of the spoon to spread the butter around the tortilla.
- Place the tortillas on a baking sheet or pizza stone and place it in the oven, baking for about 6-7 minutes until it’s your desired crispness. Pull them out of the oven.
- Increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).
- Add the cheese and the diced green chilies to the tortillas and place back in the oven until the cheese is melted (about 4 minutes).
- Add any optional toppings. We used diced avocado, diced tomatoes, lime juice, and flaky sea salt.
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