Duritos (or chicharrones de harina) are a light, crispy, and crunchy Mexican snack. Serve them with a drizzle of hot sauce, lime juice, and chile powder for the most traditional eating experience. We promise you won't be able to stop at just one!
Table of Contents
📖 About
Who likes snack foods?! If that's you, we're not sure if you should be learning about chicharrones de harina because they are bound to be your new go-to. But what the heck... You know you want to!
What are chicharrones de harina?
This tasty snack goes by a lot of names including duritos, Mexican pinwheels, duros de harina, chicharrones de harina, chicharrones chips, and so forth (you probably get the point).
Loosely translating to "rinds of flour," chicharrones de harina are made from wheat flour, water, salt, and baking powder.
If you're in Mexico, ready-made duros are sold pretty much everywhere. The beach, the streets, restaurants, corner stores — you name it!
If you are outside of Mexico, you will likely have to order pinwheels online to make yourself. Don't worry though, they are one of the easiest foods to prepare!
All you need to do is cook your duritos in a pot of oil for about a minute and voila! It's really fun to watch them puff up. Then, go ahead and dress them with your favorite toppings for a crispy, light, and crunchy bite to eat.
Chicharrones de harina are what really introduced us to the incredibly bold flavors of Mexico — spicy, salty, and tangy.
Are chicharrones vegan?
Although they share the same name, chicharrones de harina (made from wheat) are not the same as chicharrones chips made from fried pork skins.
This recipe (and all the bags sold in Mexico) is made from wheat only! If you are unsure, make sure to double-check that the package says "de harina."
Serving
Your duro snacking experience will not be the same unless you drizzle them with some classic toppings like:
- Tajin
- Chamoy
- Lime juice
- Hot sauce (like Valentina, cholula, or tapatio)
Do yourself a favor and try at least one (if not all) of these amazing toppings! Let us know what your favorite combo is!
🍲 Ingredients
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
- Duritos: It would be hard to have a duritos recipe without duritos! If you live in Mexico, they are available in most grocery stores. If you are outside of Mexico, you can order packages of wheat pinwheels online.
- Oil: Use any neutral vegetable oil with a high smoke point. Peanut, soy, safflower, sunflower, or canola oil are all good choices.
- Tajin: Chile-lime seasoning is a must when it comes to duros de harina. You can use the seasoning blend from the brand Tajin, or make a homemade version.
- Lime: For extra tang, zestiness, and a healthy dose of vitamin C.
- Chamoy: Because what doesn't this condiment go with?! Purchase chamoy online or make your own from scratch.
- Hot sauce: We prefer the flavor of Valentina hot sauce, but use whatever kind you have at home.
🔪 Instructions
If you have questions about making chicharrones chips, don't forget to check out our FAQ section at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Heat ~½-inch neutral vegetable oil in a large pot over medium (the oil should be approximately 350-375°F).
Step 2: Once you think the oil is ready, test a pinwheel to see if it starts to puff up within a few seconds. If it does, cook the chicharrones chips in batches for 45-60 seconds.
Step 3: Drain the excess oil off of the duritos. We usually transfer them to a strainer sitting over a bowl, but you can also use a paper towel-lined plate or bowl.
Step 4: Serve your duros de harina with a sprinkle of chile-lime seasoning, lime juice, hot sauce, or chamoy. Happy eating!
🌡️ Storage
Quick to make and easy to store, just follow these instructions for long-lasting duritos.
Dried
Just like you would with pasta, keep the raw pinwheels in a cool, dry place. We usually keep ours in glass containers with an airtight lid.
Cooked
Once cooked, your chicharrones chips will last for a couple of days. If they're exposed to air for a long period of time, they will start to go stale much like potato chips.
Since duros de harina are so quick and easy to make, we suggest making smaller batches to eat for a day or two. This should also go without saying, but don't store them with toppings on as they will turn soggy.
💭 Tips & variations
We'd like to share some tips and variations we learned while experimenting with making our own chicharrones de harina:
- Use a large pot. Since your duros de harina will triple in size, we recommend using a large pot so there is no spillage or oil splatters.
- Use a thermometer. Maintain a more consistent frying temperature throughout by using a deep fry thermometer.
- No thermometer, no problem. Use the back of a wooden spoon or chopstick to see if tiny bubbles form when it's held in the oil. Bubbles mean the oil is ready!
- Have your utensils ready. Prepare your drying rack, slotted spoon, and oil thermomemtor before you start frying the duritos because they cook fast.
- Save your oil. To avoid waste, save your oil for the next time you want to make chicharrones de harina.
- Don't forget the toppings. We can't stress how much better duros taste with the toppings as mentioned above.
- Make a sweet version. Try adding cinnamon and cane sugar for a "churro" style of duros de harina.
🍴 Tasting notes
It's hard for us to believe anyone wouldn't love a batch of chicharrones de harina. They're:
- Crispy
- Crunchy
- Light
- Airy
- Salty
- Addicting
If you try making duros de harina, please rate the recipe and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Chicharrones de Harina
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed stockpot
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- ~1-2 cups Wheat pinwheels (chicharrones de harina) ($0.50)
- ~1 cup Neutral vegetable oil ($1.76)
For serving optional
- Limes
- Chile-lime seasoning
- Chamoy
- Valentina
Instructions
- Heat ~½-inch neutral vegetable oil in a large pot over medium (the oil should be approximately 350-375°F).
- Once you think the oil is ready, test a pinwheel to see if it starts to puff up within a few seconds. If it does, cook the chicharrones de harina in batches for 45-60 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Continue this process with as many as you’d like to eat.
- Serve your pinwheels with a sprinkle of chile-lime seasoning, lime juice, hot sauce, or chamoy. Happy eating!
Notes
- These can also be made in an air-fryer or microwave if you'd prefer a low or oil-free option.
- Make sure you purchase chicharrones de harina as there is another type of chicharrones made from pork.
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of our recipes.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe-to-recipe.
- All prices are in USD.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
If you love tasty Mexican snacks, check out some of our other favorites like:
- Tostilocos to try a crunchy, spicy, tangy, and extremely popular street snack made famous in Mexico.
- Elotes for grilled corn on the cob bathed in vegan mayo, cotija cheese, Tajin, and hot sauce.
- Pepinos locos to try these crazy cucumber cups filled with juicy fruit, crunchy peanuts, tangy tamarind candies, and lots of hot sauce.
- Molotes for crispy, golden-brown pastries filled with cheese and poblano peppers.
💬 FAQ
Contrary to what you might be thinking, chicharrones de harina (or duros de harina) are made from wheat flour only and do not contain animal products.
Another popular Mexican snack, chicharrones, is made from fried pork skins.
We don't necessarily consider duritos heatlhy since they're just wheat flour pinwheels fried in oil. However, we think it's acceptable to eat them in moderation just like anything else.
Since duros de harina are made from wheat flour, they are not gluten-free.
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