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Chicharrones de harina (or chicharrones chips) 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.
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📖 What are chicharrones de harina?
Chicharrones de harina are a type of puffed wheat snack with a light and airy texture. Loosely translating to “rinds of flour, they’re made of flour, water, salt, and baking powder.
You can find them sold ready-to-eat from street vendors or in most corner stores. When you buy them cooked, they’re served with generous amounts of hot sauce, Tajin (chile-lime seasoning), chamoy, or lime juice.
Outside of Mexico, you can order wheat pinwheels online. Once you have them, you just need to fry a few in some oil and watch as they puff up before your eyes.
Because of how easy they are to make (and how much we love them), we really wanted to share this recipe for everyone to make at home!
Note: Chicharrones de harina go by many different names like duritos, duros, Mexican pinwheels, chicharrones chips, and more.
🌱 Are chicharrones chips 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 is made from wheat only! If you are unsure, double-check that the package says “de harina.”
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
Chicharrones — It would be hard to have chicharrones de harina without these! 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 chicharrones 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?! You can purchase chamoy or make your own from scratch.
Hot sauce — We prefer the flavor of Valentina hot sauce, but use whatever kind you have at home.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe.
📝 Instructions
Step 1 — Heat ~½-inch neutral vegetable oil in a large pot over medium (the oil should be 350-375 degrees 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 chicharrones chips. 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 the cooked chicharrones chips with a sprinkle of chile-lime seasoning, lime juice, hot sauce, or chamoy. Happy eating!
If you have questions about making chicharrones de harina, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below.
🤌 How to eat chicharrones de harina
Chicharrones de harina are supposed to be eaten with your hands, so they can get a little messy. Some of our favorite toppings include the following:
- 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. You could even try cinnamon and cane sugar for churro-inspired chicharrones de harina.
🌡️ Storage
Keep your chicharrones chips fresh with these simple storage tips:
Uncooked — Just like you would with pasta, store the pinwheels in a cool, dry place. We usually keep ours in glass containers with an airtight lid.
Cooked — Once cooked, 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 corn or potato chips).
🧑🍳 Top tips
Use a large pot — Chicharrones de harina will triple in size, so we recommend using a large pot to prevent pillage and oil splatters.
Use a thermometer — Maintain a more consistent frying temperature throughout by using a deep-fry thermometer.
Have your utensils ready — Prepare your drying rack, slotted spoon, and oil thermometer before you start frying the chips because they cook fast.
Save your oil — To avoid waste, save your oil for the next time you want to make chicharrones de harina.
💬 FAQ
There are a few types of chicharrones. One is made from fried pork skins, while the other (chicharrones de harina) is made from wheat flour only and does not contain animal products.
We don’t necessarily consider chicharrones chips healthy since they’re fried in oil. However, we think it’s completely fine to eat them in moderation just like anything else.
Since chicharrones chips are made from wheat flour, they are not gluten-free.
🍴 Similar recipes
If you enjoy chicharrones de harina, check out some of these other tasty snacks:
- Tostilocos: A crazy snack made up of tortilla chips, sauce, vegetables, candies, peanuts, and more.
- Elotes: Grilled corn on the cob bathed in vegan mayo, cotija cheese, Tajin, and hot sauce.
- Pepinos locos: Cucumber cups filled with fresh fruit, cracker nuts, tamarind candies, and lots of hot sauce.
- Molotes: Crispy, golden-brown pastries filled with cheese and poblano peppers.
Easy 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
- Use a large pot — Chicharrones de harina will triple in size, so we recommend using a large pot to prevent pillage and oil splatters.
- Use a thermometer — Maintain a more consistent frying temperature throughout by using a deep-fry thermometer.
- Have your utensils ready — Prepare your drying rack, slotted spoon, and oil thermometer before you start frying the chips because they cook fast.
- Save your oil — To avoid waste, save your oil for the next time you want to make chicharrones de harina.
- 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
Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
The chicharrones in you picture look pale; almost white. Most chicharrones come with some type of artificial color to give them that yellow/golden look. I’m looking for chicharrones without all the nasty disgusting extra stuff. Where did you purchase your chicharrones?
Hi John,
We bought ours from a local market where we live in Mexico, but you maybe check a Mexican food market if you live near one or try ordering from an online store like Amazon. Hope that helps!