12 Creative Ways To Use Pita Chips (Besides Just Dipping)

Pita chips are a staple for anyone who loves dips, from simple homemade hummus to creamy spinach and artichoke. But if you're only using pita chips for dipping, you're missing out on all they have to offer in a wider variety of recipes. These chips are a super versatile ingredient that can play multiple roles in your kitchen, and by embracing them as the crunchy, dynamic ingredient that they are, you can make a wide variety of dishes more delicious and more texturally interesting (and use up that leftover bag of pita chips in the process).

We've collected a list of some of our favorite ways to use pita chips that go beyond simply dipping. Whether you have some leftover pita chips in the back of your pantry that need to be used up or you want to go out and buy a new bag of them just to try out these tricks, you'll be blown away by just how much pita chips can do. Don't have any bagged pita chips at home? No worries! You can make them yourself in just a few simple steps. Now, keep reading to find out how to turn your meals into something seriously special with the help of pita chips.

What's the difference between a subpar and an absolutely excellent salad, you ask? Well, a lot of it comes down to texture. Bland salads will have a lot of soft, mushy textures without a lot of variance. One of the best ways to prevent a texturally bland salad is to make sure there is some sort of crunchy element involved. Croutons are a natural choice, of course, but if you don't have any on hand — or just want to make your salad a bit more interesting — then pita chips can be used in their place. They provide that same crunch, along with a savory saltiness that adds to the overall flavor of the salad as well. Plus, they can even make your salad more filling.

There are just a few things you'll want to keep in mind when you're adding pita chips to a salad. First of all, it's important to make sure that those chips are broken up into small-enough pieces to enjoy in a single bite. Therefore, you may have to crush them a bit before adding them to the salad. Additionally, it's best to put them on your salad after you've added all of your other ingredients — including dressing — to ensure that they don't get too soggy before you sit down to eat.

You know when you get to the bottom of a bag of pita chips only to realize that all of the pieces are broken, making them unsuitable for dipping? That can be a bummer if you had them on hand for your favorite dips, but it doesn't mean you can't use them at all. In fact, even if they're ground down to tiny crumbs, you can still combine them with nutritional yeast to make a delicious vegan cheese dust that can be used somewhat similarly to Parmesan cheese.

All you have to do is put those broken pita chips in a food processor and blend them with nutritional yeast until they turn into a fine powder. If your pita chips aren't particularly salty, you may want to add a bit of salt as well. Then, you can sprinkle that dust onto anything that could benefit from a sprinkling of Parmesan, from pasta to roasted veggies to a salad. Not only is it delicious, but it'll help you cut down on food waste and provide you with a budget-friendly condiment at the same time.

Nachos hail from Mexico, of course, but you can use the same idea to make a fully Mediterranean-style dish. Loaded Mediterranean nachos utilizes the same structure of traditional nachos with a completely different flavor profile. This dish calls for pita chips, which take the place of tortilla chips in the original recipe, along with Greek yogurt and hummus, which replace nacho cheese for a creamy element.

In addition to those base ingredients, you can also add Kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, tomato, feta cheese, dill, and a host of other Mediterranean-adjacent ingredients to the dish, stacking them high on top of the pita chips. The result is a shareable snack that packs plenty of veggies and packs a nice crunch thanks to the pita chips in question. Serve this at your next party, or simply make it for yourself when you want a snack-y meal that uses up those leftover pita chips you have on hand.

Tahdig, that iconic Persian rice dish that involves creating a crispy bottom layer of a starchy ingredient, isn't exactly a simple dish to make at home, but if you can figure out how to do it, it's certainly worth the time and effort it requires. Some versions of tahdig simply call for a crispy layer of rice itself at the bottom of the dish, but some call for potatoes, bread, or even vegetables to form that texturally pleasing layer. Another ingredient you can use in place of all of those bases is pita. Plain old pita bread can be utilized here, but you'll have to make sure you crisp it to perfection yourself — a process that can take a bit of work. But if you use pita chips instead, then you can be sure you'll already have an at least somewhat crispy base once you flip over the pot and reveal the dish.

To incorporate pita chips into your tahdig, pour oil into the bottom of the pan you're using, and once it gets hot, add in a layer of pita chips. Then, add in the parboiled rice, ensuring that there are holes for the steam to escape so the chips don't become soggy. After the dish cooks for a while, you'll be able to let it cool and flip it over, revealing the golden-brown pita at the bottom of the dish.

There are so many different dishes that call for breadcrumbs. Whether you're making a baked chicken dish that calls for a crispy layer of breadcrumbs on top or you're breading some chicken before you fry it for a more interesting texture, breadcrumbs are one of those ingredients you should always have on hand. But what if you run out? Or, better yet, what if you just want to experiment with different textures? That's when you may want to pull out that bag of pita chips you have lying around.

Crushed-up pita chips can serve most of the same functions as breadcrumbs can, while adding a slightly different texture and flavor profile to a dish. For example, sprinkling crushed pita chips on top of that baked chicken dish will still yield the same sort of crunch while infusing some saltiness into the dish at the same time. You can also use crushed pita chips as a filling and binder for some dishes, like meatballs or meatloaf. Basically, if a recipe calls for breadcrumbs, you can pretty much always assume that it's possible to use crushed pita chips in their place and come up with a dish that's just as (or even more) delicious than the original.

You can always buy pre-made pie crusts from the grocery store when you don't feel like making one from scratch, but we tend to think pie crust tastes significantly better when you make it yourself. But did you know that it's possible to make a pie crust from pita chip crumbs? Instead of following a traditional pie crust recipe, you can swap out the flour for pie crust crumbs to yield a savory pie crust for meat- or veggie-based pies. Firstly, you'll want to make sure those pita chips are crushed into very small pieces so they stick together well. Then, you'll want to make sure you can bind them together with another ingredient, like eggs, so the crust isn't too crumbly. Bake the crust before adding your filling and finishing it all off in the oven.

This is a great way to reduce food waste when you don't know what else you'll do with a bag of crushed pita chips, but it can also just make for a super-flavorful pie when you're looking for a dish with a unique flavor profile. This tip works with unflavored pita chips, of course, but you can even utilize flavored ones if you're looking for an even more savory experience.

Tuna noodle casserole is one of our favorite dishes to make when we don't have a lot of time or money on hand. Not only does it come together quickly in one dish without requiring a lot of work, but it also calls for super inexpensive ingredients — many of which you probably already have stocked in your kitchen. But if you've had a bland tuna noodle casserole before, you know that this is a dish that really needs an element of crunchiness. Without it, the casserole turns into a dish full of fishy slop, which probably isn't what you're going for.

But don't worry: It's easy to incorporate crunch into your tuna noodle casserole. Although some crispy tuna noodle casseroles may call for a layer of breadcrumbs on top of the dish, you can use pita chips instead. We love using pita chips in place of more traditional breadcrumbs because they tend to have a crunchier texture, making for a more enjoyable casserole. Additionally, they tend to be at least somewhat seasoned, whether with salt or a more complex mix of garlic and other spices. This can add another layer of flavor to your casserole, which only makes it more interesting. Give it a try the next time you're making tuna noodle casserole so you can see what the hype is all about.

Sometimes when you're making a batch of soup, you want it to be super light and brothy. This is ideal when you're serving a bowl of soup as a starter or a side dish that doesn't need to be too filling. However, when soup is the main course of your meal, you'll probably want it to have more body and heft to it, which is when thickening your soup can come in handy. There are a lot of different ingredients you can use to thicken your soup, ranging from potatoes to cornstarch. But one overlooked soup thickener is pita chips.

Sure, this may not be the most traditional way to make your soup thicker, but it works well. You'll just want to make sure that you add your pita chips into the broth early in the soup-making process to ensure that they break down and spread their starchiness evenly throughout the dish. Our advice? Use garlic-flavored pita chips for the most flavorful possible rich soup broth, and you may never go back to traditional thickeners again.

Migas may be one of the most delicious ways to prevent food waste. It's a Spanish dish that's made its way into Tex-Mex cuisine that involves scrambling eggs with corn chips or tortillas for a super filling way to start the day. Of course, if you want to keep things as traditional as possible, using leftover corn chips specifically is important. However, if you're open to riffing on this beloved classic, you can utilize pita chips in place of those corn chips for a similar dish.

You'll want to make sure there's plenty of fat in the pan before you drop in your pita chips. This will ensure that you're starting off with a rich and fatty base and that the chips will crisp up well before adding the other ingredients, like eggs, to the mix. Those pita chips will create a lovely mixture of soft and crunchy textures, with the egg rounding out the dish and making it more filling. Pita chip migas are far from traditional, but sometimes, putting your own spin on the classics can be fun. Plus, it's a great way to use up any leftover pita chips you have on hand!

Trying to figure out what to do with that bag of broken pita chips you don't want to throw away? Well, just because you can't dip them into hummus doesn't mean that their flavor profile doesn't still meld extremely well with the creaminess of hummus. Instead of scooping up the hummus with a pita chip, though, you may want to try crushing them up further and sprinkling them on top of your hummus. Then, you can either use different chips to scoop that crunchy, creamy mixture onto, or you can spread it on bread, vegetables, or anything else you want to enjoy it with. In fact, you can even eat it with a spoon — you have our permission!

You don't have to stop with the pita chips, though. While you're adding more texture and flavor to your hummus, consider incorporating other ingredients into the mix as well. Olives, feta cheese, and chopped marinated bell peppers can also give your hummus a bit more interest.

Who said that pita chips could only be used for savory purposes? Sure, a lot of times, pita chips come covered in salt, but that doesn't mean you can't mix it up with some sweet ingredients. We love covering our pita chips in a flavorful mixture of sugar and cinnamon to transform them from a savory snack into a special dessert. To try this out for yourself, heat up some oil in a pan, then add in your pita chips. Sprinkle in that sugar and cinnamon mix, making sure all the pita chips are well coated. Then, take them out of the oil, allow them to drain and cool, and start snacking. Although you can use salted pita chips for these, you'll want to make sure you don't use pita chips that contain other, more savory flavors, like garlic, though.

Why stop there? You can dip those sweet pita chips into chocolate dip or even cake frosting if you really want to go all out. Top them with some chopped strawberries for a lighter twist on the dessert, or simply drizzle on some caramel. You can even crush them up and use them as a topping for ice cream.

Tired of the same old roasted veggie recipe you follow every time you decide you need to work some more nutrition into your diet? You might just need to switch up the texture. An easy way to do just that is to cover your roasted vegetables in a layer of crunchy, crushed pita chips. Take your broken pita chips (or your previously intact, crushed pita chips), and throw them into a pan with heated oil. Then, add whatever savory seasonings appeal to you. Garlic and onion powder both work well, as does paprika, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Fry them until they've gotten even crispier, then remove them from the pan.

When your roasted vegetables come out of the oven, you can top them with the seasoned pita chip mixture to give them a lovely crunch. Once you start preparing your roasted vegetables this way, you'll never want to skip your veggies again.