Homemade Potato Chips • Two Purple Figs

Homemade Potato Chips are one of those recipes that you hesitate so much to make at home. But once you make them, you’ll know it was worth every bit of work! This tutorial covers everything you need to know about homemade potato chips. Also sharing microwave potato chips and air fryer potato chips!

Making homemade potato chips can honestly feel like such a chore. In full transparency, we only tested and made potato chips at hoe because a client had requested it. At first we felt that this would be such a waste of time with all the hundreds of chips options at the store.

So we went ahead and made chips several ways. Fried, air fried and microwaved. We then tried so many flavors, salt and vinegar, plain, ranch, spicy, you name it. And we came up with this easy to follow tutorial for you guys, so you can make the BEST potato chips!

Why You’ll LOVE Homemade Potato Chips

• They’re crispy, salty and feel light as air!
• You can flavor them endlessly.
• The process is much easier than you think!
• You can decide whether you prefer them fried or air fried.
• The thickness of the chips, shape and how toasty they are is completely in your control.
• Homemade chips taste SUPER fresh! This is something you can never get out of a bag, we promise that.
• It’s so affordable! One potato when sliced super thin makes a large amount of chips!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Potatoes. The most important step is to pick the right type pf potatoes–more on that below. 
• Salt. To season the chips.
• Ice. Soaking the potatoes in ice water before frying yields the crispiest chips!
• Seasoning. This is the seasoning you’ll sprinkle over the chips once they’re fried and ready! 
• Vinegar. For a salt and vinegar flavor, soak the potatoes in icy vinegar for a depth of flavor.

Best Potatoes For Potato Chips

By far the Russet Potatoes are the BEST for homemade chips. Idaho and sweet potatoes are also great alternatives. You basically need potatoes with low moisture content and high in starch. That way you get homemade potato chips that are crispy and hold their shape.

How to Make Homemade Potato Chips

Prep the Potatoes

1. You need a mandolin slicer to make the best potato chips. You also need to be SUPER careful because this tool is absolutely more dangerous than a knife in the kitchen. So set up your slicer to the 1/16 or 1/8 inch mark to get nice and thin chips. 
   
2. Slice the potatoes all over a board and then prepare the ice bath.

Soak The Potatoes

Fried Potatoes Chips

1. Prepare a wok with hot oil. We use a neutral tasting oil, preferable with a high smoking point like avocado oil. 
2. Add in the sliced potatoes just a few at a time to avoid them clumping or lowering the oil temperature.
   
3. Use a slotted spoon to flip the chips around until they’re golden and ready. 
   
4. Remove the chips on to kitchen paper to drain any excess oil, although we noticed they weren’t oily as expected.
5. At that point they’re ready to enjoy with a sprinkle of seasoning!

Microwave Potato Chips

1. To cook those chips in the micorwave, start by using a microwave safe plate.
2. Place a layer of wax paper over the plate. Now spread the sliced and dried potatoes in a single layer. 
3. Microwave for about 5-6 minutes depending on your microwave.
   
4. They will be done when golden and they will crisp up more as they cool down.
5. While this method creates crispy potato chips as well, we felt it took longer for large batches. So it’s a great method if you’re making a small batch only. 

Air Fryer Potato Chips

1. You know we love our air fryer recipes, so naturally we had to test it for potato chips too! You’ll need to place the slices in your air fryer basket and give them a good spray of oil.
   
2. Shake the basket well and air fry the potatoes for 3-4 minutes depending on how golden you prefer them.
3. They come out crisp, not oily a bit, yet super golden. 

Season the Homemade Potato Chips

No mater which way you choose to cook the chips, they need to be seasoned immediately after cooking. So while they’re still hot, sprinkle some seasoning on top and give that a shake. 

You can use ranch, spicy, cajun, salt and vinegar powder or however you want. For the record we had trouble finding vinegar powder, only on amazon.  But it was so worth it for those who love that vinegar flavor.

Tips For Homemade Potato Chips

1. Start with the right type of potatoes. Using Russet or Idaho potatoes with low moisture content makes cirspier chips.
2. Always use a mandolin slicer for perfectly thin potato chips.
3. Set the slicer at 1/16 inch for the thinnest possible chips, or 1/8 inch for slightly thicker ones.
4. Be extra cautious when working with a mandolin slicer as it is SUPER dangerous and sharp.
5. Soak the potatoes in ice water when sliced. Soaking seals the surface for extra crispness.
6. If making salt and vinegar chips, soak the potatoes in vinegar and ice instead of water. 
7. Make sure to dry out the potatoes really well before cooking it. 
8. Choose frying, microwaving or air frying depending on what you prefer. 
9. For frying, choose a neutral oil with high smoking point. Avocado oil is our favorite. 
10. Keep the oil at a good temperature about 375 degrees F. It’s best to use an oil thermometer.
11. Make sure to flip the potatoes around in the oil using a slotted spoon as you cook them. 
12. Drain the chips in case there’s any extra oil and season while hot for infusing flavor.
13. To microwave the potato chips, make sure you spread them in a single layer. It’s crucial. Also remember the chips will harden as they cool.
14. As for the air fryer method, you’ll need a spray of oil over it. Air fry and keep shaking every minute to distribute the heat. 
15. When seasoning the chips, make sure you season it right after it has cooked. This infuses the flavor right away!

How to Make Folded Chips?

If you love that folded potato chips look, fold over the potatoes in the hot oil as you turn them.

What if I don’t have an instant thermometer?

We prefer an electric deep fryer as you can set the temperature and it doesn’t change. If not, then use a bread cube and fry it. If the bread takes 50 seconds, then you’re at the right temperature. If it takes less 30-40 seconds, then it’s too hot. And likewise if it takes longer, it’s too cold. 

Can I bake the Chips?

We love the air fryer or microwave as a second option. While the oven works, we prefer the air fryer as it is faster.

Why do we Soak the Potatoes?

Soaking the potatoes creates a seal on the potatoes outer layer, so the result is extra crispy.

What seasoning can I use?

Your favorite seasoning! just sprinkle the seasoning right over the hot chips when ready.

How to Make Salt and Vinegar Chips?

To make homemade salt and vinegar chips, soak the potatoes in PURE vinegar. Use white vinegar and ice. Soak the potatoes and drain as per recipe. When fried and ready sprinkle salt and vinegar powder. We found vinegar powder on Amazon. It was SO HARD to find elsewhere!

What makes Chips Soggy?

Nothing can ruin this homemade potato chips experience like soggy chips. Here’s how to avoid them. 

• Make sure to soak the potatoes for at least 30 minutes.
• Dry the potatoes thoroughly before frying.
• Avoid overcrowding the fryer, or air fryer or microwave plate when cooking the potatoes.
• Make sure the chips are completely dried before storing them.

BEST Potato Recipes

Crispy Potatoes
Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Baked Potato Soup
Sweet Potato Salad
Carne Asada Fries
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Nacho Fries
Scalloped Potatoes
Potato Pancakes