Homemade potato chips are even better in the air fryer! Air fryer potato chips are super crispy and flavorful, perfect for enjoying as a snack or pairing with your favorite dinners. You can have a batch ready to eat in under 30 minutes!
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Making potato chips from scratch is easier than it seems. All you have to do is slice the potatoes thinly, rinse, dry, season, and cook. The best way to cook homemade potato chips? Air fry them!
Homemade air fryer potato chips are irresistibly golden brown and crispy, and you can customize the taste to match any flavor you want. Use a simple seasoning of sea salt flakes, or get creative with chili seasoning or BBQ seasoning - you decide!
Ingredients
- Russet Potatoes: We're using russet potatoes and find they give the best results when air frying potato chips. Russet potatoes are perfect for making chips because they fry up crispier due to their lower water content. But, you can use other varieties (such as Yukon Gold potatoes) if that's what you have on hand. Just keep in mind the crispness and size of the chip may differ depending on what type of potato you use.
- Light Olive Oil Spray: Olive oil adds a nice flavor to the chips we prefer, but you want to make sure to use light olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil has too low of a smoke point for this recipe. Alternatively, you can use avocado oil. See our guide to air frying oils.
- Sea Salt: Sea salt flakes are perfect for homemade chips, but you can also use kosher salt. Or, use your favorite seasoning mix! We'll recommend a few variations for you to try below.
How to Air Fry Potato Chips
Step 1
Wash the potatoes and dry thoroughly. We leave the peels on.
Step 2
Using a mandoline slicer, slice the potatoes into very thin rounds starting on a short side using a mandoline. Slice on the thinnest mandoline setting, about ¹⁄₁₆-inch thick. If you don't have a mandoline or would prefer to cut them manually, feel free to cut them as thinly as you can using a sharp knife.
SAFETY NOTE: Using the guard when using a mandoline slicer is crucial for safety. The mandoline’s ultra-sharp blades can easily slice through food—and unfortunately, fingers too. The guard acts as a protective barrier between your hand and the blade, ensuring you maintain control while slicing and preventing accidental cuts. No matter how experienced you are in the kitchen, using the guard every time can save you from painful injuries and make your food prep safer and more efficient.
Step 3
Place potato slices in a colander or strainer and rinse under cold water. Rinse well to remove the excess starch. Dry slightly using a paper towel or kitchen towel.
Step 4
Line a baking sheet with paper towels or a kitchen towel and place the potato slices in a single layer to dry. Use paper towels to pat dry. You want the potato slices to be very dry to the touch.
Step 5
Spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil and place a single layer of potato slices in the air fryer basket. A little overlap is okay. If you have thinner potato slices, set them aside to air fry all the thinner slices together.
Step 6
Spray the potatoes with oil and sprinkle with sea salt to your liking. Place the rack on top of the potato slices. This helps to keep them from flying around too much in the air fryer and is important for air fryer safety.
Step 7
Air fry at 350°F (177°C) for 14 minutes. Shake the basket halfway through air frying to toss the chips around. If some chips are already crispy, remove them to a serving dish to cool. Continue air frying until all the chips are crispy. Keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t get too dark. Repeat with remaining potato slices.
For Toaster Oven Models with a Tray
If you're using an air fryer with a tray, such as the Breville Smart Oven Air, make these adjustments:
- Make sure to use the rack to hold the chips down on the air fryer tray. This prevents them from potentially flying around in the air fryer, which is dangerous.
- Halfway through the air frying time, move the chips around using a spatula. We recommend a silicone-tipped spatula. See our guide to air frying tools.
- Air fry for 14-16 minutes. Air fryer models with a tray may take slightly longer than basket models to cook.
Recipe Tips
- When rinsing potato slices, be sure you rinse both sides of each slice well. Rinsing the potato slices thoroughly will ensure crispy air fryer potato chips.
- To achieve the perfect texture, avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket.
- Important note: Use an oil sprayer filled with your preferred oil. Avoid using pressurized cooking sprays with additives as they might damage the air fryer's non-stick surface.
- Use tongs to reach into the hot air fryer basket to prevent burns.
- Cook time may vary depending on your specific air fryer. As always, use the cook time as a guide until you are more comfortable with your specific brand of air fryer.
- When cooking in multiple batches, be sure to check on the remaining batches early, as they may cook more quickly.
Air Fryer Potato Chip Seasonings
You can use any spice mix you like to season your homemade potato chips. We like to pair them with our favorite sandwiches or match them to whatever meal we're serving.
- Ranch Seasoning: Make ranch air-fryer chips by using a little bit of ranch seasoning.
- BBQ Seasoning: Air fry BBQ potato chips by using your favorite BBQ seasoning or making your own. BBQ seasoning usually uses a mix of paprika, brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, black pepper, and cayenne, if you want a little spice.
- Sour Cream and Onion: You can achieve that same sour cream and onion flavor you love by using a mix of onion powder and buttermilk powder.
- Salt & Vinegar: If you love salt and vinegar chips, just give your chips a little spray of vinegar paired with sea salt.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Chips
Storage Instructions
- Store leftover chips in an airtight container such as a zip-top bag. Chips can be stored at room temp.
FAQ
By rinsing the chips well, we can eliminate surface sugars that will brown too quickly, or even burn. Slice the chips, then rinse them well under cold running water. This also removes excess starch to ensure crispy chips. But, you can also soak them if you prefer. Place the potato slices in a bowl of cold water and give them a bath, agitating them and changing the water once or twice until the water runs clear.
Air Fryer Chip Recipes
Leave a comment and review for us below if you enjoyed this recipe, or if you have questions about any of our air fryer recipes!
Air Fryer Potato Chips
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1-2 russet potatoes scrubbed with peels on
- Light olive oil spray
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes and dry thoroughly. We leave the peels on.
- Using a mandoline slicer with a guard, slice the potatoes into very thin rounds starting on a short side using a mandoline. Slice on the thinnest mandoline setting, about ¹⁄₁₆-inch thick. If you don't have a mandoline or would prefer to cut them manually, feel free to cut them as thinly as you can using a sharp knife.1-2 russet potatoes
- Place potato slices in a colander or strainer and rinse under cold water. Rinse well to remove the excess starch. Dry slightly using a paper towel or kitchen towel.
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels or a kitchen towel and place the potato slices in a single layer to dry. Use paper towels to pat dry. You want the potato slices to be very dry to the touch.
- Spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil and place a single layer of potato slices in the air fryer basket. A little overlap is okay. If you have thinner potato slices, set them aside to air fry all the thinner slices together.Light olive oil spray
- Spray the potatoes with oil and sprinkle with sea salt to your liking. Place the rack on top of the potato slices. This helps to keep them from flying around too much in the air fryer and is important for air fryer safety.Sea salt
- Air fry at 350°F (177°C) for 14 minutes. Shake the basket halfway through air frying to toss the chips around. If some chips are already crispy, remove them to a serving dish to cool. Continue air frying until all the chips are crispy. Keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t get too dark. Repeat with remaining potato slices.
Notes
- When rinsing potato slices, be sure you rinse both sides of each slice well. Rinsing the potato slices thoroughly will ensure crispy air fryer potato chips.
- To achieve the perfect texture, avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket.
- Important note: Use an oil sprayer filled with your preferred oil. Avoid using pressurized cooking sprays with additives as they might damage the air fryer's non-stick surface.
- Use tongs to reach into the hot air fryer basket to prevent burns.
- Cook time may vary depending on your specific air fryer. As always, use the cook time as a guide until you are more comfortable with your specific brand of air fryer.
- When cooking in multiple batches, be sure to check on the remaining batches early, as they may cook more quickly.
For air fryer models with a tray, see the post above for adjusted instructions.
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