These air fryer potato chips taste incredible by themselves or alongside your favorite sandwich or burger. With just a little time, very few ingredients, and an air fryer, you can enjoy these crisp, salty chips whenever the mood strikes. (And without a pot of hot frying oil!) I share all the tips so they are always crunchy and never soggy.
For this recipe, I opted for the classic seasoning of salt and pepper. But you can get creative with how you flavor them! I share plenty of seasoning blends below that mimic popular store-bought potato chip flavors. For more air fryer potato recipes, try my air fryer tater tots, air fryer french fries, and air fryer potato wedges.
Ingredients
Potato — medium-sized Russet potatoes are the best option as they are starchy. Yukon gold potatoes will also work but will have a bit of a harder crunch.
Oil — olive oil cooking spray helps the chips crisp up in the air fryer. Unlike classic homemade potato chips, this recipe does not require a lot of oil.
Seasoning — I went with a simple combination of salt and pepper, but I have ideas below for other seasonings you could use.
How To Make Air Fryer Potato Chips
1. Clean the potato well and use a mandoline to slice it about 1/16 inch thick.
2. Soak the thin slices in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes. Drain the water from the bowl after 10 minutes, then refill it with cold water.
3. Swish the potatoes around with your hands and drain once more.
4. Place the sliced potatoes in a single layer on paper towels. Pat very dry with another paper towel.
5. Add the potato slices to a large bowl. Spray the potatoes with olive oil spray, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt, and toss.
6. Repeat: Spray with oil and add the rest of the salt.
7. Arrange the potato slices in an even layer in an air fryer basket. You will need to work in a few batches. Set the air fryer to 325°F.
8. Cook the air fryer potato chips. Every 5 minutes, toss, flip, and redistribute the chips. After 15 minutes, remove any chips that are golden brown and crispy. Continue cooking in 2-minute increments until all of the chips are golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a plate or bowl, sprinkle with more salt, and add ground black pepper to taste. Repeat with the remaining potato slices.
Why Soak The Potatoes Before Air Frying?
Soaking the sliced potatoes is an important step to remove the excess starch. This helps the potatoes turn into crispy chips in the air fryer. Soaking also prevents the slices from sticking together during cooking.
Recipe Variations
Air fryer chips are the perfect vehicle for your favorite seasonings and flavor combinations! Here are some ideas if you want to get creative:
- Sour cream and onion chips: Stir together 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder and dried chives, and ½ teaspoon garlic salt and toss with the hot chips.
- Salt and vinegar chips: After tossing or flipping the chips for the second time, lightly sprinkle or spray the chips with apple cider vinegar or malt vinegar. Season with salt once cooked.
- Ranch seasoning chips: Toss the hot cooked chips in 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning powder.
- Barbecue chips: Stir together 1 teaspoon each of brown sugar and smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, and salt, and ¼ teaspoon chili powder for added spice if you’d like. Toss with the hot chips.
- Add fresh herbs: Sprinkle fresh minced parsley, dill, or chives over the chips after air frying.
What To Serve With Air Fryer Potato Chips
While I love snacking on these crispy potato chips straight out of the bowl, you can serve them with a variety of dishes!
- Comforting classic grilled cheese sandwich or air fryer grilled cheese
- Burgers like a smash burger or black bean burgers
- Air fryer chicken tenders or fried chicken
- Dips like pimento cheese or buffalo chicken dip
How To Store Air-Fried Potato Chips
Air-fried potato chips will keep in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to a week at room temperature. They will start to lose some of their crispness as time passes, though. You can pop them back in the air fryer at 400°F for 2 to 3 minutes to re-crisp them if desired.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use starchy potatoes: Starchy potatoes (also known as floury or mealy potatoes), like Russet potatoes, contain less moisture, so they are perfect for frying as they become crispy. You can substitute an all-purpose potato like Yukon Gold potatoes, which also work well. Avoid waxy varieties like red potatoes, as they often turn chewy instead of crisp.
- When using a mandoline: Rotate the potato 180 degrees every 8 to 10 slices so that the potato continues to slice evenly. If you continue to cut straight through, the potato develops a slant on the cutting surface, and you end up with oval-shaped chips.
- Chip thickness: Slices around 1/8-inch to 1/16-inch are best. If they are too thick, they won’t get crispy. If sliced too thin, they will cook unevenly (and get too dark in places before they ever get crispy). You should be able to see your fingers through the potato slices if they are thin enough.
- Air fryer temperature: If your air fryer only heats in 10-degree increments, cook these chips at 320°F.
- Avoid over-cooking and burning the chips: If the chips are browned but still slightly limp in certain parts, pull them out of the air fryer. They will crisp up as they sit and cool.
- Let the air fryer potato chips rest before serving: The chips will crisp up more as they cool, so let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have a mandoline slicer, you can use a vegetable peeler to slice the potatoes. Keep in mind that this method only works well if the potato is very narrow or if you don’t mind having “half” chips (as you can only peel a potato that is the width of a peeler).
You can also use the slicing side of a box grater or carefully slice the potato using a very sharp knife. A mandoline, however, is the easiest and quickest way to thinly and uniformly slice a potato.
Yes, you can use sweet potatoes. Follow the recipe as written. The cooking time might be a little different, so keep a close eye on them after about 10 minutes to make sure they don’t burn.
There are a few things that can cause soggy air fryer potato chips. Not soaking the potato slices is one culprit. Soaking removes excess starch, which can prevent the potatoes from getting crispy.
Also, be sure to dry the potato slices thoroughly after soaking. If the potatoes are still wet, it will be much harder for them to become crispy. Lastly, do not overcrowd your air fryer. Work in batches instead. An overloaded air fryer basket will cause the potatoes to steam instead of fry, which will make them soft instead of crisp.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this air fryer potato chips recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Air Fryer Potato Chips Recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 russet potato (225g)
- Olive oil cooking spray
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Scrub the potato well (there is no need to peel the potato.)
- Using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, thinly slice the potato about 1/16” thick.
- Soak the potato slices in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes to remove the starch. Drain the water from the bowl, then refill it with cold water. Mix with your hands to clean the chips and drain once more.
- Place the potatoes in a single layer on a tea towel or paper towels. Pat very dry with another towel.
- Add the dry potato slices to a large mixing bowl. Spray the potatoes all over with the olive oil spray and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Toss well to combine. Repeat and spray all over with olive oil spray once again and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Working in batches, arrange the potato slices in an even layer in an air fryer basket. (You will be cooking in 2-3 batches, so don’t try to fit them all in at once).
- Set the air fryer to 325°F.
- Cook, opening the basket to toss, flip, and redistribute all of the chips every 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove any chips that are golden brown and crispy. Continue cooking in 2 minute increments until all of the chips are golden brown and crispy on most of the chip area.
- Transfer to a plate or bowl, and sprinkle with more salt and pepper to taste. Continue with the remaining potato slices. The chips will crisp up more as they cool, so let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use starchy potatoes: Starchy potatoes (also known as floury or mealy potatoes), like Russet potatoes, contain less moisture, so they are perfect for frying as they become crispy. You can substitute an all-purpose potato like Yukon Gold potatoes, which also work well. Avoid waxy varieties like red potatoes, as they often turn chewy instead of crisp.
- When using a mandoline: Rotate the potato 180 degrees every 8 to 10 slices so that the potato continues to slice evenly. If you continue to cut straight through, the potato develops a slant on the cutting surface, and you end up with oval-shaped chips.
- Chip thickness: Slices around 1/8-inch to 1/16-inch are best. If they are too thick, they won’t get crispy. If sliced too thin, they will cook unevenly (and get too dark in places before they ever get crispy). You should be able to see your fingers through the potato slices if they are thin enough.
- Air fryer temperature: If your air fryer only heats in 10-degree increments, cook these chips at 320°F.
- Avoid over-cooking and burning the chips: If the chips are browned but still slightly limp in certain parts, pull them out of the air fryer. They will crisp up as they sit and cool.
- Let the air fryer potato chips rest before serving: The chips will crisp up more as they cool, so let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.
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