Potato Chips: the best recipe for crispy homemade chips

Who doesn't love potato chips? The only thing better than opening up a bag of crispy chips is making homemade potato chips in your kitchen! Homemade potato chips are so much healthier than store-bought bags and less greasy to boot! They're deep-fried until crispy and crunchy, and the best part is you can customize your seasonings and make the chips as thin or thick as you like.

They're perfectly golden brown and ideal for serving as a side dish with your favorite sandwiches at lunch or tucking into as a savory snack. These crispy homemade potato chips are incredibly easy to make. Here's everything you need to know.

What Are the Best Potatoes for Making Chips?

The go-to options for homemade potato chips are large Russet, Idaho, or Maris Piper potatoes. All-purpose or floury type potatoes are the best choice. You can also use Yukon and blue potatoes.

What is the Best Oil for Frying Potato Chips?

Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point like vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, or sunflower oil.

How to Make Crispy Potato Chips at Home

Once you make these incredible homemade potato chips, you'll never go back to store-bought again. Here's how to do it. Start by peeling your potatoes, then putting them into a bowl filled with cold water. This stops them from turning brown. Fill a second bowl with cold water and white vinegar.

Using a mandolin slicer, cut the potatoes to about 1/16-inch thickness. Using a mandolin slicer means you can control the thickness of the chips and make sure they turn out even. Put the potato slices into the vinegar water and leave them for at least an hour. This gets rid of starch which will give you crispier chips. Don't skip this step! After they've soaked, drain and rinse the potatoes. Pop them in a sieve to drain completely, then blot them dry with paper towels.

Next, pour a couple of inches of oil into a large pan and heat it to 380F. Fry the potato slices in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Take them out of the oil with a slotted spoon and set them on a baking tray lined with paper towels to remove excess oil. Season immediately with your favorite seasonings. Cook the rest of the chips, and enjoy!

How to Keep Homemade Potato Chips Crispy

Make sure to leave the potatoes to soak in the vinegar water for at least an hour, if not longer. This removes starch from the potatoes. After they've soaked, dry the sliced potatoes as much as possible. This will guarantee you get the crispiest, crunchiest potato chips.

The best way to keep your homemade potato chips crispy (besides eating them right away!) is to store them in an airtight container. This stops any moisture from getting to them, which is the cause of sogginess. Let the chips cool down completely, then stash them in Tupperware for later.

Tips for Making Crispy Potato Chips

Use a mandolin slicer to slice the potatoes. This will ensure the chips are even, meaning they'll cook evenly.

Use a thermometer to keep tabs on the oil temperature. Let the oil heat back up to 380F between frying the chips.

Don't overcrowd the potato chips when frying. It's best to work in batches.

Avoid stacking freshly fried potato chips on top of cooled ones.

To make healthier potato chips, use your air fryer or bake them in the oven. Heat your air fryer to 360F and spray the basket with oil. Arrange the chips in a single layer in the basket of the air fryer. Cook the chips for 15-17 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes until golden brown.

To make oven potato chips, bake them in a single layer at 400F for 17 to 19 minutes, flipping once halfway through.

Potato Chips Seasoning Ideas

There are endless seasonings you can use to flavor your homemade potato chips. Try classic salt and pepper, garlic salt, or regular salt.

Chili and lime seasoning is a fantastic option (look for Tajin), as are seasoning mixes like Old Bay, taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning, dried herbs, peri-peri salt, or dry barbecue rub.

You can also use paprika, cayenne powder, or onion powder.

How to Store Homemade Potato Chips

Although homemade potato chips taste best enjoyed the day they're made, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Instructions

Peel the potatoes, then put them in a bowl filled with cold water. Fill a second bowl with cold water. Stir in the white vinegar.

Slice the potatoes using a mandolin slicer to about 1/16-inch thickness. Place the sliced potatoes into the water and vinegar mixture. Leave to soak for a minimum of 1 hour.

Drain and rinse the sliced potatoes. Set them in a sieve to drain completely.

Pat dry the potatoes with paper towels to soak up excess water.

Pour two inches of oil into a large pan. Heat the oil to 380F. Working in batches, fry the potato slices until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Remove them with a slotted spoon.

Arrange the potatoes on a baking tray lined with paper towel to remove excess oil.

Season immediately with preferred seasonings. Repeat with remaining potatoes.

Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Use an instant-read thermometer to determine when the oil is the correct temperature for frying.