Homemade Potato Chips

Once you try homemade potato chips, that bag of store-bought chips quickly loses its appeal. Seriously, you can just make them at home! Cut to the optimal level of thickness, fried to a crispy golden brown and seasoned exactly how you like ’em, homemade chips taste better than anything you can pick up at the grocery store. Plus, they’re completely preservative-free.

They’re a stellar side for soups, hamburgers and sandwiches like a French dip or a tuna melt. Set out a bowl for movie night or pack them as an easy picnic side; regardless of the occasion, these homemade chips are a guaranteed hit.

What are the best potatoes for homemade chips?

Floury, starchy potatoes were simply made for frying (and mashing, baking, roasting and so on). Russet potatoes top the list for yielding the crispiest, crunchiest homemade chips. Look for fresh spuds that are firm to touch and that have not sprouted. (You can eat sprouted potatoes if they’re not too far gone, as long as you cut off the eyes.) For folks across the pond in the United Kingdom, try Maris Pipers.

Homemade Potato Chips Ingredients

• Potatoes: It’s important to slice the potatoes to roughly the same size and thickness to ensure even cooking. Leaving them unpeeled will give them those nice brown edges.
• Water: Ice water helps wash the starch off the surface of the potatoes, ensuring peak crispiness once they’re fried.
• Seasonings: A combo of celery salt, garlic powder, pepper and, of course, plenty of kosher salt gives these homemade chips their salty, savory flavor.
• Oil: For all things deep-fried, the best oils for frying are those with a high smoke point. Avocado oil, peanut oil and refined coconut oil are all healthier options. Grass-fed beef tallow is another healthy choice that doubles up by infusing the chips with flavor. Runners-up include canola oil and sunflower oil.

Directions

Step 1: Cut and soak the potatoes

TASTE OF HOME

Using a vegetable peeler, metal cheese slicer or mandoline, cut the potatoes into very thin slices and place them in a large bowl. Cover them with ice water and add the salt. Soak the slices for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Dry the potatoes and mix the seasoning

Drain the potatoes, place them on paper towels and pat them dry. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, celery salt and pepper. Set the seasoning aside.

Editor’s Tip: Make sure the potatoes are well-dried before you fry them for peak crispiness.

Step 3: Fry the potatoes

TASTE OF HOME

In a cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1-1/2 inches of oil to 375°F. Working in batches, fry the potatoes until they’re golden brown, about three to four minutes, stirring frequently.

Editor’s Tip: Don’t overcrowd the skillet! Frying the potatoes in batches ensures they’ll crisp up evenly.

Step 4: Season the chips

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Remove the chips with a slotted spoon, then drain them on paper towels. Immediately sprinkle the hot chips with the seasoning mixture.

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Homemade Potato Chips Variations

• Use different potato varieties: Sweet potatoes and floury blue potato varieties like Russian blues make for striking (and delicious!) homemade chips.
• Mix up the seasonings: The sky’s the limit as far as potato chips seasonings are concerned. Homemade spice blends like Creole seasoning, taco seasoning and Italian seasoning are phenomenal on homemade chips. Or you can make those bottles of Lawry’s or Tajin go to work for you.
• Make air-fryer potato chips: It seems like there are hundreds of snacks to be made in an air fryer, but air-fryer potato chips rank among our favorite air-fryer recipes.

How to Store Homemade Potato Chips

Once the chips are completely cooled, transfer them to an airtight container (a resealable bag works too), and store them at room temperature. Leaving the chips until they’re 100% cooled cannot be emphasized enough. Any residual heat turns into moisture, which creates soggy chips. Yuck!

How long do homemade potato chips last?

When stored in an airtight container, homemade chips will last for five to seven days.

Homemade Potato Chips Tips

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Do you need to soak potatoes for homemade chips?

Not soaking the potatoes is where most folks go wrong when making homemade potato chips. Allowing the potatoes to sit in water removes a lot of starch, making for crispier, crunchier chips. Do you need to soak the potatoes? Technically, no, but it’s absolutely worth the extra step. Just don’t forget to pat the potatoes dry after draining the water.

How do you keep homemade potato chips crispy?

The best way to keep homemade potato chips crispy is to lay them on paper towels after you’ve fried them. The paper towels soak up excess oil, ensuring the chips won’t be too soggy. If stored in an airtight container, they should hold their crisp texture—as long as they cooled completely before being stored.

How do you make baked homemade potato chips?

While homemade chips are a bit healthier than store-bought, baking your chips is healthier still. After soaking and drying the potatoes, put them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes, then dust them with the seasoning mixture. Toss to coat, arrange the potatoes in a single layer, then bake them at 425° for 15 to 20 minutes or until they’re golden brown and crunchy.

What do you serve with homemade potato chips?

You’ve made the chips, so how about pairing them with a few dips? Buffalo chicken dip or ranch dressing are obvious choices, and these homemade chips would be perfect for beer dips, pico de gallo, homemade hummus and Rotel dip too. Chips have never met a dip they didn’t get along with. Check out our best dip recipes if you need a little inspo. For something lighter, serve the chips aperitivo-style with your favorite types of olives.