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Homemade Potato Chips are shatteringly crisp, golden, and so much better than the bag, and once Maddie watched me fry a batch on a lazy weekend afternoon she begged me to never buy chips again. All you need is potatoes, oil, and salt, plus a quick cold water soak that makes them extra crunchy. They fry in seconds and vanish just as fast. If you love a from scratch potato side, our homemade french fries are the perfect next project.
One crispy, salty, still warm chip and you will understand why this is the only potato chip recipe you need.
Homemade Potato Chips Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 8 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 23 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 179kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Crispy, golden, and lightly salted
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our homemade baked apple chips
Quick Answer
To make Homemade Potato Chips, slice scrubbed russet potatoes paper thin with a mandoline and soak them in cold water for an hour to rinse off starch. Heat 1 to 2 inches of canola oil to 375 degrees, pat a handful of slices dry, and fry in small batches for just seconds until golden, turning with tongs. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt right away, then repeat until all the chips are fried.
Jump to:
- Homemade Potato Chips Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Homemade Potato Chips
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Homemade Potato Chips FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Snack Recipes
- Homemade Potato Chips
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- A cold water soak removes starch. Soaking the sliced potatoes for an hour rinses away surface starch, which is the secret to chips that fry up crisp instead of soft or gummy.
- Paper thin slices fry evenly. A mandoline gives you uniform, see through slices so every chip cooks at the same rate and crisps all the way through.
- Drying before frying prevents splatter. Patting the slices dry keeps the oil from bubbling over and helps the chips crisp rather than steam.
- 375 degrees is the sweet spot. Hot oil cooks the thin slices in seconds, so they turn golden and crisp before they can absorb too much grease.
- Small batches keep the oil hot. Frying about a dozen slices at a time keeps the temperature steady, which means crispier chips and faster cooking.
- Salting while hot makes it stick. A sprinkle of kosher salt the moment the chips come out of the oil clings to the surface for perfectly seasoned chips.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Just three ingredients. Potatoes, oil, and salt are all it takes for the crispiest homemade chips.
- Crispier than store bought. The cold water soak and hot oil give you that satisfying snap in every chip.
- Endlessly snackable. Pile them next to our loaded french fries for the ultimate potato spread.
Key Ingredients
Homemade Potato Chips need only three simple ingredients. Here is what each one does.
- Russet potatoes: Their high starch, low moisture flesh fries up the crispiest. Scrub them well and leave the skin on or peel them, your call. They are the same workhorse potato in our air fryer baked potatoes.
- Canola oil: A neutral oil with a high smoke point is ideal for frying at 375 degrees without burning or adding off flavors.
- Kosher salt: The coarse flakes cling to the hot chips and season them perfectly. Add it the moment they come out of the oil.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Homemade Potato Chips are a blank canvas. Try these flavor spins.
- Salt and vinegar: Toss the warm chips with a little malt vinegar powder for that tangy classic.
- BBQ: Sprinkle on a homemade barbecue seasoning while the chips are still hot.
- Ranch: Dust them with ranch seasoning, or just dip them in our homemade buttermilk ranch.
- Sour cream and onion: A mix of onion powder, garlic powder, and dried chives gives that nostalgic flavor.
- Spicy: Add cayenne or chili powder to the salt for a kick.
- Cheesy: A dusting of powdered parmesan or cheddar makes them irresistible.
How to Make Homemade Potato Chips
- Slice the washed, scrubbed russet potatoes paper thin on a mandoline set to its thinnest setting, then soak the slices in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for one hour to rinse off the starch.
- Heat 1 to 2 inches of canola oil to 375 degrees, pat a handful of slices dry, and fry in small batches for just seconds, turning with tongs until golden, then drain on paper towels and salt right away. Repeat until all the chips are fried.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use a mandoline. It gives uniform, paper thin slices that crisp evenly, far better than a knife.
- Do not skip the soak. An hour in cold water rinses off starch for the crispiest chips.
- Dry the slices well. Wet potatoes make the oil splatter and steam instead of crisp.
- Watch the oil temperature. Keep it around 375 degrees and let it recover between batches.
- Fry in small batches. Crowding drops the oil temperature and gives you greasy, soft chips.
- Salt immediately. Season the moment they come out so the salt sticks to the warm surface.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Homemade Potato Chips are made for dipping. Serve a big bowl with our homemade buttermilk ranch or a warm dish of hot spinach artichoke dip for the ultimate snack.
They are perfect for game day. Set them out next to a platter of game day nachos and a batch of air fryer buffalo chicken tenders for a spread that disappears.
Pile them alongside sandwiches and burgers, or dip them in our avocado ranch for something a little different. They are best the day they are made, while they are still crisp.
Homemade Potato Chips FAQs
Russet potatoes are best for Homemade Potato Chips because their high starch, low moisture flesh fries up the crispiest. Scrub them well and slice them paper thin for the best results.
Soaking the slices in cold water rinses away surface starch, which is the key to crisp Homemade Potato Chips. Skipping this step leaves them soft and prone to sticking together in the oil.
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like canola or vegetable oil, for Homemade Potato Chips. Heat it to 375 degrees so the thin slices crisp quickly without absorbing too much grease.
Homemade Potato Chips are best eaten the day they are made. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, and re crisp them in a warm oven if they soften.
Soggy Homemade Potato Chips usually mean the slices were too thick, were not dried before frying, or the oil was not hot enough. Slice thin, pat dry, and keep the oil at 375 degrees in small batches.
Yes, you can bake Homemade Potato Chips. Arrange dried slices in a single layer, brush lightly with oil, and bake at 400 degrees, flipping once, until crisp and golden, though frying gives the classic crunch.
In the mood for more crispy snacks? Try our homemade baked apple chips next.
Homemade Potato Chips
Ingredients
Instructions
- About an hour before cooking, slice the potatoes. To do this the easiest way, take a mandolin on the thinnest setting and carefully slice potatoes that have been washed and scrubbed.2 pounds medium-sized russet potatoes washed and scrubbed
- Immediately place the sliced potatoes into a bowl filled with cold water. Let sit in the fridge for one hour in water.
- In a heavy bottom skillet, pour in canola oil so it is about 1-2 inches deep or you can use an electric deep fryer. Get the oil hot over medium heat to 375°F.Canola oil for frying
- Take about a dozen of the potato slices out of the water and pat dry with a paper towel, carefully but quickly drop in potato slices into the hot oil. These take seconds to cook, using tongs turn them over as soon as any browning occurs.
- With tongs, take them out of the oil and let drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt immediately. Keep repeating the same process until all of the potato chips are finished. Serve and enjoy!Kosher salt to taste
Notes
- You can use various potato chip seasonings or other seasonings on these chips when they are done.
- Make sure you use Russet or baking potatoes for these.
- These need to soak for at least 1 hour before frying.
- A mandoline slicer makes life so much easier.
- Make sure that you dry them off well before frying.
- Easily double this recipe to have more on hand for a party or for later.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Thanks so much Joanie! It is just the most basic spinach dip off the Knorr vegetable packet. Here is an affiliate link to it on amazon so you can see what it looks like: http://amzn.to/2zEncuW They sell them at all grocery stores as well.
I love your web sight. Your recipes are so unique and look sooo delicious!
I can’t wait to try them. I have printed MANY of them out. I have a ? What is the recipe for the dip you show with your chips. It looks so good!
Okay, the chips look yummy, but you are totally teasing with that awesome looking dip! I hope you are planning on sharing that recipe soon – it looks amazing. I think I need the dip recipe so I can make the chips – they’re a matched pair! 🙂
I must try this! I’ve never been successful at making potato chips, but I think I’ll give it another go!
I’m the exact same way when it comes to peeling potatoes! I never peel them, but yet, I would sooo take the time to make homemade potato chips. Can’t wait to try these out! Thanks for sharing! Pinning 🙂