The Best Air Fryer Chips

Name: The Best Air Fryer Chips
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 23 min
Ingredients: 500 g potatoes; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper; 0.5 tbsp garlic granules

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By using an air fryer, you can make delicious and perfectly crispy chips without having to heat up the oven or use a lot of oil, meaning healthier chips! Follow our foolproof tips for making the BEST Air Fryer Chips, along with some suggestions of different ways to season them, so you can have different flavoured chips every time.

Air Fryer Chips on a wooden serving board with a small pot of ketchup.

If you have an air fryer and you have never made chips in it, then you are seriously missing out. Air fried chips are the best way to eat chips and with our top tip of stacking them in the air fryer, you will have perfectly cooked chips in the air fryer every time.

We actually had an air fryer for over a year before we made anything but air fryer chips (although there is so much more you can do in it) and we still have these at least twice a week! They are a classic side dish and go with everything. So trust me when I tell you that these have been tested HUNDREDS of times! We have all the tips to get crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside chips in the air fryer every time.

If you are looking for other ways to use your air fryer, then why not try our Air Fryer Steak, Air Fryer Bacon, Air Fryer Broccoli or Air Fryer Tortilla Chips?

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Why you will love them
Ingredients needed
How to cook chips in an air fryer - Step by step
Top tips for crispy air fryer chips
Variations
How long do chips take in the air fryer?
Serving suggestions
FAQs
Extra tips
More potato recipes
Recipe
Feedback

Why you will love them

Perfect air fried chips - This recipe will get you crispy chips every time.
Lower in calories and fat - Using an air fryer to cook chips needs less oil than if you were cooking them in the oven.
Lots of seasoning options - There are so many different ways to flavour these air fryer chips, so they never get boring.
Versatile - If you want a side dish that will go with everything, then these air fryer chips are it! Chicken, fish, burgers, hot dogs and more. We have lots of recipe suggestions below.

Ingredients needed

Potatoes - Technically, any potatoes will work for cooking chips in an air fryer, but some definitely work better than others. We try to use a floury potato like a King Edward or Maris Piper, as they have produced the best results for us.
Olive oil - You could swap this for vegetable or sunflower oil.
Garlic granules - We added garlic granules to add lots of flavour, however there are lots of flavour options with air fryer fries. Add some smoke and spice with paprika and cayenne or a Fajita or Cajun blend.

A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.

How to cook chips in an air fryer - Step by step

One: Chop the potatoes into fries (about 1cm/0.5 inch), leaving the skin on.

A wooden chopping board with a pile of raw potato fries.

Two: Put the chips into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Mix around and leave to stand for a few minutes.

A large bowl containing raw chips covered in water.

Three: Put onto a clean towel and pat dry.

Four: Transfer the chips to a large bowl. Add the oil, salt, pepper and garlic and mix well.

A metal mixing bowl containing raw potato fries covered in seasoning.

Five: Find any chips with skin along the length and put a layer of these chips, skin side down, at the bottom of the air fryer basket.

An air fryer basket with a layer of uncooked chips on the bottom.

Six: Put the next layer of chips at right angles to the first layer, ensuring there is space between the chips. Continue building up the layers in alternate directions.

An air fryer basket with uncooked chips stacked at right angles.

Seven: Carefully put the basket into the air fryer. Cook the chips for 18 minutes at 200°C. Shake the chips after 10 minutes and then shake a few more times before the time is up.

An air fryer basket full of uncooked chips being placed into an air fryer.

Top tips for crispy air fryer chips

To get the best crispy fries possible, you are better off cutting them into thinner chips, rather than thicker potato wedges.

We leave the skins on our potatoes when chopping them. This is partly due to the fact that we are lazy and like to save time any way we can, but also because the skin gets nice and crispy and helps to give an overall crispy chip. It is also where most of the fibre is, so keep them on! Keeping the skin on also prevents the chips sticking to the bottom of the air fryer during cooking.

If you open up your air fryer and they are still not as crispy as you would like them, then put them back on for 3-4 minutes more. For maximum crispiness, serve them immediately. If you let them sit for a while, or reheat them, they can go soggy.

Seasoned fries next to some tomato ketchup.

Variations

Frozen chips - Can you use frozen chips in the air fryer? Yes, you can and I think it's the best way to cook frozen chips. Simply heat your air fryer up to the temperature on the packaging and then cook them for ¾ of the time stated, but check on them every 5 minutes. You don't need to add oil or seasoning, as they are usually already coated in these.

Cheesy chips - Is there anything more comforting than cheesy chips? Once your chips are cooked, add some grated cheese and then cook it for a further 2 minutes until the cheese is melted (remove the paddle if your air fryer has one).

Seasoning - You have so many options for seasoning when it comes to air frying chips. We kept it simple with some salt, pepper and garlic granules. However, we like using seasoning blends like Mexican, Chinese 5 spice, Cajun or Italian. Why not try mixing in our Homemade Fajita Seasoning. You could also just add a pinch of paprika for some smokiness.

How long do chips take in the air fryer?

It really depends on the type of chips you are using and the size of them as well.

Air fryer chips will take on average between 15 and 20 minutes and the difference in cooking time comes mainly from how big you have cut the chips. The chunkier they are, the longer they will take. Remember, all air fryers cook things differently too, so keep an eye on them.

For example, if you are using frozen thick cut chips then they will take about 20 minutes, however thin cut frozen fries will be quicker and closer to 15 minutes in the air fryer.

For chunkier chips, try our Air Fryer Potato Wedges.

Serving suggestions

Firstly, let's talk sauce. If we are just serving these up as a snack then something to dip them in is a must. Why not try our Homemade BBQ Sauce, Jalapeno Sauce or Healthy Tomato Ketchup? We also love dipping potatoes into our Easy Tartare Sauce.

If you are looking for some main meals to serve alongside these BEST air fryer chips, then we have got you covered too. Why not try one of these:

An air fried chip being dipped into some ketchup.

FAQs

Can I use Fry Lite for air fryer chips?

You can use Fry Lite and although they will taste a little dryer, they will still cook well and get crispy and you will save yourself some calories by not using a tablespoon of oil per person.

Do I need to boil the chips before air frying?

We haven't parboiled them first. However, if you want really fluffy on the inside chips, then you can parboil them for 5 minutes first. You still need to make sure they are really dry before they go in the air fryer.

Why aren't my air fryer chips cooked?

If they still aren't cooked to your liking then cook them for a few more minutes. Cooking times will vary depending on the potatoes you use, the thickness of the chip and your air fryer. If your air fryer chips are too soggy, then make sure you are drying them with some kitchen towel before adding them to the air fryer. If you are finding that they are burnt, then try using less oil and reducing the cooking time. This recipe really does depend on how you cut the fries and your air fryer - they all cook things differently.

What air fryer to use

We can't rate highly enough the Power Air Fryer XL. The 5 litre capacity is big enough for cooking for the whole family and it can fry, grill, bake, sauté, roast and steam. There are simple touch screen controls and it heats up quickly and can cook your food up to 70% faster than a conventional oven. Also, it's dishwasher safe.

How to store air fried chips

These are best eaten straight away, as they tend to get a bit soggy when they are left to go cold. However, if you do have leftovers then you can store them in an air tight container in the fridge and then reheat them in the air fryer. They will take about 3-4 minutes at 180°C.

Extra tips

• Please note that this recipe is made using a Power Air Fryer XL. Using a different model of air fryer will change the cooking method needed. If you have a rotating air fryer, then there is no need to stack them or shake them.
• If you want to change the amount this makes, we recommend a ratio of 1 tablespoon of oil to every medium sized potato.
• Make sure that the chips are all cut to the same size so you get evenly cooked air fryer chips. If you want to get a little fancy, why not use a crinkle cutter.
• Always rinse/soak them before cooking them (making sure you pat them dry), as this removes the excess starch and makes for fluffier insides.
• Stacking the chips in the air fryer for the first part of cooking is key to ensuring that they cook evenly and also don't get stuck to the bottom of the air fryer.
• Get creative with the seasoning. You can add a Mexican or Italian seasoning, or keep it simple like we have.
• For some extra indulgent chips, sprinkle some Parmesan on top a few minutes before they are fully cooked.
• Make sure to check your chips twice during cooking and shake them to ensure they are cooking evenly.
• Make sure your air fryer is preheated before the chips go in for best results.
• If you are making air fryer chunky chips, then add on about 4 minutes to the cooking time.

More potato recipes

If you’ve tried these air fryer chips, or any other recipe on the blog, then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
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