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. 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!
If you have an air fryer and you have never made chips (or French fries) in it, then you are seriously missing out. Air fried chips are the best way to eat them and with our top tips, you will have perfectly cooked chips in the air fryer every time. It's our favourite air fryer recipe!
Chips (or fries) 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 juicy Air Fryer Steak, crispy Air Fryer Bacon, easy Air Fryer Broccoli or our crunchy Air Fryer Tortilla Chips?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- 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, Russet potato or Maris Piper, for the BEST air fryer chips. We have tried yukon gold potatoes, but they didn't get as crispy.
- Olive oil - You could swap this for vegetable or sunflower oil. If you wanted to reduce the amount of oil used, you could use a cooking spray for low calorie air fryer chips.
- Garlic granules - We added garlic granules to add lots of flavour (you could add onion powder too), however there are lots of flavour options with air fryer fries. Add some smoke and spice with smoked paprika and cayenne or a Fajita or Cajun blend.
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 for a fan oven, 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 has 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 or chilli powder for some heat.
How To Cook Chips in an Air Fryer - Step by Step
- Step 1: Using a sharp knife, chop the potatoes into fries (about 1cm/0.5 inch), leaving the skin on - we prefer air fryer skin on chips.
- Step 2: Put the chips into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Mix around and leave to stand for a few minutes.
- Step 3: Drain and put the chips onto a clean towel or paper towels and pat dry.
- Step 4: Transfer the chips to a large bowl. Add the oil, salt, pepper and garlic and mix well. Put the coated chips into your air fryer basket.
- Step 5: Cook the chips for 20 minutes at 200°C. Shake the chips after 5 minutes and then regularly before the time is up.
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. If you have a max crisp setting on your air fryer, then use that too. For maximum crispiness, serve them immediately. If you let them sit for a while, or reheat them, they can go soggy.
You could also mix a bit of cornflour into them to get them extra crispy, but we find this changes the flavour a little.
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 zingy Homemade BBQ Sauce, spicy Jalapeno Sauce or Healthy Tomato Ketchup? We also love dipping potatoes into our Easy Tartare Sauce or just some sour cream.
Why not try mixing ranch seasoning into Greek yogurt, like in our Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip recipe?
If you are looking for some main meals to serve alongside these chips, then we have got you covered too. Why not try one of these:
- Oven Cooked Sausages
- Chicken Goujons
- Lamb Shish Kebabs
- Salmon Fishcakes
- Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
- Easy Hunters Chicken
- Pesto Salmon
- Caprese Chicken
Extra Tips
- 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.
- For some extra indulgent chips, sprinkle some Parmesan on top a few minutes before they are fully cooked.
- Make sure to check your chips regularly 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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.
More Chip Recipes
If you’ve tried these air fryer chips, then let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
The Best Air Fryer Chips
Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1 lb) Potato
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 pinch Sea salt
- 1 pinch Ground black pepper
- 0.5 tablespoon Garlic granules
Instructions
- Chop 500 g Potato into thin fries, leaving the skin on.
- Put the chips into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Mix around and leave to stand for a few minutes.
- Drain and put the chips onto a clean towel or paper towels and pat dry.
- Transfer the chips to a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon Olive oil, 1 pinch Sea salt1 pinch Ground black pepper and 0.5 tablespoon Garlic granules and mix well. Put the coated chips into your air fryer basket.
- Cook the chips for 20 minutes on the Air Fry setting at 200°C. Shake the chips after 5 minutes and then regularly before the time is up.
Recipe Tips
- 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.
- For some extra indulgent chips, sprinkle some Parmesan on top a few minutes before they are fully cooked.
- Make sure to check your chips regularly 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.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Kushigalu says
These fries using air fryer looks just fantastic. I would love to try it this way soon. Yum.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I've not used my Air fryer for ages but you've put me right in the mood for air fried chips now!
Maria says
Those fries look lovely! I swear, air-fryers are like the appliance of the year! Thanks for sharing!
Beth says
This looks so delicious and tasty! I can't wait to give this a try! My family is going to love this recipe!
Alan Rowley says
*Correction:
'perfectly crispy chips (what we call fries here in the UK)'
No, in the UK they're called chips. I have never, ever been into a chippie and asked for fries and fish. In the states they're called fries . . .
Dannii says
I think there has been some misunderstanding here. We are saying they are called chips in the UK. What people call fries in the U.S, are what we call chips.
Ali says
totally agree! Originally from the UK and they never ever called them 'fries' in the UK unless ordering the specific skinny type of 'French Fries' from a restaurant....it's chips.
Dannii says
As I have stated, in the US they are fries, in the UK they are chips. I have used both for SEO reasons for a keyword to target both US and UK blog traffic.
anna says
There is no correction needed. They stated that fries are referred to as chips in the uk.
Bob says
In the past I went through 3 Tefal Actifry fryers Before I realised that they aren’t built to last as parts kept breaking. I then did a little research before I bought a DeLonghi Multifry. What a difference! Apart from being very durable (already 5 years old and still in one piece) it’s more versatile, more powerful and cooks better; not just chips but polenta, risotto, baking cake, pizza and pasta, grilling and roasting meat, and excellent stews. It’s so versatile that I bought another for my second home. When your Tefal fails, upgrade to a DeLonghi
Charla says
I absolutely love air fried chips so I'm looking forward to making these.
Lauren Vavala | Delicious Little Bites says
My kids have been loving these french fries in the air fryer - they love how crispy they get and I love how easy they are to make!
Caitlyn Erhardt says
I absolutely love my air fryer and love that these fries come out perfect every time I make them.
Lisa Huff says
Whoah these fries look perfect! I keep telling myself I need to get an air fryer and didn't know there was one with a rotating paddle!
kim says
This recipe was fabulous! So easy and tasty! I'll definitely be making again!
Kevin says
My air fryer does not have a paddle and I need help to make sure I have got good chips.
My air fryer model is GL-803
Make is my kitchen
Dannii says
Hi Kevin,
There is a section in the blog post titled "ActiFry vs Other Air Fryer French Fries" which has instructions for how to cook in an airfryer that doesn't have a paddle.
I am not familiar with your model of airfryer, so you should also consult the user manual.
Hope that helps.
Jonathan says
Brilliant, tried soaking, freezing and god knows what else but this recipe turned out crispy chips. Had no pamesan but used cheddar! great!My only concern-by the time you have put a tbsn of oil per medium sized spud, is that the same as a mc cain oven chip? Who cares mc cain dont add pepper, galic and parmesan!
Dannii says
Thanks for the comment - I am so glad you enjoyed them!
Jamie says
A simple but tasty recipe for chips :-)
Thanks for sharing, I'll make sure to share this recipe with my readers.
Thanks!
Jas @ All that's Jas says
They look perfectly crispy on the outside and soft inside. Now I'm hungry, lol.