Far more fresh, crisp, and crackly than store-bought chips, homemade potato chips sliced thinly and fried in avocado oil make a superior savory snack ideal for homegating, family game night, or a streaming splurge. We cooked our avocado oil chips on the stove in a cast iron skillet to ensure a hot, even cooking temperature and just enough avocado oil to crisp but not completely submerge the potato slices.
Our avocado oil potato chips curl enticingly to give a peek of the rustic umber skin that borders each potato slice. These homemade potato chips crackle apart pleasingly when pierced by teeth, similar to the uber crispy bite of kettle chips.
Our homemade potato chips are batch cooked in a similar manner to mass-produced kettle chips, where cold potato slices are stirred into an oil-filled kettle.
As you load batches of thinly sliced potatoes in and out of the cast iron skillet, the temperature of the avocado oil drops slightly (the same thing happens to chips cooked in larger batches in a kettle). This temperature drop means the potato slices will take longer to cook, but it also gives the starch in the potatoes time to absorb and dissolve the moisture as the potatoes fry. Less starchy moisture results in thicker, crunchier, more substantial chips—perfect for dipping in myriad creamy or spicy sauces.
At Primal Kitchen, we love getting saucy. We don’t dip, dress, or drizzle just anything on our spuds, veggies, Big Ass Salads, meats, and bowls. After years of our customers asking us to make a blue cheese dressing, we got busy in the kitchen to craft a vegan blue cheese dressing worthy of sharing the same snack plate as our homemade potato chips. Scroll to our vegan blue cheese dressing recipe to see how easy this no-dairy dressing and dip comes together.
What Are the Best Type of Potatoes to Use to Make Potato Chips?
Fresh, firm, non-sprouted russet potatoes make excellent potato chips, as do golden potatoes. Soak the sliced potatoes in ice water to remove the starch content before frying or baking to get an extra crispy kettle chip. Remember to dry the potato chips thoroughly before frying.
Homemade Potato Chips with Avocado Oil Recipe
Time: 65 minutes (45 minutes prep, about 20 minutes cook time)
Servings: 8 (½ cup per serving)
Ingredients
- 7 medium-sized Russet potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled
- 2 quarts ice water
- 4 tsp. Salt
- 2 tsp. Garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Black pepper
- Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil*
- Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce, for dipping
*Cook’s Note: We fry our potato chips in ½ inch of Avocado Oil in a cast iron skillet.
Kitchen Equipment You’ll Need
- Mandolin slicer* or metal cheese slicer
- Cast iron skillet
- Baking sheets with fitted racks—if you don’t have racks, clean kitchen towels will work
Do You Need to Use a Mandolin to Slice the Potatoes?
To slice uniform chips, use a mandolin or metal cheese slicer to slice the potatoes. Attach the potato to the mandolin guard before you begin slicing to protect your hands from the sharp blades. The mandolin makes quick work of slicing the potato chips, but, more importantly, creates similar-sized slices that will cook evenly. If you don’t have a mandolin, you can use a sharp knife and lots of patience to slice the disks as thinly and evenly as possible.
How to Make Homemade Potato Chips
- Use a mandolin, metal cheese slicer, or sharp knife to slice potatoes into uniform thin slices.
- Place potato slices in a large bowl with 2 teaspoons salt and ice water. Soak for 30 minutes.
- Drain potatoes. Place potato slices on clean kitchen towels to dry completely.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Set aside.
- Heat ½ inch of Avocado Oil in a cast iron skillet until the oil reaches 375ºF.
- Fry potato chips in batches until golden brown, about 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Remove cooked potato chips from the skillet and allow to drain on clean kitchen towels or on a drying rack set over a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle immediately with seasoning mixture. Store any uneaten potato chips in an airtight container for up to 3 days on the counter or in the pantry.
Nutrition info (per ½ cup serving):
Calories: 132
Carbs: 24 grams
Fat: 4 grams
Protein: 3 grams
Nutrition info calculated using Cronometer.
Potato Chip Storage Tips
Homemade potato chips taste best when enjoyed soon after frying or baking. Should you have any leftover potato chips, store them in an airtight container in the pantry for up to three days.
Dipping Sauce Ideas for Homemade Potato Chips
Our crunchy homemade potato chips stand apart from a pantry crowded with processed pretzels, crackers, and crisps. Enjoy their savory, salty, caramelized crunch straight from the racks or kitchen towels they drained on, or load ‘em up with tangy, kicky sauces. We have some great ideas:
- Our NEXTY award-winning, medium-spice Buffalo Sauce
- Our creamy, herby Ranch Dip or Ranch Dressing
- Homemade hummus
- Smoky, velvety Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Creamy Guacamole
- Our Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing
Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe
Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 18
Ingredients
- 1 cup Primal Kitchen Vegan Mayo
- 1 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp. Garlic, crushed
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup, optional
- 1 tsp. Onion powder
- ½ tsp. Salt
- ½ tsp. Dried or fresh dill
- 2 oz. vegan cashew cheese, crumbled, optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Nutrition info (per serving):
Calories: 104
Carbs: 2 grams
Fat: 11 grams
Protein: 1 gram
Nutrition info calculated using Cronometer.
Homemade Potato Chip Seasoning Ideas
Dips add excitement to simply-seasoned-with-salt potato chips, but so do dry seasoning blends, herbs, and a combo of liquid flavorings like vinegars and spices. Season the potato chips with these flavors as soon as you remove them from the hot oil to drain.
Try one or all of these classic chip seasonings, or go rogue with our out-of-the-bag tastebud tinglers:
BBQ Potato Chips: Get that backyard barbecue sweet and smoky flavor by combining:
- 1 tsp. Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. Onion powder
- 1 tsp. Brown sugar Swerve
- ½ tsp. Salt
- ½ tsp. Garlic powder
Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips: Several savory powders combine with a bit of sweet and salty to make this zesty, spunky seasoning to spatter on your spuds:
- 1 Tbsp. buttermilk powder (swap in nutritional yeast for a vegan version)
- 2 tsp. Onion powder
- 1 tsp. Garlic powder
- ½ tsp. Salt
- ½ tsp. Granulated monk fruit or Swerve
- ¼ tsp. Dried dill
Honeyed Herb Potato Chips: Drizzle a bit of honey or maple syrup along with a generous sprinkle of coarse sea salt and chopped fresh rosemary or chives.
Salt & Malt Vinegar Potato Chips: Malt vinegar’s tangy sweetness plays nicely with fried potatoes; sprinkle warm chips with coarse sea salt and douse with vinegar. Sprinkle on some chopped fresh or dried thyme to add a slight citrus note.
Everything Bagel Potato Chips: If you thought this punchy spice and seed blend tastes good glued to a bagel, wait ‘till you try it on fresh, homemade potato chips. Use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder to pulverize the following:
- 2 tsp. Toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tsp. Poppy seeds
- 2 tsp. Dried garlic
- 2 tsp. Dried onion
- 1 tsp. salt
How Do You Make Homemade Baked Potato Chips?
Prefer to bake your potato chips rather than tend to them on the stove? Doable! Our easy four-step process for baked potato chips ensure the same crunchy texture you expect in an oil-fried potato chip.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Slice, soak, drain, and dry the potato chips.
- Place the dried potato chips in a bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. Toss the chips with your hands to ensure the chips are well coated in a thin layer of oil.
- Arrange the potato chips on silicon mat-lined baking sheets. Make sure the chips don’t overlap (they can touch edges). Sprinkle the chips with salt or any seasonings you like.
- Bake the chips in the top half of the oven for 15–20 minutes until they start to turn golden brown.
- Turn off the oven and allow the chips to sit in the warm oven until it cools, about 15 minutes. This will help them crisp more without burning. Watch the chips to make sure they don’t burn—if you see them getting too brown, take them out of the oven.
Can You Make Homemade Potato Chips in the Air Fryer?
Yes; it’s easy. Here’s how to do it:
- Prepare the potato chips as described above for the homemade baked potato chips. Preheat the Air Fryer to 360ºF.
- Season the potato chips with Avocado Oil, salt, and any other seasonings Spray basket with Avocado Oil Spray.
- Place potato slices in a single layer in the basket.
- Cook until crisp and golden, about 15–17 minutes. Turn the potato chips every 6–7 minutes. Continue cooking the chips in batches.
What if I Want Homemade Sweet Potato Chips?
As the name implies, sweet potatoes add a natural sweetness that pair nicely with the salty, savory vibe of potato chips. Use the same method for cooking sweet potato chips as described above; just know that sweet potatoes contain less starch and more liquid than white potatoes so they won’t crisp as nicely and may take a bit longer to cook.
You might also like these other savory snack recipes:
- Keto Snacks with 8 Grams of Net Carbs or Less
- Teriyaki Cauliflower Bites
- Cheesy Zucchini Sticks
- Whole30 Buffalo Sauce Cauliflower Wings
- Dreamy Italian Cauliflower Wings
- Zucchini Fries
- Double Fried French Fries
- Avocado Fries
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges with Ketchup
