Name: Super Easy Air Fryer Chips - Printable Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: Chopping Board; Vegetable Peeler; Sharp Knife; Large Bowl; Kitchen Roll; Air Fryer **; 500g (17.6 oz) Floury Potatoes *; 1 tbsp Olive Oil; 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

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New to making air fryer chips? Looking for an easy, no fail recipe? It’s easier than you think! In fact, you can make the best air fryer chips faster than you can order from a takeaway. And they’re healthier too! Sound good? Read on for my foolproof recipe and helpful tips.

Front view of a hand sprinkling salt into a bowl of air fryer chips, set on a plate over a white board. Set on a grey painted plaster backdrop, there is also some scattered chopped parsley and a light brown linen napkin in the background.

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Homemade air fryer chips

Homemade is almost always better. Air fried chips are no exception! They’re light, fluffy, golden and crisp. What more could you want from them?!

I don’t currently use my air fryer that often, but I do use it to make chips and air fryer fries. I find it incredibly convenient and much faster than having to preheat the oven! The same goes for a air fryer jacket potatoes and air fryer roast potatoes too. They’re just brilliant for cooking potatoes!

And if you pair them with baked parmesan chicken or air fryer sausages, it’s like having a takeaway but SO MUCH BETTER!

Cooked chips and a serving spoon in an air fryer pan set on a white wood board. There is a scattering of chopped parsley and a light brown linen napkin in the background. The shot is set on a grey painted plaster backdrop.

It’s also perfect when it’s too hot to switch on the oven. (Think about those crazy 30ºC+ Summer days!)

They pair well with so many different foods too! I’ve especially enjoyed crispy air fryer chips with my Gran’s ham and cheese quiche!

In fact, they’d be ideal additions to a weekly meal plan.

A bowl filled with air fryer chips set on a plate over a white wood board. There is a light brown linen napkin, 2 forks, some scattered parsley, a pot of chopped parsley and a pot of sea salt in the background. All set on a grey painted plaster backdrop.

Do air fryers make good chips?

That would be a very firm yes!

Air fryers make wonderful homemade chips with little to no work on your part. Simply prepare your potatoes, tip into your air fryer and switch it on. You’ll be delighted with how crispy they become!

You can even make delicious takeaway style chips, like these salt and pepper chips. Frozen chips and homemade chips also work well, yielding great results.

Air fryers are about so much more than cooking great chips though. Check out this tasty round up of over 40 UK air fryer recipes for more inspiration!

Olive oil being poured over uncooked chips in a glass bowl set on a white wood chopping board with a serving spoon. Set over a grey painted plaster backdrop, there is also a pot of chopped parsley, a pot of sea salt, 2 potatoes and a light brown linen napkin in the background.

Do you need to parboil chips before air frying?

No you do not. In this easy air fryer chips recipe you simply peel, cut, oil and season them before tossing straight into the pan. And they’re still ready in just 35 minutes!

Front view of a fork in a bowl of air fryer chips set on a plate over a white board. Set on a grey painted plaster backdrop, there is also some scattered chopped parsley and a light brown linen napkin in the background.

How long should chips take in the air fryer?

This depends entirely on what you’re cooking and how big or small they are.

Frozen chips for example, will cook for a different length of time to homemade air fryer chips.

On average, air fryer chips take somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes. However, some varieties (like frozen thin cut fries) will cook much faster.

The biggest cooking time difference comes from size. The smaller or thinner the chips, the faster they will cook. The bigger or thicker the chips, the longer they will take. This concept also applies to oven chips, like these sweet potato wedges.

Uncooked chips coated in olive oil and sea salt in an air fryer pan set on a white wood board. There is also an empty glass bowl with a serving spoon inside, 2 potatoes, a light brown linen napkin and a scattering of chopped parsley, all set over a grey painted plaster backdrop.

Ingredients and substitutions

Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Needing only 3 ingredients, there is nowhere to hide in this recipe. Here’s what you need to know…

Potato – Floury potatoes work best for air fried chips but any variety can be used. Floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper or King Edward) tend to give fluffier middles than the waxy varieties.
Oil – I think olive oil gives the best flavour. But feel free to use what you have in your cupboard, as it won’t affect the actual cooking – only the flavour. (For example, vegetable, sunflower and rapeseed oil would all work fine.)
Salt – Sea salt makes for the best air fryer chips. Not only to you get great flavour but it adds texture too. Table salt will work if you don’t have sea salt.

A hand reaching in with a fork to a bowl filled with air fryer chips set on a plate over a white wood board. There is a light brown linen napkin and some scattered chopped parsley in the background. Set on a grey painted plaster backdrop.

Recipe tips and troubleshooting

This might be a simple recipe but we are human and we make mistakes! Here are some helpful tips to ensure you make the best air fryer chips first time round.

Use floury potato varieties for perfect air fried chips. (Maris Piper, Kind Edward etc.)
Cut your chips a similar size, they’ll cook more evenly. If they’re different, you’ll get some perfect, some underdone and some burnt. Not ideal!
Leave the skin on for more rustic air fryer chips.
ALWAYS wash your chips before cooking to remove excess starch. Starch holds moisture inside the potato, not good for fluffy middles!
When gauging your portions, remember chips shrink a little during cooking.

A glass bowl filled with uncooked oiled chips set on a white wood chopping board with a serving spoon. Set over a grey painted plaster backdrop, there is also a pot of chopped parsley, a hand reaching in for some salt in a little pot and a light brown linen napkin in the background.

Time management

Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some helpful time managing info to make your life easier.

The smaller/thinner you cut your chips, the faster they will cook.
The fewer portions you have in the air fryer, the faster they will cook. If it’s filled to the brim it will take longer.
Allow at least 45 minutes for cooking. Air fryers and potatoes all vary and this could affect the cooking time.

A bowl filled with air fryer chips set on a plate over a white wood board. There is a light brown linen napkin in the background and it's all set on a grey painted plaster backdrop.

If you like this recipe…

…you might also like:

Air Fryer Chips – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to serve 2 people.

500g (17.6 oz) Floury Potatoes *
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Sea Salt

*Maris Piper and King Edward are good, floury, varieties.

Essential equipment

Chopping Board
Vegetable Peeler
Sharp Knife
Large Bowl
Kitchen Roll
Air Fryer **

**I use a Tefal Actifry Original.

Instructions

Firstly, if your air fryer needs preheating and you have a temperature setting, set it to 200ºC/392ºF now.

Then peel your potatoes (500g | 17.6 oz) on a chopping board with a vegetable peeler, or leave the skin on for more rustic air fryer chips.

3 potatoes on a green chopping board with a purple potato peeler. Set on a kitchen worktop.

Next, using a sharp knife, slice your potatoes into evenly sized chips.

Remember, the smaller/thinner you cut them the faster they will cook. The larger/thicker you cut them the longer they will take. I cut mine to approximately 8cm long by 1cm thick.

Peeled and sliced potatoes on a green chopping board set on a kitchen worktop.

Now tip your chips into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Mix them well and drain away the water. This removes all that excess starch which makes for bad air fried chips!

Repeat this process until the water runs clear and is no longer cloudy.

Uncooked chips in a large bowl of water in a sink.

The next step is to thoroughly dry all your chips with kitchen roll. This is important, don’t skip it!

Uncooked chips that have been washed and are now being dried on kitchen roll on a kitchen worktop.

Now your chips are washed and dried, we’re ready to add flavour. Pop them back into the (dried) bowl and pour over the olive oil (1 tbsp) and sea salt (1/2 tsp). Mix until every chip is evenly coated.

Uncooked chips coated in olive oil and salt in a large glass bowl on a kitchen worktop.

All that’s left to do is pop them into your air fryer and switch it on!

Uncooked chips coated in olive oil and salt in an air fryer pan set on a kitchen worktop.

My air fryer is self rotating so I can set it and forget it. If yours doesn’t rotate, you will need to give them a shake every 8-10 mins so they cook evenly.

Fry for around 35 minutes. They should be crispy, golden and cooked through.

Keep a close eye on them towards the end of the cooking time as all air fryers vary.

Cooked chips in an air fryer pan on a kitchen worktop.

And there you have it! Perfect homemade air fryer chips to enjoy with your dinner. Feel free to add a little more salt if you desire.

Front view of a hand taking a chip from a bowl of air fryer chips set on a plate over a white board. Set on a grey painted plaster backdrop, there is also some scattered chopped parsley and a light brown linen napkin in the background.

How do you make air fried chips taste better?

Once you’ve perfected your air fryer chips, you might like to change up the flavour by adding your favourite seasonings! Here are a few ideas to get you started…

Paprika
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
Chip seasoning
Your favourite dried herb (oregano, basil etc)

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