We know what you may be thinking—why go through the effort of making homemade potato chips when you can just buy them in the store? For one thing, you might want a healthier way to enjoy delightfully crispy tubers. You can control exactly how much oil and salt you use. For another, you can add in other fun seasonings. Whatever the case may be, making chips at home is easier than ever, and you don’t need to pull out the air fryer to do it. There’s no need to look further than your own microwave. Keep reading to find how you can prepare a batch of crispy homemade chips in as little as five minutes!
The basics of potato chips
Making potato chips often involves peeling and thinly slicing the potatoes before they’re fried in oil. The hot and crispy chips are then coated in salt and/or other seasonings and enjoyed. While this process creates tasty chips, it can also be time-consuming. Luckily, your microwave comes in handy for making homemade chips in less time and using less oil.
Why you should cook healthy chips in your microwave
A microwave’s rapid heat function works wonders for whipping up homemade chips. Not only do the spuds cook in about five minutes, but they develop a brown and crunchy exterior. Since these chips are lightly coated in cooking spray, they’re not greasy once cooked. Even better, cooking spray made with a healthy fat like olive or avocado oil boosts your intake of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are key for supporting heart health, weight management and brain function.
A time-saving tip for speedy homemade chips
To peel, or not to peel, that’s entirely up to you. That said, keeping the skins on the spuds saves you time and elbow grease. Plus, the skin is brimming with hunger-satisfying fiber and anti-inflammatory compounds such as flavonoids and phenols. Give the potatoes a good wash to remove any dirt on the surface before turning those tubers into crunchy chips.
How to make potato chips in the microwave
This Microwave Potato Chips recipe comes from Chowhound’s YouTube Channel. Although salt works to create seasoned chips in no time, host Deborah Lewis shares ingredient combos that Chowhound’s online community came up with. “Some of the ideas were vinegar and salt, sesame oil and sea salt or garlic salt and Parmesan cheese,” she says. Regardless of how you flavor them, these microwave chips are the perfect crunchy and quick snack! (Read these stories on microwave s’mores, microwave poached salmon and how to microwave sweet potatoes.)
Microwave Potato Chips
Ingredients:
- 2 medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes, washed and dried
- Olive or avocado oil cooking spray
- Salt and other seasonings of your choice (optional)
- Ketchup or creamy dip, for serving
Directions:
- Yield: approximately 4 servings
- Line large microwavable plate with parchment paper.
- Using mandoline with protective guard, thinly slice potatoes. Lay potato slices in single layer on plate. Be sure not to overlap slices for even cooking. (Note: If needed, divide slices between 2 parchment-lined plates.)
- Coat both slices of slices with layer of cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and other seasonings, if desired.
- Microwave one plate at a time on high around 5 minutes, or until chips are golden brown. Keep an eye on chips to avoid burning. Once cooked, remove from microwave and cool slightly.
- Serve warm with ketchup or other dip. Enjoy!
My taste test
When making these chips, I seasoned them with salt and a pinch of Trader Joe’s Mushroom and Company Umami Seasoning Blend for an extra kick of earthiness. I’ll admit they could look a little better, but they were crispy and tasted so good! Plus, you can obviously mix up the seasoning you sprinkle on while trying it yourself. It might take a few rounds of nuking to get through a full potato, but you can get into a rhythm pretty quickly. Now on top of having a simple and perfectly seasoned snack, you can also feel good about chowing down on chips that aren’t greasy or fried. A win-win!
