Light, crisp, and perfect for snacking, these oven baked Potato Chips (a.k.a. Potato Wafers) are a healthier alternative to the deep-fried version. This Potato Chips recipe is simple to make at home and doesn’t require any specialty equipment!
About Potato Chips Recipe
Potato chips are a favorite among many folks. The ones which we get in the market are mostly deep fried.
We also like fried potato chips, but most of the time we just want to snack on healthier, less oily stuff.
I usually make potato chips at home, both fried as well as baked. Not to say that we don’t buy ready-made chips from the market, which we do on occasion.
This recipe is a healthy alternative to regular fried potato chips. Some prep work is required, so make these once you are free from all your chores.
I also make sun-dried potato chips in a similar way, but for that recipe, no oil is added and they are dried in the sun instead of baked.
How To Make Potato Chips
Preparation
1. in a bowl, add 3 cups of water + 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir so that the salt dissolves.
2. Rinse the potatoes first. Then peel and slice potatoes using a mandoline or a slicer directly in the bowl containing water.
I used 3 large potatoes weighing 550 grams, or about 20 ounces. It is far easier to use a mandoline or a slicer for slicing the potatoes because the slices have to be thin.
Don’t slice with a knife as thick slices do not become crisp when baked, but they still taste good.
3. Slice all the potatoes and immerse them in the water. They should remain immersed in the salted water.
Blanch Potatoes
4. Bring 6 to 7 cups of water + 1 teaspoon of salt to a rolling boil over medium heat.
5. Drain all the water from the bowl and carefully add the potatoes to the boiling water.
6. Blanch the potatoes for 3 to 4 minutes on high heat.
7. Switch off the heat, cover the pot, and allow the potatoes to stay immersed in water for 3 to 4 minutes.
8. The potatoes should be translucent after the blanching process is over.
Prepare Potato Chips For Baking
9. Drain all of the water from the potatoes well using a colander or strainer.
10. Add all the slices to a bowl.
11. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and ½ teaspoon of salt, or add as required.
12. Gently mix very well so that the oil coats the potato slices evenly. You can add up to 2 tablespoons of oil in total.
Bake Potato Wafers
13. Place the chips in a lightly oiled baking tray keeping ½ cm space in between the slices.
Bake potato chips in a preheated oven at 250 degrees Celsius/480 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes. Do keep a check as oven temperatures vary.
I baked in batches since I have a small oven. If baking in batches, there is no need to brush oil on the baking tray again.
High temperatures work best, as when I have baked these at lower temperatures, they did not have the light crisp texture.
14. Once they look crisp and are light golden to golden, then remove potato chips from the oven.
As soon as they are cooled, store the potato wafers in an air-tight jar or box. They get cooled within a minute. You can make them more golden if you want.
Serve these crisp, thin, and light baked potato chips as a snack or an accompaniment to your favorite dips, sandwiches, or wraps.
Feel free to sprinkle more salt as needed on the baked potato wafers.
Expert Tips
- Type of Potato: Be it French Fries or for any crispy potato snack like these potato wafers, it is best to use starchy potatoes – like Russet, Yukon Gold, Maris Piper, Idaho etc. Potatoes having less starch won’t become crispy and give you the best texture.
- Seasonings and Herbs: If you want, you can season these crispy potato wafers with your favorite herbs and spices. We prefer the classic, plain salted potato chips.
- Deep Frying: You can also deep fry the potato chips instead of baking them. While deep frying, just ensure that there is no moisture in the potato chip slices after blanching. Make sure to wipe and dry them with a clean kitchen towel or paper napkins.
While frying, the oil should be sufficiently hot (approximately 160-177° C, or 325-350° F) so that the potato chips do not soak up too much oil and instead become nice and crisp. - Slicing: Slice the potato thinly as thin potato slices make the best potato chips. If you have one, this is a great time to use a mandoline.
- Air-fried option: These potato chips can also be easily air fried instead of baking.
- For Navratri Fasting: You can make these potato chips for any Hindu fasting or Navratri fasting, but use edible rock salt (sendha namak) instead of regular salt.
FAQs
Let me preface this by saying that “healthy” is a complex, loaded term that means many things to many people. With that said, oven-baked potato chips are without a doubt healthier than fried potato chips.
Uh-oh, it sounds like your oven wasn’t quite hot enough. I suggest you invest in an oven thermometer to make sure the temperature you set it to is the temperature it actually ends up cooking at.
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it in the recipe card or leave a comment below – I’d love to hear your feedback. For more vegetarian inspiration, sign up for my email updates or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or X.
Potato Chips (Baked Potato Wafers)
Ingredients
For soaking potatoes
- 3 potatoes – 550 grams, large-sized
- 3 cups water – for soaking potatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
For blanching
- 6 to 7 cups water – for blanching
- 1 teaspoon salt
Materials needed
- 2 large bowls
- 1 mandoline slicer
- 1 large baking tray
- 1 colander or strainer
Instructions
Blanching potatoes
- In a bowl take 3 cups water + 1 teaspoon salt. Stir and mix so that the salt dissolves.
- Rinse potatoes very well in water first a few times.
- Now peel and slice potatoes using a mandoline or a slicer directly in the bowl containing water.
- Slice all the potatoes and immerse them in the water.
- Then in a pot or pan, on a high heat bring to a rolling boil 6 to 7 cups water + 1 teaspoon salt.
- Drain all the water from the bowl and carefully, gently add the potato slices to the boiling water.
- Blanch the potatoes for 3 to 4 minutes on high heat.
- Then turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow the potatoes to be immersed in water for 3 to 4 minutes.
- The potatoes should look translucent after the blanching process is done.
Preparing potato chips slices
- Again drain the potatoes thoroughly in a colander or strainer.
- Then transfer all the slices in a mixing bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil and ½ teaspoon salt or add as required.
- Gently mix very well so that the oil coats the potato slices evenly. You can also add 2 tablespoons oil.
- Then place them in a lightly oiled baking tray keeping ½ centimetre space in between the slices.
Baking potato chips
- Bake potato chips in a preheated oven at 250 degrees Celsius/480 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Do keep a check as oven temperatures vary. I baked potato chips in batches since I have a small oven.
- Once they look crisp and are light golden to golden, then remove from the oven.
- As soon as they are cooled, store potato chips in an air-tight jar or box. They get cooled within a minute.
- Serve potato chips when required as a snack.
Notes
- Instead of baking you can also deep fry or air-fry the potato chips in batches.
- Use potatoes that have a higher starch content like Russets, Maris Piper, Idaho and Yukon gold.
- Slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. If possible use a mandoline slicer or potato slicer.
- Feel free to season and spice the potatoes with your choice of ground spices, herbs mix and seasonings.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Potato Chips recipe from the archives, originally published in April 2015 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
Can I do this without blanching them first? Directly in the oven?
You can try but they will take some more time to bake.
Hii mam..m big fan of u..I want to meet u personally bcoz u r the person from whom I got interest in cooking..thanx a tonn..whenever u come 2 asr please meet me and I would love to invite u on dinner and make the food which I have learnt from ur recipies..I’ll b very gr8ful to u??
thanks inderpreet for your kind and sweet words. i am touched. if god wants then we will meet.
hi dasanna recipe looks interesting but I have a small problem my ovens maximum temperature is 200℃ but u mentioned to preheat oven to 250℃ so am bit confused here pls help me with 200℃ temperature and tell me the time up to what time we need to bake them thanks in advance..
anusha, you can use 200 degrees celsius. timing is relative to the size and type of oven. so for that you will need to keep a check.
Thank you mam…
welcome shuchi 🙂
Mam..are u talking about bajaj 3500 TMCSS 35 litres 2000 watt otg?? ?can u plz guide how many litres of otg is enough for a family…??
yes it the same one, shuchi. the size of the oven actually depends on how much baking one does. generally indians do not bake much. so even a 18 litre oven is fine for a family of 3 to 4. just that you can bake 1 cake or 1 bread loaf at a time in it. but 1 medium to large sized cake or 1 medium to large sized bread, can easily serve a family of 4. but if you want to do multiple baking at once or you want to bake often or everyday, then go for a large oven. you can even buy a 28 litre oven as an 18 litre is a small one. also the more larger the oven, the more faster it bakes. thats what i was told by the sales person. in fact she actually told me to buy morphy richards, 52 litres oven. she said it was very good and does quick baking. but i found this oven too big for my kitchen, so went for 35 litres oven. just read the reviews on amazon and flipkart before you buy 🙂
Hi mam,how r u?? Happy navratre to u n ur family…mam I m planning to buy an otg.. .plz help me in this regard…n also let me know which otg are u using….it will have great help to me…
wishing you to shuchi a happy navratri festival. i recently purchased a bajaj OTG (35 litres) and its a good one. previously i was using philips OTG (18 litre) which belonged to the landlord of the previous house. even that was good.
Hi Dasanna I want to bake them today but I have a small problem my convection oven pre heating highest temperature is 200℃ but u said 250℃ so what to do now pls help me.if I go for 200 ℃ then for how many min I have to bake them
no problem. you can still bake them. bake for 20 to 25 minutes. but do keep a check as in convection ovens, the baking is quick.
I made these today. No compromise on the taste but mine turned soggy. I guess I didn’t drain them properly ?
could be that is the reason. if you drain them well, they don’t become soggy.
Hi Dassana,
I made these today!! But they have a little bitter taste. Is there any way we can avoid blanching and put them directly to oven after washing ? Thank you!!
I am a great fan of you!! 🙂
thanks deepa 🙂 i am wondering why the bitter taste. you can avoid the blanching. toss them with salt, spices and oil. mix very well and bake in the oven. the texture will be different if not blanched.