Growing up I wasn’t really a fan of sweet potatoes. But now I love them! There are so many things you can make with them from this sweet potato pie recipe to this sweet potato fries recipe and many more recipes of course. Being a chip addict, I thought it fitting that I show you how to make sweet potato chips!
These sweet potato chips are thin crispy and oh so yummy! And they are incredibly easy to make too. If you are a fan of sweet potatoes and chips or crisps as they are known in other parts of the world, give these a try! Let’s get started!
Step 1: Gather the ingredients
In order to make sweet potato chips you need just a handful of easy to find ingredients:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Water – I generally use filtered water, because my tap water is gross.
- Oil – Canola oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, etc.
Tools
- Peeler
- Bowls
- Knife
- Mandolin slicer
- Paper towel
- Spider strainer or slotted spoon
Step 2: How to make thin crispy sweet potato chips
Start by washing and drying the sweet potato. Then peel it. You can leave the skin on if you like. Or you can peel it and compost the skins, or even fry the skins separately. The skin is definitely edible.
Next, cut off the ends, you can save those ends and fry them as well. This just makes it easier to slice, and those ends would make really small chips anyways.
Take a medium bowl and fill it full of cold water along with a teaspoon or two of salt. Then slice the sweet potato very thinly. A mandolin makes it super easy. Or you can certainly use a knife.
Place the thin slices of sweet potato in the bowl of cold water along with about a teaspoon or two of salt.
Allow them to soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Soaking the sweet potato chips brings out some of the starch. If you don’t do this, they burn too easily before getting done.
Step 3: Drain, Boil, and Dry the sweet potato slices
Take a large deep pot and add about 1 inch deep of cooking oil to it. Set the heat to medium and allow the temp to reach 325F/162 C.
In a separate pot add about an inch or two of water. Set the burner to high and bring the water to a boil. Once it starts to boil add the sweet potato slices to the boiling water. Only add about a third or half of the slices. Depending on the size of your pot of water.
TIP: You can start the water about 5 minutes before the sweet potato chips are done soaking.
Allow the water to come back to a boil and boil the slices of sweet potato for 3 to 4 minutes. Then remove them with a slotted spoon or spider strainer and place them on a plate with a paper towel to dry.
Step 4: Fry up those sweet potato chips
Now you can dip those boiled slices of sweet potato in the hot oil. Gently drop them in the hot oil. And be careful!! That oil is super hot. If you are a young person, make sure to have adult supervision.
Don’t overcrowd them. For one regular-sized sweet potato, I usually do them a third at a time in my dutch oven.
Fry them at 325F/162C for 4 to 6 minutes maybe longer maybe a little less, stirring them occasionally so they fry evenly. They are done when most of the bubbles subside, and they feel crispy/crunchy when you scoop them up.
Place them on a separate plate with a paper towel to dry, and hit them with a bit of salt or other seasonings if you like. Enjoy!
There you go, now you know how to make yummy thin crispy sweet potato chips.
How long do sweet potato chips last?
They will last about a week in an airtight container. However, they don’t keep their crispiness. They taste the best right after making them.
Do I have to boil the sweet potato slices first?
No, you don’t have to boil them. In this picture on the left, I show the sweet potato chips that weren’t boiled before frying. Frying them at the same temp and the same amount of time until crispy they get much darker. They are still good but don’t look as nice as the ones on the right which were also boiled.
Boiling leaches out even more of the starch.
Here are other recipes that you may like:
Sweet Potato Chips
Equipment
- Peeler
- Bowls
- Knife
- Mandolin Slicer
- Paper Towel
- Spider strainer or slotted spoon
Ingredients
- Sweet Potato
- 2 tsp Salt
- Water – enough to fill bottom of pot at least 1 inch or so
- Oil – Canola vegetable, coconut, peanut, etc.
Instructions
- Wash and dry the sweet potato. Then peel it. You can leave the skin on if you like. Next, cut off the ends, you can save those ends and fry them as well.
- Fill a bowl with cold water along with a teaspoon or two of salt. Then slice the sweet potato very thinly. Place the thin slices of sweet potato in the bowl of cold saltwater. Allow them to soak for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Take a large deep pot and add about 1 inch deep of cooking oil to it. Set the heat to medium and allow the temp to reach 325F/162 C.
- In a separate pot add about an inch or two of water. Set the burner to high and bring the water to a boil.
- Once it starts to boil add the sweet potato slices to the pot. Only add about a third or half of the slices. Depending on the size of your pot of water. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Then remove and place on a plate with paper towel to dry.
- Gently drop the slices of sweet potato in the hot oil. Don't overcrowd them, you will probably have to fry them in stages. Fry them for 4 to 6 minutes stirring occasionally. They are done when most of the bubbles subside, and they feel crispy/crunchy when you scoop them up.
- Once fried, remove them an place them on a separate plate with a paper towel to dry, and hit them with a bit of salt or other seasonings if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Do you like this recipe? Share and Pin it! Please give it a rating and comment down below, I really appreciate it. If you make it tag me on Instagram @inthekitchenwithmatt. Also, sign up for the newsletter so you won’t miss out on any of my new posts and recipes.
I have never bothered leaving a review on a recipe before but these turned out so amazing I feel like I had to come back and leave a review! Will definitely be making these again and again and AGAIN.
Thank you so much, Mary! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review on this sweet potato chip recipe. Glad you tried it and liked it!
These chips came out perfectly golden and crunchy! I’ve tried different methods (i.e. air frying and baking) and this is by far my favorite! I fried with coconut oil and sprinkled a little salt on at the end. Will be my new go-to recipe.
Awesome! So glad you tried it Gabby and liked it! 🙂 🙂
Exactly what I was looking for! Crispy and healthy enough to indulge guilt-free (well mostly). Thank you so much, this has become my go to recipe for sweet potato chips to accompany my scrumptious ceviche.
So glad you tried it and liked it!! 🙂
I love a good sweet potato chip, but I always feel like I cant trust the amount of grease or sodium comes in the prepackaged bags, so I like knowing I can use my healthier oils and less salt!
Yes! Always great to make them at home and you know exactly what goes into them.
I have never tried making sweet potato chips before, and these turned out so great! I am excited to make them again.
Thank you!! 🙂
I made these with coconut oil ad they are DELICIOUS! Surprisingly easy to make!
Glad you made them and liked them! 🙂