Perfect, crispy, salty homemade Lay’s potato chips in minutes, all in the microwave. 

homemade potato chips 

You know Lay’s potato chips, right? Thin, crispy and covered with salt? I swear, these taste just the same. And I made them at home in the microwave.

I know. I was pretty shocked, too. I ate about half of them before I even finished writing down the how-tos, because they are that good. But then, I’m a snack addict. Remember these homemade Doritos? My love of salty snacks is not just limited to those that will give you orange fingers.

(If you like this snack, check out these homemade Goldfish crackers.)

how to make microwave potato chips 

Potato chips are such a staple for parties and sports watching (or so I hear) and TV binging.

So naturally, they are also guilt-inducing. I’m not saying this version is health food precisely, but microwaving versus deep frying makes a big difference. And with only one fresh potato, some canola oil and salt, you know exactly what goes into each bite.

tips to make microwave potato chips 

There are two secrets to perfect microwaved potato chips.

First, you need to watch them closely and remove them from the microwave at exactly the moment they begin to brown. If you brown too much, they will burn. If you don’t brown enough, they won’t be crisp.

This means you may have to remove a few from the plate and microwave the rest if they don’t brown evenly.

Second, the salt. I salted these pretty generously to really mimic the Lay’s potato chip taste. If you are watching your salt, you don’t need to add so much. And they will still taste wonderful.

Correction, there are not two, but three, secrets to microwaved potato chips. The mandolin.

To have paper thin potato slices, it really is best to use a mandolin. (Find a link to the one I have below.)

Good mandolins are not overly expensive, and they are such a useful tool. But please, please, please use the hand guard. I know from experience, thanks to that fateful Christmas morning where I told myself it would be fine to just skip the guard, just once, when making my scalloped potatoes.

My pinky scar is evidence that it is not fine to skip the guard. If you opt to slice these by hand, the potato slices may be thicker and may need additional time in the microwave. Just keep watching for the browning. That’s the sign.

Oh, you must serve these with an ice cold beer. And just in case you need something sweet to go with that snacking, might I suggest some pretzel cookies?

Yield: 80 chips

homemade potato chips

Print

EAsy homemade potato chips in the microwave.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Russet Potato, Scrubbed and peeled
• 1 tablespoon Canola Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Plus additional

Instructions

1. Set a mandolin on the thinnest setting. Slice the potato.
2. In a gallon-size zip top bag, place the potato slices, oil and salt. Shake until the slices are well-coated.
3. Line a microwave-safe plate with a piece of parchment paper. Place potato slices in a single layer so they do not touch. Sprinkle with additional kosher salt. Reserve the remaining potato slices.
4. Microwave the plate on high for 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely. The chips are done when they just start to brown. Do not over brown. And do not undercook, as the chips will not crisp.
5. Remove the chips and let cool. Repeat with the remaining chips. 

Notes

Make sure to remove from microwave right when they start to brown. Do not over-brown.

I use a lot of salt on these, by the way, but you can add less if you need to.

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You can also find this recipe for homemade Lay’s potato chips on Food Fanatic, where I create homemade versions of store-bought treats and eats.

Here is the mandolin I have: