Sweet potatoes can be transformed into crispy and delicious homemade sweet potato chips in a mere 5 minutes in the microwave!

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: So easy and so tasty! Serve them as a tasty side dish or a quick snack, with or without dipping sauce.

How long it takes: 5 minutes to prep, 3 to 4 minutes to cook each batch
Equipment you’ll need: mandoline, box grater, or very sharp knife, parchment paper, microwave oven
Servings: 2 (or more)

A stack of several sweet potato chips with bowl in background. Text reads "Sweet potato chips in minutes using the microwave"
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These homemade sweet potato chips are super easy and were one of the first things I wanted to make after I got my mandoline. I love that they get nice and crispy without deep-frying. And they literally only take minutes to make.

I was pleasantly surprised by how great they turn out. Sweet potato chips are perfect for a quick healthy snack and my kids love them. I can’t wait to try this with regular potatoes, and maybe even parsnips or carrots. How fun!

The first time I attempted this recipe, I had a toddler and a three week old baby at home. I wasn’t up for anything complicated and this recipe caught my eye. I needed an easy success.

Really, I shouldn’t brag too much, seeing as this recipe really doesn’t take more than ten minutes to make. I burned one batch of these sweet potato chips because the baby was crying and needed to be burped and I thought an extra fifteen seconds in the microwave was a good idea.

But homemade sweet potato chips in the microwave are surprisingly so delicious! The chips are super easy to make and they get amazingly crispy. It’s really kind of magical! Maybe I can do this “mom-of-two-kids-food-blogger” thing …

Closeup of stacked sweet potato chips.

About Homemade Sweet Potato Chips

  • The ingredients are simple. The only ingredients you need are a sweet potato, olive oil, salt and pepper. You may have what you need already in your pantry! Clean up is easy, too. No pans to wash! Just arrange the chips on a circle of parchment paper.
  • Making the sweet potato chips is easy. The most difficult part of the recipe is slicing the sweet potato (more about that later). Then you simply toss the slices with a little bit of oil (just one teaspoon!), and microwave them in a single layer. Easy-peasy! It only takes a few minutes.
  • Sweet potato chips are healthy. These chips aren’t deep fried in oil and coated with salt. Sweet potatoes are low calorie and nutritious. Did you know that they are high in antioxidants and fiber? They’re also a good source of vitamin C and potassium (Healthline). Since they are prepared so simply, you benefit from the goodness of nature in these homemade chips.
  • They make a great snack or easy side dish. Serve them with a dipping sauce and watch them disappear. Kids love them! They’re perfect for after-school snacks (be sure to check out my list of 30 after school snacks!). Sweet potato chips go well with a quick dinner too. Serve them with air fryer hot dogs, turkey burgers, roasted vegetable wraps, or English muffin pizzas.
Overhead of sweet potato chips in oval bowl, with a small stack alongside.

How To Slice a Sweet Potato Into Chips

The slices have to be as thin as you can possibly make them so they crisp up. Thicker slices tend to be chewier (and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, either!).

A mandoline makes quick work of slicing the potato. You can also slice it using the slicing side of a box grater or a long sharp knife. A vegetable peeler will give you very thin slices, too. The slicing blade of the food processor doesn’t work well unless you have an extra wide chute.

Tips For Success

  • Slice the sweet potato as thinly and evenly as possible. Thin slices get crispier. Thicker slices take longer to cook and may be chewy in the center.
  • Dry the slices if they’re wet. The oil won’t adhere to wet sweet potatoes and they will take longer to crisp up.
  • Arrange them in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd the sliced sweet potatoes on the parchment paper. It’s better to do multiple batches than to try to fit them all in one batch.
  • Watch them closely especially the first time you make them. You don’t want to burn them. Every microwave varies so cooking time can vary, too. It also depends on the thickness of the slices. Once you’ve cooked a batch or two, you’ll know how long it takes with your microwave and you won’t have to watch them as closely.

Dipping Sauce Suggestions

Sweet potato chips are great dipped in creamy jalapeño ranch dip or homemade French onion dip. Try them with French fry dipping sauce or healthy ranch dressing dip. BBQ sauce is always popular, too.

How To Add Flavors to Sweet Potato Chips

You can season homemade sweet potato chips any way you like. I stuck with kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper but feel free to add seasoning that you like. Simply add it to the olive oil. Sprinkle a little extra on when you take the chips out of the microwave, too. It’s up to you!

My all-purpose seasoning is similar to seasoned salt and is a great choice. Try Cajun seasoning or taco seasoning. I’d like to try pumpkin pie spice soon, too.

Make Ahead Idea

Slice the sweet potatoes ahead of time; immerse the slices in a bowl of cold water. They’ll keep for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. To cook, drain well and pat the slices dry. Proceed with recipe as directed.

Storage Tips

Homemade sweet potato chips are best eaten right away. They tend to get chewy when stored. If you have leftover chips, store them in an airtight container.

To refresh them, arrange the sweet potato chips in a single layer on a baking pan. Heat them in the oven at 300°F until crisp.

Healthy Snack Recipes

Recipe

Homemade Sweet Potato Chips – Microwave!

4.54 from 28 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Sweet potatoes can be transformed into crispy and delicious sweet potato chips in a mere 5 minutes in the microwave!
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Ingredients 

  • 1 large sweet potato (unpeeled or peeled)
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions 

  • Scrub sweet potato well, cut off the ends, and trim off any brown spots. Using the thinnest blade on a mandoline, slice sweet potato into very thin slices (see note). Be careful of your fingers!
  • Put the slices in a bowl and add oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. I use my hands to make sure each slice is lightly coated with oil.
  • Cut out a piece of parchment paper in a circle to fit the glass turntable in your microwave. Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer on the paper. They won't all fit at once, you'll have to microwave them in batches.
  • Microwave on high power for 3 ½ to 4 minutes or until crispy but not browned. Watch carefully for the first batch or two to determine the proper time since all microwaves are slightly different. 3 ½ minutes was my perfect number. Repeat this step until all chips are cooked.
  • Best served immediately.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a mandoline, use a large sharp knife to very thinly slice the sweet potato. The slicing side of a box grater is another alternative. 
  • The sliced sweet potatoes (pre-cooked) can be stored in a bowl of water in the fridge. Drain and pat dry before adding oil. 
  • Feel free to add seasonings of your choice. 

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5sweet potato, Calories: 165kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 675mg, Potassium: 576mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 24119IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 52mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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140 Comments

  1. JULIE says:

    AWESOME !! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS !!

  2. Gail says:

    I sliced mine using the thin cone slicer on my salad shooter (I love my salad shooter!) and in 3.5 minutes they were perfect. We devoured them fast!

  3. Alicia says:

    Yummy! I added chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Delicious.

    1. Rachel Gurk says:

      Love those additions! Glad you liked the recipe!

  4. Sheila K says:

    Tried your chips using purple sweet potatoes and the slicer in my food processor. The slicer blade made them a bit too thick and I had to wave them for almost 5 min to get them crisp. There were a few thin slices that crisped in three and a half minutes. This may be the push to get myself a mandolin if a regular potato peeler doesn’t work for the next batch. I’ve got an older one that makes good slices. Hubby shudders when I experiment in the kitchen but wondered why I didn’t save him any chips. Thanks so much for the recipe and the idea for using the microwave.

    1. Rachel Gurk says:

      Thanks for the feedback! I wanted a mandolin for a long time before I actually got one. Now I have one and use it ALL the time. I definitely don’t regret it! :)

  5. Kaycee says:

    The first time I tried these, the microwave-safe plate exploded and the sweet potato chips were completely burnt and they were only in there for 2.5 minutes. So just be careful!

    1. Rachel Gurk says:

      Oh no! I do it right on the turn-table, no plate. Does your microwave have a turn-table? Sorry it didn’t work out :(

  6. Lola Velasco says:

    Una receta sencilla y con un resultado final fantástico. Me encantará probarlo
    ¡Saludos!

  7. Lucy says:

    I don’t have a mandolin, but does a good food processor work to get the thin slices. I haven’t tried that, either! I’m anxious to try this with some seasonings.

    1. Rachel Gurk says:

      It could work, depending on how thinly it slices. My slices were very thin and I think if they were too much thicker, they might not crisp up in the microwave. Definitely worth a try though–let me know how it goes!

  8. Leigh Anne@Yourhomebasedmom.com says:

    These look delicious and your photography is beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing over at Finding the Pretty & Delicious Linky Party. Hope you’ll come back tomorrow.

    1. Rachel Gurk says:

      Thanks Leigh Anne! Thanks for hosting the link up!

  9. Averie @ Averie Cooks says:

    “Holy cow, I managed to cook, photograph and schedule a blog post with a 2-year-old and a 3-week-old!” — It feels like just yesterday you had your first one! I can’t even imagine having 2 under 2. I should buy you a drink :)

    And these chips are brilliant! I’ve seen similar ideas on Pinterest but wasn’t really sure if it would work. Clearly, it does. Bravo!

  10. Steph says:

    This is so incredible!! And all done in the microwave…even better!!