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)
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 …
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.
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.
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.
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
Homemade Sweet Potato Chips – Microwave!
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Crispy and yummy. I didn’t have parchment paper so I substituted a paper plate. Thank you for a wonderful guilt free potato chip
Glad you liked them! Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for sharing!!!! My chips were a bit too soft when I got it right out of the microwave but they got crisp 2 minutes after. I am just thrill I finally found a real sweet potato chip recipe.
Loving it!
Glad they turned out and you liked them :) Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment!
I just made these and was pretty pleased with my first go at these! I saw this post a few days ago, got some sweet potatoes, sliced them and threw them in the microwave. When I checked back to see how long to cook them for, I realized my slices were much too thick. I don’t have a mandolin so I had to make do. I microwaved the potatoes for about 6-7 minutes and some of them were perfectly crisp, some a bit tough, and some a little on the softer side. I ate a whole potato worth of them anyway because who cares! Sweet potatoes are delicious and these were great with some smoked paprika :D
Great! So glad you liked them!
Have made these years before and using the purple sweet potatoes. Saw some recipe which reminded me of them, so purchased two larger round sweet potatoes. Went on Pinterest to find a recipe and yours was the nicest photo with the recipe. I am a great grandmother and my 75 yr husband is disabled with the use of one hand. He uses the mandolin to make slices for baked cheesy potatoes, so he was anxious to try your recipe and he sliced one potato which was a lot! Three batches in the microwave. We had two girls. 9 & 11 visiting us for a few hours to help eat them.
First batch I did first 3 minutes, then 4, then 5, still not crispy. I had used deli papers, instead of parchment paper directly on the microwave’s glass turntable. I would not use paper towels in the microwave as they can burn and catch on fire quite easily. Ask me how I know? :) The circles seemed to stick a little, so I released them a bit from the deli paper, so they could curl, and put them in for 30 seconds. It was fun to watch the edges curl a little while the turntable was going around. The ones on the outside of the plate were perfect. The few in the middle too brown and 2 little ones burned.
2nd batch, 4minute first, released them, 1 min more, fine. 3rd batch, 5 minutes, perfect.
Next time will add some flavor like garlic, cayenne, celery, curry, onion powders, paprika, maybe even some chive flakes. I did use Avocado Olive Oil. I also have some Garlic EVOO, Lemon EVOO, Basil VOO, and Grapeseed oil. Don’t know about mint flakes. Will try some carrots and beets just for fun.
I have photos at each step, probably not as nice as yours, and will pin them soon. I am still working out the ‘adjustments’ on Pinterest. Thanks again for your wonderful blog, post, photos, and your wonderful gift to mothers and fathers of all ages. :)
Glad you liked these! Thanks for the nice comment. :)
I’ve been meaning to try making my own sweet potato chips for a while… and this looks simple enough!
However, if I tried using the oven… how long do u think i should put them in for and at what temp?
Thanks! :)
I don;t think I have ever been this excited to try a new recipe! AMAZING
Wow, thank you!!! Hope you love it! :)
I have now tried making these twice without good results. :( First time I burned them (ate them anyway). Second time they weren’t done enough (threw them out).
Do they actually feel crispy while they are still hot? Or do they get that way once they’ve cooled a bit? I wonder if I’m putting too much oil on them (followed the recipe, but they felt pretty oily)? Or if the fact that I used paper towel instead of parchment paper to line the turntable made them not crisp up?
I haven’t made them with paper towel instead of parchment but that might have something to do with it! Mine didn’t really feel too oily — maybe your potato was smaller? Mine are definitely crisp straight out of the microwave. Hope that all helps. Good luck!
I am having the same problem. Mine burn before they crisp up. I am using parchment. My environment us very humid; could that be the issue?
Strange – I’ve never experienced that! It could be related to humidity. Could also be related to your microwave…does it heat pretty evenly?
I know this is a silly question, but humor me. Do you peel the potatoes first or do you just give it a good wash?
Not a silly question at all! I didn’t peel mine because I liked the looks and the added health benefits of the peeling. I just scrubbed well and trimmed off any bad spots. You could also peel too, definitely just a matter of personal preference! Hope you love them!
How do you store them? I am now making these for my diabetic dog
I don’t usually store them, I usually eat them right away!
Sweet potatoes or yams ?
I used sweet potatoes :)