Crispy Homemade Salt and Vinegar Chips from scratch taste just like store-bought chips with their lip-smacking flavor thanks to one secret ingredient. Learn how to make baked salt and vinegar chips as well as frying them.
What’s on your culinary bucket list?
If you said “make your own potato chips”, you’re in luck! This easy recipe for Homemade Salt and Vinegar Chips will have you wishing you made chips from scratch sooner.
I chose salt and vinegar chips because that’s one of my favorite flavors. Not only do I love the taste, it helps calm my stomach from motion sickness.
They’re crispy homemade potato chips tossed in a salt and vinegar seasoning. They taste just like store bought chips thanks to one secret ingredient.
Sure, it’s much faster and more convenient to buy a bag, but there’s something satisfying about making salt and vinegar potato chips from scratch.
Not only will I show you how to both bake and fry your chips, I’ll show you how to use a mandoline to slice potato chips thinly.
In addition to watching your favorite TV show, serve your salt and vinegar chips alongside some avocado burgers or BBQ bacon burgers.
Ingredients For Salt and Vinegar Chips
To make this salt and vinegar chips recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Russet potato: Russets tend to make the best chips due to their starch content, but you can also use other varieties such as red or Yukon gold.
- White distilled vinegar: For soaking the potato slices. Although you can use other flavors, a neutral white distilled is best.
- Vinegar powder: No matter how long you soak your chips, you won’t achieve that lip-smacking flavor without it. More on it below.
- Salt: I prefer kosher as the crystals are a bit larger and easier to taste. You can certainly use table salt but you’ll need to adjust the amount to your taste.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil such as vegetable or canola. Do not use olive oil for frying as they have a low smoking point.
What is vinegar powder?
Vinegar powder is dehydrated vinegar which adds tanginess without adding any additional liquid to the recipe.
Similar to my homemade BBQ chips, you toss your chips with vinegar powder as a seasoning.
The best place to buy your vinegar powder is online.
Can you leave out the vinegar powder?
I get it – vinegar powder is pricey for something you’re only going to use a few times. And there aren’t many guides to making it homemade, unfortunately.
However, it truly is the only way to get your salt and vinegar chips to taste like store-bought. You can also use your powder for Salt and Vinegar Popcorn or even Salt and Vinegar Wings.
If you still insist on not buying it, increase your vinegar soak time to 2 hours. However, please note your end results will be more subtle in flavor.
Tips For Making Crispy Potato Chips
Here’s how to make your homemade salt and vinegar chips crispy every time:
- Slice potatoes thinly. The key to making crispy salt and vinegar chips is using a handheld mandolin to thinly slice them. Too thick and the middle becomes cooked, not crispy. Save the thicker slices for making stovetop scalloped potatoes or au gratin potatoes for two.
- Soak potatoes in vinegar. Not only does it help infuse more vinegar flavor, a vinegar bath removes the surface starch which is what will cause the potatoes to brown (and burn) more quickly while cooking.
- Dry potatoes really well. Water is the enemy of oil, so make sure your slices are extra dry by patting them down with paper towels before cooking.
- Cool in a single layer. Once they’re done cooking, let your chips cool in a single layer for a few minutes. If you pile them on top of each other, they may get soggy from the heat.
How To Use a Mandoline
To use the mandoline, place it over any bowl and use the gripper to hold the item you are slicing. This is very important because the blade is sharp.
However, some long and skinny vegetables such as carrots or parsnips don’t grip very well.
When I sliced some carrots for a soup, I couldn’t use the gripper until I got closer to the blade. Fatter produce such as potatoes and apples gripped just fine.
Because the blade is so sharp, my mandoline has two safety devices. The first is locking the blade in place. Make sure you do this before washing.
Second is the gripper slides onto the mandoline and covers the blade for storage. This is very critical if you have a junk drawer of tools (me!) and you don’t accidentally cut yourself when reaching for something else.
How To Make Salt And Vinegar Chips
Ok now that we got all of the technique out of the way, time to make your homemade salt and vinegar chips recipe!
First, thinly slice your potato then soak in vinegar for 30 minutes.
Originally I experimented with soaking times of 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours. However, the difference was very subtle, so why wait 2 hours when you can do it 30 minutes?
Once they’re done soaking and patted dry, you can either bake or fry your chips.
To fry salt and vinegar chips:
- Fill deep fryer with frying oil of choice and heat to 350F. I use vegetable oil, but you can also use canola or peanut oil.
- Fry potato slices a few at a time until golden brown, being careful not to overcrowd the fryer. Time will vary depending on the size and thickness, but the average is 3-5 minutes.
- Toss with salt and vinegar seasoning then cool for a few minutes to allow them to crisp up.
- Repeat with the remaining slices, ensuring the oil is 350F when frying. You may need to pause in between batches to let the oil heat up again.
To make baked salt and vinegar chips:
The method is similar to making my homemade pita chips.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Add potato slices in a single layer on the two sheets. Brush each slice with oil then bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp (but not burnt).
- Toss in the salt and vinegar seasoning then cool until crispy.
No matter which method you choose, chips are best eaten the day they’re made. However, you can store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Salt and Vinegar Chips FAQ
Should I peel the potatoes before making chips?
It doesn’t matter as it’s a personal preference. I leave the skins on for one less task to do.
Can I use an air fryer to make chips?
Yes, you can make salt and vinegar chips in an air fryer! Toss the slices with oil then air fry at 400F for about 10-15 minutes, flipping them every 5 minutes with tongs so they cook evenly.
More Potato Recipes
Since it’s cheaper to buy a 5 pound bag of potatoes, you’re going to have extras. Here are more potato recipes you can make:
- Mashed Potatoes For Two
- Italian Potato Salad
- Amish Potato Salad
- Guinness Shepherd’s Pie For Two
Homemade Salt and Vinegar Chips
Yield: 2 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Soak Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Crispy Homemade Salt and Vinegar Chips from scratch taste just like store-bought chips with their lip-smacking flavor thanks to one secret ingredient. Learn how to make baked salt and vinegar chips as well as frying them.
Ingredients
- 1 large russet potato, peeling optional (roughly 6-8 ounces)
- 3/4 cup white distilled vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vinegar powder* (see Note)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably kosher
- Frying oil (such as vegetable, canola, or peanut), enough to fill a fryer or to brush slices before baking
Instructions
- With a mandoline, thinly slice the potato to about 1/10 inch (2.5 mm) thick (setting 2 on an OXO mandoline). You do not want to see through the slices.
- Put the potato slices in a bowl and pour vinegar over top. The potatoes should be submerged - if not, add more vinegar until covered. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain and pat completely dry.
- In a large bowl (preferably with a lid so you can shake it for easier coating), combine the vinegar powder and salt.
To fry potato chips:
- Fill a fryer or deep saucepan with oil and heat to 350F.
- Once the oil is ready, ensure the potato slices are completely dry. Fry a few at a time until golden brown, being careful not to overcrowd the fryer. Time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the slices, but the average is 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the chips and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Immediately toss with the salt and vinegar mixture then cool for a few minutes to crisp up.
- Repeat with the remaining slices, ensuring the oil is 350F when frying. You may need to pause in between batches to let the oil heat up again.
To bake potato chips:
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Ensure the potato slices are completely dry then place the slices in a single layer on the two sheets. Brush each slice with oil.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp (but not burnt).
If you find some smaller pieces are baking faster after 10 minutes, you can remove those then finish baking the rest.
- Immediately toss with the salt and vinegar mixture then cool for a few minutes to crisp up.
Notes
- Vinegar powder is the key to giving these chips that lip-smacking store-bought flavor, so you really don't want to leave it out. You can buy vinegar powder online.
- Use the extra vinegar powder to make Salt and Vinegar Popcorn and Salt and Vinegar Wings.
- If you don't have vinegar powder, increase the soak time to 2 hours. Please note the vinegar flavor will be more subtle and taste nothing like store bought.
- Enjoyed this recipe? Check out my recipe for BBQ chips!
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First published September 25, 2013
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