Sweet Potato Chips – Microwave!

Sweet potatoes can be transformed into crispy and rich from-scratch sweet potato chips in a mere 5 minutes in the microwave!

At a glance

What stands out: So straightforward and so tasty! Serve them as a tasty side dish or a speedy 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 sharp knife, parchment paper, microwave oven
Servings: 2 (or more)

These from-scratch sweet potato chips are straightforward and were one of the first things we wanted to make after we got our mandoline. We love that they get nice and crispy without deep-frying. And they literally only take minutes to make.

We were pleasantly surprised by how great they turn out. Sweet potato chips are reliable for a speedy lighter snack and our kids love them. We can’t wait to try this with regular potatoes, and maybe even parsnips or carrots. How fun!

The first time we attempted this recipe, we had a toddler and a three week old baby at home. We wasn’t up for anything complicated and this recipe caught our eye. We needed a straightforward success.

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

But from-scratch sweet potato chips in the microwave are surprisingly so rich! The chips are straightforward to mix and they get amazingly crispy. It’s kind of magical! Maybe we can do this “mom-of-two-kids-food-blogger” thing …

About From-scratch 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 straightforward, too. No pans to wash! Just arrange the chips on a circle of parchment paper.
• Making the sweet potato chips is straightforward. 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. Straightforward-peasy! It only takes a few minutes.
• Sweet potato chips are lighter. 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 from-scratch chips.
• They make a great snack or straightforward side dish. Serve them with a dipping sauce and watch them disappear. Kids love them! They’re reliable for after-school snacks (be sure to check out our list of 30 after school snacks!). Sweet potato chips go well with a speedy 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 speedy 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 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 from-scratch French onion dip. Try them with French fry dipping sauce or lighter ranch dressing dip. BBQ sauce is always popular, too.

How To Add Flavors to Sweet Potato Chips

You can season from-scratch sweet potato chips any way you like. We 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!

Our all-purpose seasoning is similar to seasoned salt and is a great choice. Try Cajun seasoning or taco seasoning. We'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.

Keeping leftovers

From-scratch 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.

Lighter Snack Recipes

• Yield: 2 servings
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook: 5 minutes
• Total: 10 minutes

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

Method

1. 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!
2. Put the slices in a bowl and add oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. We use our hands to make sure each slice is lightly coated with oil.
3. 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.
4. 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 our perfect number. Repeat this step until all chips are cooked.
5. Best served immediately.

Notes

If you don’t have a mandoline, use a large sharp knife to 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.