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Homemade Kettle Chips are light, salty, crispy and so easy to make. Paired with an amazing Onion Dill Dip, you’ll want to make these again and again! Bring these to your next potluck! These make a great sidekick to Root Beer Pulled Pork sandwiches!
Homemade Kettle Chips vs Regular Potato Chips…What’s the Difference?
As the name would indicate these are cooked in a kettle, Dutch oven or deep fryer, rather than with an industrial conveyor belt type of frying or baking. Kettle chips are are often sliced a little thicker, too.
Use a Mandolin Slicer!
Unless you have superb knife skills, I highly suggest using a mandolin slicer. Yes, these can be a scary kitchen tool because the mandolin is insanely sharp and it’s easy to slip, but it’s a great one when used properly and safely. Don’t be a hero–use the guard!!
How to Make Homemade Kettle Chips
Full disclosure, these are not hard to make at all. You will be amazed at how easy it is to make your own potato chips! You just need a few simple tips to get light and crispy results! Total work time for this recipe, chips, and dip together, is about an hour. A little extra effort than I like to spend on a recipe, but these are SOOOOOOOO worth it! Try them out and see what you think! For full recipe details see the printable recipe card below.
Wash + Slice Potatoes
Wash whole potatoes. Using a mandolin slicer or food processor, slice potatoes to be very thin slices and place into a bowl of ice water to soak for 30 minutes. This removes the starch. Getting rid of the starch is what makes light and airy crispy chips. Mmmm…chips.
While Potatoes are Soaking, Make the Onion Dill Dip
Make the dip by stirring sour cream, mayonnaise, diced onion, dill and salt & pepper together in a bowl. Be sure to use full-fat sour cream and real mayo…trust me, your tastebuds will be pleased if you do. I mean you’re making homemade potato chips. You think now is the time to use low-fat mayo? Puh-lease.
Once dip ingredients are thoroughly combined, cover and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Dry Potato Slices VERY Well
After the 30 minutes of soaking your potato slices in cold water, drain your potatoes and dry them very well. Water and hot oil are not a good combo. Unless you like 3rd-degree burns on your hands and/or face…in which case I say good luck with that. I spread mine out on a clean kitchen towel and dabbed the tops with paper towels.
Fry Kettle Chips
Preheat some peanut oil in a large pot. I’m using this Le Creuset Braiser because it is huge. Divide into 4 small batches and fry 1 batch at a time, stirring occasionally to cook evenly.
After 3-5 minutes, potatoes should be golden brown and looking a lot like chips. Drain off excess oil with a slotted spoon and place onto layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with sea salt immediately and repeat with remaining small batches.
Pro Tip: To ensure you have the correct oil temperature, place one potato slice into the hot oil. If nothing happens, it’s not hot enough. Increase temperature. If the potato slice sizzles violently, the oil is too hot. Reduce temperature. You want the potato slice to sizzle evenly and constantly but never violently.
Storing Leftover Kettle Chips + Onion Dill Dip
Allow chips to cool completely to room temperature before placing in an airtight container. Chips will stay good and fresh for 1-2 weeks.
Store the onion dip in an airtight container and in the fridge. Dip will stay fresh for about a week!
Homemade Kettle Chips FAQ
Russet Potatoes, Idahos, or sweet potatoes are best for making chips because they are high in starch and low in moisture. They brown well, and get nice and crispy.
Peanut oil or any light vegetable oil (like vegetable or canola oil) is your best bet in getting the crispy results you’re looking for in a chip. I prefer peanut oil over olive oil because of its high smoke point but use what you have. Any light tasting oil that has a high smoke point can work, I just prefer peanut oil for these.
Other Dip Related Recipes To Try
- Sweet & Spicy Salsa with Homemade Whole Wheat Chips
- BBQ Chicken Nachos Recipe
- 7 Layer Dip
- Macro Friendly Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Black Bean Dip Recipe
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip
I hope you enjoy making these easy kettle chips, and the onion dill dip to go along with them. Have a great day, friends! 🙂
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Homemade Kettle Chips with Onion Dill Dip
Ingredients
for the chips-
- 4 large Idaho Potatoes Russets
- 2 pints peanut oil
- sea salt
for the dip-
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup yellow onion finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash whole potatoes. Using a mandoline or food processor, slice potatoes to be very thin and place into cold water to soak for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the dip by stirring all ingredients together. Refrigerate.
- Heat peanut oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat.
- Dry potato slices well. Divide into 4 batches and fry 1 batch at a time, stirring occasionally to cook evenly. {*See recipe notes} After 3-5 minutes, potatoes should be brown and looking a lot like chips. Drain with a slotted spoon and place onto paper towels. Sprinkle with sea salt immediately and repeat with remaining batches. Serve with cold dip.
- *Just to ensure the oil is at the correct temperature, place one potato slice into the hot oil. If nothing happens, it’s not hot enough. Increase temperature. If the potato slice sizzles violently, the oil is too hot. Reduce temperature. You want the potato slice to sizzle evenly and constantly but never violently.
I ALWAYS WANTED A MANDOLINE
Those look absolutely amazing…love love love!
[…] that? You need something savory? Homemade kettle chips. Do […]
[…] 2. I’m going to have to make these very soon! Homemade Kettle Chips and Onion Dill Dip via Lauren’s Latest Blog […]
Lauren these are seriously beautiful. Plus I adore chips. Perfect combo!
I just made these, and they were fantastic. It did have a slight burnt taste to a few of them even though they were the same color as yours; however, they were still really good. My mom said that they tasted just like the chips at the store and that I’m going to put Lay’s out of business haha. I used canola/vegetable oil blend instead of peanut oil. I used one potato, and I still have some more potato slices leftover that haven’t been fried even after making a bunch of chips. I guess I’ll stow those away for another day. Thanks for this recipe.
Ahhhh, potato chips. Now that is my kind of snack food!!!!
Hey everybody, Lauren’s not kidding when she says to slice them really thin! My food processor doesn’t go as thin as the recipe directs. So…. I made them anyway… they were still warm and tasty with that dip…. and I wasn’t hungry for supper after plowing through them! However, my thinner slices were much more crisp. Most of my slices were thicker and were more like “chip” on the outside with a tiny bit of “french fry” in the middle. If I make these again I’m going to see if I can get a different blade for my food processor, or get a mandoline. And for peanut allergy people, I made them with canola this round just because I am thirty minutes from a grocery store that carries peanut oil & I didn’t want to wait a few days to try this! They were still good, but I wonder if there might be more flavorful oils than canola that would also be peanut free. Happy chip & dipping!
Do you have the kind of fp where you can adjust how much you press down? If you barely press down on the potato as you put it through, your slices will be thinner.
This is dangerous. Very, very dangerous…
Never used mandolins but these chips look freakin amazing, might just need to buy one. We love kettle chips.
Mandolins are amazing but the last time I used it, I shaved off a good portion of the tip of my ring finger. I lost sensation in that finger for a month.
But I might work the courage to use it again so I can make these chips! And that dip sounds heavenly! 🙂
I did that to my finger too, but since then ALWAYS use the guard with no problems.
Kettle chips are the only potato chips I like. It almost sounds like I’m healthy…but I make up for it in quantity 🙂 Love the thought of making these homemade, and yours look so good!
OH YUM!!! Saw these on Pinterest. I wonder if I could use the food processor. with the slicing attachment.
YES! If I had a food processor I would have used that! Just make sure the slices are really thin.
[…] on these crunchy kettle chips with onion dip! – Lauren’s […]
I’m a bit of a klutz so I’m not sure if I can be trusted with a mandolin but I know it would be a fantastic tool. I may have to go for it one of these days. I could do some damage to a pile of these. I am completely in love with crunchy, salty, snacks!
AHHH! I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one obsessed with my new handheld mandolin slicer. I’m on a slicing kicking–everything is getting run through that bad-boy. I haven’t made chips yet and hope to when I get home from my trip next week! Can’t wait to give your recipe a try!
I use my mandolin all the time to make so many different kinds of chips.. I have the one with adjustable thickness and it makes great onion rings too
i need a mandolin!
i always wondered how to make kettle chips… these look so delicious!
Ok, I’ve been contemplating a mandolin for years, you may have just convinced me with these. They look perfect!
These look so yummy; I’ll definitely have to try them!!
Good tip about the mandoline guard, by the way. I once was in such a rush to get to the kids’ swim meet that I skipped the guard and ended up in the emergency room.
I could be wrong, but wouldn’t brining them make them nice and salty?
Since you’re already soaking them to leech out the starch, it seems that if you did that in salt water you wouldn’t have to worry about salting the chips as they would be salted from the inside…
Just a thought.
(gasp) WOWZERS!!!! The only problem is that I am terrified of frying things in oil. Thanks for the recipe though! 😉
I love Kettle (and Jordans and Burts…do they sell those in the US too?!) chips and how great that I now have a recipe to make them myself!
These look fabulous, BUT…What oil would you recommend as a substitution for peanut oil? We have an allergy to deal with here.
I am glad I am not the only one!
These look delightful!!! xoxo A-
These look AWESOME! I’m a serious sucker for kettle chips… and I can’t wait to try these!
What are you doing to me Lauren? This is such a dangerous recipe! Those chips look amazing, all crispy and salty and perfect.
Ahhh, thank goodness I can’t get my hands on those! Is your tool one you got introduced to at your blogging conference?
AHHH these look amazing! I absolutely love kettle chips, can’t wait to try making my own!!
would you believe I haven’t unpacked my mandoline yet? how sad is that? Spring Break kicked my butt last week 🙂
I am not mandoline savvy…YET. I can’t believe you made these with it. I love love love kettle chips!
I gave up potato chips for Lent but these are now going to be my treat to myself after Lent is over! Yum!
Wow, those look amazing. I just got a friend a mandoline for her birthday. I will be pinning this one to save for our next dinner date when I not-so-subtly suggest she make them!
Do they store well?
Why would you need to store them? Just kidding…I have a ton of potatoes. Can these be stored?
I love my OXO mandolin. And I can’t wait to use it for chips. holy yum!
Whoa! I just stumbled upon your blog via twitter (a retweet from A Recipe Junkie)! Holy kettle chip goodness, batman! These look amazing. And that dip is a must make. Thank you for sharing. I actually received a mandolin as a wedding gift and I’ve never tried it! (crazy, I know). I’ll be breaking that puppy out this week. lol
Have a yummy week!
-P
I LOVE LOVE THIS!! sorry for all caps but kettle cooked chips are my FAVORITE chips ever. I get them all the time. The huuuuge bags at costco. And I love that you put our OXO mandolin to work. I just received mine from Lindsay (since I had to have them shipped — TSA would’ve took it!!) and I can’t wait to make this!!
Um Yum!!!! These look delish! I want them now with a CRAP LOAD of that dip! Nice Job!
Chips are my down fall…can’t stop once I start. Couldn’t live without a mandoline either and this dip sounds amazing!
Ohhhh boy! These just may be the snack to get me over my fear of deep frying!
I’m gleeking right now. These look so fantastic!
My mouth is literally watering looking at those pictures…at it is 7:30 in the morning, which really is probably not an acceptable time to want chips and dip.
Those chips are calling my name! I’ve played around with homemade chips several times. But instead of relying on a mandoline (which I don’t own), I use my handy dandy KitchenAid slicer & shredder attachment.
Lauren, I have only deep fried anything once and used canola oil. Could I use that for these chips? I have a peanut allergy! Thanks!
Amy – I was dying to try this and my hometown grocery doesn’t have peanut oil, so I used canola. They were good, but I have a feeling that the peanut oil kicks in a lot of flavor that takes it from good to awesome. They were still warm and yummy and killer with that dip!
Yes! The peanut oil gets hotter without smoking than canola, so that’s the main reason that frying foods often calls for peanut oil.
I need that slicer!! Applebees has a homemade potato chip appetizer that I LOVE…now I can make them at home!!! This is probably dangerous for me.
Oh, dear god. I have that very same slicer and it’s a real good thing I don’t have any potatoes in this house because I would be in that kitchen right now, at 8 am, making potato chips. And they would all be gone by 10 am.
These look glorious!!!
That does it! My one weakness and you had to hit on it!LOL.There is no way I’m not making these.You had me at chips,but the dip too? OMG! MY thighs will hate you.hahaha
These look INSANE!!!!
I love how crisp kettle chips are! Thanks for this recipe Lauren, it really looks amazing and I’ll be trying this for sure in the future.
These look fantastic – and what a coincidence, I got a mandoline last week! Looks like it’s the same one as yours, so I’ll definitely give these a go!
The last time I used my mandolin I about shaved off my thumb…I need to dust off the mandolin for these chips though!