Salt and pepper chips got an air fryer makeover in this air fryer salt and pepper chips recipe. No par boiling the potatoes, no separate pan, as all the cooking happens in your air fryer basket.
Also perfect for slimming world or weight watchers, thanks to the low quantity of oil used in this recipe.
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Salt And Pepper Chips
Because we were living in Portugal, I was very late to the salt and pepper chips party. In fact, I think it was as late as 2018, when I had my first ever portion of salt and pepper chips.
We were on this amazing summer holiday trip around Europe and had stopped off at Benidorm for a few days. It was so hot. I mean it was early August and we were melting in this 45c heat.
Try camping in a tent with a toddler, a 3 year old and a 17 year old in that temperature.
So, what we did was make the most of our time away from the tent. We went to the waterpark; we went to the zoo and I remember on our first night there trying out a Chinese buffet.
It was so busy that you just couldn’t move and there was a lot of Chinese food on the buffet that I had never seen before. I remember the highlights for me was the salt and pepper chips and salt and pepper chicken along with roast potatoes in an oyster sauce.
I was in heaven and said to Dominic, that we must make salt and pepper chips in the air fryer, yet here I am almost 4 years later, finally sharing with you our easy salt and pepper chips recipe, well I got there eventually!
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What Are Salt & Pepper Chips?
Salt and pepper chips are chips that are loaded with peppers, onion, sometimes chilli and cooked with Chinese 5 spice.
Because they are like stir fry meets loaded chips, they are ideal for cooking in the air fryer. You can also use our air fryer frozen chips recipe or make them from scratch like we are doing today.
Why Are They Called Salt & Pepper Chips?
Salt and pepper chips first became a thing in the 1990’s when they were introduced for fussy customers that loved the Chinese takeaway chips and wanted something different.
There are many versions of them, but many include a lot of pepper alongside the salt to give it a spicy kick, yet in many Chinese takeaways you will find salt, pepper and Chinese five spice used.
Can You Cook Salt & Pepper Chips In The Air Fryer?
Yes, you sure can. And you will fall in love with air fryer salt and pepper chips. The way the air fryer method works is you partly cook your chips in salt and pepper seasoning first, then add in peppers, onion etc and cook everything together in the air fryer.
Also, if you are looking for slimming world salt and pepper chips, then you will be pleased to know that the air fryer version only needs a small quantity of extra virgin olive oil making them VERY LOW SYN.
Salt & Chilli Chips
Depending on where you live, you might also call them salt and chilli chips. Note, that it is one of the same, its just in different areas, they call them different things.
I have also heard them been referred to as Chinese spice chips.
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Salt & Pepper Chips Ingredients
Potatoes – I recommend any white potatoes for making your Chinese salt and pepper chips with. You can even follow our air fryer frozen chips recipe for a quicker version.
Oil – I have tried a LOT of different oils in the air fryer and have found that the best oil to use is extra virgin olive oil. You don’t need much to make perfect salt & pepper chips.
Peppers. Your salt & pepper chips look amazing when you mix up the pepper colours. I used a green pepper and a red pepper but its up to you with what colour you go with.
Onion. I also recommend thinly slicing some spring onion and adding this with the peppers. They both cook well together.
Seasoning. Then for seasoning I recommend salt, pepper, and plenty of Chinese 5 spice.
Extras – You can also add in some spicy peppers too. But as I am feeding a hubby that doesn’t like spices and a 5 year old, we didn’t include these.
Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this salt and pepper fries recipe it has just been our Philips Air Fryer. We have this one and its wonderful for many types of air fryer recipes.
Plus, we recommend you head over to our air fryer recipes category as we have more than 500 tried and tested air fryer recipes and have been air frying for 10 years.
How To Make Salt & Pepper Chips In An Air Fryer?
- Prep. Peel and slice potatoes into chips. Load into a mixing bowl with salt, pepper, Chinese 5 spice, and extra virgin olive oil and mix well in the bowl with your hands.
- Cook. Load your chips into the air fryer basket and cook for 7 minutes at 160c/320f.
- Peppers. Then as the chips are cooking, slice up your peppers and onion and load into a bowl with extra seasoning. Toss with your hands and then wait on the air fryer beep.
- Shake. When the air fryer beeps shake the chips and add in the peppers and onion. Air fry for another 12 minutes before serving.
And I am sure you can see now how easy it is to make homemade salt and pepper chips in the air fryer and why you should be doing it too!
Salt And Pepper Wedges
Good news! You can also follow our salt and pepper chips recipe and make salt and pepper wedges instead.
Simply follow our cook time for air fryer potato wedges and then make your potatoes into wedges instead of chips.
Salt & Pepper Chips Air Fryer Tips & Tricks
- The easiest way to make salt and pepper chips is to start the chips cooking whilst you prep the peppers.
- You can also add some chicken to the air fryer too and then make salt and pepper chicken and chips together.
- Shaking your chips is essential for creating a perfect crisp on your chips and to stop them from sticking together. Please don’t skip this step.
- You can use spicy peppers or avoid it. Depending on how spicy you like your salt and pepper chips.
- If you have leftovers, leave in the fridge, and reheat in the air fryer the next day.
- I recommend giving the chips a head start first, that way you wont overcook the peppers.
Top Air Fryer Trick – Mix your peppers and your chips in a bowl. It guarantees an even coating and avoids you using more oil that you need.
Listen To Air fryer Salt and Pepper Chips
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More Chinese Food In The Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Chinese Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Frozen Ribs
- Air Fryer Frozen Gyozas
- Air Fryer Frozen Spring Rolls
- How To Reheat Chinese Food In The Air Fryer
Your recipe for salt and pepper chips is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.
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Air Fryer Salt And Pepper Chips
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Red Pepper
- 1 Medium Green Pepper
- 1 Bunch Spring Onions
- 6 Medium Potatoes
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1.5 Tbsp Chinese 5 Spice
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 Chilli Pepper optional
Kitchen Gadgets
Instructions
- Peel and slice your potatoes and load into a mixing bowl. Add to the bowl salt, pepper, half the Chinese five spice, and half the extra virgin olive oil and then mix with your hands until the potatoes are well coated.
- Place the chips into the air fryer basket and cook for 7 minutes at 160c/320f.
- Whilst the air fryer is cooking, slice your peppers and spring onion, discarding the pepper seeds as you go.
- Load them into your chip bowl with the rest of the Chinese five spice, extra salt and pepper and the rest of the extra virgin olive oil. Mix with your hands.
- When the air fryer beeps, add the peppers and onions, and shake the air fryer basket.
- Cook for another 8 minutes at 180c/360f then shake the air fryer basket again and make sure the chips are fork tender.
- Then cook for a final 4 minutes at 200c/400f before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Can’t make it now? Then save it for later!
I love salt and pepper chips and only tried frozen, so i tried these and they were gorgeous, so tasty and tasted amazing many thanks, you have made me an air fryer convert with making fresh food instead of just cooking frozen in it.