Homemade Frozen Chips: Easy Recipe for Oven & Air Fryer

Why Make Your Own Frozen Chips?

Healthier – No unnecessary additives or preservatives. Many shop bought oven chips are ultra processed.

Better taste & texture – These are freshly prepared and cut to your own preference.

Reduces food waste – This is a great way to use up extra potatoes- if I notice my potatoes are starting to sprout then I make these chips to save them going to waste.

Budget-friendly – Cheaper than buying pre-made frozen chips- especially when the potatoes are on special offer in the supermarket. At Christmas you can often pick up a whole bag or potatoes for 15-20 pence.

What You’ll Need

Potatoes: I think the best varieties for this are Maris Piper, King Edward, or Rooster for fluffy chips. However, there are so many varieties out there, you can experiment to find your own favourite.

Oil: Light spray of cold-pressed rapeseed, olive, or low-calorie cooking spray (cooking spray is not suitable for the air fryer).

Optional seasoning: You can keep the chips plain until after they are cooked (If I am just salting them, I add the salt once they are cooked), but you can also give them delicious extra flavour by adding difference spices – my most commonly used blend is paprika, garlic powder and onion granules (just shake a little of each into the freezer bag with the uncooked chips before you freeze them).

Freezer bags or airtight containers: I usually use freezer bags to store my frozen chips, as the flexibility allows you to break apart any that have stuck together before you cook them. You can also use freezer-safe containers if you prefer.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Homemade Frozen Chips

1. Prepare the potatoes

• Peel (optional) and cut into evenly sized chips or fries – I usually cut mine to be about 1cm thick (getting the size as uniform as you can helps with even cooking.)

2. Parboil the Chips

• As you prepare the chips, drop them into a large pan of cold water.
• Once all the chips are in, Bring the pan of water up to the boil.
• Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Drain, and let them cool completely- I usually just leave them in the colander to steam off and cool, you can spread them over a flat surface if you’d like them to cool more quickly.

3. Coat with oil spray or low- calorie cooking spray

• Lightly spray the chips with oil, tossing them a few times to make sure they have been evenly coated. This will help them to crisp up when cooked.
• If you are cooking them in the oven then you can use a low calorie cooking spray, but avoid using this if you are going to cook them in the air fryer.

4. Freeze the chips

• Add your desired portions of chips into freezer- friendly bags. I usually portion them up to feed two (as I mostly use them for meals for my kids).
• Lie the bag flat, pat it down to get the chips into a single layer, squeeze out any air, and seal the bag.
• Pop the bags into the freezer, keep them flat if you can as this will mean that if any of the chips stick together they will be easier to break up when you get them out to cook.

How to cook frozen homemade chips

In the Air Fryer

• Preheat to 200°C.
• Give the bag a feel and break up any of the chips that you can feel are stuck together.
• Tip the frozen chips into the air fryer basket(s). Ensure that these are in a single layer only, and not stacked up because an overcrowded basket will mean they do not cook well or evenly. If you have a dual drawer air fryer you may want to utilise both drawers depending on what size portion of chips you are cooking.
• Cook for 18 minutes, shaking the basket(s) every 5-7 minutes for even crispiness.

In the oven

• Preheat to 240°C (fan 220°C/gas mark 9).
• Spread chips in a single layer on a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning halfway through.
• Check on them after 25 minutes, and only give them the extra 5 if necessary- all ovens vary so you might find they take longer!

Tips for the best homemade chips

Use floury potatoes like Maris Piper for the best fluffy inside.

Don’t skip the parboiling step – This is crucial! If you freeze raw potatoes without parboiling, they can turn grey or black due to enzyme activity and oxidation. Parboiling deactivates these enzymes and removes excess starch, preventing discolouration. It also helps the chips cook evenly and develop a crispy texture.

Customise flavours – Shake spices or herbs into the bag before freezing for extra flavour.

Here are a few ideas: Garlic & oregano – A simple mix of garlic powder and dried oregano. Smoky paprika – Sweet paprika, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Spicy peri-peri – Smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and a touch of salt. Cheese & onion – Nutritional yeast (for a cheesy flavour) and onion powder.

What can I serve these homemade oven chips with?

Chips are a delicious side for all sorts of meals, if you are looking for some inspiration then why not serve these with:

Perfect burgers

Slow-cooker doner kebab

KFC-style (Southern-fried) chicken

Hunters chicken

Nandos style peri-peri chicken

Slow-cooker beef brisket

How do these homemade frozen chips work on Slimming World?

Potatoes are syn free, but you will need to work out the syns for any spray oil or low calorie cooking spray that you use. On average, 5 sprays of oil contain 1/2 syn. Most low calorie cooking sprays are syn free. Use your Slimming World app (food search) if you want to check specific brands.