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Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips

These delicious air fryer BBQ potato chips are a great way to enjoy your favorite barbeque flavors without all the messy fat from deep-frying.

What Is An Air Fryer?

An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that uses hot air instead of oil or fats to cook food.

Air frying has been around since the early 1900s but it wasn’t until recently when it became more popular due to its convenience and ease of use compared to traditional cooking methods such as baking.

Air fryers can be used to make everything from breaded chicken nuggets to french fries.

The best thing about these oven-like appliances is that they don’t require any added oils or fats so you won’t have to worry about any excess calories or unhealthy saturated fats.

In addition, because they utilize just hot air, foods aren’t cooked at high temperatures which allows most people to avoid burning their delicate ingredients.

Baking tray size options

Most air fryers come with one standard sized tray (7 x 10 inches) while some models offer larger trays up to 18 x 24 inches.

If you want to bake bigger batches of food, then you may need to invest in a large air fryer.

Cooking time

The amount of time needed to cook certain foods varies depending on the type of food being made.

Foods like fish fillets take longer than other items, whereas pizza crust takes less time to cook.

Crispy vs. tender

While there isn’t much difference between crispier and softer versions of the same item, if you’re looking to create something extra special, then try making them a little bit crunchy by using frozen veggies or even adding cheese before putting them into the air fryer.

If you want to keep things simple, however, you should stick to recipes that call for “crispy” chips, otherwise you might end up with a mushy version of what you were hoping to achieve.

Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips

How Does An Air Fryer Work?

An air fryer works by circulating hot air around food while it cooks.

The result is that you get crispier fries than if you were cooking them on a stovetop or in the oven.

This means you can cook more quickly and easily because there’s no need to monitor the temperature of the oil carefully as you would when frying.

The process also uses less energy since your device doesn’t have to heat up the oil itself.

So even though the air fryer isn’t hot enough to actually cook the food, it does keep the surrounding area warm so that everything stays nice and crispy.

What Are The Benefits Of Using An Air Fryer?

If you’ve never used one before, I bet it seems like something out of science fiction.

But air fryers have been around since the 1970s, when they were first invented by NASA as part of their space food preparation system.

The name “air frying” came about because these devices use hot air instead of oil or other liquids.

The heat is generated through convection (the movement of hot air), which means that there aren’t any splatters, spills, or messes involved.

This makes them ideal for cooking foods that would normally require lots of oil, such as french fries or chicken wings.

They also come equipped with automatic temperature controls so that you don’t need to keep checking on your meals while they cook.

And finally, they’re incredibly energy efficient—just check out how much power it takes to run an electric kettle compared to how little electricity it uses to run an air fryer.

How Do You Make Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips?

This is one of those recipes that can be made as simple or as complicated as you want it to be.

The key is making sure everything gets coated evenly so there isn’t any dry spots on the chips.

You also don’t need much oil if you have an air fryer because it vaporizes quickly.

I found these BBQ chips were best when I used about half the amount recommended by the manufacturer (which was 1/4 cup).

For me, that ended up being just enough to coat the potatoes.

If you like a thicker coating, use more than what they recommend, but remember, too much will result in soggy chips.

And while I didn’t add any additional seasoning, you could sprinkle some salt on top before baking them if you wanted to give them extra kick.

The only real trick here is getting the right size fries.

They should be small enough to fit into the air fryer basket, yet big enough to hold their shape during cooking.

So, cut them slightly smaller than usual.

What Are The Ingredients In Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips?

The key ingredient is barbecue sauce.

The original recipe calls for Heinz ketchup, but we found that using Bullseye Original Barbecue Sauce worked just as well.

If you don’t have Bullseye, any other variety will work fine, such as Sweet Baby Ray’s or Hormel.

You can also use store-bought ranch dressing instead of homemade mayo if needed.

Other than the barbecue sauce, there isn’t much else involved in making these chips.

They require no oil at all!

You might be wondering what makes them so good.

It turns out they get their crunchy texture by being cooked on the surface of an electric pot.

This helps create an even crispiness throughout the chip, which means you won’t need extra toppings like salt and pepper to add some kick.

How Long Does It Take To Make Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips?

The air fryer takes about 5 minutes per batch, so you can expect roughly 20 minutes total time between starting prep and having ready-to-eat air fryer BBQ potatoes.

It’s important to note that the actual cooking times may vary depending on how hot your air fryer gets during use (the hotter your air fryer runs, the more quickly the food cooks).

The following chart provides an estimate of the approximate cooking times based on my own experience using an Air Fryer Pro 750 W model.

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F / 232 degrees C.
  • Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces – I used 1/3 cup of cubed potatoes for each chip.
  • Toss them in the bowl with 2 tablespoons of flour until coated evenly throughout.
  • Add 3 cups of water to the bottom of the air fryer basket, then dip the coated potatoes in the mixture one by one, shaking off any excess water as needed.
  • Place the coated potatoes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 450 degrees F / 232 degrees C, turning halfway through if necessary. Remove the tray from the oven when the edges begin to turn golden brown.
  • Immediately transfer the tray of baked fries to the air fryer basket, adding the oil while they cool down. If desired, add additional salt and pepper after transferring to the air fryer.
  • Close the lid and cook for 4-6 minutes, checking every minute to ensure that there is enough room between batches for the oil to heat back up.
  • Remove the cooked chips from the air fryer, let cool slightly before serving.

What Is The Nutritional Value Of Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips?

When you cook food in an air fryer, you’re not just saving time; you’re also helping yourself out by avoiding extra calories that come from frying.

Air fryers are especially good at cooking foods because they don’t have as much oil as traditional ovens or stoves do.

This means less saturated fats, fewer carbohydrates, and more fiber.

The key to making these tasty air fryer BBQ potato chips is to use low-fat ingredients.

In addition to using lower-calorie oils like canola oil, we recommend choosing fresh herbs instead of dried ones.

Fresh basil has only half the amount of calories per tablespoon than its dehydrated counterpart.

You could even add some garlic if you want to cut down on carbs while still getting plenty of flavor.

Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips

Are Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips Healthy?

The answer depends entirely on how much salt or sugar you use when cooking these chips.

Air frying also means that they’re not as crispy as if you fried them yourself, but they still have plenty of crunchiness to make up for it.

If you like your food low in sodium, then air-fried foods may be more appealing than traditional fried ones.

If you want an extra kick, add some chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, or other spice mix into the batter before baking.

There isn’t any added oil involved either so there aren’t any trans fats, which makes these healthier than most fries.

In terms of calories, there are no hidden sugars or calories in the air fryer BBQ potatoes.

The only thing that will affect their calorie count is how many times you bake each batch of air fryer BBQ potato chips.

Since they don’t need to be baked twice (as in the case of regular french fries), you can expect fewer calories per serving.

This does mean that you might end up eating one bowl after another until you’ve eaten through all of the chips in your bag.

Because air fryers cook at such high temperatures, they won’t produce carcinogens like dioxins found in traditional deep-fryers.

They also don’t contain BPA (Bisphenol A) or phthalates, both of which are harmful chemicals found in plastic water bottles and certain canned goods.

All of these factors help explain why air fryers have become increasingly popular over the years.

How Do You Store Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips?

You can keep these air fryer BBQ potatoes chips in an open container at room temperature for up to two weeks or freeze them for longer storage times.

If they get too warm, place them back into the air fryer basket until cool enough to handle again.

When storing air fryer BBQ potato chips in the fridge, make sure that they don’t come into contact with each other so their moisture doesn’t condense on one another and cause mold growth.

What Is The Shelf Life Of Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips

The air fryer BBQ potato chip dough can be frozen up to 2 months before baking or cooked as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

If baked at 180℉ (82℃) for 10 minutes, they will last about 6 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature or 3 weeks if refrigerated.

The oil used for frying is also food safe so it can be reused indefinitely.

Air Fryer BBQ Potato Chips

Air fryer BBQ Potato Chips

Crispy and perfectly seasoned Air Fryer Potato Chips are a quick and easy dish, perfect for a crowd!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Air fryer BBQ Potato Chips
Servings: 4
Calories: 120kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Air fryer

Ingredients

  • 2 baking potatoes
  • 2 teaspoon olive oil
  • salt & seasonings to taste

Instructions

  • Potatoes should be scrubbed before being finely sliced into 1/8" pieces.
  • Sliced potatoes should soak for 15 to 30 minutes in a dish of cold water. 
    Drain well, then pat dry with a towel.
  • Preheat air fryer to 360°F. Potatoes should be tossed in oil and salt to taste.
  • In the air fryer, add potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. 
    Cook for a further 12 to 17 minutes while stirring and tossing about every few minutes.
  • Remove the browned potatoes as soon as they start to crisp up to prevent burning. 
    Cook the chips continuously until they are completely crisp and golden.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Fiber: 1g | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 12mg
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