Name: Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chips
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pound frozen chips; 1 medium onion; 1 red bell pepper; 1 green bell pepper; 1 tablespoon neutral oil; 1 teaspoon 5-spice; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; Spring onion (sliced, to garnish)

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These air fryer salt and pepper chips are the Chinese takeaway classic done properly at home, with blistered peppers, sweet onion and a five-spice seasoning that clings to every chip.

If you're building a full fakeaway night around these, my Chinese chicken and mushrooms and my sesame ground chicken stir fry are both on the table in about the same time.

air fryer salt and pepper chips with spring onions

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So do you actually need a wok for this? No, and I'd argue you're better off without one.

Nearly every version of salt and pepper chips asks you to cook the chips one way and the vegetables another, then bring them together at the end, which is a second pan and a second thing to wash for a dish that is fundamentally a bowl of chips.

Here everything goes into the basket at once, cold, straight from the bag. Fifteen minutes later the peppers have proper charred edges instead of having steamed in a frying pan, and there's nothing to wash up but the basket.

A quick note for anyone reading from the American side: chips here means thick-cut fries, not crisps. This one was born in Liverpool chip shops in the sixties, and it's very much a British Chinese thing.

Why you'll love these air fryer salt and pepper chips

Frozen chips mean no peeling, no chopping and no par-boiling.
Everything goes in the basket at once, so there's nothing else to wash.
They're the perfect thing to make when you're craving takeaway chips but don't want to wait for delivery… or deal with the guilt.

What you'll need

Frozen chips - Straight-cut ones work best because they cook at the same rate as the vegetables. Chunky steak chips will need a few minutes longer.

Onion - A brown or white onion, cut into rough chunks rather than slices so it holds its shape.

Green + red pepper - You can use whatever color you have but a mix of green and red gets you the best flavor!

Neutral oil - This is just to make the spices stick to the chips. Sunflower or rapeseed are perfect.

Chinese five spice - This is what makes this taste like the takeaway rather than like seasoned chips.

Garlic powder - Powder is much better here than fresh because you don't want it to scorch and turn bitter.

Pro tip

Don't defrost the chips or oil them separately first. The frost still clinging to them is what grabs the oil and the spice as you toss.

air fryer salt and pepper chips with peppers

How to make air fryer salt and pepper chips

This is a quick overview with step-by-step photos. See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.

Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Cut the onion and both peppers into rough 2 cm chunks.

Place the frozen chips into the air fryer basket, then add the rest of the ingredients, except the spring onion.

Toss everything together in the basket until the chips and vegetables are evenly coated in the oil and spices.

Cook for 15 minutes, shaking the basket once or twice, until the chips are deep golden and crisp at the edges.

air fryer salt and pepper chips cooking steps

Tip into a serving bowl or onto a plate then scatter over the sliced spring onion and serve immediately.

Substitutions and variations

You can make this with fresh potatoes, too. Use a floury potato like Maris Piper or King Edward, cut into chips, soak in cold water for 20 minutes, then dry them thoroughly and toss with a little extra oil. Give them 10 minutes on their own before adding the vegetables.
To make this spicy, increase the amount of chilli flakes or add a thinly sliced fresh red chilli in with the vegetables.
To make it even more similar to the chip shop version, add a quarter teaspoon of MSG and swap half the black pepper for white.

Helpful tips

Don't overload the basket. This is the one rule that genuinely matters, because crowded chips steam instead of crisping and you'll end up with something soft and disappointing.
Air fryers vary enormously. Mine is a Cosori that runs fairly hot, so treat the timing as a starting point and go by what you can see.
Serve them straight away. Salt and pepper chips are at their best in the first ten minutes!

What to serve with salt and pepper chips

A pile of air fryer chicken bites straight on top, which turns this into a full takeaway-style plate.
Air fryer fish sticks, because there's only one correct thing to serve with chips and we all know what it is.
Curry sauce for dipping, which is either wonderful or wrong depending entirely on where you grew up.

Leftovers and storage

Salt and pepper chips are perfect served immediately. However, if you do have leftovers, they'll keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the air fryer at 200°C for 4 to 5 minutes, which is the only method that gets the crispness back.
I definitely wouldn't freeze these.

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