Use just 3 easy ingredients to make your own BBQ Waffle Chips at home. They are fun to make, and taste better than a bag from the store.
Last month, the boys stayed the weekend with their grandparents, so what did Justin and I do with all the time? We went grocery shopping, jammed to Disney music, and made a few new recipes for ourselves. Yeah, we get a little crazy! One of the recipes we made was bbq waffle chips. Our original idea was to try making waffle fries, but the mandolin slicer I have wouldn’t make them thick enough, so we ended up with chips instead.
We weren’t sure how to get the correct cut. It took a bit of playing and searching online. To do it, you need a crinkle-cut attachment for the slicer. It’s the wavy one that you can see in my first photo below. The actual potato has to rotate by ninety degrees for each cut to get the waffle effect. The very first one won’t have the waffle, but the rest will.
My crinkle-cut blade is not very deep, so I couldn’t cut the potatoes very thick. That’s why we ended up with bbq waffle chips instead of fries. If you have a thicker blade, you may be able to try fries.
We were both very pleasantly surprised… These chips were delicious! They tasted very similar to the store-bought chips but with fewer preservatives. I prefer trying to make homemade staples like this when we can. It took us a little while to make these, but half of that time was spent figuring out the slicer. Now that I know what I’m doing with that, we could probably make a batch in about 30 minutes or so.
Why Make BBQ Waffle Chips at Home?
Making your own BBQ waffle chips from scratch is a fun and rewarding way to enjoy a classic snack with a zesty flavor. By using the highest quality potatoes and a blend of spices like garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder, you can create waffle-cut potato chips that are crispy, flavorful, and free from the preservatives found in store-bought versions. These homemade chips are a great addition to any meal, pairing perfectly with dishes like chicken nuggets or hot dogs.
Homemade BBQ waffle chips allow you to control the ingredients and customize the flavor to your liking. By selecting the best quality potatoes and adjusting the seasoning, you can achieve the perfect balance of sweetness and spice. Plus, making chips at home ensures they are fresh and free from unwanted additives.
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
To make BBQ waffle chips, you’ll need:
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are ideal due to their high starch content, which results in a crisp chip.
- Seasoning: A blend of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper creates a delicious barbecue coating.
- Oil: Vegetable or canola oil works well for frying.
- Equipment: A mandoline with a waffle blade or a crinkle cutter is essential for achieving the waffle cut. A Dutch oven is recommended for frying due to its ability to maintain consistently high heat.
Serving Suggestions
These BBQ waffle potato chips are a tasty side that complements a variety of dishes. Serve them alongside chicken nuggets, hot dogs, or as a standalone snack with a side of barbecue sauce for dipping. For added flair, garnish with chopped green onions.
Tips for Success
- Safety First: When using a mandoline, be cautious and consider using a cut-resistant glove to protect your hands.
- Maintain Oil Temperature: Keeping the oil at a consistently high heat ensures even cooking and a crisp texture.
- Single Layer Frying: Avoid overcrowding the Dutch oven by frying in small batches, allowing each chip to cook evenly.
By following these steps, you can enjoy homemade BBQ waffle chips that are flavorful, crispy, and tailored to your taste preferences.
Creative Ways to Use Leftovers
1. Nacho-Style BBQ Chips
Layer your leftover waffle chips on a sheet pan, sprinkle with shredded cheese, cooked chicken or beans, green onions, and a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Broil until melty.
2. Chip-Crusted Chicken or Fish
Crush the chips and use them as a flavorful coating for chicken tenders, fish fillets, or even tofu before baking or frying.
3. Crunchy Salad Topper
Crushed waffle chips make a zesty-flavored crunch when sprinkled over salads — especially good with ranch or a BBQ vinaigrette.
4. BBQ Chip Sandwich or Burger
Add chips to sandwiches or burgers for that satisfying crunch and barbeque flavor punch.
5. Dip Duo
Serve leftover chips with your favorite dips like ranch, sour cream & chive, or a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce.
BBQ Waffle Chips Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1 baking potato (large)
- 1 cup oil
- 2 tbsp bbq seasoning
Preparation
Wash and peel the potatoes. Using a mandoline or crinkle cutter, slice the potatoes to create waffle cuts by rotating the potato 90 degrees between each slice. Place the potato slices in a large bowl of cold water to remove excess starch, which helps achieve the right amount of crunchy texture.
After soaking, drain the slices and pat them dry with a paper towel to prevent oil splatter during frying.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan oven to 350°F. Fry the potato slices in batches, ensuring they are in a single layer, until they turn golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes, flipping as needed. Make sure they don’t stick together.
Place the chips on a wire rack to dry and continue to fry the rest of the chips.
While the chips are still hot, toss them in the BBQ seasoning mix to ensure the best flavor adherence.
BBQ Waffle Chip Leftovers
Storage: To store leftover chips, let them cool completely and transfer to an airtight container or zip-top bag. Adding a paper towel inside helps absorb any excess moisture and keeps the chips fresh. They’ll stay crisp at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
Reheating: For the best results, spread them on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 350°F for about 5 to 10 minutes until they’re warm and crisp. Alternatively, toss them in an air fryer at 375°F for a few minutes to bring back that fresh-from-the-oil crunch. Avoid microwaving, as it tends to make the chips soggy rather than crispy.
Freezing: If you’d like to store them longer, freeze them in a sealed bag and reheat straight from frozen using the oven or air fryer.
Recipe
Originally Published On: June 24, 2019
Last Updated On: April 12, 2025
BBQ Waffle Chips
Ingredients
- 1 baking potato (large)
- 1 cup oil
- 2 tbsp bbq seasoning
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes
- Using a mandoline or crinkle cutter, slice the potatoes to create waffle cuts by rotating the potato 90 degrees between each slice
- Place the potato slices in a large bowl of cold water to remove excess starch, which helps achieve the right amount of crunchy texture
- After soaking, drain the slices and pat them dry with a paper towel to prevent oil splatter during frying
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan oven to 350°F
- Fry the potato slices in batches, ensuring they are in a single layer, until they turn golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes, flipping as needed; ake sure they don’t stick together
- Place the chips on a wire rack to dry and continue to fry the rest of the chips
- While the chips are still hot, toss them in the BBQ seasoning mix to ensure the best flavor adherence.
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
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- BBQ Pork Potatoes in the Slow Cooker
- Justin’s Famous BBQ Burgers
- BBQ Chicken Melt with Only 5 Ingredients
- BBQ Waffle Chips from Scratch
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This looks like a winning combination. BBQ potato chips are such a great snack.
I agree, they are one of my favorite flavors of potato chips.
Oh man! I am dreaming of that waffle texture in my mouth right now! I know my husband would LOVE THIS if I made it for him, but he’s on a low carb kick until July 5th, hahaha! SO we are just going to have to wait until HE IS ready!
My father-in-law does a low-carb kick now and then, too. But he always tends to break the routine when we make something like this! They are so easy and yummy, I’m sure he will love them… once he can eat them again!
These look delicious. I recently bought a mandoline and am excited to try these with it.
Oh, perfect! It took a few tries to get the method down. But once I figured it out the chips didn’t take long at all.
Wow, another great recipe and one of my favorite flavor BBQ. Who doesn’t love potato chips, eh? I know I can’t live without having them. I’ll be making some over the weekend 🙂
I know, I love potato chips, too. At least when I make my own I feel better about it since I control what goes in them!
I love bbq chips so I’m def going to make these! Seems so easy too!
Once we got the hang of making the waffle shape, it was so easy to make.
The sheer variety of ways to make potato chips is amazing. I like you have you give them the waffle texture while adding to it BBQ flavor. Very creative.
This was our first time making homemade potato chips. It was fun to try something new, and the BBQ flavor was just what I wanted at that time!
These sound so good! I’ve been looking for new ways to use potatoes from our garden.
This is perfect! We haven’t tried growing potatoes in the garden yet, but I want to some day.
I remember as a child, my grandma used to make waffle chips — they were so fun to cut and to eat! Love that these are barbecue flavored — yum!
I used to only have them at restaurants so thought of them as a novelty. Now that I know how to make my own we will be doing it more often!
Wow from scratch? My son is obsessed with BBQ chips! I have to make it for him.
It was much easier than you would think. Especially once we got the hang of how to cut the potatoes.