Learn how to make these delicious smoked paprika flavoured yuca chips (cassava chips) in your air fryer. They are incredibly tasty, crispy and healthier than store bought chips. No deep fat frying is required to make these chips!
Who doesn't love chips, chips are the perfect snack! However nothing beats making your own homemade chips from scratch.
I made these chips on a whim, because my local Caribbean grocery store were out of stock of my usual yuca chips.
Instead of walking to a number of neighbouring supermarkets I decided to purchase some fresh yuca and make my own.
Plus I wanted to season them with my home blend of spices so I guess this was a blessing in disguise.
Is yuca the same as cassava?
Yes, yuca and cassava are the same thing. Yuca is the name used by Spanish speaking islands and cassava is used by the English islands.
You might see the word being used interchangeably, especially by fellow foodies.
I use both words and vary depending on its context or the recipe to hand.
Air frying your chips
Granted, the taste and texture of deep fat chips are amazing, I'm not promoting this method but I have to be honest, it rocks!
However, deep fried chips aren't very healthy and should be limited and eaten in moderation.
The air fryer is a great alternative for making some of your homemade chips.
It's trending, so many people have one and are always looking for ways to make their favourite foods with a healthier twist.
On the flip side of things, I know some people are still skeptical about using such a gadget (I used to be the same) but without sounding biased, it really yields some great results that can revival its fried counterpart.
Reasons to make these chips
- You have complete control over the cooking method i.e using an air fryer instead.
- Not saturated in a copious amount of oil.
- Homemade chips taste so much better.
- Don't have to rely on deep frying.
- No additives or preservatives are used.
- You can double or triple the batch if you want to.
- You can make different flavoured chips.
- Suitable for most dietary requirements included vegans.
- They make a great healthy snack.
The preparation
The chips are incredibly easy to make and don't take very long either. You will be eating them very soon after making them, that's the good news!
You will need fresh yuca/cassava for this recipe, it has to be the actual vegetable and NOT frozen either because it won't work.
The chips will need to be sliced quite thinly, if you have an eye for detail or very skilled with a knife you can do this freestanding.
However, I personally like to rely on my trusty mandolin slicer because it makes thin slices in unison so you don't have to worry about uneven slices.
It is important for the slices to be cut to the same thickness. The thinner they are, the crisper they will be!
The chips need to be soaked for 10 minutes and thoroughly rinsed until the water runs clear.
This step is crucial and shouldn't be missed because it will remove any excess starch and this in turn will yield more crispiness.
Once the chips have soaked/rinsed, it is really important to blot them completely dry before spritzing with cooking oil (I use olive oil) adding the seasoning and air frying them.
The steps
- Slice the ends from the yuca.
- Use a paring knife to slice into the peel lengthways, you should be able to use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel.
- Depending on the length of your cassava, you may find it more manageable if you cut it in half.
- Use a mandolin slicer to slice the yuca into thin chips, 1 ⅙ inches (2mm) thick.
- Place the chips in a large bowl of ice/cold water and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Drain off the yuca chips using a colander (rinse until the water runs clear so all of the starch has gone, this is VERY important) and blot them dry.
- Place the dried chips in a large dry bowl.
- Preheat the air fryer.
- Lightly spritz and rub the chips with cooking oil spray (I used a olive oil), you only need a few squirts.
- Transfer the chips into a large ziplock/tie handle bag.
- Mix together the spices then sprinkle into the bag.
- Secure the bag then shake and rub the outside of the bag to distribute the seasoning, separating any chips that stick together.
- Place the yuca chips in the air fryer basket and arrange in a single layer with some of the chips overlapping (this will prevent them from flying around).
- Air fry at 338F/170C for up to 20 minutes or until the chips are golden with a crispy edge, flipping/shaking the basket of chips and lightly spraying with oil every few minutes. If any of the chips cook before the others remove them and continue to air fry the rest of them.
- Allow to cool, season with additional pink salt and serve accordingly
Notes and tips
- For best results, I highly recommend using a mandolin slicer. This little gadget will yield very thin slices of chips.
- You will want to set your mandolin slicer to 2mm, if you want to get thin chips like what is pictured.
- Yuca is also known as manioc or cassava.
- You can find yuca in most Latino/African and Caribbean supermarkets.
- Inspect the yuca before purchasing, it should be firm with no soft spots and no mould. The flesh should be white with no lines or blemishes.
- I recommend using cooking spray (olive oil or avocado) and lightly spray the chips to optimise the crispiness.
- You may need to air fry some of the chips in batches, depending on the capacity of your air fryer.
- It is very important to shake the air fryer basket and spritz the chips with oil every a few minutes, this will help to yield crispy results.
- Store any leftover chips in an air tight container/zip lock bag for 2 days.
- For best results, eat the chips immediately, I find sometimes the chips can soften after several hours but can be corrected by re-air frying them.
- It is best to place the chips in a single layer with some chips overlapping, this is more time consuming but the chips will air fryer in unison.
- Air frying time may vary depending on the brand/model of your unit so please use the cooking time as a general guide.
More yuca/cassava recipes to try
- Bammy
- Air Fryer Yuca Fries
- Yuca En Escabeche
- Yuca Con Mojo
- Cassava Dumplings
- Cassava Pone
- Cassava Balls
More chips recipes to try
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Yuca Chips (Cassava Chips)(Air Fryer)
Ingredients
- 1 lb yuca/cassava (450g)
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika (4g)
- 2 teaspoon onion granules (4g)
- 2 teaspoon garlic granules (6g)
- ½ teaspoon pink salt (3g)
- additional pink salt if needed
Instructions
- Slice the ends from the yuca.
- Use a paring knife to slice into the peel lengthways, you should be able to use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel.
- Depending on the length of your cassava, you may find it more manageable if you cut it in half.
- Use a mandolin slicer to slice the yuca into thin chips, 1 ⅙ inches (2mm) thick.
- Place the chips in a large bowl of ice/cold water and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Drain off the yuca chips using a colander (rinse until the water runs clear so all of the starch has gone, this is VERY important) and blot them dry.
- Place the dried chips in a large dry bowl.
- Preheat the air fryer.
- Lightly spritz and rub the chips with cooking oil spray (I used a olive oil), you only need a few squirts.
- Transfer the chips into a large ziplock/tie handle bag.
- Mix together the spices then sprinkle into the bag.
- Secure the bag then shake and rub the outside of the bag to distribute the seasoning, separating any chips that stick together.
- Place the yuca chips in the air fryer basket and arrange in a single layer with some of the chips overlapping (this will prevent them from flying around).
- Air fry at 338F/170C for up to 20 minutes or until the chips are golden with a crispy edge, flipping/shaking the basket of chips and lightly spraying with oil every few minutes. If any of the chips cook before the others remove them and continue to air fry the rest of them.
- Allow to cool, season with additional pink salt and serve accordingly
Notes
- For best results, I highly recommend using a mandolin slicer. This little gadget will yield very thin slices of chips.
- You will want to set your mandolin slicer to 2mm, if you want to get thin chips like what is pictured.
- Yuca is also known as manioc or cassava.
- You can find yuca in most Latino/African and Caribbean supermarkets.
- Inspect the yuca before purchasing, it should be firm with no soft spots and no mould. The flesh should be white with no lines or blemishes.
- I recommend using cooking spray (olive oil or avocado) and lightly spray the chips to optimise the crispiness.
- You may need to air fry some of the chips in batches, depending on the capacity of your air fryer.
- It is very important to shake the air fryer basket and spritz the chips with oil every a few minutes, this will help to yield crispy results.
- Store any leftover chips in an air tight container/zip lock bag for 2 days.
- For best results, eat the chips immediately, I find sometimes the chips can soften after several hours but can be corrected by re-air frying them.
- It is best to place the chips in a single layer with some chips overlapping, this is more time consuming but the chips will air fryer in unison.
- Air frying time may vary depending on the brand/model of your unit so please use the cooking time as a general guide.
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