Homemade air fryer parsnip chips are irresistible. Keep them plain, add garlic and herbs or spice them up. Whichever way you play it, they’re a quick and easy side dish and they go with virtually anything, including roast dinners and burgers. They’re also excellent as a standalone snack.
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Just to confuse our American visitors, the British refer to fries as chips. And we call American chips, crisps.
Dive Right In
- Why Make Air Fryer Parsnip Chips?
- Air Fryer Parsnip Chips
- Ingredients
- How To Make Air Fryer Parsnip Chips
- How To Make Oven Baked Parsnip Chips
- Other Parsnip Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
Why Make Air Fryer Parsnip Chips?
Why wouldn’t you make air fryer parsnip chips? Not only do they make an excellent side dish, but they’re also perfect for guilt-free snacking. What’s more they’re super tasty and quick and easy to make.
There’s an old English saying dating from the 17th century “fine words butter no parsnips”. It means flattery alone will get you nowhere. Luckily these air fryer parsnips speak for themselves. Incidentally, there is no butter in the recipe.
- Budget Friendly – Parsnips are one of the cheaper winter vegetables. You can make a decent sized side dish or generous snack for very little money. They’re cheaper than buying a large packet of crisps, for example, and they go further.
- Healthy Alternative – You don’t need a lot of oil to air fry parsnip chips. This makes them a healthier option than deep fat fried chips. Enjoy the crispiness without excess grease.
- Inclusive – It’s rare for anyone to be allergic to parsnips. This makes parsnip chips a sure fire winner when catering for a group. They’re brilliant for vegetarian and vegans alike and they’re also gluten-free. Great for sharing as a
- Nutrient-Rich – Parsnips are rich in essential nutrients like vitamins C and K, as well as dietary fibre. Turn them into chips and they retain many of these nutrients.
- Quick And Easy – This recipe is not only quick and easy to prepare, but the air fryer makes short work of “frying” the parsnip chips. You can have the whole thing done and dusted in twenty minutes if you’e a fast worker, twenty five minutes for the rest of us. You can roast the chips in an oven instead, but it takes longer.
- Unique Flavour – The natural sweetness and nutty flavour of parsnips add a unique and delicious twist to traditional chips. Wow yourself and others with something a bit different.
- Versatile Seasoning Options – Air fryer chips lend themselves to all sorts of seasoning. Experiment with different herbs and spices or just enjoy them lightly seasoned with salt. You’ll soon come up with a firm favourite or two.
Air Fryer Parsnip Chips
The golden-brown hue of air fryer parsnip chips makes them visually appealing. Once you’ve tried one, however, you’ll know they taste good too. Their crispy, nutty and slightly sweet nature makes them a good accompaniment to all sorts of dishes. But as well as a tasty side dish, they also make a wholesome snack or appetiser.
Because the recipe is a simple one, it requires little time or effort. This allows you to get on with other kitchen tasks whilst the chips are “frying”.
You can make crispy skinny fries, chunky chips or ordinary sized chips, depending on what you like and how much time you’re prepared to spend cutting the parsnips. You’ll need to adjust the cooking times according to the size you choose though. My recipe is for a standard chip size.
Don’t expect the same fluffy texture as potato chips. Parsnips are more fibrous and thus chewier. Nevertheless, they’re sweet, nutty and delicious.
I’ve read that it’s a good idea to parboil the parsnip chips before air frying, baking or roasting as it makes them less chewy. However, it seems like one step too many for me. It creates more washing up more time spent in preparation and uses more energy.
One day I’ll try it, but meanwhile I’m very happy with my air fryer parsnip chips just as they are. Try them and let me know what you think.
Incidentally, parsnip chips make great dippers as we found out recently when we tried them with this whipped feta dip.
Ingredients
You only need three ingredients to make delicious air fryer parsnip chips: parsnips, oil and salt. However, add a few herbs or spices and they become even tastier. It all depends what you’re serving them with. The choice is yours.
Parsnips
Parsnips are a great winter root vegetable. They’re closely related to carrots, but taste quite different. They’re sweet, nutty, soft and slightly chewy – the UK’s answer to sweet potatoes.
As with most veg, parsnips contain a lot of nutritional benefits. They’re a useful source of dietary fibre, both soluble and insoluble as well as vitamins C and K, folate, potassium and various micronutrients.
It’s easier to make even size chips with large parsnips, but smaller ones are generally more tender. Take your pick. Either way, there’s no need to peel them, unless the skins are damaged, just give them a good scrub.
A pinch of salt and a little oil are the only other two ingredients you need. But my favourite way to make them is with a few more additions.
Arrowroot
Arrowroot powder helps to absorb some of the excess moisture whilst crisping the parsnips up at the same time. I like to use it as arrowroot has some excellent nutritional properties as well as practical ones.
It’s entirely optional. You can leave it out altogether or use cornflour or plain flour instead.
Flavourings
I have two favourite flavours for these air fryer parsnip chips. Which one I use very much depends on what I’m planning on serving them with. For a roast dinner, or toad in the hole I go with a garlic and herb blend whilst for burgers I’m more likely to choose a spicy one.
Both are good if you just want to eat them as snacks.
Garlic And Herbs
Freshly grated garlic combined with herbes de Provence is a hard one to beat. It works well with the olive oil. You can use any dried mixed herbs, such as an Italian or British blend, instead of the French one.
Hot And Spicy
No garlic required in this one as I use a dry spice blend. Most chilli spice mixes already have garlic in. Piri piri, harissa or zhug are my favourites. I usually have one or other on the go.
Check for salt content too, if the spice mix includes it, you may not need to add as much salt or even any at all. Swap the olive oil for a more neutral one such as sunflower.
You can use a spice paste instead of a dry mix if you prefer, but if it has oil in it, omit adding any extra to the parsnips.
Other Flavours
Smoked paprika is always a good bet as a flavouring if you don’t like my two suggestions. Or you could try this vegan ranch seasoning at PBF. Otherwise go with whichever herbs or spices you like. It’s often a case of try it and see what you think.
How To Make Air Fryer Parsnip Chips
I find that the amount of parsnips I’ve given in the recipe works fine in my average sized basket air fryer. Any more and it’s hard to get crispy chips and cook them evenly.
Step 1. Prepare Parsnips
Give your parsnips a good scrub, then top and tail them. Unless the skins are damaged, there’s no need to peel them.
Depending on their size, half them, then slice into one centimetre (a bit less than half an inch) lengths. Cut each length into chips of about the same size.
Top Tip
For skinny fries, halve the size of the chips. They won’t need to cook for as long and they’ll be crunchier.
Step 2. Add Seasoning
Transfer the chips to a large bowl, then drizzle in the oil and toss. You can do this with your hands if you like, but I find a large spoon works just as well.
If using, grate the garlic in as finely as you can. I use a microplane* for this, but a garlic press works well too. Add the salt and herbs, if using, then give a good stir to ensure the chips are evenly covered.
Finally, sprinkle in the arrowroot, if using. Give a final stir to ensure the chips are evenly covered.
Step 3. Air Fry
Preheat your air fryer, if necessary. Some need it and others don’t. A basket air fryer is best for this recipe.
Tip the chips into the basket, set the required temperature and time and “fry”.
Don’t worry if the chips sit on top of each other, as long as there aren’t too many layers and you shake the basket a few times whilst they’re cooking, they’ll be fine.
Give the basket a good shake after the first five minutes and again after the next five minutes.
As soon as the chips are golden-brown and crisp, they’re done. Try one and if you think it needs longer, give them another blast.
Serve straight away whilst hot and crisp. They tend to go soggy if left to cool too long.
How To Make Oven Baked Parsnip Chips
To oven bake instead of air frying, you’ll need to cook the parsnip chips for a bit longer. Set the oven to 200℃ (180℃ fan, 400℉, Gas 6) and wait for it to come to full heat.
Follow the recipe as is until you get to the air fryer part.
Place the prepared parsnip chips in a single layer on a large baking tray and bake in the top of the oven for twenty five minutes. Turn the chips over after the first fifteen minutes.
How To Store Air Fryer Parsnip Chips
It seems unlikely, but if you have any parsnip chips leftover, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
To reheat, just place them back in the air fryer and “fry” again at a slightly lower temperature for five minutes. They won’t be quite as good as they’ll have dried out a bit, but they’ll still be tasty. And more importantly, they crisp up again nicely.
Other Parsnip Recipes You Might Like
- Apple parsnip soup (vegan)
- Parsnip & potato mash (vegan)
- Parsnip & walnut cake
- Spiced parsnip & spinach soup
- Vegetable fritters from leftover cooked vegetables
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these air fryer parsnip chips, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for air frying vegetables?
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Choclette x
Air Fryer Parsnip Chips. PIN IT.
Air Fryer Parsnip Chips (Fries)
Equipment
- microplane (affiliate link) optional
Ingredients
- 500 g parsnips
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp fine sea or rock salt
- 1 tsp herbes de Provence or mixed dried herbs (optional)
- 1 clove garlic crushed or finely grated (optional)
- 1 tbsp arrowroot can use cornflour or plain flour instead (optional)
Instructions
- Scrub the parsnips well and top and tail them. There’s no need to peel unless they’re exceptionally dirty.500 g parsnips
- Halve the parsnips, then slice them into chip sized pieces. The thinner you make them the less time they need to cook and the crispier they’ll get. I’ve gone for a standard chip size.
- Transfer them to a large bowl, then drizzle in the oil and toss.2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- Add the salt, garlic and herbs, if using, then toss again.¼ tsp fine sea or rock salt, 1 tsp herbes de Provence, 1 clove garlic
- Finally sprinkle in the arrowroot and toss one final time.1 tbsp arrowroot
- Preheat your air fryer, if needed, to 190℃ (375℉).
- Pour the chips into the basket and set the timer for 15 minutes. Give the basket a good shake after five minutes and again at ten minutes.
- Check the chips at fifteen minutes and if they're not golden or crispy enough, give them a 3-5 minute blast. Give the basket another shake at the same time. Otherwise, they're ready to serve.
- Best eaten soon after cooking whilst they’re still hot and crisp.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
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Tavo says
Your Parsnip Chips recipe was a delightful find! The texture was perfectly crispy, and the flavor balance was spot on. It’s great to see such a creative and healthier alternative to traditional fries. Really appreciated the easy-to-follow instructions and practical tips.
Choclette says
It’s a great way to cook parsnips – healthy and delicious. Glad you like them too.
Cindy says
Such a great alternative to potato chips or fries! Simple, healthy, and delicious!
Choclette says
Yes indeed, these parsnip chips are great. Glad you like them too.
Erin says
These air fryer parsnip chips are a great alternative to potatoes and taste so good. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Choclette says
You’re very welcome Erin. Parsnips are a much under looked vegetable.
Pauline McNee says
I don’t own an air fryer yet, but I’m almost convinced after your delicious looking recipe.
Choclette says
Air fryers are so useful. They’re much cheaper than turning on an oven for small quantities and cook quite a bit faster too. We use ours most days. The only downside, apart from the initial outlay, is that they take up precious space on the worktop.
Kathleen Askew says
As a complete newbie to air fryers I’ve just tried this recipe and had perfect results- thank you Nicette!
Choclette says
Oh! Do you have an air fryer now Kathleen. I’m sure you won’t regret it. We love those parsnip chips.
Mary says
I’ve often roasted parsnip but never thought to airfry. Will certainly give that a go!! :))
Choclette says
Roasted parsnips have their place, but the air fryer does a really good job with them too.