Crunchy deep-fried roasted seaweed and seasoned rice paper with garlic, onion and sesame flavors! These easy Korean seaweed chips are an addictive and umami tasting snack. You can make them at a fraction of the cost of store bought chips!
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Korean Seaweed Chips (aka Gim Bugak in Korean) feature deep-fried pieces of roasted seaweed, rice paper, sesame seeds, seasoning and a bit of salt. It's a very popular treat in South Korea enjoyed by many!
These crunchy seaweed chips are tasty and highly addictive for good reason! The roasted seaweed with the crispy texture of the crackled rice paper always keeps me coming back for more!
The traditional kind is made with glutinous rice paste but we're going to be making this much easier and replacing that with Vietnamese rice paper, which does the job!
They are the perfect quick bite when I'm feeling peckish and a great low-calorie snack. I also share how to air fry them if you prefer not to deep-fry them.
The best part about this easy seaweed chip recipe is that it requires minimal ingredients and a great way to add some sea vegetables to your diet.
You also save so much money as the store-bought ones can be quite pricey for a small bag!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Roasted Seaweed Sheets (aka Gim /Laver / Nori): dry roasted seaweed sheets made of pressed sea vegetable with an umami and ocean-like flavor! You can find these at many Asian grocery stores or at select Western grocers.
- Rice Paper: these are dry round sheets made of white rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, and water and are sold at Asian markets. There are two sizes: large and small so go for the larger one to make it easier.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Cold Water: to moisten the rice paper.
- Salt: I prefer using sea salt for this recipe but table salt or kosher salt will work.
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Sesame Seeds: if you're allergic to sesame, please omit.
Note: Most Korean or Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Don't over soak the rice paper or it will be too soft and malleable making it hard to work with.
- Fold any hanging seaweed inward to fold on top of the rice paper. Other recipes will teach you to cut the rice paper into fours to fit your nori sheet but this creates a thick overlap, causing the chips to taste chewy and not crispy.
- Blow dry the wet chips on the highest heat setting to quicken the process. The drier the chips, the crunchier they'll be. If you own an electric dehydrator, use that.
- Use kitchen scissors to cut into triangular chips and avoid using a knife as it'll be troublesome.
- Cut chips into equal-sized triangles to create a crispy texture so they can roll and curl as they fry.
- Don't fry the chips any higher than 350 F or they will burn.
- Deep fry rice paper side down so they can crackle and bubble otherwise they will remain chewy.
- Drain off excess oil or the excess oil will create soggy chips.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Korean seaweed chips:
- On a clean working surface, lay out a sheet of roasted seaweed rough side up. Evenly sprinkle salt, garlic powder, onion powder and sesame seeds on top of the seaweed.
- Briefly soak rice paper in a large bowl of cold water just until wet then remove shaking off excess water. Do not over soak.
- Then quickly place it over the roasted seaweed sheet. Press down on rice paper until it sticks to seaweed. Fold in any empty seaweed corners onto the rice paper. Transfer to a wire rack for this to dry as you work on the other pieces.
- Use a blow dryer or a heat gun to dry the rice paper side on the hottest setting until it is no longer sticky or wet.
- Using clean kitchen scissors cut each sheet into equal sized triangles.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat, around 325-350 F with a digital instant read thermometer. Deep fry the chips rice paper side down until they become white and crackled and light brown on the edges, about 10-15 seconds. Don't over fry.
- Remove and transfer fried chips to a wire rack to drain off excess oil and season with more salt to taste if needed. Enjoy!
To Air Fry
Korean seaweed chips can be air fried as per the below instructions, but they won't be as crackled but they will be crispy and healthier:
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with vegetable oil.
- Place the triangular pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket without overlap. Lightly spray chips with vegetable oil.
- This in important: place a small wire rack that fits your air fryer basket on top of the chips to prevent them from flying around and sticking to the heating element, which can cause a fire.
- Air fry at 350 F for 3 minutes until crispy.
Storage
- Korean seaweed chips are best consumed fresh or within the same day.
- Leftovers can be stored in an resealable bag for up to 1-2 days in a cool and dry area, but the chips will naturally become chewy and less crispy.
- Freezer-friendly? These chips can be frozen if you'd like to keep them for more than 24 hours. To freeze, place them in a single layer in a freezer-safe bag.
Pairing Suggestions
Korean seaweed chips serve well with:
- pop or soda, beer or sweet carbonated beverages
- other snacks like potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, popcorn and more
- fries or Gimmari (Korean crispy seaweed rolls)
- Korean french fry corn dog
- guacamole or other chip dips
- sandwiches or salads
- fresh vegetables like carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower or bell peppers.
FAQ
Korean seaweed chips can be made up to a few hours in advance to preserve the crispy crunchy texture and stored in an airtight container or resealable bag until serving.
Yes, feel free to sprinkle in some red pepper flakes for a spicy twist!
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📖 Recipe
Easy & Simple Korean Seaweed Chips
Ingredients
- 4 sheets nori or Gim / Dry Roasted Seaweed Sheets
- 4 sheets rice paper large size ideally
- 1 cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon salt add more if needed
- 1 tsp garlic powder add more if needed
- 1 tsp onion powder add more if needed
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds add more if needed
Instructions
- On a clean working surface, lay out a sheet of roasted seaweed rough side up. Evenly sprinkle salt, garlic powder, onion powder and sesame seeds on top of the seaweed.
- Briefly soak rice paper in a large bowl of cold water just until wet then remove shaking off excess water. Do not over soak.
- Then quickly place it over the roasted seaweed sheet. Press down on rice paper until it sticks to seaweed. Fold in any empty seaweed corners onto the rice paper. Transfer to a wire rack for this to dry as you work on the other pieces.
- Use a blow dryer or a heat gun to dry the rice paper side on the hottest setting until it is no longer sticky or wet.
- Using clean kitchen scissors cut each sheet into equal sized triangles.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat, around 325-350 F with a digital instant read thermometer. Deep fry the chips rice paper side down until they become white and crackled and light brown on the edges, about 10-15 seconds. Don't over fry.
- Transfer fried chips to a wire rack to drain off excess oil and season with more salt to taste if needed. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage
- Korean seaweed chips are best consumed fresh or within the same day.
- Leftovers can be stored in an resealable bag for up to 1-2 days in a cool and dry area, but the chips will naturally become chewy and less crispy.
- Freezer-friendly? These chips can be frozen if you'd like to keep them for more than 24 hours. To freeze, place them in a single layer in a freezer-safe bag
Sharon
Soo easy and delicious to make! I was wondering if you knew what to add to make it sweet like the corn ones in grocery stores? Thanks 🙂
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you liked it! Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to make it sweet like the corn version. Sorry I can't help.
Chia
Worked out perfectly! I threw mine in a 200F oven for like 30 minutes to speed up the drying process.
Christie Lai
Amazing! So glad it worked out well and thank you for making my recipe 🙂