Most store bought apple chips and banana chips are either freeze dried or fried! You don’t need fat in your apples or bananas! These are so easy to make yourself and you don’t have to add a thing to them if you don’t want.
This is more of a method than a recipe. It’s so easy, the oven does all the work. What you end up with is so organically beautiful. These delicate chips are sweet, crunchy and become a concentrated version of themselves. They make such an awesome and unique snack that your kids will love!
You’ll need a mandolin to do this. I’ve got a really inexpensive one from amazon.com and it works wonderfully. I’m a little scared of it (well, maybe more than a little), but I always use the hand guard.
Baked Apple and Banana Chips
2 organic apples, any variety you like (I found the green Granny Smiths were my favorite)
1 banana, ripe, but not overly ripe, you want it to be a bit firm
ground cinnamon or cinnamon-sugar (optional)
Special equipment: mandolin, set on thin slice
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Line two of your largest baking sheets with parchment.
Wash the apples well. If you like, you can core them, but they are much prettier uncored, with their star centers (My photos only show the cored ones…sorry, I ate all of the uncored ones!) Slice them with your mandolin and spread them out on the baking sheets in a single layer. You can sprinkle them with a little ground cinnamon or cinnamon sugar, but keep in mind, they are actually pretty sweet without any added sugar.
Next, peel the banana and slice using the mandolin. I found it helps to put the mandolin on top of the baking sheet when doing the bananas. They are sticky and hard to move from the cutting board to the baking sheet otherwise. Spread them out in a single layer.
Place the sheets in the oven and bake for about an hour and a half total. After the first 45 minutes, rotate the pans on the racks. Keep an eye on them toward the end. They will not get crispy until they have completely cooled. Once they are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool on the parchment. When cool, they lift right off…you may have to peel the banana chips off, but they do come right up.
Notes:
- The amounts listed are just what I was able to fit into my oven at one time. I had to use both racks. If you can fit more into your oven, don’t hesitate to load it up! You may as well make as much as you can…these chips go fast!
- I suggest using organic apples since you’ll be eating the skin. If you are OK with nonorganic, they work too!
Hi, is the temp 200f. My cooker is in centigrade so my guess is 90c is that correct as I was thinking that they would be black if it was 200 c
Thank you
You are so right, Anne! It is 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Enjoy!
Hi Caroline! Thanks for the recipe. Just wanted to ask what is the thickness of the slices that you make? I’ve tried slicing apples paper thin and baking at 200F for 1.5 hours but they turned out floppy. The bananas turned out sticky and chewy at 200F and 2 hours too. I didn’t let them cool down in the oven for long though, could that be the problem?
Do you flip the chips halfway through baking as well? Thanks!
Hi Rachel! I’m guessing your oven temperature is too low. I bake the chips at 250 degrees without flipping them. I do rotate the pans in the oven halfway through to bake them evenly. Try it with the higher oven temp and see how that goes. Keep in mind, they don’t crisp up right out of the oven. They need a couple of minutes to cool before they get crisp. If you are still having trouble with them, you may want to get a mandolin…they make perfectly thin slices. Hope that helps and hope you love them!
Thanks so much for your quick reply Caroline! Yes I’ll give the higher temp a shot today with a fresh batch of apples :)
Saw that your mandolin can be adjusted to cut “as thin as 0.3 mm (0.012 inch) to a thickness of 5 mm (0.2 inch)”. Do you remember what thickness you used for the apples and bananas respectively? Would be a great reference for me. Thank you so much!
I like to use somewhere between a 2 mm and 3 mm setting, Rachel, but you can certainly play around with the thicknesses to see what you like best. Good luck!
I just saw your healthy apple rings. You said ‘after the first 45 minutes’ – is there a second 45 minutes or do you just watch them? I could not find a Total Time.
Thanks, I would like to try these soon.
Pam
Sorry for any confusion, Pam. Yes, the total baking time is about an hour and a half, so just about halfway through, rotate the pans for even baking. I hope you love them!
Thanks a ton for sharing this recipe! I am a heavy potato chips eater and I LOVE deep fried banana chips! I love crunchy snacks but as chips are not good for me at all I am gonna make this banana chips! I will try apple ones too!
Thanks a lot! :)
I love crunchy snacks too! That’s what I love about these…they satisfy that crunch, but they are so healthy for you! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Hi Caroline! I have always wanted to make homemade banana and apple chips! I never really looked into it – but every time I saw them at the store I would think, “Yep – was gonna try and make those.” But then I’d move onto the next isle and the thought was gone. Lucky for me, I just bought about 8 granny smith apples – and I can’t wait!! I’ve got a mandolin and some already mixed up cinnamon sugar!! Yay me!!! (And totally Yay you! for inspiring me!!)
I’m so happy you’re going to make these Gretchen! I’m the same way! I keep a running list in my head…but really, I can’t remember my phone number most days. Ooooh, the granny smith’s are my favorite! Let me know how you like them!