Close-up shot of Baked Vegetable Chips in a white bowl

Back when I was doing myย time on therapeutic diets, I desperately craved a bit of food normalcy in the form of getting to munch on something crunchy while I watched a movie with the fam. I know it’s possible to watch a movie without eating anything, but it just didn’t feel right to go into movie night snack-less!

Popcorn wasn’t allowed. Potato chips were out. In fact, anything from a bag at the store was a no-no thanks to some kind of forbidden oil or taboo flavoring. And thus began my love ofย homemadeย baked veggie chips! They are crispy, they are salty, and they are something I can happily munch on while we watch Frozen for the 495th time. And they come together in about 45 minutes, thanks to the use of your trusty mandoline slicer.

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Array of vegetables on a grey background -- sweet potatoes, rutabagas, potatoes, summer squash, zucchini, beets

Hand slicing yellow squash and zucchini on a mandoline slicer
Overhead shot of Baked Vegetable Chips in a white bowl, surrounded by whole veggies

What vegetables can I turn into veggie chips?

I’ve made baked vegetable chips using all kinds of veggies. Sweet potatoes, beets, yellow squash, zucchini, rutabagas, parsnips, potatoes, oh my! And the only real difference in preparing all of them is to separate them into two categories: high water content (think zucchini, squash, beetroot) and low water content (think sweet potatoes, rutabaga, taro).

For the low water veggies, they just head straight into the oven and come out crunchy and awesome. For the high water veggies, you salt them for a bit to release some of the extra moisture, and that helps them crisp up nicely! Both types of veggies get a light coating of avocado oil to help them crisp up a bit in the oven.

Vegetable slices being salted on a paper towel
Baked vegetable chips spread out on a grey background

Do I have to use oil?

Youย canย do these chips oil-free, but I find that they get more of a freeze-dried texture (you know, that kinda airy/powdery texture) instead of crispy like a chip. Not bad, but definitely different than your standard store-bought veggie chips! A little oil goes a long way here, so don’t be afraid to use it!

Close-up shot of Baked Vegetable Chips in a white bowl

Crispy Baked Vegetable Chips

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

These Crispy Baked Vegetable Chips come together in just 30 minutes, and are the perfect crunchy snack for lunch boxes or movie nights. Naturallyย veganย andย gluten-free.

Ingredients

  • Sweet potatoes, red or golden beets, zucchini, summer squash, taro, rutabaga, white potatoes, or a combination thereof
  • Fine sea salt
  • Avocado oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
  2. Scrub clean vegetables, and then peel, if desired (I usually leave the peels on everything except for taro and rutabagas). Using a mandolin, slice the vegetables into thin slices.

For Veggies with High Water Content (beets, zucchini, summer squash):

  1. Lay the veggie slices in one layer on paper towels. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Set aside and allow to sweat out excess moisture for 15 minutes.
  2. When 15 minutes is up, use paper towels to dab off the extra moisture. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets in one layer, then brush or spray with avocado oil.
  3. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, rotate the pans (including switching racks). Bake an additional 15 minutes, then rotate again. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until chips are brown and feel slightly crisp. Some chips might crisp up earlier than others—remove those as they finish.

For Veggies with Low Water Content (sweet potatoes, taro, rutabaga, white potatoes):

  1. Place the vegetable slices in a large bowl, add in enough oil to lightly coat all slices, and toss to coat. Make sure all sides of each slice are well-coated.
  2. Place the chips in one layer on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle lightly with the sea salt.
  3. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, rotate the pans (including switching racks). Bake an additional 15 minutes, then rotate again. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until chips are brown and feel slightly crisp. Some chips might crisp up earlier than others—remove those as they finish.

Notes

  • You want to slice your veggies as thinly as the mandolin will go without the veggies being paper thin/see-through. On my mandolin, this is the second thinnest setting.
  • All these chips will crisp up even more when cool, so donโ€™t worry if they are a bit floppy still when you take them out. This is especially true with zucchini, summer squash, and beets.

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 79Total Fat: 0.9gSaturated Fat: .2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 151mgCarbohydrates: 16.6gFiber: 3.5gSugar: 6gProtein: 2.7g

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18 Comments

    1. Hi Christine! Any neutral oil will work well in this recipe. If you give it a go, let us know how they turn out for you!

    1. Hi Janine! We haven’t tried this with eggplant, so we’re not sure how it would work. If you give it a go, please let us know how it turns out for you!

    1. Hi Denise! We haven’t tried these in the air fryer, but we think it should work. You might need to play around with the time for different veggies, so it will take some experimentation. If you give it a go, please let us know how it works out!

  1. This idea sounds wonderful!
    How long will these chips stay crispy you think? Any suggestions to keep them crispy for a long time to enable baking in bigger batches.

    1. Hi Salem! We find these will easily stay crispy for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Any longer than that and they start to lose some crunch. Let us know how they turn out for you!

    1. Hi Emma! You’re very welcome! These last well for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Let us know how you like them =)

  2. I am a WFPB SOS NON GMO ORGANIC vegan. Will this work without salt or oil? Would like to press herbs into the chips. Again will it work with a rolling pin & no oil? Can you suggest something besides salt that I could use for flavorings?

    1. The chips won’t crisp up without at least a little bit of oil. And you are free to use whatever seasonings you’d like to add flavor!