Make Your Own Vegetable Chips

Vegetable chips are very trendy. They have a reputation for being healthier than their “ordinary” potato counterparts. You can easily make vegetable chips yourself in the oven in just a few steps.

Are vegetable chips healthier than potato chips?

Vegetable chips made from, for example, beetroot, carrots, or parsnips are said to be lighter and healthier than potato chips. But as is so often the case, the devil, or fat, is in the details. You can now buy ready-made vegetable chips in bags. These are often deep-fried in fat like standard potato chips and are therefore in the rarest of cases significantly lower in calories and fat.

Even if you use your own deep fryer, you won’t really save on fat by using beetroot and the like but only on carbohydrates. So-called hot air fryers help here. These do not work with bubbling fat, but with a stream of hot air. But vegetable chips from your own oven also know how to convince with the right tricks.

By the way: Strictly speaking, potato chips are also vegetable chips, since the potato is a vegetable. For the sake of simplicity, all types of chips made from vegetables, with the exception of potatoes, are referred to as vegetable chips.

What do you need for vegetable chips?

Do you want to make vegetable chips yourself? The following tools will make your work easier. A cutting board, a vegetable peeler, and a good vegetable slicer help to peel the vegetables easily and cut them into slices quickly. A bowl for mixing the slices with spices, herbs, and possibly some oil is also advisable. In addition, you should always wear disposable gloves and possibly a kitchen apron for beetroot chips. The best stains very strongly. So watch your clothes.

In order for the chips to be really crispy in the oven, the vegetables should contain as little water as possible. Salt the vegetable slices and let them stand for about 15 minutes. This will rob them of moisture over time. Depending on how much salt you used, you may need to rinse the slices afterward. You can remove the water from the panes with a little kitchen paper. This is how you get crispy vegetable chips without frying.

Depending on the recipe and your taste, you will need the desired vegetables, vegetable oil, sea salt, and other herbs or spices. We will show you which flavors go well with each other and introduce you to suitable vegetable-herb combinations.

Sweet Potato, Beetroot & More Chips

Make your own vegetable chips? No problem. Kev shows you how you can quickly conjure up a healthy snack made from beetroot, sweet potato, parsnip, carrot, or Jerusalem artichoke. So: get to the vegetables and then off to the sofa!

Recipe idea for beetroot chips

Beetroot has a slightly earthy flavor that pairs well with the following herbs and spices:

• thyme
• Rosemary
• pepper
• coriander
• cardamom
• Ginger
• cloves
• horseradish

Ingredients

• 1 beetroot
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 – 2 tsp spice

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 140 ° C. Put on disposable gloves and peel the beetroot. Slice the peeled turnips very thinly and place them on the baking sheet. The slices must not overlap. Salt the slices to draw some moisture out of them. You can remove the leaked water with some kitchen paper. Then brush the beetroot slices with olive oil and season as desired. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, opening the oven door from time to time to allow the moisture to escape.

Recipe idea for carrot chips

Carrots develop a slightly sweet aroma that goes well with the following herbs and spices:

• Parsely
• basil
• chives
• sage
• thyme
• curry
• Cinnamon
• nutmeg

Ingredients

• 3-4 medium carrots
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 – 2 tsp spice

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Peel the carrots with a vegetable peeler. Cut the peeled carrots into very thin slices with either a slicer or a peeler. Mix the carrot slices in a bowl with the oil, spices, and herbs. Lay out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Rediscover snacking: kale chips

Already a real hit in America, increasingly popular with us: chips made from cabbage varieties. Kale chips are particularly healthy and light. Green cabbage simply called kale in English, is a so-called superfood because the cabbage contains an unusually large number of nutrients and vitamins that are important for our body. In this country, cabbage is often only known as a cooked side dish with potatoes and meat. But it can be used in many ways: as a salad, as an ingredient in green smoothies, or as a basis for healthy chips. These are very easy to make yourself and even in advance.

Recipe idea for kale chips

Ingredients

• 200 g fresh kale
• 3 tablespoons sesame or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• as you like: sesame, paprika powder, chili flakes, 1 tablespoon peanut butter or, or, or …

Preparation

Remove the core from each kale leaf and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Heat the oven to 130°C (top/bottom heat). Mix a delicious marinade from sesame or olive oil, salt, and the other ingredients. This can contain aromatic spices or herbs as you wish. Peanut butter, in moderation, or soy sauce is also allowed. Carefully marinate the kale leaves with the marinade and spread them out evenly on a baking sheet. Allow the chips to dry in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, but do not bake. Over time, water vapor can collect in the oven; let it escape carefully by opening the doors. The chips are ready when they are wafer-thin and slightly crumbly. Take them out of the oven with a spatula. The chips can be served immediately or stored in storage or cookie jars for a few days.

By the way: you can also prepare wonderfully hearty savoy cabbage chips in this way.

Recipe idea for sweet potato chips

Sweet potatoes have a high sugar content, which gives them a certain sweetness. Their flavor pairs well with the following spices and herbs:

• Rosemary
• lemongrass
• Parsely
• nutmeg
• chili
• Cinnamon
• Vinegar

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 – 2 tsp spice

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into very thin slices with a slicer. Toss the slices in a bowl with the oil, spices, and herbs. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Recipe idea for Jerusalem artichoke chips

Jerusalem artichoke roots taste slightly sweet and have a nutty aroma. The peel can be eaten but causes digestive problems for sensitive stomachs. Jerusalem artichoke harmonizes with the following spices and herbs:

• Parsely
• tarragon
• mint
• dill
• marjoram
• nutmeg
• paprika powder
• lemon

Ingredients

• 3 Jerusalem artichoke roots
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 – 2 tsp spice

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 130 ° C. Peel the Jerusalem artichoke as you like or just wash it and cut it into very thin slices with a slicer. Toss the slices in a bowl with the oil, spices, and herbs. Lay out on a baking sheet and bake for about half an hour.

Recipe idea for parsnip chips

Previously the kitchen hit, then supplanted by carrots and potatoes, now on the rise again: the parsnip. The dominant, hearty-sweet aroma of the roots goes well with the following herbs and spices:

• Parsely
• sesame
• thyme
• honey
• pepper
• garlic
• Onion
• lemon

Ingredients

• 4 small parsnips
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 – 2 tsp spice

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 160 ° C. Peel the parsnips or cut them into very thin slices with a slicer. Mix the parsnip slices with the oil, spices, and herbs in a bowl and mix well. Lay out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Parsnip chips should be eaten on the same day as they get soggy quickly.