Make healthy vegetable chips with these recipes

If you are a fitness enthusiast, you will associate crunchy snacks with something healthy like carrots and hummus. But for most people, it’s just a bag of fried potato chips. Eating store-bought deep-fried foods like chips may increase your risk of heart disease due to the presence of excess oil in them. It does not mean you should give up on chips altogether. There are healthy vegetable chips that can be easily made at home. You can use your choice of vegetables like kale, carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes, and turn them into crispy snacks. Try these healthy recipes for vegetable chips that you can enjoy at home.

Why to eat homemade vegetable chips?

Having homemade vegetable chips is beneficial for you due to the following reasons:

1. Better alternative to store-bought potato chips

Homemade vegetable chips are an alternative to traditional potato chips, which may not always be healthy. Potato chips contain high amounts of salt, fat, and sugar, as per research published in the Foods journal in 2023. On the other hand, a study published in the International Journal of Food Science & Technology in 2024 found that homemade kale crisps may represent a valuable source of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity.

2. Healthier cooking method

You can deep-fry vegetables to make chips at home, or go for healthier options like baking and cooking with an air fryer. Baking is a healthy alternative to deep-frying due to its potential to provide texture and colour using less oil, as per research published in The Journal Of Food in 2017. As for air fryers, they use minimal oil, and still give the taste and texture of deep-fried foods. Using less oil can reduce your risk of heart disease, as per a study published in Clinical Nutrition in 2020.

3. Get more nutrients

Nutritious vegetables like sweet potatoes, zucchini, kale, carrots, and beets can be used to create vegetable chips at home. “Vegetable chips made at home are considered healthier than regular chips, as they retain more of the vegetable’s nutrients,” says nutritionist Dhriti Jain. For instance, you can enjoy chips made from kale, which is full of nutrients. Hundred grams kale has 3.13 gram protein, 4.4 grams fibre, 272 mg calcium, and 1.72 mg iron, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Healthy recipes for vegetable chips

Here are some of the recipes for making vegetable chips using healthy cooking methods.

1. Baked kale chips

Ingredients:

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• 1 bunch of kale (washed and dried)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
• Remove the stems from kale and tear its leaves into bite-sized pieces.
• In a bowl, toss the kale with olive oil and season with salt.
• Lay the kale out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through, until the vegetable chips are crispy.

2. Sweet potato chips

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

• The first step of making sweet potato chips is to preheat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.
• Wash and peel the sweet potatoes.
• Slice them thinly using a mandoline slicer for even thickness.
• In a bowl, toss the sweet potato slices with olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper.
• Spread the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, and flip frequently.

3. Zucchini vegetable chips

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchinis
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• As you wash zucchinis and slice them, heat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.
• Toss the zucchini slices with olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.
• Lay the zucchini slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single
• layer then bake for almost 30 minutes.

4. Carrot chips

Ingredients:

• 4 medium carrots
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit to make these vegetable chips.
• Peel the carrots and slice them thinly into rounds.
• In a bowl, toss the carrot slices with olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
• Spread the carrot slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper then bake for 15 minutes.

5. Beet chips

Ingredients:

• 2 medium beets
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

• To make these healthy root vegetable chips, preheat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.
• Peel and slice the beets thinly.
• Toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Lay the beet slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper then bake for at least 20 minutes.

6. Parsnip chips

Ingredients:

• 2 medium parsnips
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• To make parsnip vegetable chips, preheat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.
• Peel and slice the parsnips.
• Toss the parsnip slices with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Spread the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes till you get crispy chips.

7. Broccoli stem chips

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of broccoli
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• To make broccoli stem chips, start by heating the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.
• Peel and slice the broccoli stems, and discard the tough outer layer.
• Toss the broccoli stem slices with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper then bake.

8. Air-fried butternut squash chips

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt for taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions:

• Thinly slice butternut squash using a mandoline slicer.
• In a bowl, toss them lightly with olive oil, salt, and spices.
• Arrange them in a single layer in an air fryer basket.
• Air fry at 375 degree Fahrenheit for 8 to 10 minutes.

9. Dehydrated spinach chips

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh spinach leaves
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt for taste

Instructions:

• Tear spinach into small pieces.
• Combine with lemon juice for tanginess, along with salt.
• Lay the slices in a single layer on dehydrator trays.
• Dehydrate these vegetable chips at 125 degree Fahrenheit.

Also Read: 5 most delicious and healthy spinach recipes for winter

10. Stir-fried eggplant chips

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplants
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Instructions:

• Cut eggplants into thin strips.
• Heat a non-stick skillet with a teaspoon of oil.
• Put the vegetable slices in a single layer and cook on medium heat, flipping occasionally.
• Cook the vegetable chips until crispy and golden brown.

You can enjoy tasty homemade vegetable chips. You can either bake, dehydrate or lightly fry them to create healthy, crunchy chips.