Beet Chips

As crispy chips!

Much like sweet potato chips - or other veggie chips - the crispy texture and satisfying crunch of beet chips makes a great substitute for regular potato chips.

This crunchy snack is not only healthy, colourful, and flavourful, it’s also super easy to make - and a great way to use up a bag of beets.

I did this recipe up as a relatively small batch - just to be able to set nutritional information based on a starting amount of beets / servings.

If you’re as into the earthy, sweet taste of beets as we are, I definitely recommend planning to make a large batch.

You can pretty much ignore the set amounts in the recipe, and just make as many of these crunchy chips as your dehydrator can hold at a time - it’s more of a technique, than an actual recipe.

Anyway, I hope you - and your whole family - enjoy this sweet and salty snack as much as we do!

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make beetroot chips - here’s some info to help you out, there:

Raw Beets

Beets are probably my favorite vegetable - I love the rich, earthy flavor, whether it’s raw on salads, or roasted. I make my own Homemade Pickled Beets, Gluten Free Beet Gnocchi, and Roasted Beet Ketchup, and even roast the greens into Beet Green Chips (kind of like kale chips)!

As a bonus, beets are also high in Vitamin C, and make a pretty healthy snack!

Anyway, you can use any type of beet in this recipe. While I love the bright red color, I also dig the sunny colour of golden beets, and candy cane beets - AKA Chioggia beets - are always fun.

If I’m feeling lazy, I’ll mix them all together in a batch of these crispy beet chips. If I’m feeling extra, I’ll peel, slice, and season them separately, to prevent colour bleeding.

More on that in a bit, though.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Olive Oil - you can use Avocado Oil or Coconut Oil if needed
Salt - I usually use sea salt or Kosher salt

Beyond that, feel free to add your favourite savory flavors when seasoning the beet slices. It’s always fun to be able to customized your own beet chips!

Sometimes I’ll add a bit of ground black pepper or garlic powder, and rosemary is another of my favorite ways to season them. The rosemary in particular works really well with the flavour of the beets.

Equipment

There are a couple pieces of equipment that I recommend using, when making homemade beet chips:

Mandoline Slicer

Optional, but it’s really helpful when it comes to getting your beet slices to an even thickness.

I have a Mueller Multi Blade Adjustable Mandoline Slicer.

I ABSOLUTELY love it. We use it all the time, no complaints!

A Food Dehydrator

While you can apparently make homemade beet chips in a regular home oven, I’m not a fan of running one for hours on end.

A year or two ago, we upgraded our old dehydrator to a Cosori 6 Tray Food Dehydrator, and LOVE it.

It was only like $200 Canadian, and it’s paid for itself MANY times over, between all the Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips and jerkies I’ve been making!

How to Make Crispy Beet Chips

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. Here is a pictorial version of the recipe instructions.

Preparation

Use a vegetable peeler to carefully peel your beets. Cut the tops and rooted ends off, leaving you with 2 flat surfaces.

Using a sharp knife - or, ideally, a mandoline slicer set to the thinnest setting - cut your beets into even rounds.

Note: If you you’re using mixed beets and don’t want “bleed”, peel, cut, and season (next step) the beets separately - or use separate bowls. For best results, do the yellow ones first, then striped, and save the red for last.

Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the beet rounds, and sprinkle with a bit of salt. (Measure with your heart, not a measuring spoon! You want a very light coating, not to drown them).

Gently toss to coat the sliced beets and distribute the salt, then arrange beet slices on food dehydrator trays, each in a single layer.

Dehydration

Dehydrate at 135 degrees F for 8-12 hours. (Actual time will depend on the thickness of your beets.)

It should feel dry to the touch, and be crispy. It should snap if you try to bend it. (Note: If any have too much olive oil on them, they can be dried through and still not snap. That’s ok - judge by the ones that aren’t overly oily!)

Once beet chips are all fully dehydrated, allow to cool to room temperature before packing and storing.

See below for information on conditioning and storing your homemade beet chips for longer term storage.

Condition the Beet Chips

Keep an eye on the vegetable chips for the first 3 days or so.

If you see any evidence of residual moisture in that time frame - droplets on the bag, etc - return the mango leather to the dehydrator and let it dry a bit more.

If at any point you see any evidence of mold, throw the batch out.

Once you’re sure the beet chips are fully dry and moisture isn’t coming out, transfer them to an airtight container for longer term storage.

Dehydrated Beet Chips Storage

Beet chips should be stored in an airtight container, with as little oxygen - and light exposure - as possible.

If sealed into an airtight container WITHOUT OXYGEN, they should be good for a month or so in a cool dark place.

They do taste best when eaten within a few days, though.

Note: Beet chips have a shorter shelf life than regular dehydrated beets, on account of the oil. The oil and salt is what makes this a snack food, rather than a pantry item for making soups out of, though!

Other Dried Fruit - and Vegetable! - Recipes

Looking for fruit leather and other dried fruit recipes? Here are a few to get started:

Bananas Foster Banana Chips
Bananas Foster Fruit Leather
Caramel Apple Fruit Leather
Cardamom Pear Chips
Chili-Lime Mango Fruit Leather
Mango Fruit Leather
Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips
Pumpkin Spice Chicken Jerky
Strawberry Banana Fruit Leather