Carrot Chips

A while back, we found ourselves with a LOT of carrots on hand. We’d just really gotten into dehydrated food, so we decided to make a delicious snack out of it.

While dried carrots - literally just dehydrated carrots - are great for putting into soups or turning into carrot powder, an extra step and a couple of extra ingredients turn them into a snack food.

If you’re trying to avoid potato chips, carrot chips make for a healthier snack, while still being crunchy and satisfying.

A little bit of oil adds some flavour and texture, while still being a healthier option than how potato chips are made. While potato chips are pretty neutral in flavour, these crispy carrots have a bright flavour.

Most root vegetables make great chips, by the way - we’ve already posted our Beet Chips - our other favorite vegetable for this technique!

Anyway, while we’ve designated amounts here, that’s really just for nutritional purposes. You can do this with a single carrot, a bunch of carrots, or several bunches. It’s more of a technique, than a measured recipe.

Anyway, let’s look at what you’ll need in order to put on a batch of these carrot chips for yourself!

Ingredients

This recipe uses simple ingredients - you probably have everything you need already! At its most simple, you’ll only need 3 ingredients... but there’s room to play with it.

Some ingredient notes for you:

Fresh Carrots

Carrots shrink a LOT as they dehydrate, so I recommend using the largest-diameter carrots you can.

You can use any type of carrot you like - or a mix. I like getting a mix of orange, yellow, and purple carrots when I can, it makes for a pretty mix of dehydrated carrot chips!

Baby carrots probably aren’t really suitable, though - even if you cut them lengthwise, it’ll be difficult to get an even cut.

Olive Oil

I use Olive Oil because I like the flavor profile it contributes to the carrots. That said, feel free to use avocado oil or melted coconut oil, if you prefer.

Salt

This one is pretty basic, but you can vary it a little. While I’ll usually use table salt, kosher salt, or sea salt... sometimes I’ll use smoked sea salt, for a hint of smokiness.

Optional Seasoning

While I’ll usually keep it simple, you can definitely season your chips with different flavors.

Onion powder and/or garlic powder are an easy way to boost the flavour, or consider dried herbs - I love rosemary or thyme with dried carrots.

Nutritional yeast will bring a cheesy flavour, etc.

Equipment

There are two pieces of equipment that you’ll want to have, for making this carrot chips recipe. One is pretty much a requirement - at least how I do it - and the other is strongly suggested, but optional:

A Food Dehydrator

While you can apparently make homemade carrot 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!

Mandoline Slicer

Optional, but it’s really helpful when it comes to getting your carrot 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!

How to Make Carrot Chips

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the visual walk through:

First step: wash carrots, peel if desired (we usually do)

Using a mandolin slicer or sharp knife, cut your carrots into even rounds or long, thin strips. Either way, aim to keep them around the same thickness - I like about ⅛" thin slices.

Place carrot slices in a large bowl.

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

Gently toss to coat the carrot slices and distribute the salt, then arrange carrot slices in a single layer on your food dehydrator trays.

Dehydrate at 135 F for 10-12 hours. (Actual time will depend on the thickness of the carrot slices.)

To test for doneness, remove a carrot chip from the dehydrator and let it cool to room temperature.

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 carrot chips are all fully dehydrated, allow to cool to room temperature before packing and storing. See below for information on conditioning and storing your carrot chips.

Condition the Carrot 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 carrot chips to the dehydrator and let them dry a bit more.

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

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

Dehydrated Carrot Chips Storage

Carrot chips should be stored in an airtight container, with as little oxygen as possible. They should be kept out of direct sunlight, in a dark place if 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 - Carrot chips have a shorter shelf life than regular dehydrated carrot, 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
Beet Chips
Caramel Apple Fruit Leather
Cardamom Pear Chips
Chili-Lime Mango Fruit Leather
Mango Fruit Leather
Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips
Pumpkin Spice Chicken Jerky
Pumpkin Spice Fruit Leather
Strawberry Banana Fruit Leather