Parent & Kid Friendly Recipes: Baked Fruit and Veggie Chips

Move over potato chips, there’s a new favorite snack in town! Whether your little one loves or hates to eat their fruits and veggies, this is the post for you. Everyone loves chips, but not everyone loves the calories, salts, or fats that come with them (especially not for the kiddos). We’ve compiled a list of our favorite baked fruit and veggie chip recipes for you to try at home. All of these recipes can be made in an oven, no dehydrator required!

These baked fruit and veggie chips may be great for the little ones’ snack time, but you may not be able to keep your hands off of them either. If late night snacking is your guilty pleasure, take out the guilt with a healthier alternative. That’s why these recipes are both parent AND kid friendly. Trust us, you’re going to want to try these.

Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips

The perfect combination of sweet, spicy, crunchy, delicious, and so easy to make! Apples are relatively inexpensive, always available, and so versatile. And who doesn't love apples?!

Makes: 1 serving | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

• 2 medium apples
• 1 Tbsp stevia
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200℉
2. Using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife, thinly slice apples into ⅛ inch slices. Remove any seeds in the slices.
3. Place slices in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
4. Mix together the stevia and cinnamon, and sprinkle on apple slices.
5. Bake for 2 hours, flipping halfway through.
6. After removing from the oven, allow chips to sit on the pan for a few minutes, they’ll continue to crisp up.

Homemade Fruit Chips with Hidden Spinach

These are a fun, healthy snack that kids will love; and the best part: they hide a ton of spinach!

Makes: 4 servings | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 9 hours

Ingredients

• 2 cups spinach
• 1 large apple, cored and cut into chunks
• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 4 Tbsp water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 140℉. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Puree all ingredients together in a blender until smooth
3. Spread mixture on the pan and tap on the counter to even out and release air bubbles.
4. Bake for 8-9 hours, rotating every 2-3 hours. Bake until no longer sticky and shiny. Let it cool completely before breaking into pieces. Store in an airtight container. 

Helpful Tips:

• If your oven doesn’t go that low, turn it as low as you can go and shorten the baking time slightly
• To reduce sugar levels, you can cut out the honey (especially if you have particularly sweet blueberries)
• Make it vegan by using maple syrup or granulated sugar

Healthy Baked Carrot Chips

Get your crunchy chip fix without the guilt! These low-fat gluten-free snacks are easy to make and easy to love!

Makes: 8 servings | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs carrots (pick the fattest carrots you can find)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Trim off the carrot tops. Using a chef’s knife or a mandoline slicer on the smallest setting, starting on the thicker end, slice the carrots paper-thin on the bias to create longer slices. When you get down to the end, stop and discard the end (or use for soups or salads).
3. In a large bowl, combine the carrot slices, olive oil, salt, cumin, and cinnamon. Toss well to thoroughly coat.
4. Lay the slices in a single layer on the baking sheets, and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges start to curl up and turn crispy. Then, flip all the chips over and bake another 5-8 minutes to crisp the other side.
5. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Helpful Tips:

• To avoid flipping the chips, you can bake at 325℉ for about 30 minutes, however, they are prettier when baked at high heat. 
• If you have an older oven, chips in the center of the pan may need a few minutes more than the ones around the edges.

Pear Chips

Turn fresh pears into dehydrated pear chips for a healthy and delicious snack. Perfect way to preserve pears. 

Makes: 10 servings | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 hours

Ingredients

• 10 pears

Directions

To make in a dehydrator:

1. Wash and Slice pears with the skins still on, and discard the core.
2. Place slices in a single layer on dehydrator tray, so the slices don’t overlap.
3. Depending on your dehydrator, dry for 8-12 hours and store in a food safe container

To make in the oven:

1. Wash and Slice pears with the skins still on, and discard the core.
2. Place slices in a single layer on parchment lined baking sheet, so the slices don’t overlap.
3. Bake in the oven at 225℉ for about 1.5 hours

Helpful Tips:

• Use as many or as few pears as you’d like, you are only limited to the amount of drying space on your dehydrator or in your oven
• Use pears that are still slightly green for best results
• Drying times will vary based on your dehydrator, amount of pears, slice thickness, and ripeness
• Spice them up and make them your own with toppings like cinnamon and sugar, lemon juice, ginger, or Chai spice.
• If you want your pear chips more crispy, slice pears thinly. The thinner the slice, the more crispy the pear chip.

Sea Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips

A healthy and delicious alternative to the potato chip version. This superfood is super easy to make and super tasty.

Makes: 4 servings | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp coarse sea salt, or to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Wash and dry kale. Separate the green kale leaves from the rib, and discard the rib. Cut or tear kale leaves into your desired size of chip (note that they will shrink a bit while baking)
3. Combine the kale, vinegar, olive oil, and ¼ tsp of salt in a large bowl and toss/massage the kale for about a minute until it is soft and a little darker.
4. Spread the kale in a single layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle the remaining sea salt on top.
5. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the kale is crunchy and no longer soft. Remove from the oven and serve immediately or store in a sealed container for up to a week.

Helpful Tips:

• Don’t use baby kale as it is not as sturdy and doesn’t hold up as well during baking.