How to Make Crispy, Crunchy (and Nutritious!) Beet Chips
Updated: Jul. 08, 2019
Nothing beats the sweet, crunchy taste of freshly made beet chips.
Beets are a quintessential summer ingredient. You may serve grilled beets at your next cookout or toss beet greens in your lunchtime linguine. But did you know you can also enjoy this colourful produce as a tasty snack? Today, we’re going to show you how to bake up crispy, crunchy (and healthy!) beet chips.
Taste the rainbow
To add extra flair to your dish, look for different coloured beets. These juicy roots come in magenta, yellow, white and even striped varieties that will make for a beautiful rainbow of chips. They’ll also taste delicious in these unbeatable beet recipes.
How to make crispy beet chips
Ingredients
- 4 large beets, washed (Tip: Beets are even more flavourful and delicious when you grow them yourself or buy them fresh at the farmers market.)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Step 1: Prep for baking
Preheat your oven to 350ºF, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside for later.
Step 2: Slice ’em up
The key when making beet chips—or, really, any kind of chips—is to slice them as thinly possible. If you have a mandoline slicer, put it on a thin setting, then carefully slice the beets into rounds. Alternatively, you can use a sharp chef’s knife to slice up the produce.
Tip: Make sure you use cut-resistant gloves to keep your fingers safe.
Step 3: Let them sweat
If your beets are fresh, they probably have quite a bit of moisture in them, which can lead to soggy chips—no, thanks! You can coax some of the water out with an easy process called sweating.
Simply arrange the beet slices on a paper towel or cutting board, then sprinkle a layer of salt over them. Let them sit for 10 minutes or so, then dab up the moisture that’s beading on the surface. Flip them over and repeat the process. If you’re craving a crunchy chip ASAP, try our Lemon Sea Salt Kale Chips recipe.
Step 4: Season the chips
Once you’ve sweated out the excess moisture, toss the beet slices in the oil and sprinkle them with salt. If you want to switch things up, you can also flavour them with pepper, rosemary or chives.
Step 5: Bake!
Lay the chips in a single layer on your prepared baking sheets. Bake them in the oven for 25 minutes, then flip them over. Bake for another 20 minutes or until crispy and starting to brown around the edges.
Keep an eye on your beets toward the end of the timer, as they’re prone to over-crisping. Let the chips cool for a few minutes to really crisp up.
How to enjoy beet chips
Like most fresh chips, these beet chips are best enjoyed immediately, but you can also put them in an airtight container to eat later. However, be warned they might lose some of their addictive crunch.
Many people have no problem devouring these crispy little wafers plain, but they’d also be delicious with some kind of dip—maybe one of these low-cal recipes? Yum.
Next, learn all about the health benefits of beet greens.
