Being on a special diet or healing protocol pretty much means any kind of fried potato chips (other than homemade) are out the window. (Especially on the GAPS diet protocol – no potatoes are allowed at all.)
This is not really a bad thing. I’ve been reading lately about the levels of acrylamide in commercial potato chips and french fries, and it’s a little alarming.
You see, I LOVE potato chips. The wavy kind…. paired with my dad’s kick-butt salsa. I’ve eaten countless bags of these things in my lifetime. Sometimes I wonder what all those chips did to my body, and babies’ bodies.
Oh well. . . I can’t think about those things for too long. Now that I am armed with this information, I can make better choices in the future! 🙂
But for now, like I said, potatoes are off limits. So what’s a gal to do?
Make some beet chips, you say? You got it!
Beet chips are simple, simple, simple. Healthy. They taste different from potato chips, of course, and corn chips, but they are packed with nutrition and add a nice, new flavor to shake things up a bit. Here’s how to do it.
Contents
How to Dehydrate Beets – Beet Chips
Ingredients
- several large organic beets – red or gold, however many you want to make. Gold will leave you with a milder beet flavor.
- Optional: 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of your favorite spices (things like garlic powder, onion powder, dill, what have you) – for flavored chips
Equipment
- food processor, if using (makes things so much quicker)
- sharp knife & cutting board
- dehydrator – This is the one I use and love, but any dehydrator will work!
Instructions
- Wash the beets well. (Sometimes I like to soak them in a big bowl of water with about 1/2 cup white vinegar thrown in, for extra cleaning. Your choice.)
- Cut tops off. If you’re using a food processor, set the slicing blade to one of the larger sizes for slicing. (See note!) I had to slice my beets in half in order to be able to feed them through the tube in my food processor – just do what you gotta do! 🙂
- If not using a food processor, carefully slice the beets about 1/8-1/4″ wide, trying your best to keep them as even as you can.
- If you are going to flavor them with oil, salt, and spices, toss all the ingredients in a large bowl for several seconds to thoroughly coat.
- Place them on your dehydrator trays, and dehydrate on low (or 130-140) Â for 10 – 12 hours.
- Store in an airtight container. (I love these containers.)
Notes
The first time I made these, I set my food processor to the largest size slice, and they ended up a tad too thick. I would recommend something a little smaller than the largest setting.
Enjoy the same way you would any other chip – with guacamole, salsa, dip, cream cheese, you name it! But do eat these in moderation – don’t pig out and eat the equivalent of a whole bag of potato chips – that would be a LOT of beets! 😉
Pin it!
Peace, love. . . and of course, beets,
Dandy
P.S. Love dehydrating? Be sure to follow my Dehydrating board on Pinterest! 🙂
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Hi Danielle,
I wonder what cooking the beets prior to dehydration would do to the chip.
Have you tried this?
Jon
Do you mean like blanching? I think that would be fine, although I have never done it. Let me know if you try!
Danielle: This lady said about cooking the beets – not blanching them. Is it OK to cook beets thoroughly before drying them or is it better to just cut them up RAW. Thanks.
I’ve only done them raw, but you could try cooking them. 🙂
I love popcorn and other mindless tv food but Im watching my calorie intake bs voiding grains in general so most of the kindle tv food I out. I LOVE you these as a replacement. I have a mandoline which makes very thing slices which dry up super light and crispy. It’s great for tv or movie watching instead of popcorn.
Yes, Leslie!! I agree!! <3
Mandoline is perfect for super thin slices! I make a raw beet salad with them. Can’t wait to try the dehydrator!
Yes, thanks for the tip!
Thank you for this information.
In the grocery store I saw sweet potatoe chips and beet chips. I became addicted, in moderate portions of course. The store quit carrying these chips so I have been looking for information on how to make them myself. I can’t wait!
Thanks again.
Oh, I hope you enjoy them EG! The best part is, you can flavor them however you want. Yum!
Did the beets stain the trays of your dehydrator? I’m preparing the beets right now, and am hesitant about putting them on my white trays. I wonder if it’s okay to put down a paper towel first. Thanks!
Hi Dian, I have black trays, and use the clear plastic liners that came with the dehydrator. I didn’t notice any staining. I’ve never tried dehydrating with a paper towel, I’m afraid the paper towel would stick to the beets and be hard to remove. Maybe you could use the golden beets, and they would have less of a chance of staining?
They did not stain my white trays.
I wouldn’t use paper towels but parchment paper would probably work ok
HI, they didn't go long enough.. they are chewy because there is still moisure in there…
I did mine on 125 for 24h and they were still hard and chewy:( i was checking them throughout, ones i used raw, the second time the cooked beets. Dissapointed, what am i doing wrong?
I am not sure. Was it humid when you were drying them? Sometimes that affects quality. Also, maybe try slicing them thinner.
Will these stain my dehydrator?
I see now your comment below…
I brought the excalibur dehydrator recently because I think it is good to make beet chips,however, I have tried twice with the machine, it is not the same as using the oven. My kids refused to eat the beet chips as they said the flavor is not good. I guess the low temperature is the cause of it. I have used 145F already and just wonder if anyone has similar experience? When I first use the oven bake, it is very crispy and rich in flavor. With the dehydrator, I can never make it as crispy as a chip and the flavor is mild. Not sure what is wrong with it.
Hi! What did you do to keep the golden beets from turning black?
Hi, Dani! I did not do anything to keep the golden beets from turning black. Hm. Very interesting. I wonder why they turned?
Mine turn black too. It happens every time. I don’t have a dehydrator. I put them in the oven on warm for about 8 hours. Maybe that is the difference?
A friend has had the same problem. They used a dehydrator. Beets oxidize when exposed to air I can’t seem to find a solution
Lemon water. Put about 1 tbsp in a cup of water. As you’re slicing, put the beets in the water. When you’re done slicing, pat off the excess water, and put them in your drying device.
The chips I BAKED in the oven were very sweet, crispy, and full of flavor. However, when I dehydrated the chips with the same thickness at 135 degree, they were blend, hard to chew, without much flavor, except the bitterness. What might I do wrong?
Not sure. Possibly dry off the beets before you dehydrate them. If that doesn’t help, then maybe baking will be your best bet. <3
Interesting … using dehydrator – chosen foods oil bled, AC vinegar, and seasonings – good flavor! REALLY shrunk up though. I used j7mbo size beets and cut pieces half to a 2×4 inches but they they dried smaller than I like. But they were good tasting.
how well do they keep once dehydrated?
As long as you keep them in an airtight container, they will keep very well for up to a year. They can definitely become stale if not kept airtight, much like regular chips. <3
Some of my dehydrated beets turned a slight green. I didn’t put in a sir tight container. Going to put in seal a meal bag. The ones that turned green bad?
I’m really not able to tell, Laural, but hopefully you were able to figure it out. <3
Can you use sliced canned beets?
Hm, that’s a good question. I have not used them… they would be canned so would lose some of the health aspects and I’m imagining it would take longer to dry them out. I don’t know. I hope you can find the answer somewhere! <3
If I substitute coconut oil for the olive oil, will the chips be sweeter?
Probably not sweeter, but they will have a lovely coconut oil flavor!
New to dehydrating. My beet chips are rubbery, inedible. Should I dehydrate longer? higher temp?
Possibly dehydrate longer or slice thinner; it’s hard to know without looking at them in person. Best wishes.