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Apple Chips are the crispy, naturally sweet snack I make on repeat, and the best part is they need just one ingredient, a couple of apples, with no sugar, no oil, and no fancy dehydrator required. My girls love grabbing handfuls of these instead of a bag of potato chips on a quiet fall afternoon. If you love an apple treat, our cozy caramel apple dump cake is another easy favorite.
Thinly sliced apples slowly bake in a low oven until they turn crisp, sweet, and snackable.
Apple Chips Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 3 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 1 hour
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 3 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 2 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 95kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Lightly sweet, crisp, and pure apple with no added sugar
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, about as simple as our candied grapes
Quick Answer
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment. Wash and dry the apples, halve them, and slice them very thinly with a mandoline. Arrange the slices in a single layer and bake for 30 minutes, flip, and bake another 30 minutes until dried out but not browned. Let them cool completely so they crisp up.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Just one ingredient. All you need is apples. No sugar, oil, or special equipment, so these apple chips are about as simple and wholesome as a snack gets.
- Low and slow is the secret. Baking at a low 275 degrees slowly dries the apples without burning them, giving you crisp chips instead of soft, browned slices.
- Thin slices crisp best. Slicing the apples very thin on a mandoline ensures they dry evenly and turn crisp all the way through.
- Naturally sweet. Honeycrisp apples are sweet enough on their own, so the chips taste like candy without a speck of added sugar.
- A healthy snack swap. Crunchy and satisfying, these apple chips are a better for you stand in for potato chips that kids and adults both love.
- Budget friendly and seasonal. A couple of apples make a big batch of chips, so this is an inexpensive way to use up a bag of apples from the orchard or a fall sale at the store.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are a one ingredient, no sugar added snack that tastes naturally sweet.
- No dehydrator needed, just your oven and a little patience.
- They are a wholesome snack to keep on hand, like our candied grapes.
Key Ingredients
You only need one simple ingredient for these crispy baked apple chips.
- Honeycrisp apples: Sweet, crisp, and juicy, they bake into naturally sweet chips. Any firm, sweet apple like Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady also works.
- A mandoline (optional but helpful): The easiest way to get paper thin, even slices that crisp up beautifully.
- Parchment paper: Keeps the thin apple slices from sticking to the pan as they dry out.
- Optional cinnamon: A light dusting before baking adds warm spice, though the chips are delicious plain.
- Your oven: A low, steady heat is all it takes to turn fresh apples into crispy chips, no dehydrator required.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These apple chips are easy to customize.
- Dust the slices with cinnamon, or a cinnamon sugar mix, before baking for spiced apple chips.
- Use a mix of apple varieties for chips with slightly different colors and sweetness.
- Try pears sliced the same way for a fun pear chip variation.
- Leave the core in and slice straight through for pretty star shaped centers in each chip.
How to Make Apple Chips
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit and line two sheet trays with parchment paper.
- Rinse the apples and dry them thoroughly so the slices crisp up well.
- Cut the apples in half crosswise and, using a melon baller, scoop out the seeds and core. You can also leave the core in for pretty star shaped centers.
- Using a mandoline on the second to thinnest setting, carefully slice the apples into thin rounds. A sharp knife works too, just slice them very thin and even.
- Arrange the slices in a single layer on the prepared trays and bake for 30 minutes. Flip each slice and bake another 30 minutes, until dried out but not browned.
- Let the apple chips cool completely on the trays. They will continue to crisp up as they cool.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Slice as thin as possible, since thinner slices dry faster and crisp up better than thick ones.
- Dry the apples well after rinsing so extra moisture does not slow down the baking.
- Watch the color, pulling the chips when they are dry but still pale, not browned, for the best flavor.
- Flip halfway so both sides dry evenly and crisp up all the way through.
- Let them cool fully on the tray, because that is when they go from bendy to crisp.
- Store airtight once completely cool to keep the chips crunchy.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These apple chips are wonderful eaten straight off the tray as a naturally sweet, crunchy snack. They are perfect for lunchboxes, road trips, and after school grazing, and they make a fun better for you swap for potato chips on a snack board.
Add them to a snack spread next to our candied grapes and a handful of chocolate covered pretzels for a sweet and salty mix.
Crumble them over oatmeal or yogurt, or pack them alongside our oatmeal date cookies for a wholesome on the go snack.
They are also a lovely addition to a fall cheese and charcuterie board, where their natural sweetness pairs beautifully with sharp cheddar, brie, and a handful of nuts. Pile a few in cellophane bags tied with twine for easy party favors or lunchbox surprises, and tuck the rest into a jar on the counter where they will get snacked on all week long.
Apple Chips FAQs
Sweet, firm apples make the best apple chips. Honeycrisp is a favorite for its sweetness and crunch, but Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, and Honeygold all work well. Avoid soft apples that turn mealy when baked.
Apple chips crisp up as they cool, so let them cool completely before judging. If they are still soft, the slices were likely too thick or needed more time in the oven. Slice thinner and bake a bit longer next time, and make sure the slices are in a single layer with a little space between them so the air can circulate and dry them evenly.
No. The peel is left on for color, nutrients, and a little extra texture. Just wash and dry the apples well before slicing.
Yes to both. A sharp knife works in place of a mandoline, you just need to slice the apples very thin and evenly, about the thickness of a coin, so they dry at the same rate. If you have a dehydrator, arrange the slices on the trays and dry at about 135 degrees for 6 to 8 hours until crisp. The oven method is faster, while a dehydrator is hands off and great for big batches.
Store fully cooled apple chips in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If they soften, crisp them back up in a low oven for a few minutes.
Absolutely. A light dusting of cinnamon or cinnamon sugar before baking adds warm flavor. The apples are naturally sweet, so no added sugar is needed, but a sprinkle is a nice touch.
Tried these homemade apple chips? I would love to hear how they turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below!
Homemade Baked Apple Chips
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275°. Line sheet trays with parchment paper.
- Rinse off apples and dry thoroughly.2 honey crisp apples
- Cut them in half crosswise and, using a melon baller, scoop out the seeds and core. (or you can leave the core in)
- Using a mandolin on the second to the thinnest setting, CAREFULLY slice apples into rounds. Or, cut verrrry thin with a knife.
- Place on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Flip over and bake for 30 minutes or until apple slices are dried out but not browned!
- Let cool before enjoying.
Notes
- Even Slicing: Use a mandoline slicer for uniform thin slices, which ensures even baking and perfect crispiness.
- Optimal Baking: Maintain a low oven temperature to dry out the apple slices slowly, preventing them from burning.
- Experiment with Flavors: Don’t hesitate to try various spices like clove or cardamom for new flavor profiles in your batches.
- Batch Preparation: Make large batches at once to maximize oven use, especially when apples are in peak season.
- Monitoring: Keep a close eye on the baking process, as oven temperatures can vary, affecting the crispiness of the chips.
- Cooling is Key: Let the chips cool completely on the baking sheet to enhance their crisp texture.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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They last for up to a week at room temp.
Would love to make this apple recipe, how long do they last once cooked and cooled?
That’s weird. Yes, give that a try it should be more even. Sorry you have to go through this, I’d love to know if the convection works!
Yeah I saw it too.. But yours came out quite perfect.. Mine starts with the apple shrink then the skin started to get burn and slowly whole piece burned.. I’m wondering if I should not use convection function for baking this chips
I used my oven, you have to watch them extremely closely. I even mentioned in the post I had a slight problem as well.
Are you using a dehydrator or baking oven for this? Mine burned =(
Please advise. Thank you
Visiting from The Makers link party today! I can’t believe how simple it is to make these. And they turned out so beautifully. Pinned to try 🙂
Smell apples burning? Run! Too funny!
Thanks so much for the recipe. My children will love these!
Pinning and sharing everywhere!
Thank you so much for sharing on Show Me Saturday! Hope to see you again this weekend!
~ Ashley
Those look fantastic!!! 😀
What a simple and wonderful idea!