These baked apple chips are thin apple rings dried in a 225°F oven for 2 to 2½ hours, dusted with cinnamon and made with no added sugar. Two large apples give about 4 snack servings. The trick is slicing them ⅛ inch thick and letting them cool on a rack, because they only turn fully crisp after they leave the oven.
Following a special diet?
Every recipe on this site can be converted to gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, keto, nut-free or egg-free with adjusted ratios so nothing falls flat.
Try the Recipe Converter →A low oven matters more than anything else here. At 225°F the water leaves the slices slowly, so they dry all the way through before the natural sugars have a chance to burn. Turn the heat up to rush them and the edges brown while the middle stays soft. I tried thicker cuts, shorter bakes and higher temperatures, and none of them matched this long, slow method.
Oven Apple Chips by the Numbers
- Oven: 225°F (110°C)
- Slices: ⅛ inch thick, cored, peel left on
- Bake: 1 hour, flip, then 1 to 1½ hours more
- Yield: 2 large apples make about 4 servings
- Per serving: about 50 calories and 3 g fiber (card estimate), no added sugar
- Storage: up to 1 week in an airtight container
Which Apples Make the Crispest Chips
Honeycrisp and Fuji give the crunchiest, sweetest chips, and Honeycrisp stays crisp for days. Gala works too. It dries a little softer, so give it the full time. Granny Smith is fine if you like a sharp, tart chip; it just bakes up paler and less sweet.
Bake one variety per tray if you can. Different apples hold different amounts of water, and a mixed tray finishes unevenly. Leave the peel on. It helps the rings keep their shape and gives a little extra bite.
Slicing and the Lemon Water Soak
Core the apples first, then slice them crosswise into rings about ⅛ inch thick. A mandoline makes this fast and even; a sharp knife and a steady hand work too. At ⅛ inch the slices dry through in the 2 to 2½ hour window. Thicker ones stay chewy in the middle, and paper-thin ones brown at the edges and snap apart.
The lemon bath is optional. Soak the rings for 5 minutes in a bowl of water with a splash of lemon juice to slow browning. Then pat them completely dry with a clean kitchen towel. Any water left on the surface steams the slice in the oven, and steamed slices turn leathery instead of crisp.
Parchment or a Wire Rack for Apple Chips?
The recipe card bakes the slices on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet in a single layer, with no overlap. Overlapping spots trap moisture and stay soft. Dust them lightly with cinnamon, plus a pinch of nutmeg or cloves if you like.
A wire rack set over the tray, as in the photo, also works. Air reaches the underside, so the slices dry a little more evenly. Flip them at the 1 hour mark either way. If you add the maple syrup drizzle, keep those slices on parchment: the syrup drips through a rack and scorches on the pan.
Baking two trays? Swap their shelves when you flip, so the top tray does not finish long before the bottom one.
How to Tell Apple Chips Are Done
Look for edges that curl up and a surface that feels dry all over. Warm chips can still bend in the center. That is normal; they crisp as they cool on a rack.
Test one before you pull the whole batch. Let a chip cool for about 5 minutes and snap it. A clean snap means they are done. If it bends, put the tray back for 20 to 30 minutes. Thin slices near the edges of the tray finish first, so lift those off early. Chips left too long turn dark and taste bitter, so go by touch, not only the clock.
Keeping Baked Apple Chips Crunchy
Cool them completely before they go into a container. Warm chips release steam and soften everything in the jar. Stored airtight at room temperature, they stay crisp for up to 1 week. If they soften, spread them on a tray and warm them at 200°F for 5 to 10 minutes, then cool again.
Eat them by the handful, or use them as a crunchy topping. They are good crumbled over apple sorbet, tucked next to apple pie oatmeal cups, or on an apple cinnamon smoothie bowl. A few broken chips also add crunch to an apple walnut salad.
If the oven is already warm from a pear cream cheese crisp, let it cool down to 225°F before the apple slices go in. For soft, saucy apples instead of crunchy ones, make cinnamon apples on the stove.
Questions About Oven Apple Chips
Are baked apple chips healthy?
They are just dried apple with a little cinnamon. The card estimates about 50 calories, 13 g carbs and 3 g fiber per serving, with no added sugar unless you use the optional maple drizzle.
Are apple crisps and apple chips the same thing?
As a snack, yes: “apple crisps” usually means these thin, dried apple slices. The baked dessert with an oat topping is a different recipe, like this easy apple crisp.
Why are my apple chips chewy?
They need more time, were sliced too thick, or went into the container warm. Bake chewy ones 20 to 30 minutes more, cool them fully on a rack, and keep them airtight.
Do I need a dehydrator?
No. A 225°F oven, a baking sheet and about 2 to 2½ hours do the same job.
Pin this to your snack board for the next bag of apples. And if you try a different apple or spice, tell me in the comments.
Apple Chips Recipe
These baked apple chips are thin cinnamon apple rings dried low and slow in the oven, made with just 2 large apples, ground cinnamon, and an optional lemon water soak. They bake at 225°F for 2 to 2½ hours and make about 4 snack servings of light, crunchy chips with no added sugar. Slice the apples ⅛ inch thick, pat them completely dry, flip them after 1 hour, and let them cool on a wire rack, where they turn fully crisp. Eat these oven apple chips as a healthy apple snack, pack them in lunch boxes, or crumble them over oatmeal, yogurt, smoothie bowls, or apple sorbet. Add nutmeg or a light maple drizzle if you like, and store them airtight for up to 1 week.
Ingredients
- 2 large apples (Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Gala)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- Lemon juice (optional, to prevent browning)
- Optional Add-Ins
- Pinch of ground nutmeg or cloves
- Drizzle of maple syrup (before baking, for added sweetness)
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Set your oven to 225°F (110°C). A low temperature allows the apples to dry out slowly without burning or becoming too dark.
- PREPARE THE APPLES: Wash and core the apples. Leave the peels on for added texture and nutrition. Use a mandoline or sharp knife to cut the apples into uniform slices about ⅛ inch thick. Even slices ensure consistent drying.
- OPTIONAL LEMON BATH: To help reduce browning, soak the apple slices in a bowl of water mixed with a splash of lemon juice for 5 minutes. After soaking, pat the slices completely dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- ADD FLAVOR: Arrange the apple slices in a single layer on a parchment-lined or silicone-lined baking sheet. Do not overlap. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon, and add nutmeg or cloves if using. For a sweeter variation, drizzle a small amount of maple syrup over the slices.
- BAKE LOW AND SLOW: Place the baking sheets in the oven. Bake the slices for 1 hour, then flip each one over carefully. Continue baking for another 1 to 1½ hours, depending on slice thickness and moisture level. The chips are ready when they feel dry and start to curl at the edges.
- COOL AND CRISP: Transfer the baked apple slices to a wire rack to cool. As they cool, they will crisp up further. If any slices remain soft or chewy after cooling, return them to the oven for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
Notes
Slice the apples as evenly as you can, about ⅛ inch thick; thicker slices stay chewy and very thin ones brown at the edges. After the lemon soak, pat the slices completely dry, because wet slices steam instead of drying. If you bake two trays, swap their shelves when you flip at 1 hour. Test one chip after it cools for about 5 minutes: it should snap. If it bends, bake the batch 20 to 30 minutes more. Cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. If they soften, warm them at 200°F for 5 to 10 minutes and cool again.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 50Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gSodium 1mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 3gSugar 9gProtein 0g
