Bite into a sweet, crispy, slightly crunchy cinnamon apple chip! This wholesome snack is easy to make and created without any sugar or preservatives. In this tutorial, learn how easy it is to make apple chips at home in your oven or dehydrator. A perfect treat for children and adults alike!

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Healthy Snack Idea

All good things come to an end.

Like warm summer days. Gardening. Harvesting. Fresh tomatoes picked right from the vine. Days spent lakeside. Shorts and sleeveless shirts.

Summer never seems to last very long. One moment you’re itching to get into your garden and plant your seeds. The next second, summer has flown by and you’re decorating the front porch with a pot of mums and a few orange pumpkins. Just last week summer officially ended and I am beginning to make room to plant all of our cold weather crops.

As much as I love summer and all it’s wonders, I think I have to declare that fall is my favorite season of all. Crisp cool nights and cozy sweaters are just one of my many most-liked things about autumn. There is also the love of amber colored leaves, flannel shirts and spending the afternoon apple picking.

Each year I bring home about 2 bushels of apples, picked right from the trees of a nearby orchard. Fuji, gala and golden delicious are among my favorite apple varieties. Several handfuls of delicious apples are tucked away into my crisper drawer inside my fridge while the rest of the apples are turned into pies, crisps, applesauce and of course, apple chips.

Apple chips are a great healthy snack for kids and adults alike. You can serve them as an after-school treat, add them into a dessert or toss them into a batch of overnight oatmeal. And the best part about dried apples is they are incredibly easy to make! Within just a few minutes of hands-on time, you can easily create a snack packed full of fiber and nutrients for you to enjoy for weeks on end!

I prefer to make up several batches at a time so that I can enjoy apple chips almost all year long. If you’d like to take your apple chips up a notch, simply sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon spice onto the apple before dehydrating. Pumpkin pie spice is also a nice addition to dried apples.

Health Benefits of Apple Chips

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, is the age-old saying. Why is that? Because organic apples are so good for you! Here are just a few of the reasons you should eat apples:

Excellent source of fiber
Rich in antioxidants
Good source of vitamin C
Packed full of potassium, calcium and iron
Great for digestive health

Best Types of Apples to Make Apple Chips

Stop by an orchard and you will see there are a variety of apples to choose from. But which apple makes the best apple chips? While you can turn any type of apple into a dried apple chip, I recommend naturally sweet apples that will hold up well in an oven or dehydrator. These varieties include:

Fuji
Gala
Golden delicious
Pink lady
Honeycrisp
Macoun

How to Make Apple Chips

Dried apple chips are the perfect on-the-go snack. The two easiest ways to make apple chips are to dehydrate them in either an oven or dehydrator. I prefer to dry them in my Nesco dehydrator as it heats and drys the apples evenly. The dehydrator will remove the moisture from the apples, shrinking them in size and turning the once moist apples into a crisp sugar free snack.

Don’t forget the cinnamon! It is your best friend! Add just a little cinnamon onto your apples after they have been sliced to transform your apples into cinnamon apple chips. Plus, you can’t beat the aroma of cinnamon apples! It’s like burning a natural fall scented candle in your home. It smells heavenly!

Once you’ve sliced and seasoned your apples, it is now time to dry them. Keep reading to learn how!

How to Dehydrate Apples

Set out 8-10 apples. Wash, peel and core your apples. Remove any bruised or browning spots. This process can be done by hand but to save time, I highly recommend an apple peeler corer. It makes the job so much easier! Slice the apples in 1/4-inch thick half moons or 1/4-inch thick rings. If you’d prefer the apples as is, proceed to the next step to dehydrate. However, if you enjoy cinnamon apple chips, add the apple slices into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Using a spatula, gently stir the apples until they are thoroughly coated with cinnamon spice.

How to Make Apple Chips in a Dehydrator

To dehydrate your apples in a dehydrator, fill each tray or rack with your apple slices or rings. Set the dehydrator to 135° F. Apple slices can take 5-10 hours to fully dry. The apple chips are done when there is no moisture and they have a rubbery, almost leathery feel to them. I find the best way to test for doneness is to turn the dehydrator off, remove the lid and allow the apple chips to set out at room temperature for a few minutes. As the apple cools, it should harden and feel crisp.

Store the dried apple slices in a cool, dry place inside an airtight container.

How to Make Apple Chips in the Oven

Preheat the oven to 135° F. To prevent the apple chips from sticking, place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Alternatively you can use a drying rack. Dry apple slices for 4-15 hours, rotating the baking sheets every hour or so. The apple chips are finished drying when they have a crisp, leathery feel to them, after set out at room temperature for 3-5 minutes.

Eat the apple chips as is or toss them into homemade granola, add to yogurt, place on top of oatmeal or stir into trail mix.

How to Store Apple Chips

The best way to store dehydrated apple chips are in a sealed glass container such as a mason jar. You can use the metal lid with the seal and ring or use an airtight plastic lid. Both work well. Place the sealed jar in your pantry or a closed cupboard away from heat and out of direct sunlight to ensure optimal freshness.

If you plan to store the dried apple chips for a long period of time, try storing them in a vacuum sealed container such as a Food Saver.

Dried apple chips can last up to year or more if dried and stored properly.

Cinnamon Apple Chips

Ingredients

8-10 apples (such as fuji, gala, golden delicious)
1-2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

Wash, peel and core your apples. Remove any bruised or browning spots. Slice the apples in 1/4-inch thick half moons or 1/4-inch thick rings.
Add the apple slices into a large bow. If using, sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Using a spatula, gently stir the apples until they are thoroughly coated with cinnamon spice.
To dehydrate your apples in a dehydrator, fill each tray or rack with your apple slices or rings. Set the dehydrator to 135° F. Apple slices can take 5-10 hours to fully dry. The apple chips are done when there is no moisture and they have a rubbery, almost leathery feel to them.
If using an oven, preheat the oven to 135° F. To prevent the apple chips from sticking, place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Alternatively you can use a drying rack. Dry apple slices for 4-15 hours, rotating the baking sheets every hour or so. The apple chips are finished drying when they have a crisp, leathery feel to them, after set out at room temperature for 3-5 minutes.
Store the dried apple slices in a cool, dry place inside an airtight container. Dried apple chips can last up to year or more if dried and stored properly.