These Crispy Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips are the perfect healthy snack! They're easy to make in the oven, and skip all the added sugar that most store brands use. These crispy apple chips are great for kids and adults alike. Eat them bare, or add maple tahini dip and enjoy!
Do you have any grazers in your family? You know, the kids who eat almost nothing during each meal and then want snacks every hour on the hour? That’s my youngest son. He hates most dinners, but give him a plate full of “snacks” - cheese, fruit, granola bars, crackers, carrot sticks - and he’s a happy boy.
If you have someone like this in your life, let me share with you the wonder of delicious crispy apple chips and allow you to add one more healthy snack option up your sleeve. (PS - this is a great activity for the entire family during apple season if you have apple picking outing planned in your future!)
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Why I Love These Crunchy Apple Chips
There are so many reasons these crunchy apple chips are one of my favorite apple recipes!
- Healthy snack recipe. Not only do these tastes good, but homemade apple chips are a great healthy alternative to regular potato chips or other junk food that your kids could be consuming. Apples are packed full of fiber and antioxidants. And studies have linked apples to a reduction in the risk for cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
- Easy. This apple chips recipe does take a few hours to make, for the most part, it's just baking them at a low heat in the oven and is fairly hands off. If you find yourself with a few hours at home, just pop these in, go about your business, and you'll have a delicious healthy snack before you know it! (And, unlike store-bought apple chips, you can control the sugar content!)
- Simple ingredients. For the baked apple chips, all you need are three ingredients and you're set!
- Satisfies a sweet tooth. These easy apple chips are a sweet snack for when you're craving something sweet but don't want the added sugar intake.
- Budget friendly! If you're just making the apple chips, all you really need are the apples, some cinnamon and sugar. Super easy and thrifty and less expensive than buying the brand name varieties from the store!
When you’re craving something crisp, this can be the perfect snack for almost anyone since it’s vegan. And if you omit the sugar, it’s Paleo and Whole 30 friendly too!
Ingredients
So, what's in this delicious snack? Just a few simple ingredients!
- Apples. Of course! Be sure to use fresh apples here. I used a Honeycrisp apple here, but the type of apple you choose is really up to you. McIntosh apples, Red Delicious, Jazz, Gala apples, or Pink Lady are all on the sweeter side and may yield slightly sweeter apple chips. Granny Smith apples are slightly tart, but may give your chips an extra zing! Just pick your favorite apples and you can't really go wrong.
- Cinnamon & sugar. A sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar over the top of the apple slices helps to make these cinnamon sugar apple chips sweet. (Learn how to make a big batch of the perfect cinnamon sugar ratio!)
- Maple Tahini dipping sauce. You can of course indulge on these crispy chips all on their own, but I love serving them with an easy maple tahini dipping sauce to make this quick snack extra special.
How To Make The Baked Cinnamon Sugar Apple Chips
These are easy to make, although they do take a bit of patience.
- Make the apple slices. The first step is to slice your apples into very thin slices (a mandoline slicer is a great way to get your apples super thin!) and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Add the cinnamon and sugar. Next, sprinkle the apple rings with a bit of cinnamon and a small pinch of sugar.
- Bake them! Cook them on very low heat (200 degrees) for about 3 hours in the oven (flipping them halfway through). Keeping a low oven temperature basically turns them into dehydrated apple chips and they come out nice and crispy and ready to be devoured by your little snacker or thrown into lunch boxes.
What's nice about these is that although they do take an afternoon to make, once they're in the oven they're pretty much hands-off for the rest of the time.
How To Make The Maple Tahini Dip
These delicious apple chips are great on their own. But, If you want a bit more sweetness, or are serving as an app for a party, add in the maple tahini dip. It’s got a nice nutty, sweet flavor that pairs beautifully with the crisp, tart apple chips.
Making this dip is easy.
- Add ingredients to bowl. Add maple syrup, tahini, water, salt, and vanilla to a small bowl.
- Mix! Mix well to combine, and voila! You have maple tahini dip!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, but it makes it a LOT easier, and helps to make your apple slices a bit more uniform and of an even thickness. This helps them bake more evenly in the oven. However, if you don't have a mandoline slicer, a very sharp knife will do the trick.
It's not necessary to core the apples for this recipe. When you slice the apples, the seeds should pop right out of the slices. Everything else is edible.
Yes! Air fryer apple chips are actually a great way to make these in a fraction of the time. Simply prepare the apples as directed, place them in an air fryer basket sprayed lightly with cooking spray, and set your air fryer to 300 degrees F. Air fry them for 15 minutes, giving them a good shake every 5 minutes until they're golden brown and crispy. (Note: when placing the apple chips in the air fryer basket, try your best not to pile them on top of each other.)
There are a variety of apples that would work well for this recipe, and in my opinion, it really comes down to the taste you like best. However, I find that choosing fresh, crispier apples yields crunchy chips.
We like to enjoy these crunchy apple chips right out of the oven, but they'll keep in an airtight container for about 2-3 days, and they will start to lose their crispiness after that. (Make sure to let the apple chips come to room temperature before storing them!) You can store any leftover maple tahini dip in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Try these apple chips with maple tahini dip for a healthy snack alternative - it’s the perfect fall snack! And if you do try it, make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Recipe
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Apple Chips With Maple Tahini Dip
Ingredients
- 2 honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ cup tahini
- ⅛ cup water
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- To make the apple chips, slice your apples very thin using a mandoline.
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay the sliced apples evenly on the baking sheet (don’t layer them!) and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
- Bake in the oven for 1-1.5 hours, then flip the chips over and bake for an additional 1-1.5 hours, checking on them periodically to ensure they don’t become too dry.
- To make the maple tahini dip, add the tahini, water, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla to a bowl and mix well to combine.
- Remove chips from the oven and enjoy!
Notes
- Store leftover apple chips in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
- Use a mandoline for easy slicing (but watch those fingers!).
- I like to make a big batch of cinnamon sugar to use in all sorts of recipes like this one where you just need a dusting. Get my cinnamon sugar recipe here!)
Nutrition
Bev M says
Very good, surprisingly crisp; maple flavor tempered the tahini too!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Bev - so glad you like it!
Shelby says
I love how little sugar is in this recipe but the apples came out delicious regardless. And that maple tahini dip was the cincher that was missing, it's amazing!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks so much Shelby! So glad you liked them!
Lorinda says
Omg. We had this with our breakfast this morning and it was amazing. This will undoubtedly become a habit for us.
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Lorinda! So glad you enjoyed them!