The baked apple chips recipe below turns fresh apples into thin, crisp slices using only an oven and a little cinnamon. You get a dry, snappy texture that holds up in a lunchbox or on a cheese board without any oil or added sugar. It’s a straightforward way to use apples that are past their crunch-raw stage but not yet soft enough for sauce.
What makes this method reliable is low, steady heat and a single layer on the tray. Thicker slices stay chewy; paper-thin slices curl and crack. We’ll cover the slice width, the temperature, and the signs that tell you the chips are done rather than just dry. If you enjoyed this, our garlic butter baked is worth trying next. Making this baked apple chips at home is surprisingly straightforward once you know the key steps.
Why You’ll Love These Baked Apple Chips
- Only three base ingredients and no special equipment beyond a baking sheet.
- Naturally fat-free and low in sugar compared with store-bought crisps.
- Long shelf life at room temperature when fully dried and cooled.
- Easy to scale up using two sheets when apples are cheap in fall.
- Mild cinnamon scent without overpowering the fruit’s own sweetness.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 4 medium firm apples (about 700 g) — Fuji or Honeycrisp hold shape best
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice diluted in 500 ml water (for the soaking bath)
The lemon bath keeps the cut surfaces from browning before they hit the oven. Cinnamon is added after slicing so it sticks to the moist surface instead of burning in the bowl. The baked apple chips works well for weeknight cooking when time is limited.
Ingredient Substitutions
Firm apples: Replace with an equal weight of firm pears such as Bosc for a similar dense slice that dries without falling apart. Pears contain slightly more water, so expect the drying time to run about 15 minutes longer at the same temperature. The finished chips will taste milder and a touch floral compared with apple. Storing leftover baked apple chips correctly keeps it tasting good for days.
Ground cinnamon: Use 1 tsp ground cardamom or ginger for a warmer, less sweet spice note on the same fruit. These spices brown faster than cinnamon, so drop the oven temperature by 10°C to avoid bitter edges. The chips will read more like a chai snack than a classic apple crisp. For the best results with this baked apple chips, read through all the steps before starting.
Lemon juice bath: Swap for 1 tsp ascorbic acid powder in 500 ml water if you want a neutral flavor with the same anti-browning effect. Ascorbic acid doesn’t add citrus taste, which matters if you’re spicing the chips with savory notes. The soak time stays the same at 5 minutes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat the oven to 110°C / 225°F and line two trays with parchment so slices don’t stick as moisture leaves them.
- Mix the lemon juice into 500 ml water and drop the apple halves in after cutting to slow browning while you work.
- Core the apples and slice them 2 mm thin with a mandoline; uneven widths cause some chips to burn while others stay leathery.
- Pat slices dry, lay them in a single layer with no overlap, then dust both sides with the cinnamon using a small sieve.
- Bake 90 minutes, then flip each slice; continue until edges look dry and centers snap rather than bend, about 60 more minutes.
- Cool on the tray 20 minutes so residual heat finishes the crisp; they harden as they reach room temperature.
Pro Tips
Keep the oven fan on low if your model has one, since moving air shortens the drying window by roughly 20 minutes. A still oven works too but watch the back row for hot spots.
Use a mandoline with a guard instead of a knife; hand-cut slices vary by as much as 3 mm and that alone causes half the batch to scorch. Uniform thickness is the single biggest factor in even chips.
If your chips soften overnight, they weren’t fully dried; return them to 110°C / 225°F for 10 minutes to pull out hidden moisture. This fix works better than a microwave, which steams instead of crisping.
For deeper background on low-temperature fruit drying, see the oven drying guide from Bon Appetit before your first batch.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Stacking slices on the tray traps steam and produces pale, chewy rounds instead of crisp ones. Always leave a 5 mm gap so air moves across the surface.
Raising the heat to finish faster browns the sugars before the center dries, leaving a bitter shell around a soft middle. Stay at 110°C / 225°F for the full window.
Storing chips while still warm seals vapor inside the jar and they turn sticky within a day. Wait until they feel room temperature and snap cleanly before closing any container.
Serving Suggestions
Pair a handful with the apple cake for a textural contrast of crisp and tender at a fall dessert table. The chips also crush well over yogurt without going soggy for up to 3 days in the fridge topping.
Set them next to the baked mushrooms on a savory board so guests get a sweet, dry bite between earthy ones. A small pile works as a garnish for the apple cider cocktail instead of a stirrer.
Storage and Reheating
Once fully cool, keep chips in a glass jar with a tight lid at room temperature for up to 2 weeks; any humidity shortens that. If the room is above 75°F, store in the pantry rather than near the stove.
They don’t need reheating, but a 5 minutes tray warm-up at 110°C revives any that softened. Don’t freeze this snack — ice crystals shatter the structure and they crumble to dust on thaw.
Recipe Variations
Savory Rosemary Version
Skip cinnamon and dust the sliced apples with 1 tsp finely crumbled dried rosemary plus a pinch of salt before baking. The herbs dry into the surface and give a cracker-like bite that pairs with the spinach dip as a scoop.
Maple Glazed Batch
Brush each slice with 1 tsp maple syrup thinned in water before the oven for a glossy, sweeter chip that browns a shade darker. Watch the final 20 minutes closely since sugar accelerates scorching on the edges.
Apple-Pear Mix
Combine 2 apples with 2 firm pears using the same bath and spice steps for a mixed tray. The pears lag about 15 minutes behind, so pull apple chips early and let pears finish alone to avoid burnt fruit.
Spiced Cider Dust
Replace cinnamon with 1 tsp mixed mulling spice ground fine, linking the flavor to the apple sponge cake at a winter table. The finer grind prevents gritty bits on the thin slices.
Baked Apple Chips Recipe
Description
These baked apple chips turn fresh firm apples into thin, crisp slices with just cinnamon and a lemon soak — no oil or added sugar. Low, steady oven heat gives them a snappy, lunchbox-ready texture that highlights the fruit's natural sweetness.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Heat oven and line trays
Heat the oven to 110°C / 225°F and line two trays with parchment so slices don't stick as moisture leaves them. Use two baking sheets if you want to scale up when apples are cheap in fall.
-
Mix lemon bath
Mix the 1 tbsp lemon juice into 500 ml water to make the soaking bath. Drop the apple halves in after cutting to slow browning while you work through the rest of the prep.
-
Core and slice apples
Core the apples and slice them 2 mm thin with a mandoline; uneven widths cause some chips to burn while others stay leathery. A mandoline with a guard gives uniform thickness, which is the single biggest factor in even chips.
-
Soak and dry slices
Place the cut apple halves into the lemon bath for about 5 minutes to keep surfaces from browning before they hit the oven. Pat slices dry so the cinnamon sticks to the moist surface instead of burning in the bowl.
-
Lay out and dust cinnamon
Lay slices in a single layer with no overlap on the lined trays, leaving a 5 mm gap so air moves across the surface. Dust both sides with the 1 tsp ground cinnamon using a small sieve for even coverage.
-
First bake period
Bake at 110°C / 225°F for 90 minutes without raising heat, since higher heat browns sugars before the center dries. The slices should look paler and starting to dry at the edges by the end of this window.
-
Flip and finish baking
Flip each slice carefully, then continue baking until edges look dry and centers snap rather than bend, about 60 more minutes. Stay at 110°C / 225°F for the full window so you get crisp chips, not a bitter shell around a soft middle.
-
Cool on tray
Cool on the tray for 20 minutes so residual heat finishes the crisp; they harden as they reach room temperature. Wait until they feel room temperature and snap cleanly before closing any container to avoid trapped vapor.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 90kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Sodium 2mg1%
- Total Carbohydrate 24g8%
- Dietary Fiber 4g16%
- Sugars 18g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Storage: Once fully cool, keep chips in a glass jar with a tight lid at room temperature for up to 2 weeks; any humidity shortens that life.
- Make ahead: Use two sheets to scale up in fall and cool completely before jarring so they don't turn sticky.
- Pro tip: A low oven fan shortens the drying window by roughly 20 minutes, and for background see the spinach dip pairing idea for serving.
- Re-crisp: If chips soften, return them to 110°C for 10 minutes to pull out hidden moisture rather than using a microwave.
