Banana Chips – How to Make 3 Methods

These Homemade Banana Chips are super simple, perfectly crunchy, and can be made in the oven, air fryer or dehydrator! If you have ripe bananas, these are the perfect way to use them up and have a healthy crunchy treat that is naturally sweet.

Homemade Banana Chips

Banana chips are a such a yummy crunchy snack. And the best part is, they are easy to make yourself and much less expensive than buying banana chips at the store.

A lot of people wonder if banana chips are healthy? This is actually a great question, because store bought banana chips are typically fried and contain a lot of ingredients that make them high in fat, sugar and calories.

When you make banana chips at home, they have the nutrition of bananas without the downsides of being highly processed.  Bananas are a good source of:

• Fiber- for gut health
• Carbs – bananas provide a good balance of carbs and fiber to keep you feeling fuller longer
• Potassium- helps with muscle movement (great for child athletes)

If you have ripe bananas on your counter right now, these homemade banana chips are definitely a healthy snack option.

Ingredients Needed for Banana Chips

Making banana chips at home is so simple because you really only need 2 ingredients!

• Bananas – you will want to use ripe bananas that are still firm. If they are too ripe, they will be mushy and you won’t be able to slice them very well. If your bananas aren’t ripe enough, the banana chips won’t be sweet.
• Lemon Juice – if you are using the oven or dehydrator method, you will need lemon juice to prevent the banana slices from turning brown and shriveling during the drying process. The slices will still brown some, but using lemon juice really helps with this.

How to Make Banana Chips

There are three different ways to make banana chips are home. I’m going to teach you the different ways depending on what equipment you have at home.

Oven Method

This method takes the longest, but is very hands off. There are a lot of other oven methods out there, but I have found this method produces the crunchiest banana chip!

1. Slice. First, slice your bananas as thinly as possible and place in a bowl. I aim for less than 1/4 inch thick. This is tricky to do if you are just guessing and doing it with a knife. If your bananas are firm enough, you can use a mandolin to make sure your slices are all uniform.
2. Prepare. Cover the bananas with water, and add lemon juice. Gently stir the bananas to make sure they are all exposed to the lemon juice mixture. Let them sit for a couple minutes.
3. Dry. Gently spoon the banana slices out of the bowl and place them on a paper towel to blot excess water.
4. Arrange. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and arrange the banana slices so that they are not touching.
5. Bake. Set your oven to the lowest temperature it can go. I bake my banana chips at 170 degrees F. They will need to bake for about 5 hours.  After 5 hours, remove bananas and flip them over, so the underside gets crispy.
6. Crisp. Put the tray back in the warm oven, turn the oven off, and let them sit in the oven overnight.  By morning, your banana chips will be super crispy!

Air Fryer Method

This method is the fastest and will definitely give you super crispy banana chips.

1. Preheat. Set the temperature of your airfryer to 350 degrees F.
2. Slice. First, slice your bananas as thinly as possible and place on a baking sheet (or plate). I aim for less than 1/4 inch thick. This is tricky to do if you are just guessing and doing it with a knife. If your bananas are firm enough, you can use a mandolin to make sure your slices are all uniform.
3. Prepare. Mix lemon juice and oil together and coat your banana slices.
4. Arrange. Place the banana slices in a single layer in your air fryer basket or tray. You might have to do this in batches to make sure none of the slices are touching or covering each other.
5. Cook. Air fry for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy.
6. Cool. Remove from air fryer and let them cool. Repeat with remaining banana slices.

Dehydrator Method

I like this method because it is basically set it and forget it. It does take quite a few hours, but it doesn’t take up oven space and your banana chips don’t really need to be attended to while they are drying.

1. Slice. First, slice your bananas as thinly as possible and place in a bowl. I aim for less than 1/4 inch thick. This is tricky to do if you are just guessing and doing it with a knife. If your bananas are firm enough, you can use a mandolin to make sure your slices are all uniform.
2. Prepare. Mix water and lemon juice together. Pour into the bowl with your bananas, and gently stir the bananas to make sure they are all exposed to the lemon juice mixture.
3. Arrange. Place the banana slices in a single layer on your dehydrator trays. Place the trays on your dehydrator and put the lid on.
4. Dry. Set the temperature on your dehydrator to 135 degrees F. Your banana chips will need to dry anywhere from 8-12 hours depending on the type of dehydrator you have and how thick your banana slices are. I would recommend checking after 6 hours to determine how much longer your banana chips will need to dry.

How to Store Homemade Banana Chips

Once your banana chips are cooled, store them in an airtight container. They can be stored on your counter or pantry. The key is to keep them away from moisture. If they you store them in a cool, dry place they can stay good for 3-4 weeks.

If you live in a hot humid environment, I recommend storing in the freezer. They will stay crisp and fresh for 3 months stored in an airtight container in the freezer.

More Favorite Banana Recipes

• 16 Best Ways to Use Ripe Bananas – If you have ripe bananas, you need to book mark this post! It has 16 different ways you can use your ripe bananas with lots of yummy recipes to make sure you don’t ever have to throw them out.
• Homemade Banana Pudding – This sweet, rich, and creamy banana pudding recipe goes light on added sugars and big on fresh banana flavor!
• Healthy Banana Bread – Our healthy banana bread uses 100% whole grains, whole milk yogurt, plus honey or maple syrup as a natural sweetener