We all love potato chips! But unfortunately, they aren’t the healthiest thing to eat. Many potato chip brands add sugar, salt and other harmful ingredients to their snacks. When you want to satisfy your salty cravings, a good alternative is to make your own baked chips at home. And the best thing is that you can juggle with vegetables other than potatoes.
What do you think of when you hear the word “potatoes”? Is it French fries? It’s all right, we’re thinking the same thing. French fries are comfort food, so it’s normal to crave a big salty and crunchy serving from time to time. Let’s admit that we usually buy them from fast food places and eat them with mayo or ketchup sauce. Sound yummy? Yes! But not healthy at all! Especially since this guilty pleasure can become addictive! If you want to avoid that, try to replace it with other comfort foods, with different tastes, textures, and colors!
What do you say about breaking the cycle and forgetting about those store-bought potato chips? A healthier way to enjoy salty snacks is to bake them in the oven. But we dare you to go even further and from now on bake chips made from a wide range of vegetables!
We chose five alternatives to potatoes. You can even mix the root vegetables to make baked chips and enjoy them alongside burgers or other grilled meats.
5 veggie baked chips healthier than potatoes
Any vegetable which keeps its form relatively well during cooking is a good candidate for becoming a batch of baked chips. We suggest you try root vegetables!
1. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a healthier alternative to potatoes. They have fewer calories than regular potatoes and they also have fewer carbs.
If you want to make baked chips from sweet potatoes, slice them as uniformly thin as possible and experiment with all the spices in your kitchen. We recommend you try chili powder, garlic, sea salt, nutmeg, pepper, and paprika. If you want your baked chips to be sweet, you can sprinkle some cinnamon on them before cooking.
2. Carrots
Cut the carrots into thin slices, on their length. Actually, it doesn’t matter if you cut them into rounds, sticks or lengthwise. Spray some olive oil on them, so that the spices stick on the chips. You can add almost anything on carrots: dried basil, coriander, curry, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, rosemary, sage, and thyme. And, of course, some salt!
Carrots are also sweet, but in the oven, they become a little smoky and bitter. The edges get darker and crunchier, but the center remains orange and sweet, but soft. Baked carrot chips are a great snack, but you can also serve them as a side.
3. Celery roots
Usually, celery can be used in stews, vegetable soups or salads. But you can also make baked chips from celery root! They are healthy and delicious! Celery root becomes sweeter when baked!
Slice the root in half and then into quarters, then slice each quarter as thinly as possible. It’s better if you use a slicer. Spray them with vegetable oil and sprinkle over them your favorite spices. You can try paprika, pepper, thyme, oregano, onion powder, rosemary, and sea salt or kosher salt.
Roast the chips until they turn golden brown. Serve immediately, while they’re still crispy!
4. Turnips
Turnip is a root vegetable more common in the USA than Europe. They taste like radishes when eaten raw. When cooked, they may be similar to potatoes.
You should wash them well, but don’t peel the skin. Because turnips are, generally, white at the bottom with a light purple blush on the top, they’ll look amazing sliced and baked. Cooked in the oven, they form waves! Turnips go well with fresh chopped herbs like parsley or dill. You can also bake them with basil, chives, garlic, and mint.
5. Parsnips
Parsnips look like white carrots. They taste a little bit nutty, sweet, and spicy. Cut them into round slices or lengthwise and sprinkle over them whatever your heart desire: chives, fennel seeds, parsley, thyme, and coriander. Parsnips are absolutely delicious roasted!