The Best Homemade Kid’s Snacks on the Planet
Buy Now →Need a delicious way to eat bananas? Better yet, over-ripe bananas? If you are wondering what to do with the overripe bananas on your counter, these baked banana chips are the answer!
And when you see how easy they are to make, I know you’ll be excited to make your first batch!
Of course, you could always make a batch of Oatmeal Banana Muffins or Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars with overripe bananas, but I’m not always feeling so ambitious (meaning, I don’t feel like doing any dishes). That’s why this recipe is my go-to solution for creating a great, all-natural snack!
This tasty, sweet-salty snack is perfect for using in place of regular chips and much healthier since they’re baked! They make a terrific lunchbox add-on or after school snack.
Kids love it as a packed lunch item to dip in salsa, guacamole or even hummus!
Yes, these banana chips are kid-approved just like the recipes found in our Family KickStart Program! It’s a 30-day whole eating program designed with the entire family in mind.
KickStart eliminates all processed foods and junk, without nixing your kid’s favorite recipes. We have pancakes, and yummy snacks like these, the kids don’t even notice we’re eating healthier.
So many families just like yours have already done Family KickStart and discovered their kids approved of the recipes, and even asked for more when the 30 days were over! See what all the hype is about, and download a free sample here.
How to Make Banana Chips
A recipe note before you get into the kitchen, if the banana chips are still soft after coming from the oven, this is normal.
The chips will harden as they cool down. Want more? Try my recipe for Homemade Apple Chips to partner with this tasty banana version. If you have leftovers, you can also freeze bananas to use in recipes later.
How do you store banana chips? In an airtight container or zip bag for up to a week.
You can also use green bananas or plantains. In that case, you can soak the slices in a bowl with 4 parts water (4 tablespoons) and 1 part lemon juice (1 tablespoon) for at least 2 hours before baking as directed below (another reason why browned bananas work best, less wait time).
I even like to sprinkle a little cinnamon over the chips, making this snack even sweeter!
Happy snacking!
Homemade Baked Banana Chips
Turn over-ripe bananas into baked banana chips! This snack is easy to make and perfect for dipping with salsa, guacamole, or hummus!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Category: snacks
- Method: baking
Scale
Ingredients
- 2 Bananas
- Lemon juice
- Water
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250F. Line a large sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine 4 parts ( 4 tablespoons) water with 1 part (1 tablespoon) lemon juice.
- Slice bananas very thin, about 1/8″ thick coins, brush with lemon juice and water mixture. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake at 250F for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until they are crispy, making sure to flip them over halfway through.
- Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool (the longer they cool the crispier they become).
Sweet chips:
- Use over ripe bananas and sprinkle with cinnamon. Follow baking directions above.
Notes
- Soaking the banana slices in the lemon juice-water mixture is optional.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 110
- Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 28.5g
- Protein: 1.4g
Keywords: banana chips, homemade banana chips, healthy banana chips
More Recipes Using Bananas
Banana Oatmeal Muffins – If you love simple recipes that you can throw a bunch of ingredients in a blender and turn out delicious, these banana oatmeal muffins are for you!
Chocolate Banana Bread – Banana bread is always a great idea, especially when you have tons of frozen bananas in your freezer. The only thing better is adding chocolate, and this double chocolate banana bread is Epic.
Strawberry Fruit Leather – Whether you have frozen strawberries or fresh that are about to go bad, making strawberry fruit leather is super easy.
I just threw out a bunch of overripe bananas this morning, declaring, “I’m not making banana bread.” Thanks for this simple recipe I can keep on hand now. Question- can I use bottled lemon juice if it’s all I have? – Blessings
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Hi Chrissy, yes you can use bottled lemon juice! I hope you enjoy these!
Tasty!! Whole house loves them
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I found this recipe and just used it as a guide. I did no soaking of the banana slices etc and used no paper.
Just put the slices into a portable convection oven directly onto the grill slats at 250F and they turned out very brown and chewy so I let them go for an extra hour. After cooling for another hour (ie:4 hours in total) they were crisp and tasted fine. I don’t care that they are brown. I just wanted to extend the shelf like of the bananas to use in breakfasts.
I’m not sure if this was recipe or user error; however, I followed the recipe and ended with chewy and sticky chips. I used parchment (not wax) paper and made the slices very thin. I baked them for an hour and 45 min, took them out and let them cool. They were pretty gooey, but noticed your instructions said the more they cool the crispier they will get. This did not work, so I decided to stick them back in. Thirty more minutes in the oven and they looked pretty brown (from the cooking, I used the lemon juice) indicating that they should come out or be burnt. I tried to take them off of the pan but about half stuck to the paper and made a mess. The other half was still chewy after letting cool ):
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I am sorry this didn’t exactly work for you, Hadley. Making sure your oven is at its lowest setting makes a big difference and while they are called “chips” they aren’t crispy like fried, they do have a slightly “fruit leather” texture to them.
Hi,
I noticed there’s a discrepancy in your detail note & your instructions on how much lemon juice & water for the banana chip recipe.
On your note section, you put 4 part water + 1 part lemon juice but on your instructions, you put 1/4 water + 3/4 lemon juice. Please correct it & let me know which is the correct portion of each. Thanks
Hi Cindy, the recipe has been updated with the proper corrections. The solution 4 parts water (4 tablespoons) with 1 part lemon juice (1 tablespoon). The soaking method is also optional.
How can I store these. I did everything they came out crispy but a day later they got mushy.
I recommend storing them in an airtight container like plastic containers or lidded mason jars.
This recipe was an absolute disaster. I ruined my cookie sheets! No parchment, no oil? I thought it was too good to be true, and it is. As my first try making banana chips I am sorry to have found your recipe. And I am pretty sure the photos are of commercially prepared fried banana chips.
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Hi Lynda, sorry it didn’t turn out but I have revised the recipe to include a step about lining the baking sheet. These have been tested twice and each batch has turned out perfectly.
I like your recipe, makes me understand a variety of food banana chips
Hi! I’m just 14 and your way of explaining these is really simple! Thanks for that!!!
i hope you enjoyed them! :)
Hi! I was wondering if i could coat them in something different like honey instead of lemon and water?
I’m not sure how they would turn out coated with honey but the lemon water keeps them from browning as much.
Just a quick question. The description above the recipes says to soak for 2 hours and then the recipe instructions say to brush with lemon and water. Which method works better?
The tip above the recipe describes how to make banana chips that are lighter in color than when using regular yellow bananas. Following the recipe, as is, will result in a banana chip that looks like the images at the top of the post, and some kids don’t like that. If you want them to look like the ones you typically buy at the store (yellow) use green bananas or plantains and soak them for 2 hours first. I hope this helps clear it up. Thank you and good luck!! Let me know how they turn out.
Hi,I read your blog named “Homemade Banana Chips Recipe – Baked” like every week.Your writing style is witty, keep it up! And you can look our website about love spell.
I did everything as per instructions and then put them in the oven at 250 degrees centigrade and burnt them; presumably, the 250 degrees mentioned is in Fahrenheit, which would be approx 125 centigrade?
The temperature is indeed in Fahrenheit. These need to go in the oven at about 100-125 celcius.
I’ve done these before and they were delicious! My husband absolutely loves them!
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I dipped mine in lemon juice, placed them on an ungreased cookie sheet, and sprinkled them with cinnamon and sea salt. After 90 minutes I used a metal spatula to carefully loosen them from the pan and turn each one over. I cooked them a little extra on the second side, more like 45 minutes, because I sliced mine like 1/4″. They are nicely chewy with a slight lemon zing. I made them to eat on long runs, but they’re so tasty I may not have any left by then. Great recipe and so easy.
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That’s a great idea with the lemon juice!
Couple comments:
I just finished my first bag of store bought chips, and went so insane I immediately looked for a recipe.
I have read all of these (sometimes humorous) comments but haven’t made them yet, but two things that may impact these chefs:
1) Temperature – every oven is different. Mine runs 25 degrees avg above the setting. some of these gooey results may have come from an oven not hot enough
2) relative humidity – live in a humid climate and it takes longer to dry out
Just some thoughts..
Thanks for the tips, Jim!
Recipe sounds great! Will try these in our church 1yr old nursery as an alternative to animal crackers, Ritz and goldfish!
Sounds great!
I hate to be one of those people who leaves negative comments (it seems so unappreciative and entitled) but I did want to let you know that I followed the instructions above to the letter (sliced slightly-green plantains about 1/8″ thick and soaked the slices in a solution of 4 parts water and 1 part lemon juice for 2 hours before sprinkling lightly with kosher salt and baking at 250 for 2 hours, flipping half way through), and the consensus was that the chips are totally inedible because “they taste like soap!”
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Hi! We didn’t use plantains, so that may be why there are differences.
Also you should have done 3 parts lemon juice and 1 part water
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I tried the soaking method and they all stuck to the parchment paper. I will try again and either spray the parchment paper with a little Pam or use the foil-type parchment paper. A little disappointed because I was really looking forward to those “chips!” Will have to wait till I have leftover bananas again and time!
Spraying the parchment paper would definitely help!
Mrs. Moriarty, I tried to make tortillas with a liquid plantain recipe with lime juice and they definitely tasted “soapy-ish to me too(I baked them and they were rubbery), but eating them fresh didn’t taste that way at all.
Hi, I have a lot of bananas in my freezer, I need to use up. Would I be able to use those? Thanks
Hi! As long as you let them thaw out completely, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to! Frozen bananas are also great for creamy smoothies.
No. You will not be able to use them for chips. Once frozen, then thawed, they will be mushy. FYI freezing bananas is a quick way to get them the right consistency to make banana bread. Lets say you have some black bananas that are ready to make bread, but are a few bananas short. Just freeze some bananas then thaw. They will be soft and ready. The flavor wont be as good as the black, overripe ones but will work fine.
Thanks for the helpful tips!
Will these stay good for a while? There is a sale at a grocery store on Bananas and I would like them to keep.
Yes, you are essentially dehydrating the bananas. Please check the post for recommended storage. Enjoy!
I have read the post twice and don’t see how long we can store these after baking. And should they be stored refrigerated or at room temperature?
Amanda, this will vary by thickness of the slice. As you can see from the recipe, 1 1/2-2h.
How ripe were the bananas you used? Did they look like the ones in the picture?
I’ve made them anywhere from what you see here to right before they are only good for smoothies or banana bread.
Wow some of these comments are so rude!
Recipe looks great – supermarket was selling huge bags of bananas for 20p yesterday (about 32 cents) so bought a bag and looking for ideas to use them up. These would be good for daughter’s school lunch – thanks for recipe xx
Enjoy them Jenny!
Same here, bananas were 29 cents a pound yesterday so my husband and I bought 4 big bunches. I would like to make a lot of chips so I tried one banana sliced thin on the parchment paper but it is stuck to the paper. They taste great but I have to peel the paper off the chips. What did I do wrong? Would it work to spray a little Pam on the paper first?
Thanks, Darryl
Spraying the paper first would definitely help!
Question. The description of the recipe called for you to put the bananas in the over for 1 1/2 hours flipping half way through (which would be 45 minutes).
But in the printable recipe at the bottom you say to put the bananas in for 2 hours, flipping after 90 minutes.
Which one is it?
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bake for 1 1/2-2 hours, flipping them half way through.
Tried for first time last night the first batch came out pretty chewy, I must have been sliced too thick. I’m going to try again tonight and see if they can come out chrispy. I did the trick with the green bananas and soaked them for 2 hours in lemon juice and water and they stayed yellow- but
just too chewy.
Derrick, chewy = needs more cooking/dehydrating time. enjoy!
I was dehydrating something else, and did not fill all the racks so I am trying a banana in the dehydrator right now, dipped in lemon juice. I will let you know how it works out.
i currently have these in my oven and on a cooling rack so they are not stuck to anything. i have mixed fresh orange juice and a little honey and dipped them in that before baking i hope they turn out well.. awesome idea :)
enjoy!
Hey can you let me know how the honey turned out… I was thinking about trying honey too!kris
Let us know if you try it!
Is there a possible substitution for lemon juice?I don’t have that on hand currently
you could omit. chips wont’ last as long but no biggie
Thanks for an easy snack that does not have sugar in the recipe. How long will they last in the pantry?
a few weeks. they are dehydrated bananas essentially. enjoy!
Do they need refrigerated?
Just an air tight container or zip bag in the pantry.
Hi, these look so amazing!
I was wondering,…Do you have to add salt and cinnamon?
Or would just the lemon juice work?
Thanks!
the salt and cinnamon are optional.
Ran out of parchment paper and attempted to make these with just cooking spray….epic fail! I also didn’t like the salt on it when I tried one anyway (well the one I could get off the pan…LOL!) Going to try again and take the suggestions listed in the other comments and get some parchment paper. =)
Brandy, these definitely won’t work straight on the pan. If you don’t want to run out of parchment paper again, you can always invest on some silicone baking mats. They last forever and they are pretty inexpensive on Amazon.
Turns out wax paper isn’t the same as parchment paper…
It is definitely not….
so mad… this is a waste. the bananas stuck to the parchment paper and it is a total loss. nice recipe… thanks for the waste of my time and food.
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As I mentioned above, wax paper will not work for this recipe. Sorry they didn’t turn out for you but it has turned out for hundreds.
I can’t wait to try these- I really love banana chips but they’re always mixed with other stuff I hate so I never get to eat them, and I always have leftover bananas! Thx for the recipe!
This was an epic fail for me. All stuck to parchment paper (yes parchment not wax ;)). what a waste of bananas and so disappointing :( they smell delicious. I really wanted them to work.
I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. They peel right off in our parchment paper every time.
I only have a lime, will that still be okay?
I’ve never tried it with lime but I’m sure they will be fine :)
I just tried this recipe for the first time, and when I took them out of the oven to flip over, the parchment paper had stuck to all the bananas, and was nearly impossible to get off! I then decided to try it again, and ended up putting more lemon juice on the bananas, so instead of just brushing them with my finger, I dipped the entire banana in the juice, and added some cooking spray to the parchment paper, that seemed to do the trick! They were absolutely delicious! I’m now going to make them every week and put them in my kid’s, and my lunch!
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These were a hit at my house. I thought the sea salt and cinnamon gave the banana chips an interesting twist. We used non-stick pan lining paper, one side parchment, the other foil. My son (5) also had fun helping. We will definitely be making these again. Thanks for the recipe!
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I tried making these, and after 45 min I went to flip them, but most of them were already crispy. And they kept ripping up the parchment paper…I couldn’t even taste one without eating wax paper with it :(
Alina, parchment paper and wax paper are not the same. Your issue was the paper.
I’ve tried a few times but it came out chewy.. Any tips on what went wrong? Really hope to get this right.
Ame – chewy chips can be two things: slices too thick or not baked long enough. Even chewy.. I bet they were good!
I tried these today and I don’t know where I went wrong. When it was time to take them out of the oven to flip them over to cook, the bananas were all dark. I tried scooping them off the paper with no success. :(
Followed directions to the letter, did not turn out well. Don’t like the salt- weird tasting.
Sorry they were not a hit at your house.
Thanks for sharing these diabetic friendly recipes.
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Thanks for the banana chips idea! I had two bananas that had turned spotty enough that no one was going to eat them for breakfast tomorrow. I made ’em into chips tonight & put them in baggies for snack time at school. They are delicious!
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These are in the oven right now! I had a few bananas that were going to be past their prime very soon. They smell great!
Awesome Bethany! let me know how you guys like them! i made some yesterday. it’s the perfect recipe for those over ripe bananas at the end of the week! :)
My toddler (2yrs) just helped me make these. He got to help threw the whole process. In sliced them and he dipped them in lemon juice/water mixture then he put on the cinnamon and I did the salt. Now we are waiting for them to finish baking so we can eat them. Them smell delicious. :)
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awesome! just goes to show you that even the little ones can get involved and help! :)
I’m not sure what I did wrong. They were either burnt or under cooked and on the same pan. I am gonna try again in a few days.