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If you’ve never made banana chips at home, you’re in for a surprise. All you need are a couple of bananas and a little patience while they bake. The result is a naturally sweet snack that everyone loves.
Why You’ll Love This Banana Chips Recipe
Homemade banana chips are one of the easiest healthy snacks you can make. They’re naturally sweet, crisp around the edges, chewy in the center, and perfect for snack boxes and school lunches. The recipe can be scaled up or down. Personally, I usually make a double batch because they disappear fast.
Best Bananas to Make Banana Chips
Ripe, yellow bananas with a few brown speckles work great because they have the perfect balance of sweetness and are firm enough to slice. Avoid green bananas, which aren’t sweet enough, and overly brown bananas, which tend to be too soft and can become mushy instead of crisp.
How to Make Banana Chips
If this is your first time making banana chips, the short video in the recipe walks you through these steps:
- Prep
Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, slice the bananas and place them on the baking sheet. - Reduce browning
Bananas will naturally brown as they dehydrate in the oven, but you can preserve most of their yellow color by brushing a lemon-water mixture (4 parts water, 1 part lemon juice) over each slice or soaking them in a bowl. Don’t worry, they won’t taste like lemon juice. - Bake
They should be spread out on a sheet pan, with a little space in between. If you’re making a lot, you can bake several sheet pans at the same time; just swap positions halfway through baking. Depending on their thickness, they’ll take between 1 ½ and 2 hours for the bananas to crisp up (become chips).
- Cool & store
Cool completely on the baking sheet before storing them in an airtight container for up to one week.
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Banana Chips FAQ’s:
No. Lemon juice helps slow browning and keeps the banana slices looking lighter, but it’s optional. The banana chips will still bake and taste great without it.
Yes, but expect different results. Green bananas and plantains make a starchier, less sweet chip that’s more similar to store-bought banana chips. They may also need a slightly longer baking time.
Banana chips continue to crisp as they cool. If they’re still soft after cooling, they likely need more baking time. Slicing the bananas too thick or using overly ripe bananas can also make them chewier.
After they’ve cooled completely, store them in an airtight container for up to a week. If they’re left uncovered or you live in a humid environment, they might soften over time. Add a piece of sandwich bread inside the bag or container to absorb the moisture. Or, you can pop them back into a 250F oven for 10 minutes to crisp them up again.
Yes. Slice the bananas evenly and cook them at a low temperature until lightly golden. At 250F they’ll take about 35 minutes. At 300F they’ll take about 25 minutes, although every air fryer cooks a little differently.
No. They keep best in an airtight container at room temperature. Refrigeration can introduce moisture, making them soften faster.
More Healthy Snack Ideas
If you love healthy baked snacks, try making apple chips, no-bake energy bites, and homemade fruit roll-ups.
Homemade Baked Banana Chips
Watch How It’s Made:
Ingredients
- 4 bananas
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 250F with the top rack positioned in the middle. Then, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a shallow bowl or pie dish, combine ½ cup water with 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- Slice the bananas between ⅛ and ¼-inch slices. Soak them in the lemon water mixture and transfer them to the lined baking sheet, making sure there's a little space between each slice. They can be tight but in a single layer. You can also brush them with the lemon juice mixture using a basting brush.
Bake
- Bake them in the preheated oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until they are mostly crispy, flipping them over halfway through and swapping the baking sheet positions about 1 hour in. Visually, they'll be medium golden brown, with some yellow left.
- Remove the sheet pans from the oven and let the banana chips cool down completely on the counter. They'll be slightly soft at first, but they crisp up as they cool.
Storage:
- Once the banana chips have fully cooled, transfer them into an airtight container or zip bag where they'll keep for a week at room temperature.
Notes
- Make them sweet: Use ripe bananas and sprinkle with cinnamon after brushing with the lemon water. Follow the baking directions above.
- Make them spicy: Add ¼ teaspoon of sriracha or hot sauce to the lemon water mixture and brush it over the banana slices.
- In the air fryer: Slice the bananas evenly and cook them at a low temperature until lightly golden. At 250F they’ll take about 35 minutes. At 300F they’ll take about 25 minutes, although every air fryer cooks a little differently.
bblfoods says
Good receipeeee
Judy says
I have a dehydrator and have done banana slices as well as apple slices and home-made raisins. For the apples and bananas I soak the slices a minute or two in pineapple juice. Then I spray or wipe a light coat of oil on my trays. Sometimes I sprinkle cinnamon and sometimes I leave them plain. There’s no need to turn them, because the trays are perferated.
I need to make some now, it’s been a while. Thanks for reminding me!
Ally says
how long do you put them in the dehydrator?
MOMables-Laura says
If you are using a dehydrator, it can take up to 6 hours at 135F.
Jordan says
So normally i use a dehydrator myself, but i like them extra crunchy and i cut them very thixk to start. So mine stay in at 160°F for a full 24hrs. I add absolutely nothing to them. But the look would turn some people off they do not look like much. Shriveled up thing’s. But my kids drive me nuts for them every time so its well worth the unappealing look. The taste is wonderful.
baked chips says
Its a good idea…….and an gonna to try it
Genevieve says
I tried these today and they are delicious! I dipped the slices into the lemon/water mixture and I used sea salt as it is what I had on hand. Two things that I think are very important 1. using spray or wiping a THIN layer canola oil on the parchment (not waxed) paper AND…2. thinness. The very thin ones turned out as I believe they are suppose to. The slightly thicker ones are still delicious but are chewier and did not achieve a crispness intended. They will be excellent on oatmeal. Therefore…I will absolutely make them again, taking care to slice them thin and consistently. As thin as a quarter I believe is probably best. Thank you for this easy, economical, healthy, delicious version of banana chips!
PL says
I was really disappointed. I followed the recipe to a T and the bananas stuck to the parchment paper. I think you need to spray the parchment paper with cooking spray so they don’t stick. I have to throw out the whole batch!
Thia says
Tha same thing happened to me. I’m not happy at all with this recipe.
Alicia says
Make sure you are using parchment paper and not wax paper. They are not the same and things will stick to wax paper. Parchment should not stick. I recommend sheets of parchment, you can get on Amazon cheap.
Lori says
I put mine in the freezer when I took them out of the Microwave, I( used on plate w/ olive oil & flip half way through)Dont let them Touch Too Much in the freezer
After in the freezer they were so crunchy OMG going to try them in the oven today!
Ginny E. says
Hi:
I want to make these for my parrots who I can longer find just banana chips for anymore.
Can I just bake the bananas and nothing else on them: no water lemon juice or the salt?
Thanks
MOMables - Laura says
Yes, you can bake them without the lemon water or salt.
Chrissy says
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
MOMables - Laura says
Hi Chrissy, yes you can use bottled lemon juice! I hope you enjoy these!
Danielle says
Don’t throw out overripe nanas! Toss them in the freezer, peel and all. When you are ready to make banana bread just pull them out, thaw (I use the microwave) and peel the mushy mess. These are the best nanas for the bread!!!
Char says
Tasty!! Whole house loves them
James says
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.