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My oven baked carrot chips are paper-thin, deeply caramelized at the edges, and satisfyingly crunchy in a way that makes it genuinely hard to stop at one handful. Three ingredients, 25 minutes, and one baking tray.
save this recipe!Carrots are one of those vegetables that most people don’t think of as chip material, and the reason is usually a bad first experience with a soggy, chewy result.
The two details that prevent that are a low oven temperature and a mandoline slicer. Low heat draws moisture out of the carrot slowly and evenly rather than steaming it, which is what produces a crispy chip rather than a leathery one. And uniform thickness from a mandoline means every chip finishes at the same time rather than half burning while the other half stays soft.
The shape you cut matters more than you’d think too.
Here’s what you’ll need
The most basic version of this recipe requires just 3 ingredients, but you can add more seasonings to flavor them up (I have a ton of ideas in the recipe card!).
- Carrot: One large carrot makes a single serving. Any variety works, but standard orange carrots have the right sugar content for caramelization at low heat. Rainbow carrots produce a more colorful result with a slightly different flavor depending on the variety.
- Olive oil: Just half a teaspoon per carrot, enough to help the chips brown evenly without making them greasy. Too much oil traps moisture rather than releasing it, which works against crispiness.
- Salt: Added before baking, not after. Salt draws a small amount of surface moisture out of the slices before they hit the oven, which supports the drying process. Flaky sea salt added after cooking also works for a finishing crunch!
Does the shape matter?
More than you’d expect. Oblong chips cut on a diagonal have more surface area and crisp up especially well. Circular rounds curl into small balls during cooking, which makes them better as a salad topper than a standalone chip.
Chewy chips?
Chewy (rather than crispy) carrot chips are almost always one of four things.
- The oven temperature was too high, which caramelizes the outside before the moisture inside has a chance to evaporate.
- The slices weren’t patted dry before baking, which creates steam in the oven.
- The pan was overcrowded, which traps steam between the chips.
- Or they came out too soon. Let them cool completely on the tray before judging, they crisp up significantly as they cool.
Pair them with…
These work alongside any dip you’d normally serve with chips or crudites. Vegan ranch dressing is the natural pairing for the plain or ranch-seasoned version. For a full snack spread, serve them next to crispy air fryer kale chips and hummus for a veggie chip board that covers every texture and flavor direction.
Crispy Baked Carrot Chips (Just 3 Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- ½ tsp olive oil, 2 mL
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Thinly slice carrot into chips using a mandolin slicer.
- Dry: Firmly pat dry with paper towels.
- Coat: Toss to coat with oil then spread onto a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping the carrots over after 15 minutes to promote even cooking and crisping. Carrots are done when mostly crispy – they will continue to crisp up as they cool.
Notes
- Ranch Seasoning: ½ tsp dried dill, ½ tsp dried chives, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper.
- Dorito Seasoning: 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp chili powder, ¼ tsp salt.
- Taco Seasoning: 1 Tbsp taco seasoning, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast.
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
