Learning how to make beet chips is super simple and a great way to enjoy beets if you don't like them roasted or fresh! These homemade beet chips are fried in coconut oil for a healthy snack the whole family will love!
Beet chips are one of my favorite healthy snacks! Crispy, sweet, and so different from their potato chip counterpart. Don't get me wrong, I love homemade potato chips too! But beet chips have a special place in my heart.
A few years ago, we tried our hand at growing beets. Much to our surprise we ended up with about 50 pounds of beets that we needed to process!
I just knew that I would love the taste of fresh beets, especially since I'm completely in love with their rich, scarlet color... Here are a few of the final beets we harvested!
Sadly, I could not find a single way to eat beets fresh that I enjoyed! We tried roasted beets, fried beets, marinated beets, beets with rosemary... and so on. But they all just ended up tasting like dirt to me.
However, I've always loved beet chips from the store, so I decided to try making them myself!
How to Make Beet Chips
Since beet chips from the store are fairly expensive, we don't have them very often. So I was excited by the idea of being able to make my own beet chip with coconut oil and store them for long term use in mylar bags.
Here are the steps I follow every year to produce perfect homemade beet chips that store well and are fresh for at least a year, when stored properly!
Step 1
Thoroughly wash the beets, this may require some scrubbing to remove all the dirt. Cut the ends off so that you have 2 flat ends.
Step 2
Using a mandoline slicer (a knife won't cut them thin enough), slice the beets as thin as you are able. This will make a more crisp chip!
You may have to experiment with thicknesses until you find the one you like. The ones pictured were a little thick for me and I ended up going thinner.
So, slice one beet and fry it, then adjust as needed.
Step 3
In a heavy bottom pan or FryDaddy type fryer (like this one, it's small enough to not need a ton of oil and stores easily), place coconut oil until is it about 4 inches deep. Heat until coconut oil is about 275°.
Step 4
In small batches (10 slices or so, depending on the size of your pan or fryer), fry beets until they curl and hold their shape.
They will not be crispy when you remove them, but should become completely crisp within about 2 minutes of removing from the oil.
Step 5
Drain chips on towels until cool. If you find that some chips are not fully crisp, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 200° for 2 hours, then check. Repeat as needed.
This will fully crisp them up for eating and storage. I usually do all the chips like this, instead of picking through them to find which ones are fully done.
Step 6
Once all the chips are cool and crisp, place them into resealable zipper top mylar bags with a silica pack for long term storage.
We use these gallon mylar bags and these silica packs. Ours lasted for 6 months before they were all eaten and they were just as good at 6 months as they were day 1!
Homemade Beet Chips
Ingredients
- Beets
- 2 quarts coconut oil (you may need more or less, depending on many beets you want to fry)
Instructions
- Wash and slice the beets using a mandoline slicer (a knife won’t cut them thin enough), slice the beets as thin as you are able.
- Heat coconut oil in a heavy bottom pan or FryDaddy type fryer (like this one). When oil reaches 275° you can begin frying.
- Fry beet chips in small batches to avoid over cooking. Once beet chips curl and hold their shape, remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.
- Place all chips on a baking sheet and bake at 200° for 2 hours IF chips are not fully crisp. Repeat if needed.
- Store in an air tight container with a moisture absorber for a long shelf-life. We use these gallon mylar bags and these silica packs.
Homemade Beet Chips FAQ
If you've never made your own beet chips before, you might have a few questions. Here are a few common questions that I've received about this beet chips recipe!
How do I get the beet color stains off my hands?
Ah yes, a common issue when working with beets! A little lemon juice or lemon essential oil should take the beet stains off your hands! Just rub it into your dry hands, then wash with soap and water!
How long do these homemade beet chips last?
We make them in bulk of course, so we have a LOT of chips for the whole year. In our pantry, when stored properly (see step 6), they last at least a year!
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Faith Adams says
This sounds wonderful! I love beets, especially pickled.
Question: can you reuse the coconut oil after frying beets?
Thank you!
Victoria says
Haha, well I’m glad someone likes beets. I wish I liked them any additional ways over fried as chips, but I just don’t :-(
As for the oil, if you filter it through a fine mesh strainer, you can use it again for anything. It doesn’t take on a slight pink tinge, but there is no taste transfer.
I would say that it should only be used for frying though, not for lip balm or anything like that.
Faith Adams says
Edit my last comment: Can you reuse the coconut oil FOR OTHER FOODS after frying the beets?
Elizabeth says
Thank you so much I have found a bunch of recipes on how to make the beet chips but none on what to do before slicing into chip do I wash them peel them what but yours did.
Victoria says
I’m so glad I could help Elizabeth! I hope you enjoy them!
Jennifer Tapp says
Hi Victoria, the email that was sent linking this recipe refers to the beet chips as ” slow roasted in coconut oil for a healthy snack the whole family will love!” In reading the recipe linked to the email they are fried. Do you have another version? TY
Victoria says
Hi Jennifer! “Slow cooked” probably would have been a better term, I’m sorry for the confusion!
This recipe is slow cooked using coconut oil, the difference being that the temp is super low 275° (way lower than even oven roasting) and the chips are cooked for a long time, instead of zapped at high heat which removes nutrients.
The coconut oil is a good healthy fat and creates a great crunchy chip! Oven roasted chips at low temps don’t crisp well (in my experience) so the oil is needed.
Anyway, I’m sorry for the confusion on the term “roasted”.
Kerry J says
These were delicious! I was pleasantly surprised, I don’t usually like beets, these were awesome and easy. I did burn the first batch as I don’t have a liquid thermometer. Mine only had to cook for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side with the stove on medium high. Thanks for sharing this!
Victoria says
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed them!