A few weeks ago we had our neighbors up for dinner and they brought the most fabulous sweet potato chips; baked sweet potato chips, I might add. I’d never tasted sweet potato chips so crispy, light and flavorful! Two bites in and I knew I needed the recipe. Thanks Laura, you’re a lifesaver. John finally likes sweet potatoes in some form. This is some kind of pre-Christmas miracle.
Out of curiosity since I don’t have a mandolin, I made these sweet potato chips two ways: I sliced half the batch thinly with a knife (left) and the other half with a vegetable peeler (right). The results were equally delicious, but I must say the knife method yielded a more satisfying bite so I’d recommend this over the peeler.
These chips are awesome! So crispy and flavorful that you’d swear they were fried. But all they require is a little olive oil and a pinch of salt before going into the oven to bake for a couple hours. That’s the trick – keep your oven at 200 degrees and flip once or twice during the baking process to make sure they crisp up on both sides. The result is amazing. We ate this batch right up and I’m already plotting how to make them again soon.
These are a great stand-alone side dish but you could also top them with black beans, salsa and cheese for some crazy delicious nachos. Or you could add them to a sandwich for some serious crunch. Dream big people, the possibilities are endless.
- 2 large organic sweet potatoes
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt (optional)
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
- Rinse and dry your sweet potatoes and slice them as thin as you wish. (I used a vegetable peeler with half of the batch and a knife with the other half and I much preferred the knife-sliced batch. They came out slightly thicker, making them just as crispy but far more substantial.)
- Toss your slices in a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Lay out in a single layer on baking sheets and bake for 1.5 to 2 hours, flipping at least once or twice to ensure even cooking. You may also need to rotate your pans around depending on your oven. Be careful not to burn – they tend to go from light brown to dark brown rather quickly so check often.
- Remove once crisp and slightly golden brown. They shouldn’t be too dark.
- Serve immediately as they are best when fresh. Will keep for a day or two after cooking.
*recipe from my lovely friend, Mrs. Laura Heller
* The low cooking temperature allows for them to get crispier over the 2 hour baking period. But if you don’t have the time, bump up your cooking temp to 300 and check them every 20 minutes.
Heather November 6, 2012 at 10:03 am
Wow so simple! We love sweet potatoes in any form, I have never attempted sweet potato chips – thanks for sharing!
West Coast Ann November 6, 2012 at 11:19 am
Wow….I cut them differently, but, I make them as treats for my Service Dog…..he loves them…..But, much the same, cut them into chunks, no oil or salt, oven is just at 250…..same time,
Why Not for ME???
Kasey November 6, 2012 at 12:24 pm
I love homemade potato chips…and baked? Sweet potato? Sign me up!
katia November 6, 2012 at 1:16 pm
Amazingg!!! Ive been looking for this!
Emily November 6, 2012 at 2:35 pm
I was looking for a side to go with supper tonight and this is perfect! Thanks for the recipe.
Matteo November 6, 2012 at 3:40 pm
Hi,
only a question: 2 hours in the oven at 300 degrees, but fahrenheit or centigrade?
Thanks
Nathalie November 6, 2012 at 7:53 pm
It has to be Fahrenheit otherwise they would burn at over 500 Celcius.
natalie@thesweetslife November 6, 2012 at 3:50 pm
YES to the nachos idea!
alex November 8, 2012 at 7:38 pm
wow these did not turn out well at all for me. i followed the recipe exactly, but then half way through i noticed they were all getting dark rather quickly. i flipped them and moved the pans around in the oven and left them for the rest of the time and then when i took them out most of them were either burnt or undercooked and soggy. i’m not sure why they didn’t work out for me, i so badly want them to be delicious! maybe i will try them again with a different temperature/time.
Martin Babin January 20, 2013 at 1:08 am
your oven could be heating unevenly, check placement of gas pipe if it’s a gas oven
Karri March 1, 2013 at 3:41 pm
Same here…35 minutes in and they’re burned.
Dana March 2, 2013 at 4:21 pm
Karri! I just consulted with my friend whom I borrowed this recipe from and she thinks she had her oven on 200 instead of 300. Sorry for any confusion! I’ve changed that in the original recipe. I still think you could bake them at 300 degrees, but just be sure to check them at the 25, 30 and 35 minute mark so they don’t burn. Hope that helps!
Heidi @ Food Doodles November 10, 2012 at 12:16 pm
These look gorgeous! I love that color :) I have to try some sweet potato chips, I’ve seen these a few times now but I haven’t tried them yet. They look so good!
Bridget @ The Road Not Processed November 14, 2012 at 5:19 pm
definitely will have to make these! great alternative to the sweet potato fries I’ve been making recently.
Thanks!
Lee Ann November 20, 2012 at 8:44 am
I love sweet potatoes, but I struggle with peeling and cutting them. They are so thick and hard! Is there an easier way to do it?
Dana November 20, 2012 at 10:25 am
Lee Anne, just try and buy smaller potatoes – they’re much more tender : ) AND use a super sharp knife! That should help.
Charlotte February 4, 2013 at 3:52 am
I bought a microwave chip maker and I just cannot get the hang of it – they turn out soggy all the time. I think I’ll just have to bake them like this instead!
Leslie February 5, 2013 at 9:48 am
Oh sweet Charlotte! Please look into the dangers of microwave ovens and what they do to the structure of the food; you might find the answer to your dilemma. So happy you are baking the chips instead!
Tatiana February 6, 2013 at 2:36 pm
I made these chips, also at 300, but I only needed to bake mine for about 20 mins before they were perfectly chipped. I don’t think it would be a circulation problem as you suggested for the other person….I just don’t understand how one would bake these for 2 hours?
MarieR February 14, 2013 at 8:03 pm
I used a food processor to slice the potatoes super thin; backed them at 200 degrees F for 2 hours – perfect. Curly; no burnt slices, and I never had to turn them. I just set it and forget it (after putting the timer on). Puuuuurfect!
Nikki March 29, 2013 at 6:05 am
So dissapointed. I made these twice, both times came out soggy and chewy. First time I tried raising the heat toward the end to crisp things up but seemed to dry out instead, second time I actually bought a mandolin really hoping that was the problem since I hand cut the first time. Nope! Second batch of organic sweet potatoes chips to the dogs. . .
Ingrid April 17, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Trying right now! I used the slicing blade on the Cuisinart and tossed/massaged olive oil and Cajun seasoning into the slices with my hands in a big bowl. Can’t wait for them to finish baking.
Ingrid April 17, 2013 at 5:40 pm
The outcome? I really liked adding spicy Cajun seasoning I used. The oven temp of 200 is far too slow for the density of this vegetable. They need to be baked not dehydrated. I upped it to 350 degrees to get baked and crisper. They were still chewy but I liked the texture. Had them with fresh cucumber yogurt dip. Next time I will toss them in beaten egg whites with Cajun seasoning and bake @ 350 to cook thru and then lower heat to crisp.
Mysctyx April 26, 2013 at 1:44 pm
Hey I am about to try these but I have noticed a little confusion on your page. When you are scrolling down in between the pictures, you had written to keep your oven at 300 degrees. Then on the actual recipe it said 200 degrees. Could that be why a few people have gotten very different results?
Dana April 26, 2013 at 11:08 pm
Yes! I just fixed the degrees in the post – should be 200 for 2 hours. If you bake them at 300 they’ll obviously cook faster and will have a different texture, but it’ll work. Just be sure to check them at the 30-ish minute mark. Hope that helps!
Coleens Recipes April 29, 2013 at 3:35 pm
I tried your recipe this morning. I sliced the potatoes on a mandolin, so they were thin and even, yet after two hours at 200° they were still leathery and not crisp at all. I left them in an extra half hour and they are still only leathery. The only thing I can think that might change the temperature and timing is………did you use a convection oven?
pete May 11, 2013 at 11:32 am
something is amiss. at 200 degrees it would take longer than 1.5-2 hours. i tried this and after 1 hour the slices were no where close to even part way done. and they were thinner than 1/8 inch. if you think about it using a dehydrator at 180 degrees it takes most of the day to process something.
C May 14, 2013 at 7:32 pm
I followed instructions to a T and 4 hours later and these aren’t crispy! I’ve tried everything, I’m going to take the second prepared batch and just mash them, so disappointed, sweet potato chips are my fave.