Every couple of months I fill the dehydrator with sliced fruit. My daughter loves snacking on dehydrated fruit, so it doesn’t last long around here. Plus, dehydrated fruit like these banana chips makes an easy snack to grab on the go.
I don’t bother pretreating my fruit for discoloration, as it doesn’t bother me one bit and has no impact on the flavor.
My preferred method for drying fruit is to dry it in my food dehydrator, but you can also dry fruit in your home oven. Dry time varies depending on the humidity where you are located and the size and thickness of your slices, but here is a general guide to making banana chips.
Yield: As much as you’d like
Supplies
- Ripe bananas (yellow with brown spots)
- Ground cinnamon (optional)
- Honey (optional for crispier chips)
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Food dehydrator or oven (ideally with convection setting)
- Baking sheets and parchment paper (for oven only)
- Jar with lid for storage
Read more: Don’t forget the dehydrator when preserving your garden harvest!
Directions
Peel the bananas and cut into 1/8 to 1/4-inch coins.
Lay fruit on dehydrator tray in a single layer (or a parchment paper-lined baking sheet if using oven), leaving space between each slice so that they are not touching. Dipping the slices in honey makes crispier banana chips, but it’s not at all necessary. I always sprinkle some ground cinnamon over the banana slices before dehydrating, but this step is also optional.
Dry your banana chips at 135 degrees F if using a food dehydrator or at 175 to 200 degrees F (depending on how low your oven will go) if using an oven. A food dehydrator will take six to 10 hours to dry, maybe longer if it’s humid in your home. An oven will take three to four hours. It is recommended to check on the slices periodically and to even turn them occasionally though the drying process to help them along. Dehydrated slices should be leathery but not moist.
Allow the banana chips to dry cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight, dry place. I keep mine in a clamp jar in the pantry.
Read more: Enjoy dried citrus slices year-round!
Side Notes
Don’t dehydrate any bruised fruit.
Avoid dehydrating green or very over ripe bananas.
Thinner slices will yield a crunchier banana chip.
Organize fruit slices of like size together on drying trays since smaller slices will dry out sooner than larger ones.
If the banana chips are not fully dehydrated once cooled, return them to the dehydrator to complete the process.
