Dehydrating Bananas (Easy Homemade Banana Chips with Air Fryer)
on Feb 08, 2022
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When prepared in the air fryer, homemade banana chips are a guilt-free, healthy, low-calorie snack made with simple ingredients. In this post, you’ll learn how to dehydrate bananas in an air fryer.
Banana chips are a beloved snack in many Asian, Caribbean and South American countries. Green (unripe) bananas are sometimes used for savory snack, but ripe bananas produce a sweet-and-salty snack that’s downright addictive. With this simple recipe, you’ll learn how to make banana chips completely from scratch, using your air fryer.
How Ripe Should Bananas Be for Dehydrating?
For best results, use bananas that are ripe, but firm. These will give you the satisfying flavor you’re craving. Avoid using soft, mushy or bruised bananas for this recipe.
How to Cut Ripe Bananas for Perfect Banana Chips?
Before you’re ready to fry, you’ll need to prep your bananas. Go ahead and peel them, then use a sharp knife to slice them into 1/8 inch thick slices. If you want extra crunchy chips, you can slice them a bit thinner than this.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bananas
- Salt
- Cold Water
- Vegetable Oil
How to Dehydrate Bananas
1. Into a large bowl of cold water, add salt and whisk until it completely dissolves.
2. Peel the bananas, and cut them into about 1/8-inch slices.
3. Place the sliced bananas into the saltwater. Soak for about 5 minutes.
4. Remove the banana slices with a slotted spoon and place them on paper towels. Dry them completely.
5. Brush the banana slices with oil.
6. Place the banana slices into the air fryer basket in one single layer. Brush them with olive oil one more time, and cook at 300°F for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, flipping the chips after 15 minutes. Allow them to cool completely before storing or serving.
Tips & Tricks for Dehydrating Bananas in an Air Fryer
With a few simple techniques, you can have perfect banana chips every single time you try this recipe.
- Use ripe but firm bananas. Avoiding mushy or bruised ones.
- Before frying, you’ll want to soak your banana slices in a bowl of salty water. This will help to bring out the flavor and remove the excess starch from the bananas, making them less soggy.
- Make sure to pat dry the bananas completely after soaking. Extra moisture left on the banana will make your chips soggy.
How Long Does It Take to Dehydrate Bananas?
- When using an air fryer set to 300°F, your banana chips will be ready in about 20-25 minutes. The prep work for this recipe takes about 10 minutes, making this a quick and easy snack you can enjoy any time of the day.
- You can also use the dehydrating function if you use a Ninja Foodi air fryer. The dehydrating button will set the air fryer to 150°F, and it takes about 5-6 hours.
How Long Do Dehydrated Bananas Last?
You can store your leftover chips in an airtight container and they’ll last for about two weeks. Try making a big batch and packaging them into ziploc bags for easy snacking this week.
Are Dehydrated Banana Chips Good?
This recipe uses a few simple ingredients, making it a much better alternative to heavily processed packaged snacks. Since these chips are made in the air fryer, they’re much lower in calories than oil-fried banana chips or potato chips. Dehydrated banana chips make for an affordable, good-for-you treat.
Note that these homemade banana chips are not as crispy and crunchy as the store-bought version.
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Dehydrating Banana Chips Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large bananas
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- cold water
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add cold water and salt. Whisk until the salt is completely dissolved.
- Peel the bananas, and cut them into about 1/8-inch slices.
- Place the sliced bananas into the salt water. Soak for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the banana slices with a slotted spoon and place them on paper towels. Dry them completely.
- Brush the banana slices with oil.
- Place the banana slices into the air fryer basket in one single layer. Brush them with olive oil one more time. Cook in batches if needed.
- Cook at 300°F for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Flip chips after 15 minutes.
- Remove from the air fryer and allow them to cool down completely before storing.
Notes
- Use ripe but firm bananas, avoiding mushy or bruised ones.
- If you prefer crispier and crunchier banana chips, cut your banana slightly thinner.
- Soaking the sliced bananas with salt water prevents the chips from turning brown. You can skip this step if you don’t mind the brown look of your chips.
- They’ll become crispier as they cool down.
- Store banana chips in an air-tight container, and they’ll last up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
I tried this tonight, it was great! I think I used a little too much oil, do you know how much oil I should be using? Thanks so much for the recipe!
I am a 76 year old disabled man, living alone, and basically housebound. I have been looking for straight-forward recipes, as a change from ready meals. I hope that IZZY cooking will give me the ideas that I need?
Hi Bruce, sorry to hear that. If you like recipes with the perfect results and easy to make, you can try out Sous Vide Section for some ideas. If you want to try fun and easy cookies, you can make some no-bake cookies. Here is the link: https://izzycooking.com/no-bake-cookie-recipes/