Oven-Baked Crispy Apple Chips

Crispy Baked Apple Chips are a delicious, healthy snack that’s simple to prepare. Once you make them, they’ll quickly become a favorite.

These homemade apple chips are crunchy, lightly spiced with cinnamon, and perfect for snacking. They require minimal hands-on time, but they do need a couple of hours in a low oven to dry and crisp. While they bake, your kitchen fills with a warm apple-cinnamon aroma that makes the wait worthwhile.

This recipe was inspired by cleaner, healthier versions found on popular baking blogs. It’s easy to adapt to your taste: use more or less cinnamon, skip the sugar for an even lighter snack, or try different apple varieties to find your favorite texture and flavor.

I often make afternoon snacks for my family, and these apple chips were a hit. They disappeared quickly, which is a good sign — they’re addictive in the best way.

Baked Apple Chip Ingredients:

• Apples – Choose a firm variety; use your favorite.
• Sugar – Optional, for a touch of sweetness.
• Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon adds warm flavor.

How to Bake Apple Chips:

The most important step for crisp apple chips is slicing the apples very thin. A sharp knife works, but a mandoline slicer will produce consistently thin slices. Aim for about 1–2 mm thickness; thicker slices tend to remain chewy rather than crisp.

I usually slice them as thin as possible. On the mandoline, use the thinnest setting. If you slice thicker, they will come out soft and leathery instead of crispy.

Here’s a photo showing how thin the slices should be:

Arrange the apple slices in a single layer on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and ground cinnamon and lightly sprinkle the mixture over the apple slices. The sugar is optional; if you prefer a pure fruit snack, skip it and rely on the apples’ natural sweetness and cinnamon for flavor.

Tip: Use parchment paper. It prevents sticking and makes cleanup much easier. Non-stick baking mats can cause fruit sugars to bond as they melt, so parchment is the better choice for this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 200°F (about 93°C). Bake the apple slices for one hour, then carefully turn each slice over by hand and bake for another hour. Because the slices are very thin, using your fingertips is the easiest way to flip them without tearing.

If the chips are not yet crisp after two hours, bake them for an additional 10–15 minutes. When they look set, turn off the oven and leave the chips inside with the oven door closed or slightly ajar for at least another hour. This slow cooling period helps them dry out and become even crispier.

Recipe Tips:

• Slice apples very thin—about 1–2 mm—for a crisp texture.
• Use parchment paper on baking sheets to prevent sticking and simplify cleanup.
• Flip slices by hand to avoid tearing thin pieces with a spatula.
• Leave the chips in the turned-off oven for at least an hour to achieve maximum crispness.

Baked Apple Chip FAQs

These apple chips make a perfect after-school snack, a light dessert, or a crunchy addition to lunchboxes. Because they are homemade, you control the ingredients and can keep them as simple and wholesome as you like. Store cooled chips in an airtight container for up to one week to retain their crispness.