Easy to make baked salt and vinegar baked cucumber chips are a healthier low carb snack. And, they are low in calories which makes them almost guilt-free.
Although most of our cucumber plants got destroyed by a wild animal, we managed to get a few more cucumbers from the garden. A friend with a productive garden also gave us a couple more.
With all the cucumbers laying around, I figured I better find a good use for them. So, I pulled my Excaliber dehydrator out of storage so I could preserve some.
The dehydrator is basically just a low temperature convection oven used to slowly remove moisture from foods. It’s perfect for preserving fruits and vegetables.
I decided make a batch of salt and vinegar baked cucumber chips. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can bake them at a low temperature in a regular oven as well.
I prefer using a dehydrator to make vegetable chips because they come out better. And, you don’t have to worry about cooking them too long and burning.
However, it is a lot faster to make these baked cucumber chips in the oven. It takes only 3-4 hours compared to the 8-10 hours when using the dehydrator.
It’s best to use a mandoline like this one to get consistently thin slices. I used an old Pampered chef mandoline slicer that isn’t available any more.
If you don’t like vinegar, you can leave it out for plain salted chips. However, salt and vinegar was always my favorite potato chip so I wanted to have a low carb version.
With the success of these yummy salt and vinegar baked cucumber chips, I’m ready to venture out into making other veggie chips. Kale chips has been on my list of things to try for a while. Zucchini is another one on my list and my friend Brenda, over at Sugar Free Mom, has a great recipe for zucchini chips.
The only reason I don’t use my dehydrator as much as I’d like is because it’s difficult with my work schedule. It’s best to start early in the day and I don’t have that kind of time before heading to work.
However, I’m getting very close to an early retirement which will give me a lot more time to experiment in the kitchen. Just take a look at some of the things you can make in a simple dehydrator.
Here are a few of the recipes I’ve tried in mine: fruit roll-ups, ground beef jerky, venison jerky, and dried cranberries. If I had a bigger kitchen, I’d have my dehydrator out all the time since it’s so useful.
When the cucumber season is over, I may have to continue making these yummy salt and vinegar baked cucumber chips with store bought produce. They are a fantastic low carb snack that’s low calorie too!
Although most people do well on a low carb high fat diet, sometimes you need watch your calories to prevent the weight from creeping up. This seems to be especially true for me now that I’m in my later 40s.
I’ve still got a couple more cucumbers left. I’m planning to use them in a cucumber tomato salad as we are now getting a lot of fresh tomatoes from the garden.
Do you grow your own cucumbers? What’s your favorite way to eat them?
Low Carb Keto Salt and Vinegar Baked Cucumber Chips Recipe
Baked Cucumber Chips
Easy to make vegetable chips are a healthier keto snack. Baking the cucumbers keeps them low in calories which makes them almost guilt-free.
Ingredients
- 2 medium cucumbers or 3 small ones
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or vinegar of choice (omit for regular chips)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or more if needed
Instructions
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Slice cucumber very thin. Use a mandoline slicer for best results.
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Remove excess moisture from slices using a paper towel.
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Put cucumber slices in a large bowl and toss with oil, vinegar, and salt.
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For dehydrator: Place slices on trays and dry at 125-135°F for 10-12 hours or until crispy.
For oven: Place slices on parchment lined baking tray. Dry at 175°F for 3-4 hours or until crispy.
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Allow slices to cool before serving.
Recipe Notes
If using foil lined pans, don't cut the cucumbers too thin and be sure to flip half-way so they can be removed easier.
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moster says
I made these yesterday in my oven using an English cucumber. I am doing low carb and love cucumbers so this might be a great party chip for me. I was not overly impressed when I tried one yesterday and they got soft overnight. I decide to put them back on the parchment, added a light salting (I was stingy with salt originally) and baked for another hour at 175 (I can’t recall if this makes it 4 or 5 hours). Oh.My.Gawd — these are amazing! I havent had anything close to a chip in over 6 months, but these completely pass for chips in my book.
I still have a little bowl, but have a second batch baking using a regular cucumber this time. Just based on thin-ness, I think I prefer how thin you can get the English cucumber. I can’t wait to see how these turn out. Thank you for a great treat!
Lisa says
Sounds like they just needed to bake a little longer to crisp up.
Lisa says
Would this work for eggplant?
Lisa says
It should. You’ll just need to cook at low temp to remove most of the liquid. It may help to salt the eggplant first as that helps release moisture.
Lisa says
Just popped them in the dehydrator, can’t wait to see how they come out, next batch I’m going to do a little dill & garlic added to the sea salt.
Lisa says
Yum! I love the sound of the dill & garlic.
ArtieG says
My dehydrator is round, would I want to use the regular trays or the fruit leather inserts? I really want these to come out right!
Lisa says
Regular trays are what’s used for these.
Pamela/Davis Jones says
What about freezing them
Lisa says
I don’t recommend that.
Patty C. says
Use half the salt if you want to be able to eat them, way too salty.
Lisa says
I found that most of the salt and vinegar solution didn’t stick to them so mine weren’t that salty. But you can definitely half the salt if needed.
Wendy Cobb says
What you meant to say was “These were a little salty to me, I’ll use less salt next time.” Geez.
Lisa says
Changed the amount of salt from 1 teaspoon to only 1/2 teaspoon.
Brenda King says
What about cooked in a Nuwave oven
Lisa says
That should work. It’s like a convection oven.
Amy says
Could you tell me how to store these? Do you need to eat them right away? Or can you store them in the pantry/refrigerator? Thanks!
Lisa says
I store them in a glass container in the refrigerator, but they are best fresh.
Jean says
If i store them in a air tight container, how long will they last for? Will they get stretchy and soft?
Lisa says
We typically eat them right away. They can get soft if stored in an air tight container.
Shannon Heifort says
will this work in an air fryer?
Lisa says
It should. I’ve made kale chips in the air fryer and the cooking time is much less than that for the oven.
Jakki says
Is that 175° C?
Lisa says
It’s F as you want to have the oven set at the lowest temperature. If your oven doesn’t get that low, you can prop the door open a bit or just keep an eye on them.
Rachel says
https://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/rwingett/shop/Value+Sets+%26+Gift+Sets/Value+Priced+Sets/Make-Your-Own+Chips+Set/2539
Much quicker this way!
Lisa says
That does look like a great set for making veggie chips!
michelle says
I didn’t have parchment paper and I cut my cucumbers way to thin. Shaved. They wouldn’t come off the foil. Tried again with thicker slices and turned them halfway. Worked great. Very tasty.
Lisa says
Good to know that foil worked. I use parchment paper so they don’t stick.
Rick Flow says
For the oven…is that 175 regular setting or convection setting? Always heard convection cooks faster at lower temps or something like that. These chips look like they may be what I need on my quest for serious carb reduction.
Lisa says
It’s a regular oven setting so convection would be about 25 degrees lower.