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!
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Salt And Vinegar Cucumber Chips
Although most of our cucumber plants got destroyed last summer 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 lying 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 to make a batch of salt and vinegar baked cucumber chips with all the produce! If you don't have a dehydrator, you can bake them at a low temperature in a regular oven as well.
Ingredients Needed To Make Homemade Cucumber Chips
This recipe uses only whole ingredients - you probably already have all of them in your pantry.
- Obviously, you need some cucumbers. The type of cucumbers isn't as important. Any variety of cucumber will taste delicious as a crispy chip.
- Next, you need salt. I prefer to use sea salt since it is larger and has a bolder flavor. Any type of salt will taste amazing on the chips.
- You also need vinegar. For this recipe, I used apple cider vinegar. Any type of vinegar is ok to use on the chips. If you use balsamic vinegar, it will stain the chips, so you try to avoid that one.
- Finally, use some olive oil. This will help the cucumbers crisp up and become really crunchy. Extra virgin olive oil is ideal, but avocado oil is a perfect 2nd choice.
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low carb recipe.
Quick Tips:
- 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 anymore.
- If you don't like vinegar, you can leave it out for plain salted chips. However, salt and vinegar were always my favorite potato chip so I wanted to have a low carb version.
How To Make Low Carb Salt And Vinegar Cucumber Chips
All of the detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can scroll right on down to it - first, I'm going to share an overview of the recipe.
The very first thing you need to do is slice the cucumbers really thin. Like I said earlier, a mandoline slicer is the easiest way to do it. You can also use a knife, but that takes longer.
Then, dry the cucumbers with a paper towel.
After they are dry, put them in a large bowl and toss them with the oil, vinegar, and salt.
If you are using a dehydrator, place the slices on trays and dry at 125-135°F for 10-12 hours or until they are crispy.
To bake them in the oven, place the slices on a parchment-lined baking tray. Dry the chips at 175°F for 3-4 hours or until they are crispy.
Allow the slices to cool before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baked Cucumber Chips
Before we get to the entire recipe in the printable recipe card, I want to answer some questions about cucumber chips that people ask.
How long does it take to dehydrate cucumbers?
If you use a food dehydrator, it takes about 10-12 hours for them to turn really crispy. If you use the oven, it only takes about 4 hours.
How do you get the water out of a cucumber?
For these chips, you just need to use a paper towel to blot them dry.
Another way to get the water out of them is to sprinkle them with salt and then set them on a colander. The salt will dry them out and the water will drip out of them.
How do you store cucumber chips?
Store them just like you would potato chips! Keep them in a sealed container at room temperature. There is no need to refrigerate them.
What do I do if I have leftover cucumbers?
When I made this chips recipe, I still had a couple more cucumbers left. I ended up using them in a cucumber tomato salad as we are now getting a lot of fresh tomatoes from the garden.
Cucumber water is another great way to use them! And, it's such a refreshing low carb drink for summer.
Love These Keto Cucumber Chips? Make Some More Veggie Chips At Home!
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 have been on my list of things to try for a while but so far, I have also made zucchini chips!
The only reason I don't use my dehydrator as much as I'd like is that 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.
Other Dehydrator Recipes To Try
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!
Just take a look at some of the things you can make in a simple dehydrator. These are some of my favorites:
- Fruit Roll-Ups taste just like the snacks you loved as a kid but made from real fruit.
- Ground Beef Jerky is a high-protein snack that lasts forever and gives you the boost you need when you need a snack.
- Venison Jerky is a delicious way to use deer meat that you might have after hunting season.
- Dried Cranberries might seem like a seasonal snack, but they are delicious all year long - sprinkle them on your salad for a little extra sweetness.
Do you grow your own cucumbers? What's your favorite way to eat them?
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Recipe
Baked Cucumber Chips
Video
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)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or more if needed
Instructions
- Slice cucumber very thin. Use a mandoline slicer for best results.
- Remove excess moisture from slices using a paper towel.
- Put cucumber slices in a large bowl and toss with oil, vinegar, and salt.
- 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.
- Allow slices to cool before serving.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First published August 14, 2017. Post updated on January 14, 2021 with new images and additional recipe information.
Carol
It would be nice if you would tell us how to dehydrate in the oven using gas stove or electric stove , and whether we have to leave the oven door open or closed
Lisa MarcAurele
I'm not sure about a gas oven, but I've used an electric oven at the lowest setting (175°F) for about 3 to 4 hours without the door open.
Melissa
I do a similar thing using "popcorn" seasonings. May not be the lowest (but still pretty low) carb option but they are gosh darn tasty. I lay the cucumber slices on paper towel lined baking racks, blot dry, sprinkle the seasoning using a mini sieve (tea ball with a handle) for even and light distribution, put a rack on top, flip, do the other side and then into the dehydrator they go. Chili Lime, Sour Cream and Onion, and Ranch have been popular with the co-workers. I've also re-purposed Watkins Cucumber and Dill dip mix (with extra dill) as well for this technique.
Chris
I made these today and they did not turn out crispy like the picture, I did everything right according to the recipe, I dried the cucumbers with paper towels, but it’s like I never did that, they are soggy now, and suggestions?
Lisa MarcAurele
As long as the temperature is low, you should be able to continue baking them to dry them out. It also helps to have very thin slices.
Chris
Thank you, I’m going to make these again, they were thin, so I’ll just leave them in longer
CatW
Yummm - cannot wait to try. THinking this is going to be a great substitute for vinegar potato chips.
Sidney Patin
Love cucumber chips in my Excaliber dehydrator!
Do you have any ideas for keto recipes for summer squash/zucchini? I have a small garden and I am overwhelmed with squash.
Lisa MarcAurele
If you search this site for "yellow squash" or "zucchini" you'll find tons of low-carb recipes for your summer squash.
Nancy
Made it and plan to make more. Seasoned salt is also a good option. The garden is keeping me supplied with cucumbers and this is a great way to use it. Tastes great!
Olga Nohra
I haven't tried it but I think that if you dried and powdered fresh tomato and basil, that would go amazingly well with cucumbers.
Jennifer Stone
I tried making these twice and followed the recipe exactly and my cucumbers still didn't come out dried
Lisa MarcAurele
You can lightly salt the sliced cucumbers and place them between paper towels to absorb excess moisture. That should help dry them faster. Also keep your slices very thin.
Caroline T
I'm really excited about trying these! And, even my extremely picky husband is looking forward to trying them. I've got an electric salad shooter with two different slicing cones that I bought originally for slicing potatoes before we went keto. I think if I get the small cucumbers that are solid in the middle, I should be able to get away with shooting them through the salad shooter. It really sounds like the hardest part of this whole recipe is waiting for them to be done.
Lisa MarcAurele
The salad shooter sounds cool. I'll have to look for one. It does take a while to crisp them up. I find it's easiest to use a dehydrator, but an oven works too.