The Best Apples To Pick For Sweet Fruit Chips

Apple chips are a fun, sweet snack, and they're easy to make at home. To find out all of the tips and tricks for making apple chips — including the best apples to use — Daily Meal spoke with an expert: Erin Brighton MPH, M.Ed., a health educator and food blogger.

Brighton says, "The best apples for making apple chips are apples that have a lot of natural sweetness. I love to use Honeycrisp apples. The sweeter the apples, the less sugar and spice you will need to add to your apple chips." She also recommends Gala, Fuji, and Golden Delicious apples, all of which also have plenty of natural sweetness. 

Before making your baked apple chips you can peruse an ultimate guide to apples to find out the sweetness level of each variety. If you can't find one of the sweeter varieties, no worries, Brighton says, "I usually use whatever apples we have on hand." You can always adjust the sugar and seasoning in the recipe to your preference.

Erin Brighton says apple chips can be made with apples that are perfectly ripe, slightly under-ripe, or even a little bit over-ripe. In fact, making apple chips may just be the perfect way to use up over-ripe or bruising apples that are beyond the point of making for a good snack on their own. Brighton explains, "As the apples dry in your oven or food dehydrator, they will change shape and become smaller as they lose their moisture so you will never know they started off with a bruise or two."

While it's great to use a food dehydrator if you have one, apple chips can just as easily be made in the oven. Brighton says, "I usually cook my apple chips [in the oven] for one hour at 200 degrees [Fahrenheit] and then I turn them over and cook them for another hour." Or, you can also use your air fryer to make apple chips for a much faster alternative — this process takes less than 10 minutes.

The prep for making apple chips is pretty easy, with the most intensive part being the slicing of the apples. However, there are ways to make the process as simple as possible. Erin Brighton says, "The best and fastest way to prepare apples for apple chips is to use a mandoline." She suggests wearing a mesh glove to protect yourself from how sharp the tool is.

Brighton also suggests coring your apples before slicing them — but don't worry about peeling the skin. Because the slices will be so thin, you'll hardly notice the skin either way. In short, skipping the peeling step is an easy way to save a bit of time.

Additionally, you can still prep apple chips if you don't have anything but a kitchen knife on hand. Brighton says, "If you don't have a mandoline or an apple corer, just use a sharp knife and cut your slices as thinly as possible." And, if you're making cinnamon-sugar apple chips, don't forget to add a pinch of salt.