Are Veggie Chips Healthy?

Are you considering eating healthy? Trying to keep out unnecessary fats or salts out of your diet? 

If you’re trying to sneak more veggies into your diet, swapping regular potato chips for veggie chips might seem like an easy fix! Still just as satisfying as a regular potato chips, vegetables are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but we know consuming a variety of them on a regular basis can help reduce risk for chronic diseases, obesity, and cancer. However, when it comes to veggie chips, it’s important to keep in mind how these chips are made. Here, take a look at what you need to know about veggie chips and how they compare to whole vegetables.

How Are Veggie Chips Made?

When buying pre-packaged veggie chips, many varieties can be made from fried, baked, dehydrated, or dried vegetables, either in whole or powdered form. How a veggie chip is made and processed is an important indicator of nutrition and actual veggie content of the chip. If you are looking to knock out a veggie serving or two by eating them, it’s important to check out the nutrition labels, as with most foods.

For example, many crunchy “veggie straws” and some chips are made from powdered vegetables and are not the healthiest vegetable chips on the market. They are processed together with other additives, making the end product very low in fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and actual vegetables. While you may think you are getting in an extra serving of veggies, that’s not exactly equivalent to eating carrot and celery sticks. It is also definitely not as filling due to the lack of fiber. In other words, the bag is gone before you know it and you are left still feeling hungry and unsatisfied.

Some other more healthy veggie chips, in contrast, are made from real root vegetables beyond just the regular potato, like parsnips, beets, yucca, carrots and sometimes even broccoli and kale. Many of these healthier veggie chips are dehydrated, which preserves most vitamins and minerals with the exception of vitamin C, and retains some fiber. Depending on how these are processed, they may also contain added sodium from salt and other seasonings, and added fat from the oils used. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as fat can help the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A and K. Just be mindful of any many you are actually eating. 

Should You Have Veggie Chips Instead of Vegetables?

If you were just to compare veggie chips with whole vegetables on nutrient content alone, the clear winner is whole vegetables. But that’s not to say veggie chips can’t have a place in a well-balanced diet. If you’re craving something crunchy, and a little salty, the healthiest veggie chips are made from real veggies, and are a great and healthy choice for you in that moment. Same for when you want just a little something extra on the side to accompany a nutritious sandwich. You can also try making your own to cut back on sodium and other extra add-ins. What may not be the healthiest long-term, however, is thinking you don’t need to eat whole vegetables or increasingly slacking on your whole-veggie game in favor of some variation of a veggie chip.

Healthy Veggie Chip Recipes 

Ready to make your own healthy veggie chips at home? Dish those unhealthy veggie crisps or potato chips and dive into these incredible recipes! 

Oil Free Veggie Chips

Serves: 4 Servings

Gather Together: 

• 1 Medium Golden Beetroot
• 1 Medium Beetroot
• 1 Medium Zucchini
• 1 Large Carrot
• 1 Small Sweet Potato
• 1 Small Rutabaga or Turnip
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt, Adjust to Taste
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Pepper

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Slice all the veggies into uniformly thin slices with a knife or mandoline. In a bowl, toss them with the salt and pepper until evenly coated.
3. Spread out on baking pan(s) lined with parchment paper, minimizing overlap. Bake for 10 minutes at 400F. Flip. Bake for another 5-10 minutes until crispy and slightly brown but not burnt. Watch them carefully and even remove some early if they are browning before the others.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before eating.

Crispy Herb-Spiced Veggie Chips

Serves: 4 Servings

Gather Together: 

• 1 Medium Golden Beetroot
• 1 Medium Beetroot
• 1 Medium Zucchini
• 1 Large Carrot
• 1 Small Sweet Potato
• 1 Small Rutabaga or Turnip
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt, Adjust to Taste
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
• 1 Teaspoon of Rosemary 
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Paprika
• Avocado Oil, to Drizzle 

Directions : 

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Slice all the veggies into uniformly thin slices with a knife or mandoline. In a bowl, toss them with the salt and pepper until evenly coated.
3. Spread out on baking pan(s) lined with parchment paper, minimizing overlap. Bake for 10 minutes at 400F. Flip. Bake for another 5-10 minutes until crispy and slightly brown but not burnt. Watch them carefully and even remove some early if they are browning before the others.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before eating.

There you have it! 

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-Patrick