Beets may turn your hands bright pink, but they are loaded with health benefits. I couldn’t believe how many nutrients are packed into the little vegetables. Beets help to flush out toxins from your body. They are also high in fiber, potassium, iron, and vitamins A, B, and C. They help to improve blood flow, thereby lowering blood pressure. And best of all, they now come in the easily snackable form of a chip.
To form the chips, thinly slice the beets with a mandolin or a knife. I used a mandolin to get a consistent slice on the beets, because they bake more evenly when the chips are the same thickness. It also makes the prep more efficient. After slicing, toss the beet slices with just a little bit of olive oil. Lay the beets out in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. First sprinkle the beets with salt and pepper, followed by the chopped rosemary and thyme.
The beets bake in the oven for anywhere between twelve and twenty minutes. I recommend checking the pans at around 12 minutes and watching closely to make sure the beet chips do not burn. They can get a little browned around the edges. And don’t worry about how crispy they are in the oven, because they will crisp up as they cool. Then they are ready to enjoy.
Healthy snacking is always a good idea. I didn’t know if I would like beet chips, since I’ve just recently starting eating beets at all. But I ate half the batch. So I have to implore you to try these even if you aren’t a huge fan of beets. Maybe you’ll like them so much that you eat the whole batch.
Ingredients
- 4 medium beets, rinsed and scrubbed
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Peel the beets and thinly slice. Place into a large bowl and toss with the olive oil. Transfer to two rimmed baking sheets in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Chop up the rosemary and thyme and sprinkle over the beets. Bake for 14-18 minutes, until slightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool. Chips will become crispier as they cool.
OK, I am really curious now. I do not like beets. It is truly like the only food I can’t stand so I am going to try these today. I will give a really honest opinion from someone who hates em.
I hated beets forever until I juiced a few one day and could not believe how great they taste fresh and raw. I realized later that my family always served canned beets at the dinner table. Difference of night and day! Now I use fresh organic beets in all kinds of recipes and can’t get enough of them.
Caution, they’re addictive!
Could you used canned sliced beets?
I think the canned beets would be too wet to make chips out of. Fresh would be best.
Well, I left a comment yesterday saying I was going to try them and how much I hated beets. So…….I made them today and just as you said they have a pretty neutral flavor, sort of sweet really. I left mine in 18 minutes though and they did not get crisp. They are back in the oven to see if I can get them crispier. I can definitely consume beets this way. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for your input Beth! I hope this encourages others to try the chips as well.
Don’t throw the stalks and leaves away! Keep them for your juicer or blender for your morning smoothie.
Do you know the thickness you used on your mandolin while making these? They look very thin from the pictures, but I was having a really hard time getting them to come out in whole circles when I was using a thin setting (but I’m also new to the mandolin, so perhaps that was my problem).
I sliced my beets at 1/8 of an inch as 1/16 was too difficult to slice on the mandolin. I cooked for almost 25 min and the beets never really got crispy. Oven at 350 degrees. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. Some of the beets that were slightly unevenly sliced (slightly thicker on one side and thinner on the other) crisped on the very thin side but the other half was rather soft and flexible. They were all covered in oil as instructed but it felt like a bit too much oil, could that have been the issue? I actually love beets and was looking for a new variation from the standard boiled whole then sliced. Any suggestions?