Apple season is here, and suddenly, apple peels are piling high. Instead of tossing them, let's turn apple peels (also called apple skins) into delightfully crispy chips: a zero-waste snack you can munch straight from the jar or sprinkle over your breakfast bowl.
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You know it's fall when your fruit bowl is overflowing with apples in every shade - ruby red, golden yellow, granny-smith green. I'm eating them nonstop right now, either on their own or sliced into yogurt bowls and blended into smoothies.
Now, I'm usually a "whole apple or nothing" kind of person. I like the peels. They've got a nice bite and plenty of nutrients. But some recipes (like these oat cookies, or this apple crumble cake and applesauce) call for peeled apples.
Which means: suddenly, you're standing there with a generous pile of apple peels on the counter.
And that's where the crispy goodness starts. Apple peels may look like scraps, but they're anything but. With a little patience and low heat, they turn into the crispiest, fruitiest, most snackable little chips.
Tips for Drying Apple Peels
A few small details make all the difference when turning apple peels into crispy chips:
- Use a straight peeler with a fixed blade, it makes peeling round produce like apples easier (skip the Y-shaped ones or those swivel ones that wiggle all over the place). I especially love the ones from WMF.
- Cut the apple peels into similar-sized pieces, about the size of your thumbnail. Uniform size = evenly dried = no sad chewy bits.
- Keep an eye on them toward the end. They go from "almost done" to "burnt toast" in literal seconds once they start browning. Start checking after an hour and don't stray too far!
- Dry in the oven until crisp, not dark brown. A little color is fine, but you want crunch, not bitterness.
🍽 Recipe
Crispy Apple Peels (Apple Skins): Easy Zero-Waste Snack
Ingredients
- Apple peels from about 2 kg / 4.4 lb apples
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 100°C / 212°F.
- Chop the apple peels into equal-sized pieces, about thumbnail-size.
- Spread them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Bake for about 1.5 hours. Every 20 minutes, briefly crack the oven door to let moisture escape.
- After 1 hour, start checking frequently - apple peels brown quickly.
- Once crisp and lightly golden, remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Store them in an airtight glass or steel jar (not plastic). They'll stay crunchy for weeks.
Serving Suggestions
Once cool, these apple peel chips are crunchy and tart and just the right amount of sweet. Here are some ideas how to use them:
- Snack on them straight away.
- Sprinkle them over granola, yogurt, or breakfast bowls.
- Use them as a crunchy topping for porridge, pancakes, or baked fruit.
- Crumble a few crispy apple skins over salads for a sweet-tart crunch (for example, this apple and celery salad).
- Steep a handful in hot water for a cozy fruit tea, or add them to ginger tea or your favorite herbal blend.
Enjoy,
Ramona
PS: If you try it, tell me in the comments how it turned out. I'm always curious.
♥
Recipes With Peeled Apples
If you're peeling apples anyway, these recipes pair perfectly with your freshly made apple peel chips.
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