Once you’ve made apple chips a few times, it’s easy to feel like you’ve hit the ceiling of what a dehydrator can snack-ify. It hasn’t. Here’s the full range, organized by category, with a few less-obvious ones worth trying.
In This Article
Fruit-Based Snacks
- Apple chips — the classic starting point, see my apple chips recipe
- Banana chips — naturally sweet, no added sugar needed
- Strawberry slices — concentrated flavor, great trail mix addition
- Mango strips — chewy, candy-like without any actual candy
- Pineapple rings — tart-sweet and satisfying
- Fruit leather — endlessly customizable, see my fruit leather recipe
- Dried citrus wheels — more decorative than snackable, but genuinely edible
Vegetable Chips
- Kale chips — crisp, savory, and quick to dry, see my kale chips recipe
- Zucchini chips — a mild, versatile base for seasoning experiments
- Sweet potato chips — naturally sweet with a satisfying chew
- Beet chips — earthy flavor, vivid color
- Plantain chips — a starchier, slightly sweeter alternative to potato chips
- Eggplant chips — less common, but dries into a genuinely crisp, mild chip
Slice vegetables as thin and uniform as possible for chip-style snacks — a mandoline makes a bigger difference here than almost any other single technique.
Protein-Based Snacks
- Beef jerky — the classic protein snack, see my beef jerky guide
- Turkey or chicken jerky — leaner alternatives to beef
- Salmon jerky — omega-3-rich and distinct in flavor from red meat jerky
- Dehydrated edamame — a crunchy, high-protein snack straight from frozen or fresh pods
- Roasted then dehydrated chickpeas — extra-crisp texture beyond standard roasting alone
Grain & Legume Snacks
- Dehydrated lentil or bean snacks — seasoned and dried for a crunchy, high-fiber option
- Granola clusters — a lower-heat alternative to oven-baked granola
- Coconut chips — naturally sweet, works well plain or lightly toasted first, see my coconut in dehydrator guide
Sweet Treats
- Cinnamon apple chips — a simple upgrade on plain apple chips
- Dehydrated yogurt drops — a crunchy, tangy bite popular with kids
- Homemade fruit roll-ups — see my fruit roll-ups recipe
- Dehydrated marshmallows — a crunchy twist on a familiar treat, see my candy dehydrator guide for what works and what doesn’t
Don’t mix strong-smelling savory snacks (garlic, onion, jerky) with delicate sweet batches in the same cycle. Flavor transfer is real, and nobody wants onion-flavored fruit leather.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple chips or banana chips are the most forgiving starting points — minimal prep, wide margin for error, and quick to dial in timing on your specific machine.
Generally yes, since you control ingredients directly — no added oils, excess sodium, or preservatives unless you add them yourself. Nutrient content is largely preserved, aside from some heat-sensitive vitamin loss.
It’s better to avoid it, especially with strong-smelling savory foods. Flavor transfer between trays is a real risk over a long drying cycle.
Bottom Line
Between fruit, vegetables, protein, and a handful of sweet options, a dehydrator covers a genuinely wide snack range beyond the usual apple chips and jerky. Pick one new category a month and you’ll have a real rotation going before long.
