What if you could turn a plain old beet into a snack so tasty that even the veggie skeptics in your family can’t resist them?
Introducing: freeze dried beet chips – crunchy, naturally sweet and surprisingly addictive!
In this article, I show you two easy methods for making freeze dried beet chips that your family will love.
Equipment:
- Home Freeze Dryer (and trays)
- Breville Sous Chef (food processor) – optional
- Parchment Paper Pre-Cut to Tray Size
- Chest Freezer (for pre-freezing) – optional
- Mylar Bags or Mason Jars
- Oxygen Absorbers
- Impulse Sealer
- Labels and Marker – for labeling your storage containers
Don’t have a freeze-dryer yet and wondering if this appliance is right for you? Read my two-year, hands-on, no-holds-barred review of the Harvest Right freeze dryer here.
- Freeze dry up to 10,000 lbs of fresh food every year.
- Preserve your gardens harvest & prepare for emergencies.
- Make your own camping & hiking meals.
- Freeze dry your own pet food.
Method 1: Freeze Drying Roasted Beet Chips
1. Select Your Beets
Whether you grow your own or plan on buying beets, select ones that are firm and unblemished.
For making chips, medium sized beets are a good option. They produce a good sized chip and are generally sweeter than larger a larger beetroot will be.
2. Roast Your Beets
First, prepare your beets for roasting by giving them a good scrub. I like to cut the top and bottom off each beet so that no root or stems remain but otherwise keep the beets whole.
There are lots of recipes available for roasting beets (like this one) if you haven’t done it before, but you can keep things pretty simple.
I just put my beets into a glass roasting dish (without oil) and roasted for about 1 hour at 350°F (approx. 175°C).
Your beets are done when you can easily slide a skewer or fork into the centre of the beet.
Let your beetroots cool enough to handle, and then peel. Once roasted, the skin should rub away easily. If it doesn’t your beets might not be cooked enough.
3. Thinly Slice the Beets
Next, thinly slice your beets into rounds.
I used my Breville Sous Chef with the adjustable slicing disc set to about 2.5 (which is about 3 mm thickness) for this. The resulting chips were very thin and crispy.
You can slice by hand if necessary and adjust the thickness of the slices to your taste.
4. Arrange Beet Slices on Freeze Dryer Tray
With your beets sliced, it is time to arrange them on the freeze dryer tray.
You can overlap the slices slightly like I have in the image on the left below. You can also use parchment paper to do a second or third layer of beetroot slices in your tray (as demonstrated in the image on the right).
5. Pre-Freeze Your Beet Chips
This step is optional, but I do recommend pre-freezing any food before it is freeze dried.
Just pop your trays into the deep freeze for 24-48 hours to let the beet slices become completely frozen.
6. Run the Freeze Dryer Cycle
Load your filled and frozen trays of beets into the freeze drying machine.
If you don’t have a full load of beets, you can run the cycle with other foods of similar moisture content – think potato chips or carrot slices.
Just use the freeze dryers default settings and follow the prompts on your machine – remembering to close the drain valve!
7. Check for Dryness and Package for Storage
When the cycle is complete, check your beet chips are completely dry.
They should be light, crispy and separate from one another easily.
Once dry, you can package for storage. For long term storage, use a Mylar bag or Mason jar and oxygen absorber.
If you are using them for immediate snacking, just an airtight container or jar (I use a Mason jar) is sufficient (they won’t last long once your family discovers them!).
Method 2: Freeze Drying Picked Beet Chips
1. Choose Your Pickled Beets
I used beets I pickled myself, but you can also make these beet chips with store bought pickled beets. To save time, get beets that are already sliced like these.
2. Drain Your Beets & Arrange on Trays
Tip the beets into a colander to drain away the pickling liquid.
Next, arrange the beet slices onto your freeze dryer tray.
I overlapped my slices and was able to separate them once freeze-dried but use parchment to separate layers if needed.
3. Continue with Steps 5-7 Above
The rest of the process is the same as for the roasted beet chips above – pre-freeze, freeze dry and package the pickled beet chips for storage (or snacking).
I noticed that these do get a little more stuck together than the roasted beet chips, but I was still able to separate them all from one another. You can overlap the slices less and use parchment between layers to aid separation once dry.
Pickled beets can also be rehydrated and used in the same way you would normally (for salads, burgers etc).
Roast VS Pickled Beet Chips
Wondering which version you should make?
My personal preference is the pickled beet chips, they are full of flavor and have great texture. We pickled our beets with cinnamon, allspice and star anise, and the flavor of the spices was present in the freeze dried chips. Make sure you like the taste of the pickled beets you choose before going to the effort to freeze dry them!
My fiance preferred the roasted beet chips. They are thin, very crispy, and showcase the sweet, earthy flavor of the beet roots.
So which freeze dried beet chips should you make? I would say both!
Healthy Snacking!
That, my friend, is how you turn a vegetable into a healthy snack.
If you want no sugar, opt for the freeze dried roasted beet chips and let the beet flavor shine.
If you dig pickles, it doesn’t get much easier than freeze drying your favorite brand for freeze dried pickled beet chips.
Once you try them, let me know which you prefer!
Happy snacking!
Don’t have a freeze-dryer yet and wondering if this appliance is right for you? Read my two-year, hands-on, no-holds-barred review of the Harvest Right freeze dryer here.
- Freeze dry up to 10,000 lbs of fresh food every year.
- Preserve your gardens harvest & prepare for emergencies.
- Make your own camping & hiking meals.
- Freeze dry your own pet food.
Equipment
- 1 Freeze Dryer and trays
- 1 Breville Sous Chef or food processor for slicing (optional)
- 1 Mylar bags or Mason jars in sufficient quantity for storage
- 1 Oxygen absorber for each bar or jar
- 1 Heat sealer
Ingredients
- 3-4 beets medium sized per medium freeze dryer tray
Instructions
Prepare Beets
- Method 1: Roast beets for about 1 hour at 350°F (175°C), remove skins and slice thinly.
- Method 2: Drain homemade or store bought pickled beets to remove pickling liquid.
- Arrange sliced beets (roasted or pickled) on your freeze dryer tray. Use parchment paper to separate layers. The beetroot can overlap a little.
- Pre-freeze for 24-48 hours.
Freeze Dry Beet Chips
- Load the trays into the freeze dryer and start the cycle.
- When the cycle is complete, ensure the chips are completely dry.
- Transfer into Mason jars or Mylar bags for storage. Add an oxygen absorber to each.
- Seal and label with contents and date.
Notes
- Beet Selection: Medium-sized beets are sweeter and make ideal chips.
- Roasting Tips: Roasting enhances natural sweetness; no oil is needed.
- Slicing: Thinner slices yield crispier chips.
- Storage: For long-term storage, use oxygen absorbers and keep in a cool, dark place.
- Flavor Variations:
- Roasted Beet Chips: Showcase the sweet, earthy flavor of beets.
- Pickled Beet Chips: Infused with the flavors of pickling spices; ensure you like the pickled taste before freeze drying.
- Enjoy as a healthy snack on their own.
- Pair with dips like hummus or yogurt-based spreads.
- Use as a crunchy topping for salads or soups.
