Crunchy Cinnamon Baked Banana Chips

If you follow me on Facebook, you’ll already know that I’ve undertaken an Autoimmune Protocl version of the Whole30. With my usual lack of forward planning, it actually ends the day after Thanksgiving. Whoops. Honestly, I actually thought it would be pretty easy. I don’t eat too many treats, I’m not crazy dependent on dairy or sugar – what could be the big deal? Uh, that’s what I thought. Until yesterday when I had an energy crash so bad I had to restrain myself from crawling to bed at 3pm. Oy. I’m not sure what my body is recovering from, but it’s clearly pretty mad at me about something.

Cinnamon Baked Banana Chips from http://meatified.com #paleo #glutenfree

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Aside from missing nightshades something fierce – Mr Meatified had to pry the last jar of salsa from my hands – the only thing that is really driving me a little nuts (ha!) is the lack of CRUNCHY things. I mean, sure, cucumbers and carrot sticks have their place. But without my raw peppers to dip in my paleo hummus or grain free granola as my weekend treat, I’m beginning to want to really CHOMP on something. That’s when I remembered: unsweetened banana chips!

I’m not going to lie to you, unsweetened banana chips on their own taste like precisely nothing. Crispy-crunchy nothing. I’m stuck eating them because the Whole30 forbids added sugar of any kind. And they kind of helped. But then I got to thinking: surely I could make these tastier?

Bizarrely, cooking something up in the kitchen – even if I can’t eat it – is really therapeutic to me. I like the distraction, the challenge and the fun of just mixing stuff up and seeing what happens. For example: would already dried unsweetened banana chips make it through a second round of cooking? I had to find out!

When I was making these Cinnamon Baked Banana Chips, I was thinking about people who are on the Autoimmune Protocol protocol long term. People for whom nuts and seeds – those Paleo purveyors of crispedy crunchiness – are perpetually out. So I figured: why not flavor up these unsweetened banana chips so that they are both crunchy AND tasty?

Cinnamon Baked Banana Chips from http://meatified.com #paleo #glutenfree

So that’s what I did! I tossed the unsweetened banana chips with a little melted mixture of coconut oil, maple syrup and cinnamon. Then I spread them out on a baking tray and, well, baked them again! Now you lovely Autoimmune Protocol followers can enjoy some nut-like crunch, without the nuts AND with a hint of maple and cinnamon. You’re welcome!

Since these do contain added sugar from maple syrup, these are going to be an occasional treat. But for a crispy crunchy cinnamon snack, look no further!

For people asking about using your own dehydrated banana chips

Yes, I’m sure you can use them. But they won’t come CLOSE to achieving the crunchy texture that makes my recipe awesome. Why? Because the way in which these unsweetened banana chips are made – dried super fast – is what makes them crunchy. Homemade versions are much, much softer. So if you’re after just the cinnamon flavor, then sub in your own chips. But if you want the crunch, I recommend you buy whatever unsweetened banana chips you can source from places that have a bulk bin – just read the ingredients first!

Edited to add – you can make these without the maple syrup, too!

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Crunchy Cinnamon Baked Banana Chips

These cinnamon baked banana chips are simple to make and make a perfect snack for those who are nut-free or just craving some crunch!

  • Author: Rachael Bryant / Meatified
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Total Time: 5 mins
  • Yield: 3 cups 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Melt together the oil, maple syrup and cinnamon.
  3. Add the unsweetened banana chips to a bowl and pour over the oil mixture. Stir to make sure that all the unsweetened banana chips are evenly coated.
  4. Spread the coated banana chips out on a parchment lined baking tray in a single layer.
  5. Bake for about 8 minutes, then remove the baking tray from the oven.
  6. Place on a rack to cool before eating. Store in an airtight container.

 

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Cinnamon Baked Banana Chips from http://meatified.com #paleo #glutenfree

31 comments

    1. Let me fix that! Essentially, the fat you use doesn’t really matter, but if you are avoiding dairy, you’ll want to use coconut oil instead of the ghee as that is derived from a dairy product. Thanks for pointing that out!

  1. These were great! I had unsweetened flavorless banana chips and needed to fix them up. This was the answer. Would make them again. Not too sweet but just enough if you’re craving it.

  2. Just an FYI…Cori Abraham Fitness on Facebook is passing this recipe and your picture as her own…

    1. Thanks for the heads up! It looks like she’s taken it down already, so if you said something to her, I appreciate it!

  3. Ok, I’m confused, you say “sub in your own chips”, my own chips that I’ve bought, or my own chips that I’ve made?

    1. I’m looking for a recipe for banana cinnamon chips from scratch using fresh bananas – does this recipe work for that?

    2. Banana chips that you have made. My point was that, unless you have an excellent dehydrator, homemade banana chips will usually turn out chewy, which is why I’ve used ready made unsweetened banana chips. If you’re happy with that texture, you can sub your own recipe in as a base for the cinnamon flavor I have added here.

  4. Pingback: 20 AIP Snack Ideas
    1. I’m afraid I don’t use those ingredients, so I’m not really familiar with how to substitute them to match the amount of maple syrup. I’m sure you could do it, but it may take a little experimentation on your part!

    1. So glad you’re enjoying them! I haven’t made these in a while, so I’m glad you reminded me of them by posting here — I sense a snack break on the horizon!

    2. Day 26 of AIP and I’m missing spicy/sweet/crunchy snacks, so I added a bit of ground ginger and wasabi powder to this already-delicious recipe. It hit the spot. Thank you for this easy and fabulous recipe!

      1. Way to kick things up a notch! Spicy is always so welcome on the AIP, but hard to get sometimes, so I’m glad you tinkered with this recipe to make it hit the spot for you 🙂

  5. I literally got to the end of reading the recipe and got up from my desk to make these. I just started AIP five days ago. I bought plain banana chips and really had no idea how flavorless a food could be. I can’t wait until the timer goes off in 8 minutes!

    1. Hahaha, they’re so, so beyond bland! I hope you enjoyed them better afterwards 🙂

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