Naturally gluten-free and refined sugar-free. No preservatives or additives. Just plain healthy. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Do you ever walk through the dried fruit aisle or the bulk bins reading the ingredients? So much of the dried fruit is covered in sugar and sometimes oil. It makes certain foods on the ‘no-no’ list for me – trail mix, most dried fruit, and ingredients for some cookie recipes.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been good with limits. When there’s a will, there’s a way.
Enter my Excalibur Food Dehydrator. Joe bought it for me for our anniversary last year. He would have rather bought me jewelery or taken me on a trip. I wanted an Excalibur. What can I say?
I’ve been having all kinds of fun with it. I make yogurt, fruit roll ups, and my favorite – banana chips.
They’re so incredibly simple (who needs complicated??) and they’re so much better than anything you can buy at the store (of course!).
The banana chips I remember from way-back-when were sweet and really crunchy. My banana chips are still sweet and slightly crunchy but they’re almost taffy-like. They melt in mouth. An all-natural, good-for-you candy.
I have to admit that I’m most excited about using my Excalibur Food Dehydrator when the baby gets a little older. It’s a little ways off since I’m still pregnant but it feels good to know I can give our baby healthy treats that taste better than store bought ones.
Other Gluten-Free Banana Recipes:
- Banana Carob Snack Cake from SS&GF
- Vegan Chocolate Banana Scones from Family Fresh Cooking
- Banana Bread (dairy-Free) from Book of Yum
- Baked Bananas & Banana Cobbler from The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Much love,
Amy
Make your own healthy banana chips at home – it’s like all-natural, good-for-you candy! Naturally gluten-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free.
Ingredients
- Bananas, ripe, but not over-ripe; at least 4
Instructions
- Slice the bananas thin and even width.
- Lay each slice flat on the food dehydrator tray.
- Set temperature to 135 degrees F (the fruit setting) and dehydrate for 12 – 14 hours, until banana chips reach desired crispness.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
The dehydrator can be set to the raw food setting; banana chips will have to be dehydrated for a longer period of time.
Cara
posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:58 am
Sounds wonderful, Amy! Just as a tip, some of your readers who don’t have a dehydrator might be able to try this in their oven, on the lowest setting. Mine has a “warm” setting and I’ve used it to “dehydrate” eggplant into crispy chips overnight. It might require a few less hours, but it can be done!
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Amy Reply:
September 8th, 2011 at 11:07 am
@Cara, I can set my oven on 100F for bread proofing and the next lowest setting is 175F. I wonder what your warm setting is in degrees?
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Cara Reply:
September 8th, 2011 at 11:10 am
@Amy, wish I knew – I need to get a thermometer to find out! I think 175ºF would still accomplish the same affect as a dehydrator, but maybe in say, 8-10 hours. Obviously if someone was adhering to a strict raw diet, this wouldn’t work, but for others who might be interested in a handful of dehydrator recipes and not be ready to purchase the equipment, it’s worth a try.
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Amy Reply:
September 9th, 2011 at 7:42 am
@Cara, I don’t think my dehydrator goes up to 175F and personally, I wouldn’t want to leave my oven on that long. Maybe in the winter…
I’ve seen people do fruit roll ups in the oven but I don’t remember what the temperature was.
Alta
posted on September 8, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Ive done this several times. These are addictive! I wonder how they’d taste broken into bits and stirred into cookies?
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InTolerantChef
posted on September 8, 2011 at 6:46 pm
I put mine into rice pudding as it cooks and they almost melt away the way dates do. So very yummy, but as our bananas were wiped out at the beggining of the year and so cost about $15kg, I’ll have to wait to stock up again
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SnoWhite @ Finding Joy in My Kitchen
posted on September 8, 2011 at 8:15 pm
I’ve been interested in trying banana chips! I have an oral allergy to fresh, “raw” bananas… as I do with many fresh fruits and veggies, so I’ve wondered how I’d handle a banana chip. I might just have to try it.
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Andrea
posted on September 8, 2011 at 9:22 pm
I LOVE Banana Chips too! It’s a shame that it’s so hard to find unsweetened and unprocessed ones in the store…I make my own as well…I can set my oven at 135 which of course doesn’t make them raw but it does dehydrate beautifully! I need to invest in a dehydrator…just can’t think of where I will store it!!!!!
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Christianne
posted on September 10, 2011 at 8:49 am
Oh you lucky girl! It is just like you to pick a dehyrator vs a getaway! This is on my list for next important purchase!
Enjoy and keep us posted on some yummy things to prepare. Baby Green is in for some treats , so is Joe for that matter!
Been thinking about all of our friends and neighbors in Texas with all the horrific fires and weather conditions. Sending love to all……
Big Hugs from the Big Easy! Christianne
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Amy Reply:
September 13th, 2011 at 5:25 pm
@Christianne, Thank you for thinking of those who have lost homes in the wild fires. We desperately need some rain. Desperately. It’s starting to cool down a little…but some rain would be so nice.
Much love to you,
Amy
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Christianne Reply:
September 20th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
@Amy,
Amy may I ask which dehydrator you bought?
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 8:32 am
@Christianne, Yes – it’s the 5 tray Excalibur. I have a link to it in my post. It’s great. You can take all the trays out and make yogurt with it too or even use it to raise bread. (I don’t use it for bread, though….)
I’m glad I don’t have the 9 tray because the 5 tray is big enough for me. It does take a lot of storage space but it’s worth it.
Hugs,
Amy
kosherstreet
posted on September 10, 2011 at 11:34 pm
That looks like a great healthy snack
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Kristi Rimkus
posted on September 11, 2011 at 10:29 am
I can’t stand those banana chips you buy in the store. You are so right. They always have additional ingredients like sugar and oil. Bananas are naturally sweet – why would you need oil? This looks like a lot of fun. I’ll have to see if I can convince my husband to get me a dehydrator for Christmas. I’d love to dry my own cranberries and blueberries too. It would make terrific granola with your banana chips.
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Amy Reply:
September 13th, 2011 at 5:24 pm
@Kristi Rimkus, Put the dehydrator on your Wish List and bring it up every once in a while. It’s worth it’s weight in gold.
Hugs,
Amy
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Jen Cafferty
posted on September 11, 2011 at 4:40 pm
You’ve inspired me to pull out my Excalibur and get dehydrating! My kids love to make dried strawberries and my husband loves dried zucchini with dill and some kosher salt sprinkled on top before drying.
Thanks! Now I’ll have yummy dehydrated foods and something to post about next week:)
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Amy Reply:
September 13th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
@Jen Cafferty, Ok…I have to try the dried zucchini. I tried carrots once and they were a mess. Can’t wait to see your recipes (as if you have time for that right now!!)
Hugs,
Amy
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yummy holiday recipes
posted on September 11, 2011 at 10:33 pm
I wanted to make these, but I also don’t have a dehydrator personally at home. I will try them in the oven as suggested, or maybe I can buy a dehydrator if i find more recipes like this one. I love banana chips, so it would be great to be able to make them at home whenever I want. It’s so much healthier like you said. Thanks for sharing this recipe, and congratulations on your pregnancy
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Amy Reply:
September 13th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
@yummy holiday recipes, Thanks for the congrats! I love my dehydrator…it’s great for making big batches of yogurt, too.
Hugs,
Amy
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glutenfreeforgood
posted on September 12, 2011 at 8:18 pm
I have an Excalibur Food Dehydrator and LOVE it. I’ve used it for everything from drying fruit and vegetables to making backpacking food. Dried apple slices are one of my favorite snacks and dehydrated kale is wonderful to add to soups and stews. I haven’t tried bananas yet. You’ve inspired me. Congratulations on your pregnancy! Very exciting.
Melissa
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Amy Reply:
September 13th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
@glutenfreeforgood, How thick do you slice your apples? Do you use a mandolin slicer or just a knife?
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Shu Han
posted on September 17, 2011 at 1:19 am
oh this sounds awesome! I love banana chips but they’re always so sweet and expensive too. I’m even back in Singapore now where bananas are abundant so this is great. Only problem.. what do I do without a dehydrator? ): can I do this in the oven??
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Amy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 8:42 am
@Shu Han, Some people have suggested a slow oven, as low as your oven will go. You’ll have to check them periodically to see when they’re done.
Hugs,
Amy
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Dina@SweetBatik
posted on August 9, 2012 at 8:36 pm
Hi Amy, congratulations on your pregnancy! Thank you for the banana chips recipe. By the way, how do you make yogurt with dehydrator? What’s the temp setting?
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Amy Reply:
August 9th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
@Dina@SweetBatik, To make yogurt I set it on 115F for 8 hours or so.
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