Have leftover pumpkin or trying to lose weight? These healthy baked pumpkin chips are a low-calorie easy to make snack. If you enjoy the flavour of pumpkin, this is a great alternative to regular potato chips. Vegan and gluten-free.
The weather is turning cooler than ever this time of the year here in the UK, We had bloody cold weather in August and September is already seeming wintery. Pumpkin season is fast approaching and seems like pumpkin flavoured everything is everywhere, while the natural flavour of pumpkin is entirely different.
I’m not a fan of lattes not to mention pumpkin spice lattes. While I do enjoy the supermarket offerings of all things pumpkin spice, I also love the true natural flavour, the subtly sweet and nuttiness of real pumpkin. If you are a fan of potato masala chips, you love these low-calorie pumpkin chips.
You might be thinking, ‘savoury pumpkin? no thanks’,’ but, trust me, you gotta try them out. The sweetness of pumpkin and saltiness together is a bomb combination. Pumpkin chips, pumpkin fries, bring it all!
Growing up in India, I know for a fact pumpkin is widely used in our kitchens irrespective of Halloween season. We make curries, subzis, soups, kebabs, papad,halwa(dessert) with pumpkins. It is known as kaddu in Hindi.
Pumpkin can be an ideal vegetable for those looking to lose weight quicker. Not being a fan of sweets stuff and trying to lose weight means, these crispy pumpkin chips are a necessity in my life!
Jump to:
Texture of pumpkin chips baked pumpkin chips
These pumpkin chips are
- baked and not deep fried
- crispyjust like your regular potato chips.
- low in calories and satify chip cravings.
- rich in fiber and pottasium
Pumpkin for Weight loss
Low in calories Pumpkin is considered a nutrient-dense food, meaning it’s incredibly low in calories despite being packed with nutrients. pumpkin clocks in at under 50 calories per cup (245 grams) and consists of about 94% of water.
High in Fiber Fibre is important for weight loss as it curbs hunger pangs, keep you full for longer eliminating the need to eat junk in between meals.
Further, pumpkin contains good pottasium making it an ideal post-workout snack that helps in muscle recovery. The presence of essential vitamin C and beta carotene makes pumpkin a good immunity booster.
Other water vegetables good for weight loss are squash, cucumbers etc. that packs a ton of flavours with fewer calories.
Having tried my luck with sweet potato fries recently, I couldn’t stop myself experimenting with pumpkin! I know, you may be thinking about the sweetness, moisture and all, but let me share with you all the tips and tricks to make crispy and healthy pumpkin chips in this post.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin – chosse the yellow variety aka butternut pumpkin which has rich yelowish flesh.
- Olive oil or cooking spray
- Spices – like salt, pepper and paprika.
The other important thing you need is a slicer or a sharp knife to cut the pumpkin.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make Pumpkin Chips
Please follow the photo steps and instructions below on how to make the best crispy pumpkin chips.
I already had a quarter of a pumpkin left in the fridge, so my chips shapes are what you see, but go ahead and be creative with the shape.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Step 1: Using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife, cut the pumpkin into not too thin slices by removing the skin. If desired, cut rounds using a cookie cutter.
Step 2: The raw chips should be double the size of your desired baked chips. Check out the photo above, named 2, how thick the pumpkin needs to be sliced into chips. they get curled and shrunk so it’s important we don’t slice them too thin.
Step 3: Soak the pumpkin slices in cold water for at least 10 minutes. This is to ensure the excess starch is absorbed.
Step 4: Using a paper towel or a kitchen napkin, pat dries the soaked chip to remove any moisture. Remember, moisture = soggy chips.
Step 5: Spread the pumpkin chips on a lined baking tray individually such that the base of each chip is touching the paper. The chips should not be crowded else they will get steamed instead.
Step 6: Spray cooking oil or rub the pumpkin slices with a teaspoon of olive oil.
Step 7: Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika if preferred.
Step 8: Bake the pumpkin chips in a pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes or until they start to curl by checking and flipping halfway through.
Storage
I would make these chips freshly every time as they are not great for storing. Simply store the leftover chips in an airtight container and finish within a day or two.
The chips will turn a bit soft and chewy after a day but you can crisp them up again in a pre-heated oven.
These chips don’t stand up well for freezing but you can freeze the uncooked chips for up to 6 months.
Spice Options
I flavoured mine with salt, pepper and a little bit of paprika too. you can use chaat masala, rosemary, garlic powder.Make sure the spices are of the type that doesn’t get burned easily while baking. else you can also sprinkle the spices after the chips are baked too.
Top Tips & FAQ
The chips should not be very thinly sliced else they curl up and get burnt easily.
Soaking in cold water is required to remove the starchiness of the pumpkin.
Ensure there is no moisture on the chips before you bake. Pat dry them properly with a paper towel or kitchen napkin.
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Check out baked sweet potato chips and other appetizers on the blog, Hope you give it a go – Siri 🙂
Baked Pumpkin Chips
Ingredients
- 300 grams pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon olive oil or cooking spray
- salt to taste
- ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 °C. Line baking tray with parchment paper.
- Cut pumpkin into large slices that will fit your mandoline slicer with skin removed. Or using a shar knife, cut into not very thin chips.If desired, cut circle shapes with a cookie cutter. Make sure your raw chips are about 2 times bigger than you want your final ones to be because they will shrink. and get burnt
- Soak the pumpkin slices in cold water for at least 10 minutes to remove the excess strach as much as possible.
- Using a paper towel or a kitchen napkin, pat dries the soaked chip to remove any moisture.
- Spread the pumpkin chips on lined baking tray individually such that the base of each chip is touching the paper. The chips should not be crowded.
- Spray cooking oil or rub the chips with a teaspoon of olive oil.Sprinkle salt, pepper or paprika if preferred.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes (time will vary depending on your chip sizes) or until pumpkin chips begin to curl, edges feel crisp to the touch and are starting to brown.
- Turn off the oven and let pumpkin chips remain in the oven until the oven completely cools. This will further remove the remaining moisture from the chips.
- The chips will lose some of their crunchiness and become more soft and chewy after the first day. You can crisp them up again in the oven. Store in an airtight container
Notes
- The chips should not be very thinly sliced else they curl up and get burnt easily.
- Soaking in cold water is required to remove the starchiness of the pumpkin.
- Ensure there is no moisture on the chips before you bake. Pat dry them properly with a paper towel or kitchen napkin.
- Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days. they turn soft and chewy in a day but you can crisp them again in the oven.
- Nutritional values are only approximate and calculated using online tools.
Nutrition
Hello there, I’m Siri, love food shopping more than perfumes or dresses. At one point I lost control of myself and ate my way until I was near obese. Now, am here to write about my experiences in maintaining a healthy, balanced body and mind. Remember, the best lessons are always from failed people.
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