Oven-Baked Spinach Chips
I had Travis and Mackenzie over for crêpes at the weekend. We laid out a variety of fillings, including my favorite palate cleanser of lemon and sugar, and chomped our way through maybe twenty of the things. Yum!! One of the items left over from the feast was fresh baby spinach… and when Travis said he was leaving it here for me to use, I had a fleeting thought that I might try my hand at making chips out of it. So I did!!
Talk about easy. And scrumptious. I kept these simple, seasoning them with salt and pepper… but you can go to town and flavor them however you like: herbs, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, garam masala, parmesan cheese, blah blah blah.
There’s really not much to it, so here we go…
Oven-Baked Spinach Chips
fresh baby spinach leaves, rinsed and shaken/patted dry
oil of choice (I used sunflower oil, because it’s what I had within reach)
sea salt and fresh black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 250ºF.
Place the spinach into a large bowl and toss with the oil. (Please be aware that a little oil goes a long way. I had one cookie-sheet’s worth of spinach leaves, and 1 dessert spoon of oil was more than enough!!)
Lay the spinach leaves out in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (If you have non-stick foil, that may or may not work here. But the leaves will definitely stick to regular foil and to a naked cookie sheet.)
Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh black pepper.
Bake for 15 minutes, and then check them every 5 minutes after that until they are crispy (mine took around 30 mins).
Allow to cool, then enjoy. Then make some more because you’ll be shocked at how quickly they melt in your mouth and vanish “just like that”!!
This has nothing to do with the food and everything to do with your photography skills. I love the first photo of these little green guys!! It looks amazing, even though I’m not sure I would actually enjoy them…
Thanks!! Yeah – I think they’re probably an acquired taste. And they were a little faffy, so it helps to know you’re going to like them before going for it…
Sue! I had these once in a restaurant long ago, but had no idea how they were made. It looks so easy. I am excited to try it out! Thanks!
You’re welcome!! … and yes, they’re very easy!!
Love them…especially dipping them in salsa.
A friend of mine makes the salsa recipe on The Pioneer Woman, which is fabulously fresh. I highly recommend it if you haven’t tried it yet!!
I must admit that I’ve seen these spinach and kale chip recipes before, and I’m always nervous to try them. They seem kind of like something you really want to taste good because it’s healthy, but it’s just not as good as the kind made with potatoes. But perhaps I’ll give them a try, because if nothing else, it seems easy enough.
They definitely don’t compare to the chips made out of potatoes, that’s for sure!! But in an attempt to find healthy snacks, these are pretty good. And you’re right – since they’re so simple, they’re totally worth trying. Let me know if you become addicted!!
Beneficial info and excellent design you got here! I want to thank you for sharing your ideas and putting the time into the stuff you publish! Great work!
Thanks!!
I tried these tonight — they are so tasty! I am not a big fan of potato chips (give me fries any day…), but I love love LOVED these! I’ll have to be careful with the salt next time (I used Kosher salt because it’s what I had on hand and wayyyy over salted them)…my tongue hurts! Next time I’m going to try some truffle salt!
Sorry for the slow response… but I’m glad you loved these so much!! How did it go with the truffle salt?
I made a batch of spinach chips to share with my readers, but my kiddo ate them all before I could capture a proper “after” photo, so i hope you won’t mind that I used one of your gorgeous shots and linked back to you!
http://dollarstoremom.com/2011/11/make-spinach-chips-your-kids-will-love/
This made me laugh!! Glad I could help with the pic. I often make my food while Hubs is out, otherwise I have the same problem with there not being anything left to photograph!!
Delicious – Thanks!
I really wanted to make kale chips this afternoon but I only had a tub of baby spinach on hand, so I figured I’d google and see if anyone had ever had any luck with it. I just tried a pan full of it. My husband who only tolerates leafy greens because he knows they are good for him actually scarfed them down. I’m trying a second pan right now with no oil, just a bit of kosher salt. Curious about just how fat-free I can make these little suckers. And I agree with Harriet–your photography is lovely.
Thanks for your kind words, Laura. How did it go with the fat-free version of these?
Sue, do they keep well? If i have left-overs do they taste good a few days later?
Sorry for the slow reply – I’ve been slacking big time!! To be honest, I don’t know how well they keep. Whenever I’ve made them, they tend to get eaten straight away!! Did you try making and storing them? I’d love to know what you discovered…
Ordered these as an appetizer in suschi place in Manchester, Mo, St. Louis County. Served with sweet & sour sauce for dipping! Incredible! Ate the huge heap all by myself and took a bit home for my family to taste. I put them in the fridge and Heated them back up with a few minutes in the microwave. Still tasted great. The spinach leaves wilted a bit but that was the only difference. Went back a few days later for another order! Now when I visit my family in St. Louis I am putting the roasted spinach place on my list of “go to’s”.
Wow!! That sounds great!! Maybe we’ll look out for that place the next time we’re in the St Louis area…
I just made a small batch because I have a tiny counter top oven and I’m addicted!! lol they are sooo good with sea salt!!
I think I’m addicted to pretty much anything that has sea salt on it!! I guess it’s good when that “anything” is a healthy base!!
I’ve been baking spinach chips for a couple of weeks now, but I’m going to try your method tonight. It sounds much better than mine. I think I’ve been cooking mine too high. Sometimes I get burned chips – but I eat ‘em anyway!
The fact that you eat your burned ones made me laugh!! Did you try this method? How did they turn out?
Tried the chips and I loved them! Great way to use up the spinach before they go bad. Do you know the best way to store them after they have been baked?
Thanks so much!!
Sandy, I’m so sorry for the delayed response!!
Admittedly, these spinach chips haven’t sat around long enough for me to have to store them for any length of time… but I would probably opt for an airtight lidded tub.
I’m so glad you liked them!!
I’m definitely going to try these. I’ve seen lots of people post about kale chips but never thought to try it with spinach.
Hi Sharon, I’m just catching up on some overdue blogging and saw your comment. I wanted to see if you had tried making these, and if so, how they had turned out?
Thanks for visiting the page!!
I am gonna try this and see if using cooking spray works
Hi Tammy, I’m wondering how you got on with these using cooking spray?
I’ve been making chips with kale, spinach and Swiss chard using your recipe and technique. They are even good mixed together when done. My fav seasoning is garlic salt with some red pepper flakes (Texas tastes!). After everything is perfectly cooled, they can be stored in a tight plastic container. I don’t know how long as they are usually gone pretty quickly.
What a great idea – mixing the different leafy chips!! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed making them – and eating them!!
love it, thanks! will make more next time!
I’m so glad you liked these!!