Freeze Dried Sweet Potato Chips

This recipe makes a crunchy, from scratch, grab and go snack that lasts a very long time! Freeze dried sweet potato chips are a great way to preserve sweet potatoes. These are meant for eating just as they are, crisp and coated with sweet or a savory seasoning prior to freeze drying to give it a flavor boost.

freeze dried sweet potatoes

Why You’ll Love Freeze Dried Sweet Potato Chips:

  • Long lasting: They can last 5 years when stored properly and can last up to 25 years if the oil is omitted.
  • Grab and Go: An snack that is light and easy to take in the car, on a plane, or anywhere!
  • Great for emergency food storage

Video Tutorial

YouTube video

Tips for Success

  1. Make sure to package the sweet potato chips immediately so they stay nice and crispy!
  2. A mandolin will help the process of slicing the sweet potatoes go faster but it will also make nice even chips.

How to Store Freeze Dried Sweet Potatoes

For long term storage, anything longer than one year, sweet potatoes should be stored in an airtight container with an oxygen absorber. Options include but are not limited to mylar bags, a mason jar with a two piece lid that has been vacuum sealed, or vacuum sealed bag.

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For short term storage, less than one year, any airtight container will work. However, for maximum crispness, I recommend vacuum sealing the container to remove oxygen.

Ideal storage is 60ºF or lower. But storage at room temperature will work too, it will just shorten the shelf life a bit. 

Equipment

Freeze Dryer: This is an essential tool to make this recipe work. I have a medium and an extra large Harvest Right Freeze Dryer. We really love this brand. We had one problem with our first freeze dryer and customer service was excellent. They helped us fix it with over the phone troubleshooting within an hour.

Mandolin: A mandolin creates even slices of uniform thickness and helps make slicing fast.

Main Ingredients

  • Sweet Potatoes: Use fully cured sweet potatoes that have been washed. Peeling the potatoes is optional but make sure you scrub it very well if you choose not to peel. No one wants to bite into a piece of dirt! 
  • Oil: Any neutral tasting oil can be used in this recipe, we used avocado oil. 

Sweet Seasoning Option

  • Brown Sugar: We used light brown sugar for sweetness and a little depth of flavor. I don’t recommend substituting honey or maple syrup. However, coconut sugar could work here.
  • Ground Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a warm spice that complements the sweet potato flavor really well!

Savory Seasoning Option

  • Smoked Paprika: The smoky flavor really adds a lot to these sweet potato chips. I highly recommend making sure you use smoked paprika rather than plain.
  • Onion powder: I used homemade freeze dried onion powder but regular onion powder from the store works great too.
  • Garlic Powder: A spice that most people have in their cupboard garlic powder adds another layer of flavor to these sweet potato chips 
  • Cayenne Pepper: Cayenne pepper adds a little touch of heat.
  • Sea Salt: Sea salt or Redmond’s Real Salt have a great flavor that is slightly less salty than refined. However, you can substitute any type of salt for this recipe.

How to Make Freeze Dried Sweet Potato Chips

freeze dried sweet potato chips

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1. Preheat oven to 400ºF

2.Peel sweet potatoes and slice them to 1/8th of an inch or 3mm but any slices around that size will work.

3. Add about 2lbs of sweet potato slices to a large bowl (about 8 cups). Fill the bowl with cold water to soak for at least 30 minutes.

4. After soaking, pour the contents of the bowl into a colander to drain and then rinse with cold water. Next, put an absorbent towel flat on a work surface or counter top and place the sweet potato slices on it to dry. 

5. Meanwhile, mix together ONE of the seasoning options in a small bowl. 

6. Pour the dry sweet potatoes back into a large bowl and add 1 Tablespoon of oil. Mix thoroughly so the oil is coating every sweet potato slice on both sides. 

7. Pour in seasoning a mix until each piece is covered completely and as evenly as possible.

8. Prepare at least two half baking sheets by placing a sheet of parchment paper on each one. Arrange the sweet potato slices in an even layer.

9. Bake for 16-20 minutes, rotating trays half way through the cooking time. Sweet potatoes should be cooked thoroughly. They will not necessarily be crisp. Don’t let them overcook or blacken. Once cooking is complete, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.

10. Prepare the freeze dryer. For the Harvest Right freeze dryer, press start. It will read “Cooling Vacuum Chamber. Wait fifteen minutes before loading trays.”

11. Meanwhile, arrange sweet potatoes on freeze dryer trays in a flat layer.

Freeze dried sweet potato chips

12. When the cooling process is complete in the freeze dryer, load food into the freeze dryer, close the drain valve, and hit the continue button.

13. A cycle generally takes anywhere from 18-36 hours. After the process is complete, open the drain valve and remove the trays. Check to make sure the sweet potato slices are fully dry. 

14. Immediately package the freeze dried sweet potato chips into vacuum sealed jars, mylar bags, or another airtight container so it doesn’t rehydrate and soften from the humidity in the air.

15. Store and enjoy!

Freeze Dried Sweet Potato Chips

A crunchy, from scratch, grab and go snack that lasts a very long time! Freeze dried sweet potato chips are a great way to preserve sweet potatoes.
Rate this recipe
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Print Pin Rate
Servings4 Quart Jars
Cook Time20 minutes

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • 2.25 lbs Sweet Potatoes
  • 1 tbsp oil avocado or other neutral flavored oil

For a Sweet Seasoning add:

  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon

For a Savory Seasoning add:

  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF
  • Peel sweet potatoes and slice them to 1/8th of an inch or 3mm but any slices around that size will work.
  • Add all the sweet potato slices to a large bowl, after peeling this should be about 2lbs or 8 cups of sweet potatoes. Fill the bowl with cold water to soak for at least 30 minutes.
  • After soaking, pour the contents of the bowl into a colander to drain. Then rinse with cold water. Next, put an absorbent towel flat on a work surface or counter top and place the sweet potato slices on it to dry.
  • Meanwhile, mix together one of the seasoning options in a small bowl.
  • Pour the dry sweet potatoes back into a large bowl and add 1 Tablespoon of oil. Mix thoroughly so the oil is coating every sweet potato slice on both sides.
  • Pour in seasoning a mix until each piece is covered completely and as evenly as possible.
  • Prepare at least two half baking sheets by placing a sheet of parchment paper on each one. Arrange the sweet potato slices in an even layer.
  • Bake for 16-20 minutes, rotating trays half way through the cooking time. Sweet potatoes should be cooked thoroughly. They will not necessarily be crisp. Don’t let them overcook or blacken. Once cooking is complete, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.
  • Prepare the freeze dryer. For the Harvest Right freeze dryer, press start. It will read “Cooling Vacuum Chamber. Wait 15 minutes before loading trays.”
  • Meanwhile, arrange sweet potatoes on freeze dryer trays in a flat layer.
  • When the cooling process is complete in the freeze dryer, load food into the freeze dryer, close the drain valve, and hit the continue button.
  • A cycle generally takes anywhere from 18-36 hours. The freeze dryer will automatically determine the length. After the process is complete, open the drain valve and remove the trays. Check to make sure the sweet potato slices are fully dry.
  • Immediately package the freeze dried sweet potato chips into vacuum sealed jars, mylar bags, or another airtight container so it doesn’t rehydrate and soften from the humidity in the air.
  • Store and enjoy!

Notes

If you want to make these plain, omit the seasonings.  Follow all other steps as explained.
Oil can be omitted for a longer shelf life.

Nutrition

Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1892mg | Potassium: 945mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 36722IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 2mg

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4 Comments

  1. They look delicious! I have been wondering if a freeze dryer is worth the investment. I usually can our garden produce and other items, but certain things like canned hamburger and chicken have not been welcomed by my family. I would like to have more shelf-stable meat in case of power outages. Question: is the maintenance for the freeze dryer very time-consuming? Off-topic question: will the chicken tractor plans be available soon? Thanks for all that you do! I have learned so much about gardening on a larger scale from your videos!

    1. The maintenance on a freeze dryer is not time consuming at all. We have the premier oil pump and the oil needs to be changed every 20-25 uses. I think it would be worth it for you to buy some freeze dried beef and chicken and make sure your family likes it before investing in a freeze dryer. There are several companies that sell cans of it online. I’m sorry we don’t have chicken tractor plans yet! I’m not sure how much longer it will be.

      1. That is a great idea to try some freeze-dried meat before investing. Thanks! No worries on the chicken tractor; we are in a busy season so it would be better to save that project for later anyway. I noticed on your pantry cleaning post that the Gamma Seal lids were slowing down the process because they get so dirty. I cover mine with paper plates turned upside down, and it keeps them so much cleaner.

  2. 5 stars
    We will totally make these! I cherish each of your down to earth preserving the garden recipes! I’ve got them all printed and in page protectors organized in binders. Thanks for making my life so great! And for gifting me the opportunity to make many delicious and reliable recipes with my children, like you do. You’re my inspiration Becky! Love you!