Banana chip

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Dried banana chips
Jaggery Chips
Banana chips being prepared by way of deep frying
Fried Banana chips from India

Banana chips are deep-fried and/or dried slices of bananas (fruits of herbaceous plants of the genus Musa of the soft, sweet "dessert banana" variety). They can be covered with sugar or honey and have a sweet taste, or they can be fried in oil and spices and have a salty and/or spicy taste.[1] Banana chips are commonly found in India and Indonesia (as kripik). Variants of banana chips may be covered with chocolate instead. Banana chips are similar to chifle, usually made from firmer, starchier fruit varieties of the genus Musa commercially called plantains or "cooking bananas".


Fried banana chips are usually produced from under-ripe banana slices deep-fried in sunflower oil or coconut oil. These chips are dry (like potato chips) and can be salted, spiced, sugar coated or jaggery coated. If ripe bananas are used, they come out oily. They are used for desserts, not for dry chips.

Raw bananas can be used for finger chips too. Plantains give tastier chips.[citation needed]


Some varieties of banana chips can be produced using only food dehydration. Banana slices that are only dehydrated are not dark yellow and crunchy, but rather are brown, leathery and chewy. They are very sweet and have an intense banana flavor. These are ideally made from bananas that are fully ripe.

Another kind is made by baking in an oven, although this process may not result in the same intense banana flavor.


Banana chips are made by deep-frying or drying banana slices. So, Banana chips contain mostly all vitamins and minerals that are in banana fruits themselves. However, some of the vitamins and minerals have different amount in both the chips and the fruits. Most of the time, the fruits are fresher and contain bigger amount of nutrients than the chips. Banana chips contain many minerals such as fibre, iron and potassium.


Fiber can maintain your healthy digestive system which can lower chance to get constipation.[2] Fiber also can reduce blood cholesterol and manage blood sugar levels which can lead to heart disease and type2 diabetes. Some disease such as cardiovascular and some cancer can be anticipated by eating fiber. Usually, 1-ounce of banana chips contain 2.2 grams of fiber compared with a fresh banana which contains 3.1 grams of fiber.[3] This makes a fresh banana a healthier option.


Iron is one of the essential minerals that is used to form hemoglobin and myoglobin. They are the two proteins that serve your tissues with a new and fresh amount of oxygen. Iron also stimulates enzymes that metabolism needed to execute the chemical reactions to form energy. 1.4 milligrams of iron are contained in a four-ounce serving of banana chips. This equals roughly 18% of the everyday iron demand for men or 8% for women, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.[2]


Although potassium is an important mineral, a fresh banana which contains 422 milligrams has much more Potassium than the banana chip which contains only 152 milligrams.[3] Potassium and other minerals like sodium manage your blood pressure level.[2] This mineral maintains a normal heartbeat and muscle function. It also improves your digestive system and skeleton.[3]

Uses and variations[edit]


Fried banana chips, usually made in the Indian state of Kerala, and known locally as nenthra-kaaya oopperi or upperi, are fried in coconut oil.[4] Both ripe and unripe bananas are used for this variant. Sometimes they are coated with masala or jaggery to form spicy and sweet variants respectively. It is an integral part of the traditional Kerala meal called sadya served during weddings and traditional festivals such as Onam.

Latin America[edit]

The chips are often part of muesli and nut mixes.

Other chips, such as patacones, are salty.

Similar chips called chifle are made from plantains, the family of fruit that bananas come from. In tropical Latin American cultures, all bananas are considered plantains, but not all plantains are bananas. These deep-fried plantain chips are also quite popular in the southeastern part of Mexico, especially in the state of Tabasco.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Food processing, EPa. "How to Make Sweet and Salted Banana Chips". Retrieved 16 May 2012. 
  2. ^ a b c "What Are the Benefits of Banana Chips?". Louise Tremblay, Demand Media. Retrieved 2014-10-13. 
  3. ^ a b c "Are Banana Chips Healthy?". Sara Ipatenco, Demand Media. Retrieved 2014-10-13. 
  4. ^ "Banana Chips from Kerala, india". The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-04-13. 

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