Dehydrated Raw Vegan Cheezy Broccoli Chips
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Hey friends,
Today I'm bringing you this easy peasy, but super delicious, dehydrated raw vegan cheezy broccoli chip recipe. Now that's a mouthful!
These babies are prettyyy easy to make, the only hard part is waiting for them to dehydrate for 10 to 12 hours in the dehydrator. Say whatttt?!
Yes friends, that is the beauty of dehydrated raw foods, they takeeee forever to make. But, once they're done dehydrating, you're gonna be so happy you'll almost forget you had to wait that long.
we love these dehydrated raw vegan cheezy broccoli chips because they are:
- crunchyyyy
- cheezyyy
- saltyyy
- oil free
- raw vegan
- a sneaky way to eat veggies
- perfect for non vegans, too!
I'm not a big broccoli fan. At least not raw broccoli ... Cooked broccoli, I can definitely tolerate in dips and soups, like this flavorful cheezy vegan broccoli soup I make every winter, but straight-up-bite-into-a-raw broccoli, nope, I can't do it!
But these dehydrated raw vegan broccoli chips changed the game! You can't even tell they're raw. They taste cooked. And chip-like, dare I say, they almostttt taste like Cheetos.
Gasp!
Healthy + clean food that taste like finger-licking good junk food?! That's our mission here at Sprouting Zen.
What is raw vegan food anyway?
If you've been following me on Instagram, @sproutingzeneats, for a while now.. (if you haven't yet go find me, let's be friends!), anyway, if you follow me on Instagram then you might already know about my obsession with raw vegan food.
I love it so much that at one point, my diet was mostly 90% raw vegan food. That means that I use my dehydrator a lot! Another thing I like to make is kale chips in my dehydrator. Check out that link if you want to taste my twist on kale chips - they taste JUST AS GOOD, if not better, than the store bought variety.
For starters, raw vegan food is food that has not been heated past 115F to 118F (there are varying opinions as to what degree really leaves the food raw so I provide a range for you.)
The idea is that food that stays "raw" and has not been cooked under high temperatures has more nutrients and active enzymes vs "dead" food which has been heated. Raw foodists believe that when food is heated past a certain temperature, the heat kills a lot of healthy stuff that we should be eating with the food.
But, even if you're not into all of that raw vegan stuff ... having a dehydrator will open up a whole new world in your kitchen. You can make sooo many things such as this perfect raw vegan sun dried tomato wrap that I used to make these vegan wild rice and black beans burrito. Oh and this tasty simple raw vegan banana bread that was also made using a dehydrator.
Eventually I will have more dehydrator recipes that include cookies, cakes, neatballs (meatballs but without the meat LOL), donuts, fruit leather rolls and so much more.
Being able to make your own food is so beneficial because A. you save money and B. you know exactlyyy what's in your food.
so what is a dehydrator?!
A dehydrator is basically a small machine that uses air to dry the food. With this method it is able to dry and heat up foods over a long period of time using very low heat which in return keeps the food "raw". There are many dehydrators out there that range in price and quality.
The one I use, and stand behind, is the Excalibur Food Dehydrator (affiliate link). This brand is one of the top in their market and I am absolutely in loveeee with mine. Please do your own research though as there are many many different types, sizes, prices... I've included a link to mine in case you are interested in learning more about this specific model which I am very happy with and have had for over four years now!
Also, if you have any questions regarding dehydrators feel free to ask below or message me on Instagram!
Okay so back to the dehydrated raw vegan cheezy broccoli chips
Back to the real reason why we're all here - the raw vegan dehydrated broccoli chips!
A few things I want to mention:
If you're on a low sodium diet - make sure to check the labels and choose low sodium whenever possible. You might also want to use coconut aminos (affiliate link) instead of Tamari which tends to be very high on sodium. This is not a low sodium food.
If you are a true true true raw foodist - please note nutritional yeast, although used very frequently in raw foods, is not technically raw. There is some heat involved in order to make the yeast inactive. The same holds true for Tamari and Brags Liquid Aminos.
If you don't have a dehydrator - You can totally roast these in the oven. They won't be chips or crunchy, but the taste is still great and it could be a great addition to a dinner dish or served as a side.
Okay, I think I've said enough for one post.
Now go buy some broccoli and go make these chips whether you make them in the dehydrator or in the oven, I'm sure they will be tasty either way. Don't forget to read the notes down below the recipe for any other tips I might have added.
Also, let's be friends on Instagram: @sproutingzeneats
And if you try the recipe or like the idea of it .. let me know below ↓ in the comment section! I love to connect and hear from you all.
with love + gratitude,
Jen ♥
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Dehydrated Raw Vegan Cheezy Broccoli Chips
Raw Vegan Cheezy Broccoli Chips made in the dehydrator. Crunchy, salty, and cheezy makes for a perfect snack to have on hand and a sneaky way to eat broccoli. Oven Baked option also available. Oil Free | Gluten Free | Raw Vegan
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: overnight
- Total Time: 10-12 hours
- Yield: 2 -3 cups 1x
- Category: vegan snacks
- Method: dehydrator
- Cuisine: raw vegan
Ingredients
- A little over 1lb of broccoli (about 2 bunches)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of low sodium tamari sauce (see notes for substitutions)
- 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (this is what gives it cheezy flavor, don’t skip!)
- 1/4 cup of hemp seeds (you can use cashews instead or leave out)
- 1/2 cup of vegetable broth (or water works too) *previous version called for 1/3 cup but I have since updated it to 1/2 cup so that there is more sauce to coat the broccoli with.
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
Instructions
- Cut broccoli into florets and place in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. (Save the stems and juice them later!)
- Prepare the cheezy sauce. In a blender add the rest of the ingredients: your choice of soy sauce (tamari, coconut aminos, or Brag Liquid Aminos), nutritional yeast flakes, garlic clove, onion powder, hemp seeds, and vegetable broth or water. Blend until smooth.
- Pour cheezy sauce mixture all over the broccoli florets and mix until all pieces of broccoli are covered in the sauce.
- If using dehydrator: Place broccoli on silicone dehydrator sheets (affiliate link) or you can use parchment paper. As a last resort you can always place them on the dehydrator mesh sheets but it will get messy because these will drip a little. Dehydrate at 115F degrees overnight (for about 10 to 12 hours). If you want these sooner and don’t mind raising the temp up (won’t be raw), you can dry them at 145F to 150F and they will be ready within 2 hours. Remove once the chips are dried and crunchy.
- For Oven Method: Place broccoli pieces over parchment paper on a baking sheet and roast at 425F for 30 to 35 minutes. Check them frequently. These won’t be as crunchy but they are still delicious!
Notes
- If you are on a low sodium diet – you probably want to use coconut aminos instead of tamari. Always make sure to read labels and choose low sodium options when available.
- If you don’t have hemp seeds – you can totally use cashews or simply leave it out. The consistency of the sauce will be thinner but you can always add less water or more nutritional yeast to make it thicker.
- If you have more than 1lb of broccoli – you’ll need to make more sauce or else it won’t be enough to cover all of the broccoli pieces. Just add a bit more water, more nutritional yeast, and maybe an extra garlic or onion powder so that you don’t lose the flavor. I would be careful adding more tamari sauce because it is extremely salty and may ruin the dish. Always start with less and add more as needed.
- The ingredients say 2 to 3 tablespoons of tamari sauce because tamari is veryyyy salty and everyone has a different tolerance level to salty flavor. Always add less first, and you can add more after you taste the sauce and decide if it needs to be more salty or less. Remember, when the broccoli dehydrates it will lose a lot of water, and so the salt will concentrate on the broccoli.
- Roasting these in the oven makes for a great snack as well. They won’t be as crunchy and probably won’t store as well as if you dehydrate them but it’s a perfect solution if you don’t have a dehydrator or a lot of time to make these.
- Store dehydrated chips in an airtight container. If they are fully dry, they can stay out in room temperature for 2 days but if they still have some moisture it is best to refrigerate them to avoid bacteria from growing.
- If the chips become soggy after a day or 2, pop them back in the dehydrator for 30 minutes and they will get crunchy again.
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You always put so much love into your posts, so informative! Now I need to save for a dehydrator! Because they look so damm tasty and the perfect snack!
Awww thanks my love!!! I always look forward to your comments haha. And I knowwww I need to start limiting how much I write, but I have so much to say at times hahaha.
What a perfect healthy little treat and who would have known that broccoli can get so exciting! Thank you for sharing the recipe Jen – I’m so thrilled to try it!
Thanks Tania! Haha yep I would have never thought I’d enjoy eating broccoli this much!
Love this! I will have to try it out! We love broccoli
Yay! These are super tasty! My bf says they taste like Cheetos… hahaha
Yes, yes and yes! These broccoli chips are totally making kale chips soooo jealous right now! I was just staring at my food dehydrator today and realized I haven’t used it in a month. Now I know what I’ll be making on my next dehydrating day 🙂
LOL! Kale chips are sooo last year, broccoli chips all the way! JK JK I still love me some kale chips too. And you should totally get your dehydrator out and make a day out of it. I love dehydrator recipes!
Oh my goodness, I’m so excited about this recipe! My young kids are in a “no broccoli” phase BUT I think they would enjoy it in this form!
Oh your kiddos sound like cuties!!! haha I don’t blame them.. sometimes I’m *still* in that no broccoli phase hehehe. I think this would be a good one for them.. tell them it’s little trees!!!
Oh, I all ALL about this! That sauce looks amazing.
Haha! Thank you!!! It’s so cheeezzyyy my fave!
Wow! This is the new kale chip. My kids aren’t a big fan of kale but broccoli is another story. Ever since they were little, broccoli is one of their favorite veggies because they look like mini trees.
★★★★★
I thought this would be some crazy complicated recipe but it is not 🙂 thank goodness. Looks really good. May try them as a flight snack food.
Mmmm I bet this will be perfect in the oven (I don’t have a dehydrator) – can’t wait to make this for dinner tonight!
Yum!! What a fun way to eat broccoli! I have done this with kale chips but never broccoli. Excited to try it!
★★★★★
Perfect timing! I just got a dehydrator last week! Definitely trying this recipe asap.
I love broccoli, so first off, thanks so much for the recipe! Will definitely be trying it out–and also, your pictures are stunning. Thanks for sharing this recipe and I’ll be trying it in the next few weeks!
★★★★
Aw thank you so much. Such a sweet comment. 🙂 I hope you give them a try, and let me know how they came out! 🙂
Yum!!! I’ve made kale chips, but not broccoli. I’m soooo doing this! Great recipe! 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks Madalaine!! Yesss, if you enjoy kale chips you will definitely loveeee these broccoli chips. Let me know how they turn out, if you ever do make them! Cheers. <3
I will definitely be making it just one question don’t you have to blanch the broccoli first ?
Hey Jennifa! I’m not sure.. honestly I’ve never heard of having to blanch the broccoli first and I always do it without blanching and they turn out perfect and crunchy. But, if you do go ahead and try it that way let me know! 🙂
Forgive me for ruining the vegan aspect of this recipe but I found this looking for a broccoli chip recipe. It sounded great but I didn’t have vegetable broth so I used chicken stock (again, sorry), I love nutritional yeast so I ended up tripling the yeast amount for a thick sauce. So delicious. Thanks for a great flavored healthy snack. PS – I’d eat a shoe if it had that sauce on it.
Hi Larrt! Thanks for stopping by. No need to apologize at all! I am glad you were able to make the recipe work with your adjustments. Adding extra nutritional yeast sounds like a fantastic idea 😉 and hahaha about the shoe!!!
Hi can this be done also with cauliflower? I’m thinking it would be a healthy lunch box idea
I’ve never tried it but considerin how similar cauliflower is to broccoli I’d say it probably will work! Sounds delicious too. Let me know if you try it out! 🙂
This recipe looks very good. I am curious, what would be the shelf life on this broccoli?
Hello Louise – unfortunately I cannot give you an accurate answer on that but based on my own experience, these last about 3-5 days if kept in an airtight container in the fridge. I’ve never kept them at room temperature long enough to know. Remember if they do get soggy, you can pop them back into the dehydrator and they usually crispen right up again. Hope this helps!
Hi, just found your blog!
Do you by any chance have any tips (if there even ARE tips) for removing the sulfur taste from raw broccoli? I am apparently a “super taster” and the sulforaphane in broccoli makes it overwhelmingly bitter for me unless I, at a minimum, steam it. I know you said you are flexible with raw foods, I am as well, so I don’t necessarily /mind/ steaming it. But if there was a way to remove that bitterness from the broccoli and still keep it fully raw, like soaking or something, I’d love to do that instead. Just wondered if you possibly had any insight there. Does dehydrating help? It sadly didn’t seem to take the bitterness out of my kale enough :'(
Hi Christina! Sorry for the delayed reply. Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that you struggle with the bitter taste of broccoli 🙁 Unfortunately I have no idea how to make them less bitter. I honestly didn’t even know that the sulforaphane was what caused the bitterness! You learn something new every day! If you do find a solution – come back and let me know as I’m super curious now.