Key findings
- 1Many "veggie chips" are starch-based snacks with vegetable powder for color; check the first three ingredients
- 2Compare the nutrition panel of veggie straws and similar products with regular potato chips; they are often close
- 3True vegetable chips (dehydrated beet, sweet potato, or kale) are simpler but harder to find commercially
Why is Veggie Chips Level 2 on average?
Many veggie chips and straws are manufactured by blending processed starches (potato starch, potato flour, corn starch) with vegetable oil, salt, and small quantities of vegetable powders (spinach, tomato, beet) that provide color. Those chips are formed through extrusion or molding, not by slicing actual vegetables, and the vegetable content is small. Some brands also add sugar, maltodextrin, and artificial flavors. True vegetable chips made by dehydrating sliced vegetables are simpler but rarer commercially. In our analysis, veggie chip products average a Processing Score of 5.0, which is Level 2.
How 368 veggie chips products break down
Share of products at each processing level, in our analysis.
Veggie Chips brand comparison
From least to most processed in our database.
How to read a veggie chips label
- 1
Check the first three ingredients, so if they are starches and oil, it is not a vegetable product
- 2
Vegetable powders listed near the end of the ingredient list provide color, not nutrition
- 3
Compare the nutrition label to regular potato chips; they are often nearly identical
- 4
True dehydrated vegetable chips should list actual vegetables as the first ingredient
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Frequently asked questions
Are veggie chips ultra-processed?
In our analysis, veggie chip products average a Processing Score of 5.0, which is Level 2. That does not make them vegetables. Many veggie straws and chips are made primarily from potato starch, corn starch, and oil, with a small amount of vegetable powder added for color.
Are veggie chips healthier than regular chips?
From both a processing and nutrition standpoint, most veggie chips are nearly identical to regular potato chips. The vegetable powder content is too small to provide meaningful nutritional benefit. Plain potato chips with 3 ingredients (potatoes, oil, salt) are actually less processed.
What are actual healthy chip alternatives?
Dehydrated vegetable chips made from real sliced vegetables, plain potato or tortilla chips with 3 ingredients, kale chips, or roasted seaweed snacks are less processed alternatives to commercial veggie chips.