Crispy Baked Zucchini Chips
Learn how to make crispy, crunchy baked Zucchini Chips in the oven! They’re tossed in salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika for a perfectly seasoned alternative to potato chips.
These crispy, oven baked Zucchini Chips actually started out with one of those recipes that get passed around on Facebook. You know the ones. Recipes that everybody shares over and over, you have no idea where they came from, they look really good, but you just don’t know whether they’ll truly work. Yeah, those recipes.
After seeing the Zucchini Chip recipe for what felt like the hundredth time, I just had to give it a try.
So, you ask, did the original recipe as posted on Facebook work? Nope. Not even close.
The first batch burned to a crisp. The second batch was soggy. And, well, the third oven batch… let’s not even go there. But, I knew it had the potential to work, so I kept working with it until I got it right!
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These zucchini chips are so light and crispy, you just might mistake them for potato chips. The best thing about them? They’ll help you use up some of that flood of garden zucchini! Plus they go really well with drinks.
I do hope you enjoy this one. It’s easy but does require some patience and attention during the first phase of cooking. Let me know what you think.
What You’ll Love About This Crispy Zucchini Chip Recipe
- It’s a low-carb healthy alternative to potato chips.
- Quick, under an hour of bake time, and easy to make compared to most vegetable chips.
- Great way to use up too much zucchini.
About the Ingredients
- Fresh Zucchini (This is a rare occasion when I’d recommend larger, more mature zucchini for a recipe. Two reasons – (1) younger zucchini tend to have more moisture content and will take longer to bake, and (2) older zucchini are larger – the chips shrink a lot while baking so larger zucchini give you larger chips when finished.)
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Zucchini Chips
Do the Prep Work
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or line with a Silpat.
Slice the Zucchini into Rounds
- Thinly slice the zucchini with a knife or mandolin.
- In a large bowl, combine the oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika. Stir to combine.
COOK’S TIP
I prefer a mandolin to get really thin slices. The mandolin I use is an OXO model with three thickness settings (1, 2, and 3). For these chips, I use setting #3.
If you do use a mandolin, be sure to use the finger guard. Those things are basically razor blades with a handle, you know, so take precautions! If you prefer to slice the zucchini with a knife, use a very sharp thin-bladed knife and make uniform cuts of approximately 1/8-inch.
Toss with Oil and Spices
- Add the zucchini slices to the bowl and toss so that each slice is coated with the seasoned oil. Actually, you have to do a little more than just toss the slices. You do have to work at it to get each slice coated. They just naturally want to stick together so you have to coax them a bit, separating the slices and rubbing them with the oil. Just be gentle and don’t break the slices into pieces.
Place the Slices on Baking Sheets
- Place the zucchini rounds in a single layer on each prepared baking sheet. You don’t have to space them very far apart since they’re going to shrink up while they cook.
Bake the Zucchini Rounds
- Bake for 8-15 minutes watching very closely. Don’t walk away during this time. When the zucchini starts to show some brown spots, immediately remove them from the oven and set them aside.
TIP: This is the tricky part of the recipe. The baking time is going to vary wildly depending on how thickly you sliced your zucchini, how much moisture is in the zucchini, how humid the day is, and the alignment of the planets around the sun :-)
But seriously, it can take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, but be aware that once they start to brown, they will go from beautifully golden to BURNED in about 30 seconds. Watch them like a hawk.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180-200 degrees. When the oven has reached the lower temperature setting, return the zucchini to the oven and cook for an additional 20-60 minutes or until the slices are crispy. Again, the cooking time will vary but they’re not likely to burn during this part of the cooking.
Keep checking every 10 minutes or so and when the thickest slices are crispy, they’re done! Remove from the oven and cool.
What to Serve with Zucchini Chips
- What goes better with chips than a sandwich? Not much! These zucchini chips would be great with any one of my many sandwich recipes like the Grilled Chicken, Apple, and Gouda Sandwich, Steak Sandwich with Grilled Onions, the Mediterranean Pressed Sandwich, or a Ham, Apple, and Brie Panini, just to name a few!
- I’m often asked whether these chips can be served with dips or a favorite dipping sauce (Ranch, for instance). Be aware that these are very delicate and even lighter than regular potato chips so they don’t hold up well for dipping.
How do I Store the Zucchini Chips?
Since the chips don’t have any preservatives like commercially produced chips, they are best eaten right away. They will keep for a very short time, 24 hours at the most, in a tightly sealed airtight container
Crispy Oven Baked Zucchini Chips FAQs
As with any vegetable chip, these will shrink quite a lot. Remember that zucchini are over 90% water so any time you dry them out and evaporate the water you’ll lose a significant amount of volume.
Breading the chips won’t necessarily make them crispier. In fact, since breading requires dipping into something like beaten egg white to get the bread crumbs to adhere, it may actually have the opposite effect.
As I mentioned above, this recipe can be finicky. A lot depends on the size, thickness, and moisture contained in the zucchini. Your chips should be crispy all the way through and if they aren’t you most likely didn’t cook them quite long enough. Make sure you test one before pulling out the whole batch. If they have any chewiness left, then put them back in the oven for about 10 more minutes before testing again.
This recipe has not been tested using either an air fryer or a dehydrator so I can’t advise on how to adapt for that.
Have you tried this recipe? I’d love for you to give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card and/or in the comments section further down. You can always stay in touch on social media by following me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest and Sign Up to Get my Newsletter, too!
Recipe
Crispy Baked Zucchini Chips
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini washed and dried
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika. Stir to combine.
- Thinly slice the zucchini with a knife or mandolin.
- Add the zucchini slices to the bowl and toss well so that each slice is coated with the seasoned oil.
- Place the zucchini slices on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-15 minutes watching very closely. When the zucchini starts to show some brown spots remove from the oven and set aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180-200 degrees. Return the zucchini to the oven and cook for an additional 20-40 minutes or until the slices are crispy.
- Remove from the oven and cool.
Notes
- Slicing the zucchini: I prefer using a mandolin to get very thin, uniform slices. The mandolin that I use, the OXO Mandolin Slicer, has three settings (1, 2, and 3) and I use setting #3 (the widest/largest opening) to produce slices of about 1/8-inch thickness. If you prefer to slice the zucchini with a knife, use a very sharp thin-bladed knife and make uniform cuts of approximately 1/8-inch.
- Baking Tips: During the initial 8-15 minutes of baking time, you’ll need to watch the color of the baking zucchini slices very closely. When they start to show some brown spots, immediately remove them from the oven and set them aside. Be aware that once they start to brown, they will go from beautifully golden to burned in about 30 seconds. You’ll finish the cooking at the lower temperature for an additional 20-60 minutes or until the slices are crispy. The time will vary but they most likely won’t burn during the lower temp part of the cooking. Keep checking every 10 minutes or so and when the thickest slices are crispy, they’re done!
Equipment
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post was originally published on July 1, 2014. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
Hi Lana,
I am drowning in zucchini this time of year and definitely want to give the recipes a shot. I don’t have parchment paper for though. Do you think I could use either a baking rack or a slip at sheet?
Thanks!
Hi Michelle. I haven’t tested the recipe using either a baking rack or a silpat (I think that’s what you meant?) so I can’t advise on that.
I wanted to try this, but nowhere in the article did you state the starting temp for the oven😣🤔
Um, yes. It is stated twice, actually. Once in the text of the post and once in the recipe card. The starting temp is 450. As stated.
Absolutely love these chips
Really glad to hear that!
I absolutely love this recipe and can’t wait to make it for my family. Thank you for sharing!
I hope your family enjoys it, Lise!
Do they keep? Or get soggy after awhile. Do you have to eat them right away?
Since they don’t have any preservatives like commercially produced chips, they are best eaten right away. They will keep for a very short time in a sealed container.
I had to quadruple the oil mixture to get them all coated. Anyone else?
Even though they shrunk, I loved them. Will the keep?
Yes, they do shrink. Zucchini are over 90% water so any time you dry them out and evaporate the water, they definitely become smaller. Glad you liked them.
I made these today and used 3 zucchini and they shrunk so bad I ended up with just a hand full. I didn’t add any salt. How do you keep them from shrinking so bad?
Yes, they do shrink. The more moisture any vegetable contains, the more it will shrink when dried.
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Can this be done in a dehydrator?
Probably. I don’t own a dehydrator so I haven’t tested the recipe in one.
Easy to make it. Thanks for sharing. I will try it this weekend
SOOO good…and (almost) guilt free…I added a little Italian Dressing for more flavor…great idea!
Great recipe! Made a big batch for a family gathering and everyone raved. Delicious!
Just tried these with a medium to large yellow squash that I accidentally broke the stem off today when I picked it from the garden. It was a good opportunity to try this chip recipe! This is the fourth recipe I’ve tried, and FINALLY — it’s a winner! So excited! Based on my experiences with the other recipes, I decided to change yours up just slightly – instead of coating with the seasoned olive oil, I lightly sprayed the parchment paper with spray oil, put the slices on, then I drizzled pinches of the seasoning over the slices, followed by another light spray oil coating. This recipe is outstanding! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jen!