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 healthy snack alternative to potato chips.
This crispy, oven baked Zucchini Chips recipe actually started out with one of those posts 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.
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!
These 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 an easy recipe but does require some patience and attention during the first phase of cooking. Let me know what you think.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: Oven
Total Time: 55 Minutes
Servings: 2
Primary Ingredient(s): Zucchini, olive oil, spices
Skill Level: Easy
Why I Recommend This Recipe
- This crispy zucchini chip recipe is 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.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
“Great recipe! Made a big batch for a family gathering and everyone raved. Delicious!”
— Erika
Ingredient Notes
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A few simple ingredients, readily available year-round are all that are needed to make delicious oven-baked zucchini chips.
- 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.
- Olive Oil – Coats the zucchini slices so that the spices stick and also promotes crisping while baking.
- Kosher Salt – Milder and more flavorful than table salt. The larger flakes stick to the surface of the zucchini and add to the crispy texture. I use Morton brand kosher salt. You can also use Maldon salt.
- Black Pepper – Where salt goes, there goes pepper. Seriously, the sharp flavor of pepper is lovely in the finished chips.
- Onion Powder – Gives a lovely flavor to these crispy chips.
- Paprika – Adds both color and flavor.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How I Make Zucchini Chips
Do the Prep Work
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or line with a Silpat (reusable baking mat).
Slice the Zucchini into Rounds
- Thinly slice the zucchini with a knife or mandolin.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika. Stir to combine.
👉 PRO TIP: I prefer a mandoline slicer to get really thin slices. I use an OXO mandoline with three thickness settings (1, 2, and 3). For these chips, I use setting #3 for thinner slices.
If you do use a mandoline, 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 sliced zucchini 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 rimmed 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.
👉 PRO 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 between 180 and 200 degrees (not all ovens go down to 180). 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! Remember that oven times and temperatures vary, and yours may take more or less time to cook. Remove from the oven and cool.
Serving Suggestions
- What goes better with chips than a sandwich? Not much! This salty snack would be a great side dish 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! They’re also perfect just by themselves for a light afternoon snack.
- I’m often asked whether these chips can be served with dips or a favorite dipping sauce (Ranch dressing, 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.
Recipe Variations and Suggestions
- Substitute the olive oil with avocado oil.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of finely grated parmesan cheese with the spices.
- Use garlic powder instead of onion powder.
- Add a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper for a spicy chip!
- Use your favorite spice blends to create a recipe all your own.
Storage
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 at room temperature. I suggest a rigid container rather than a zip lock bag to prevent the chips from being crushed.
Questions About Easy Zucchini Chips
As with any vegetable chip, these do 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 a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
Thank you for stopping by. It means a lot to have you here.
Recipe
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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
- Slice the zucchini very thin with a sharp knife or, preferably, a mandolin.
- Watch the color of the slices very closely during the initial baking time. When they start to show some brown spots, immediately remove them from the oven and set them aside. Finish cooking at the lower temperature for an additional 20-60 minutes or until the slices are crispy. Keep checking every 10 minutes.
- Long term storage is not recommended. These chips are best enjoyed the same day.
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 healthcare 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.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
Hi Lana, is there any need to flip them over part way through?
Hi Tammi – I don’t flip them.
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.
Hi, do you mean degrees celsius or fahrenheit?
Fahrenheit.
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!
Question for you! Each time I try to make there I end up with excess oil on the parchment paper that seems to leave my chips a little soggy. Any tips for that?! The ones that actually crisp up are delicious!
Hi Gabrielle – try cutting back slightly on the amount of oil you’re using. It really only takes just a little bit to coat the chips and the volume of chips will vary with the size of the zucchini.
Try laying them on a baking cooling rack with grids to bake.
I have four monster sized zucchini that I need to use up. So I thought “chips” since keto worthy chips are hard to find. Questions I have are: how easy do these crumble at this thickness? Can I say use them with a robust onion dip, which has been known to defeat even standard potato chips? If I were to increase thickness for durability, do you know how much of an increase in time would there be? And lastly, do these need to be flipped during either phase of baking?
Hi Jennifer – these chips are fairly light and delicate, similar to a standard potato chip. The more you increase the thickness, the longer it will take for them to cook. Too thick and you might never get them to crisp up. For really thick chips, you’d probably have to resort to frying rather than baking. If you’ll notice, most baked chips are fairly thin for that reason.
The chips do not have to be turned during cooking.
These are a winner! Luckily I had 2 zucchini…I burnt my 1st batch. The bits that didn’t burn were tasty, so I just had to try again :-) These are great for dieting ;-) Thanks!!!
Skip the oven! Try it in the warmest setting of your dehydrator (mine is 160F) and just leave them overnight. They get nice and crisp and never burn!! I use a bit of avocado oil and various herbs to mix up the flavors.
The oven works well for those of us who don’t have a dehydrator.
These were delicious. I don’t think I let them brown enough in the first step, but I just had to cook them a bit longer in the second and they came out fine. I was wondering, have you ever tried this same recipe only in a dehydrator? Do you think it would work the same?
This recipe is partial covered by an ad. How sad. It is very annoying and unethical.
Cass, I’m very sorry you had an unsatisfactory experience when trying to view the recipe. I just tried myself and could not replicate what you reported.
I made these today and they took much longer than 60 minutes to crisp up, but they did eventually get crunchy and they’re amazing! Even my chip-loving husband approves :) I’m very excited to make these again and know our family can have healthy veggies chips! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.
Zucchini chips look Fantastic and what a great snack to munch on.
Thank you
Hope you enjoy it, Colleen. The recipe does take some patience and attention, but very much worth it.
I am not sure what I did wrong, but mine never got crispy. Even when I left them in the oven for more time…and then some more… :(
These are so delicious! Super simple to make. I’ve made these twice now. They are great for snacking…but don’t last long! Thanks for sharing.
So glad you like them, Amelie. And you’re right – they do go quickly!
Last summer when I had an abundance of zucchini in my garden I made these not knowing there was a recipe going around for them. I made them similar to Lana’s recipe, but toward the end of the baking time added a pinch of shredded parmesan cheese. My married children were coming over for dinner and served them as an appetizer. They loved them. Also did the same with eggplant. Lana gave more detail in making them which is excellent.
One zucchini? Is this for 2 servings, or?
Doug – I didn’t really designate what constitutes a serving of these chips. I used one medium zucchini sliced very, very thin and it filled two large baking sheets. How many chips you get and the cooking time will depend on thinly or thickly you slice your zucchini. You may use as many zucchini as you like.
I have tried a few recipes for zucchini chips and this is the best one! Through trial and error during the second part of baking I have increased my oven temperature to 250 but thats just a difference in ovens. They turned out great!
So glad you like them!
May I make a suggestion? You can draw out some water from the zucchini by putting a pinch of sea salt, tossing gently, another pinch, tossing gently. Leave to strain for 10 minutes. Then season as directed.
I have taken a few hits on recipes similar to this, every time burning to a crisp. :'(
I will not give up yet though. This recipe gives me hope! I have two questions: 1. Could you bake two trays at a time in one oven? 2. How do you store these to retain their crispness? Thanks!! :)
Hi Danielle,
Yes, you can bake two two trays at one time but you’ll need to rotate them during baking. One tray make take longer to bake than the other.
Maintaining crispiness is difficult. They tend to become soggy pretty quickly.
When I saw your first picture I thought; “YUM! But impossible!” I haven’t tried the pinterest fail ones, but I tried baked sweet potato chips once and my self esteem took a hit. I love how you explained the recipe in depth. Your zucchini chips are beautiful! I may finally muster up the courage and attempt chips again.
P.S. I wasn’t on the red white and blue bandwagon either. I went with just blue.
Do give them a try, Angela. The key, I think, is cooking them at the lower temp until they become crisp. And cutting them very thinly.
Yeah, what’s this zucchini chip deal when it’s red white and grilling time?
I am just being the fool’s advocate—as opposed to the devil’s advocate.
Hey there are lot of parties and barbecues going on, so a fun appetizer and one that’s not potato chips is a winner this time of year.
I know, Carol! I should be out there in my red, white, and blue apron with something on the grill. I am, however, enjoying the air conditioning and a cool drink indoors :-)
I actually did see the burned results on Facebook last week and you look like you nailed it this time. These sound yummy, Lana and I’m sure they make a nice, healthy substitution for potato chips.
I think they’re a great alternative to potato chips, Renee. Not that I have anything against potato chips! But I do enjoy something different now and again.
Never had these — they’re officially a MUST TRY ;)
You’ll love them, Kelly! Promise.
Oooh! Haven’t had these before! Yummy!
Add this to the list of reasons why I need to get a mandoline!
Gosh I really would snack on these all day long. Funny thing I just made a quick zucchini start fry but I have two zucchinis left….
Oh you are a smart lady there. I always wondered how these chips looked perfectly crisp when baked in the oven and mine, well let’s not talk about those okay?
Look good Lana! And you are right, from right to burnt happens pretty fast. Have a happy 4th!
One of my favorite snacks and so easy to make!
I love zucchini, so I need to make these asap!
Eggplants, kale, carrots, parsleys are another perfect vegetables for healthy chips. Fantastic alternative for fatty and highly processed snacks.
I agree! Also, beets, turnip roots, etc. All make great snacks!
Your zucchini chips sound yummy! Wish I’d known about these a few months ago when I had plenty in my garden! : )
Maybe next year then, Liz?
I will have to try this. I made the Pinterest-fail ones a couple years ago and they did burn to a crisp. But I just remember them being at one temperature. So question, when you turn the oven way down, do you not put them back in (I’m assuming) until it is way down to the lower temperature? I can imagine they’d even still burn if you don’t wait until the oven is way down in temp. They look delicious!
That’s correct, Katrina. Wait until the oven temperature goes down (leave the door ajar to speed that process) and then put them back in at the lower temp. I happen to have double ovens, so I start one warming to the lower temp while the chips are cooking at the higher temp in the other oven, but if you don’t have two you’ll need to wait until the temp is down before returning them to the oven.
Thanks. Hmm, I have a second oven downstairs. ;)
I ADORE zucchini chips. Love. Love. Love. These look great.
They look nice and perfectly crisp!
YUM! I love zucchini chips!! These look yummy!
I love zucchini chips! I make them and take them for a snack at work.
What a healthy, crunchy snack. Perfect for a summertime appetizer!
I can’t wait to try out these crunchy beauties!
Just today I got 2 lbs of Zucchinis in my CSA box! Hooray for perfect timing recipes.
How about that, Samantha! Happy I could help with a recipe at the right time.
Now THIS is a chip recipe I can love! I’m definitely giving these a try ASAP. (I still can’t get into the kale chips that so many people are raving about. They’re GREAT when they fresh out of the oven, but after a few hours they just start stinking up the house and are so odorous I can’s eat them.) Thanks for this recipe!
I agree, Peg. I can manage the kale chips in very small amounts but I’ve never been a huge fan. These zucchini chips, though – oh yeah.
These look so good! My mom use to deep fry zucchini chips in cornmeal i think. It’s been a while, but I like these better, so much healthier!
I like the fried ones, too, Angie! But I think I like these even better. They’re very crispy and light.
We’re enjoying eggplant chips these days because eggplant is what we have. Tasty.
These are also in the latest edition of a food mag I get; think it was Bon Appetit? But no matter; I saw them first when you shared your first batch. Yes, these do look better; a whole lotta yummy better!
Had no idea, Barb! I haven’t seen Bon Appetit in ages. That first batch was a huge failure, but I’m glad I kept trying. Second time was the charm.