Home » Vegetable Recipes » Baked Zucchini Chips
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These zucchini chips are amazing! Coated with olive oil, spices, and parmesan, then baked to crispy perfection, they're one of my favorite ways of making zucchini for my family.
The secret to making them crispy? Salt them to draw water out and then bake them in a hot 425°F oven.
I love zucchini, especially in-season zucchini, with smooth dark-green skin and firm flesh. I have many zucchini recipes on this website, including zucchini lasagna, zucchini noodles, and grilled zucchini.
These zucchini chips areespecially good. They are incredibly crispy and flavorful. It's one of my favoriteside dishes when zucchini are in season. It helps thatmy family loves them, too - even the Picky Eater!
Jump to:
- Ingredients
- Variations
- Zucchini Chips Instructions
- Expert Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Storing Leftovers
- More Zucchini Recipes
- Foodie Newsletter
- Recipe Card
- Let's Connect
- Reviews
Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make these zucchini chips. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Olive oil spray: I love cooking with this delicious oil. Avocado oil and melted butter are excellent alternatives.
- Fresh zucchini: Using small, firm zucchini in this recipe is best. You don't want them large and watery.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Grated Parmesan: Use finely grated parmesan, not coarsely shredded.
Variations
- As mentioned above, you can coat the zucchini slices in melted butter (use your hands or a pastry brush) instead of spraying them with olive oil. I love the flavor that butter adds!
- Experiment with more spices. Good options that I tried and liked include onion powder, chili powder, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper. I use just a pinch of each.
- For a dairy-free option, it's fine to omit the parmesan, although the chips are tastier and crispier with it.
Zucchini Chips Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions.Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Slice the zucchini thinly, salt the slices, and then rinse and dry them. This step helps eliminate some of the zucchini's water content, which helps prevent sogginess.
Arrange the zucchini slices on a rimmed, parchment-lined baking sheet.
Spray the zucchini slices with olive oil, then bake them in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven, keeping the oven on. Season the zucchini with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan.
Bake the zucchini chips until browned and crispy, for 15-20 more minutes.
Expert Tips
- Salting the zucchini slices before baking them is an annoying extra step, but it removes water from the zucchini, which helps achieve crispiness. So, I don't recommend skipping this step. I tried, and the chips were still delicious, but they were definitely not crispy. In the photo below, you can see the water drops on the surface of the zucchini slices. This is the water we want to eliminate.
- Oven temperatures vary. I suggest you start with ten minutes, then check the zucchini slices. If they're already browning, sprinkle them with the cheese and seasoning and place them in the oven for just five more minutes or until crispy.If they are still wet and soggy after 10 minutes, keep baking them for the full 15 minutes or even 20 minutes, then sprinkle them with cheese and seasonings and bake until they are crispy.
- Some of the zucchini slices will be ready before the others. Remove them to a plate and keep baking the ones that have not crisped up yet.
Recipe FAQs
How do you make zucchini chips crispy?
Slice them thinly, salt them before baking them to draw water out, and bake them in a hot oven. Coating them with grated parmesan cheese is another trick that adds to their crispiness.
What are good dips for these chips?
You can use unsweetened ketchup, ranch dip, blue cheese dressing, Greek yogurt dip, guacamole, salsa, sour cream dip, cream cheese dip, tahini sauce, or a keto cheese sauce. These chips are also perfect on their own without any dips.
What is a good breadcrumb substitute?
I use three substitutes when I cook. Almond flour (or almond meal), ground pork rinds ("pork panko"), or grated parmesan.
They all work well, and each is better suited for different recipes. Parmesan works exceptionally well in this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
I usually serve zucchini chips as a side dish. But sometimes my kids ask me to make them for a snack, and I am thrilled to oblige! They eat them on their own or dip them in unsweetened ketchup.
When I make them as a side dish, I like to serve these chips with a main dish that I can bake in the same425°F oven. So, I often serve them with one of the following:
- Chicken parmesan
- Chicken leg quarters
- Blackened salmon
- Baked cod
- Roasted rack of lamb
- Baked salmon
Storing Leftovers
The leftovers keep okay in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days. But they lose their crispiness.
You can get some of the crispiness back by baking them in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.
More Zucchini Recipes
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Zucchini Noodles
- Grilled Zucchini
- Zucchini Fries
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Recipe Card
4.98 from 382 votes
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Crispy Baked Zucchini Chips
Coated with olive oil, spices, and parmesan, then baked to crispy perfection, these zucchini chips are amazing.
Prep Time40 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 106kcal
Author: Vered DeLeeuw
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray
- 2 medium zucchini about 1 pound total weight
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt divided; or ¾ teaspoon of any other salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup parmesan grated (not shredded)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with high-heat-resistant parchment paper and coat it with olive oil spray.
Slice the zucchini into ⅛-inch-thick rounds. Sprinkle the slices with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Place the salted zucchini in a colander in the sink and let them stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. This should draw some of the water out. After 30 minutes, rinse and blot dry the zucchini slices using paper towels.
Arrange the zucchini slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Spray them with olive oil. Bake them for 15 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Sprinkle the zucchini slices with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and grated parmesan. There's no need to flip the zucchini.
Return the pan to the oven and continue baking until the zucchini slices are browned and crisp, 15-20 more minutes.
Video
Notes
Salting the zucchini:
Salting the zucchini slices before baking them is an annoying extra step, but it removes water from the zucchini, which helps achieve crispiness. So I don't recommend skipping this step. I tried, and the chips were still delicious, but they were definitely not crispy.
How long to bake the chips:
Oven temperatures vary.I suggest you start with ten minutes, then check the zucchini slices. If they're already browning, sprinkle them with the cheese and seasoning and place them in the oven for just five more minutes or until crispy.
On the flip side, if they are still wet and soggy after 10 minutes, keep baking them for the full 15 minutes or even 20 minutes, then sprinkle them with cheese and seasonings and bake until they are crispy.
Some of the zucchini slices will be ready before the others. Remove them to a plate and keep baking the ones that have not crisped up yet.
Storing leftovers:
The leftovers keep okay in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days. But they lose their crispiness. You can get some of the crispiness back by baking them in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.
Nutrition per Serving
Serving: 0.25recipe | Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 260mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g
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Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
About the Author
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. Click to learn more about Vered.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Lydia Holden
So, I just wanted to comment in case anyone else makes the same mistake. My first error was to oversalt the zucchini in the first step. I saw how effective the salt was, so then went to town on it. I didn't realise the zucchini absorbed some of it. so mine, even though I rinsed the salt off thoroughly, are very salty!!!Next, I cut my zucchini slices way too thin! And so they shrivelled up and burnt.
I gave it 5 stars, because aside from my mistakes (easily avoided if I read the recipe properly) they smell and taste delicious even with too much salt. So I'd reckon if I did it properly they'd be a real winner. Perhaps a little more involved than I'd prefer to cook - but when you have too much zucchini to deal with, I'd reckon give this a go!!!
Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Thanks for this detailed review, Lydia! I appreciate it. I'm sure people will find it helpful.
Reply
Lauren
Do you have to eat them hot? Are they good served cold?
Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
They're good at room temperature.
Reply
Kimberly Entenmann
We have so much zucchini and are looking for ways to use it. This was fabulous!Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kimberly!
Reply
