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, 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 are especially good. They are incredibly crispy and flavorful. It's one of my favorite side dishes when zucchini are in season. It helps that my family loves them, too - even the Picky Eater!
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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. But if you prefer an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil. Melted butter is another tasty option.
- Fresh zucchini: Using small, firm zucchini in this recipe is best. You don't want them large and watery.
- To season: I use kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Grated Parmesan: Use finely grated parmesan, not coarsely shredded.
Variations
- 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, then rinse and dry them. This step helps eliminate some of the zucchini's water content, which helps prevent sogginess. (Photos 1-3).
- Arrange the zucchini slices on a rimmed baking sheet. (Photo 4).
- Spray them with olive oil, then bake them in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes. (Photo 5).
- 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. (Photo 6).
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.
- 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 very 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
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.
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. But these chips are perfect on their own without any dips.
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 these 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 same 425°F oven. So I often serve them with one of the following:
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.
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Recipe Card
Crispy Baked Zucchini Chips
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray
- 2 medium zucchini about 1 lb. total weight
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup Parmesan dry-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 â…›-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.Â
- 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
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
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Lauren
Do you have to eat them hot? Are they good served cold?
Vered DeLeeuw
They're good at room temperature.
Kimberly Entenmann
We have so much zucchini and are looking for ways to use it. This was fabulous!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kimberly!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm very sorry that this recipe wasn't a success, Luke. Thank you for your feedback. I've added a note to the recipe to reflect the fact that people seem to have widely varied experiences with this recipe depending on how hot their oven runs.
Tina Hall
These chips were so good and flavorful! They weren't sturdy enough to actually dip into anything, but they were absolutely delicious on their own. Hubby approved, too!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm happy to hear you enjoyed these chips, Tina!
Vered DeLeeuw
Sounds like your oven runs hot, Rich. I'm very sorry that this recipe did not work for you.
Ana Klein
These were SO GOOD. I added onion powder and cayenne pepper. I was planning to serve them with your sour cream dip but hubby and I ended up polishing them off straight off the pan!
Vered DeLeeuw
I've been known to do that too, Ana! 🙂
Vered DeLeeuw
The recipe does not say that you should flip the zucchini chips after 15 minutes. Just sprinkle them with seasonings and keep baking. I'll add a clarification to the recipe to make sure people don't try to flip them.
Zack G.
I love zucchini in all shapes and forms and this recipe did not disappoint. Will make regularly!
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you liked it, Zack!
Alex
The flavor was really good but about half of these chips didn't turn out as crispy as I would like them to be.
Vered DeLeeuw
I find that if I keep baking them, they turn out crispy eventually.
Tom
I tried these zucchini chips after making your eggplant chips. Both recipes are amazing but I prefer the eggplants ones - they are more flavorful. My wife likes the zucchini ones better.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm with you, Tom! 🙂
Juliana
So good! I added smoked paprika and loved the flavor and texture.
Vered DeLeeuw
Smoked paprika sounds like an excellent addition, Juliana!