Baked Zucchini Chips

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!

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

1. 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.
2. 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. 
3. 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

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.

Storing Leftovers

More Zucchini Recipes

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Recipe Card

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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

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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 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 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.

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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Nutrition per Serving

Serving: 0.25recipe | Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 260mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g

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