These zucchini chips are amazing! Coated with olive oil, spices and parmesan, then baked into 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 those firm in-season zucchini with smooth dark-green skin and firm flesh. It's no wonder I have several zucchini recipes on this website! They're all excellent, but this is definitely one of the best.
These zucchini chips are so good. It's one of my favorite side dishes to make when zucchini are in season. It helps that my family loves them too - even the Picky Eater! So I tend to make them once or even twice a week.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make these tasty 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'd rather use an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead. Melted butter is another tasty option.
Fresh zucchini: It's best to use small, firm zucchini in this recipe. You don't want them large and watery.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the chips could end up too salty.
Garlic powder: Sometimes I use onion powder. But garlic is best.
Grated Parmesan: Make sure you use finely grated parmesan, not coarsely shredded.
Instructions
It's so easy to make these zucchini chips! I season them with olive oil, garlic, and parmesan and bake them in a hot oven until crispy. I keep them gluten-free and keto by avoiding breadcrumbs and using just grated Parmesan to coat them.
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- Slice the zucchini thinly, salt the slices, then rinse and dry them. This step helps get rid of some of the water content of the zucchinis, which helps prevent sogginess.
- Spray the slices with olive oil and bake them in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes.
- Flip the slices, spray them with more oil, and season them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Parmesan.
- Bake the chips for 15-20 more minutes, until browned and crispy.
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.
- Some of the zucchini slices might be ready before others are. You can remove them to a plate and keep baking the ones that have not yet crisped up.
Frequently asked questions
Slice them thinly, salt them prior to 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, guacamole, sour cream, or a keto cheese sauce. Salsa is another tasty option. But they're actually really good all on their own without any dips.
I tend to use three substitutes when I cook. Almond flour (or almond meal), ground pork rinds ("pork panko"), or grated Parmesan.
All of them work well and each of them is better suited for different recipes. Parmesan works exceptionally well in this recipe.
Variations
I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:
- Coat the zucchini slices in melted butter (use your hands or a pastry brush) instead of spraying them with olive oil.
- Experiment with more spices. Good options include onion powder, chili powder, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper.
- For a dairy-free option, it's fine to omit the parmesan.
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 very happy to oblige! They either eat them on their own or dip them in some unsweetened ketchup.
When I make them as a side dish, I like to serve them 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
Leftovers keep okay in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days. But they do lose their crispiness. You can get some of the crispiness back by baking them in a 350F 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 (not fine salt)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup dry-grated Parmesan (not shredded)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees 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.
- Return the pan to the oven and continue baking until the zucchini slices are browned and crisp, 15-20 more minutes.
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NOTES
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NUTRITION PER SERVING
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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. 