Do you have an overabundance of zucchini in your garden? If so, I'm totally jealous. I seem to be one of the few people who cannot keep a zucchini plant alive no matter what. Instead, I make up for it by buying a few too many at the grocery store and farmers market. I always have good intentions, but at the end of the week there they are, still sitting in my fridge. Zucchini chips are the perfect solution for an overabundance of summer squash, whether you've grown them yourself or just went a little overboard at the market.
But take note: you need to go into this knowing that you are going to have to watch the zucchini chips. This is not a "walk away and forget it" type of recipe. It's easy and uncomplicated, but you will need to keep an eye on them while they bake since different ovens and different sized zucchini will all impact cooking time. If you have a food dehydrator, that method of making zucchini chips is a little more hands-off, but since I don't have one, I've worked on perfecting them in the oven. So grab a magazine, play some music and hang out in the kitchen for a while!
Choosing Zucchini for Chip Making
While you can use a skinnier zucchini, you can see that the chips shrink significantly while baking. A smaller zucchini will result in quarter-sized chips, while a larger, wider one will give you a more substantial chip -- any size you use is fine, just keep in mind that whatever size you start out with will end up smaller when the chips are done baking.
Slice the Zucchini
It's important for your slices to be uniform in size, so I'd highly suggest using a mandoline slicer. If the chips are all cut to a different thickness, the baking times will vary even more and you won't have consistent chips.
You want the slices to be 3/16th of an inch thick. On my mandoline, this is setting number three, but yours may vary.
Dry with a Paper Towels
Sandwich the zucchini between two layers of paper towels and press down on the top to get rid of some of the excess moisture. This will help the zucchini crisp up better in the oven.
Prep and Season
Preheat your oven to 250ºF and adjust the oven rack so it is in the center. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and then set the zucchini slices on the pan in an even layer, making sure none of the chips overlap. You can space them pretty close together because they'll shrink once they start baking.
Brush the tops of the slices lightly with olive oil. For a small zucchini, use ½ tablespoon. For a medium zucchini, use ¾ tablespoon. For a large zucchini, use 1 tablespoon and no more! You don't want to be heavy-handed with the oil; this will result in greasy chips.
Next, sprinkle the tops very lightly with salt. Less is more here and you can always add some later on. If you use more than a small pinch they will be pretty salty after baking since they shrink so much in the oven.
You can also try different seasonings, too. Again, just sprinkle lightly -- don't go overboard! Here are a few combinations to try out:
- cinnamon and sugar
- dried rosemary and thyme
- dried basil and parsley
- ground cumin and smoked paprika
Bake Your Zucchini Chips
In my oven, I flip the chips once after the first 30 minutes (shown in the photo above), then again at 1 hour. After the first hour, I need to keep a much closer eye on them, flipping individual chips as needed so they brown evenly on both sides and then taking them out as they are done.
Don't expect the chips to all be done at the same time -- you'll have to take some out before others. Some of my chips are typically done around the 1 ½ hour mark, while others take closer to 2 hours and 15 minutes to finish. This may vary in your own oven, so just watch them throughout the baking time.
Let the Chips Cool
As the chips finish baking, place them on a paper towel-lined plate and let them sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. This will get rid of any extra oil and they also crisp up just a tad more as they cool.
Enjoy!
Taste and sprinkle on a touch more salt if needed.
This post was originally published on July 22, 2014.
Tom @ Raise Your Garden says
We are going to have a huge crop of zucchini from our garden and am always looking for new ways to eat them. The kid's and are once again going to be fighting over these healthy chips!
Ashley Jennings says
My husband and I definitely fought over these - they go fast!!
Alissa says
I didn't think I had any zucchini until yesterday when I found a monster-sized one hiding toward the back of one of my plants. I think this will be the perfect use for it!
Ashley Jennings says
Oooo I'm jealous! I've never had luck with zucchini in my garden!
Evelyn says
I like the idea of the chips.
I DO have a dehydrator. How would I prepare the zucchini if I dehydrated them?
Ashley Jennings says
Hi Evelyn! Since different brands of dehydrators have different settings, we'd suggest checking the manual to see what they recommend.
Tamara Andersen says
I don't have a garden this year because our house is on the market, but I'm going to get some and try this! Thanks!
Ashley Jennings says
Enjoy Tamara!
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes says
I made zucchini chips and TOTALLY burnt them to powdery crisps. I had a good laugh. I now know it's because my temperature was way too high for these delicate chips! Will try again with your tips Ashley, they're awesome!
Ashley Jennings says
haha yeah, I definitely ruined a bunch when I played with a higher temperature to see what would happen - it didn't end pretty 🙂 Low and slow is the way to go!
Beth says
Yes, I definitely have an overabundance of zucchini and I love it! I've made zucchini bread, zucchini and corn fritters, zucchini cakes, and more! Definitely want to try zucchini fries or zucchini chips this summer too. Yum!
Ashley Jennings says
I've got to keep trying with my garden ... maybe someday I'll have a ton! 🙂
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says
I'm kind of obsessed with Zucchini right now and those look so good. Will try for sure!
Ashley Jennings says
I'm with you - it's one of my favorite summer veggies!
Dave Tester says
I usually hand cut veg on a diagonal slice so you get a larger surface area which is useful for smaller sized veg
Brenda says
These look great!
I wanted to save this recipe to my Recipe Box already established with ZipList but I keep getting a message that tells me I don't have any recipes (which is not true) when I click on the Recipe Box at the top of the page.
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Brenda! Since this is more of a tutorial with step-by-step photos, etc. there's no recipe card (like on other posts where you can print the recipe) which I believe is why you can't save it to your Recipe Box.
Kira - HealthAble Old Soul says
I not only love the renovation of potato chips but the picture of spices and combinations that are endless to make the re-invented potato chips! YUM!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Kira! It's fun to experiment and use different seasonings each time!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
Totally my kind of snack! So delicious!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Lori! It's so easy to eat the whole batch in one sitting! 🙂
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen says
One of my fav snacks: healthy, low in calories and flavourful! Thanks for sharing, Ashley!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Olivia! Exactly - I don't feel as bad when I eat a bunch fairly quickly 🙂
Joanne says
Who needs potato chips when there are zucchini chips in this world?! I'm so excited to try these!
Ashley Jennings says
Agreed! Plus, I figure this way I can eat more in one sitting right?? 🙂
Katie says
Thank you for the recipe. This is my first time growing zucchini and let's just say I did not realize how big the plants get and the cute little 4 pack for a dollar has taken over my garden and given me giants. If I make lots of these chips is there a way you'd suggest to store them?
Ashley Jennings says
Hi Katie! We've always eaten them the same day, so it's hard to say. Other homemade chips that I've made tend to loose their crispiness and become more chewy when not eaten fresh, so my guess is that the same would happen here. But let us know how it goes if you do store them!
Joy says
We have tried baking these in multitudes of ways at many different temperatures. We have deep fried them. We cannot get a crispy consistency? Any thoughts?
Ashley Jennings says
Hi Joy! It's so hard to say since I wasn't in the kitchen with you. You could possibly be brushing the zucchini with too much olive oil ... or not slicing them thin enough? But again, it's so hard to say. Sorry!