These baked zucchini chips are a delicious change of pace from soft zucchini side dishes. In the oven, the breaded zucchini rounds crisp up, becoming as snackable as potato chips.
Zucchini chips is one of my go-to zucchini recipes in the summertime. Zucchini season always sneaks up on me, no matter how prepared I am. One day, the plants in my garden are lush with squash blossoms and I’m begging for a single fruit. (Yes, zucchini are a fruit!) The next, the zucchini all ripen with surprising voracity. I’d be overwhelmed by the sheer abundance without easy zucchini recipes like this one!
How to Make Zucchini Chips
There are just three simple steps for oven-baked zucchini chips: Slice the zucchini, add a savory bread crumb mixture and bake to crispy perfection. It’s as easy as it sounds, but we have a few tips to ensure the zucchini turns out crisp instead of soggy.
- Use a mandoline: You can cut the zucchini by hand, but a mandoline slicer is the best way to cut zucchini for chips. It creates even slices so that the zucchini will cook at a similar rate in the oven. Plus, the sharp blade can transform a zucchini into a pile of chips quickly, cutting down on prep time.
- Salt the zucchini: This isn’t part of the actual recipe, but it’s an optional step you can add. You can salt the sliced zucchini before breading them. Salt pulls out the excess moisture that could cause soggy zucchini chips. If you do this, toss the zucchini slices with salt in a large bowl. Arrange the slices in a single layer on paper towels or clean kitchen towels. Let stand for 10 minutes. Then pat dry, and bread as directed in the recipe.
- Bake in a single layer: Make sure the chips are in a single layer. Leave some space in between each chip so they have room to breathe. If the chips are too close together, they’ll steam instead of crisp.
Ingredients for Zucchini Chips
- Zucchini: Choose young zucchini with dark-green skin and a firm texture. Smaller zucchini contain less moisture, are more tender and boast a delicate flavor. Plus, the seeds are smaller and less noticeable than the fruits that have sat on the vine for a while.
- Panko bread crumbs: Panko bread crumbs are naturally crunchy. They contribute to the chip’s crisp exterior.
- Fresh basil leaves: Dried basil works in a pinch, but fresh basil is worth seeking out for this recipe. It’s brighter and more vibrant.
- Seasonings: We perk up the zucchini chips with salt, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese. Feel free to experiment with other seasonings, or omit the cheese for dairy-free zucchini chips.
- Olive oil: Oil helps the breading stick to the zucchini slices. We like olive oil here because of its aromatic, grassy character.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the breading
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Add the bread crumbs, basil leaves, garlic powder, salt and Parmesan cheese to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
Step 2: Bread the zucchini
Toss the zucchini pieces in oil. Working with one piece at a time, coat the zucchini in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere.
Step 3: Bake the zucchini chips
Arrange the breaded zucchini in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Serve immediately.
Recipe Variations
- Change up the herbs and spices: Add crushed red pepper flakes or chili powder for a little kick, ground cumin or paprika for a smoky vibe, or a splash of soy sauce for an Asian-inspired flavor. You can even use ranch dressing and dip mix.
- Use another breading: Try whole wheat bread crumbs, seasoned bread crumbs or homemade bread crumbs. You can also use cornmeal for a cornmeal-crusted chip.
- Make air-fryer zucchini chips: Instead of baking the chips in the oven, cook the zucchini in an air fryer using the method described in this air-fryer zucchini recipe. (That recipe also happens to be gluten-free, low-carb and oil-free.)
- Fry the chips in a skillet: Heat fryer oil in a large skillet, and fry the zucchini chips until golden brown on each side, as in our fried zucchini recipe.
How to Store Zucchini Chips
It’s best to eat these chips fresh, but they should last for up to two days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They might get a little soggy as they sit, so reheat them in the oven or an air fryer to revive their crisp texture.
Zucchini Chips Tips
How do you make sure your zucchini chips are crispy?
Zucchini chips can become soggy if they’re cooked at low temperatures, so make sure to set that oven to 450°. High heat causes the water inside the zucchini to evaporate and the fruit’s natural sugars to caramelize, resulting in a crispy exterior. Other ways to avoid soggy zucchini chips include cooking the zucchini in a single layer on the baking sheet, patting the chips dry before adding the breading or salting the zucchini slices to draw out excess moisture.
How do you serve zucchini chips?
Zucchini chips are a great stand-alone snack, or you can serve them as a side dish. They pair well with dips like marinara, ranch dressing, aioli, hummus or any of these dips for chips.
