Crispy zucchini chips are a fabulous healthy keto snack. Learn how to make these easy zucchini chips in the oven, air fryer, or dehydrator. They will quickly become one of your favorite keto snacks!
Hungry for a crunchy, salty snack that doesn’t derail your keto diet? Then you’ve got to try this recipe for zucchini chips.
They’re so delicious, and when you add a little smoked paprika for seasoning, they taste just like the famous Canadian ketchup potato chips. But really, the sky’s the limit. You can season them any way you like best.
Zucchini is such a wonderfully versatile low carb vegetable and I am always finding new uses for it. It adds moisture to keto zucchini bread, and it’s also a great replacement for pasta in zucchini lasagna.
But who can resist the allure of a super thin, crispy chip? Zucchini is perfect for that too!
How to make crispy zucchini chips
I’ve been making these keto zucchini chips since 2012, and I’ve tested out a number of ways to make them truly crispy. You have some cooking options here, including:
- Oven baked
- Dehydrator
- Air fryer
There are pros and cons to each of these methods. I personally prefer oven-baking my zucchini chips, as it allows me to do more at once and I can check on them frequently to make sure they crisp up properly.
Air frying is the fastest method by far but you can’t do very many at a time, since the zucchini slices need to be laid out in a single layer.
A food dehydrator works well too, but not everyone owns such a contraption. It is also the method that takes the longest, as the chips need to dehydrate for about 8 to 10 hours to crisp up.
Baked zucchini chips
One of the tricks to getting zucchini chips nice and crispy is the advanced prep. By salting the zucchini and patting it dry, you reduce much of the initial moisture content, allowing them to crisp up much faster. Here’s how it works:
You will need:
- A mandolin slicer or food processor
- 1 large or 2 medium zucchini
- Oil or oil spray
- Seasonings of choice
Method
- Slice the zucchini very thinly. You want them no more than 1/8th of an inch thick. It’s very difficult to do this with a knife, so I recommend using a mandolin slices. If you happen to own a food processor with an adjustable slicing disk, that can work too.
- Layer and salt the slices. Arrange a single layer of slices in a colander in the sink and lightly salt it. Add another layer and more salt, and continue to do so until all of the zucchini slices are used up.
- Drain 1 hour. Allow the salt to do the hard work of drawing out the moisture.
- Pat dry. Lay the slices out on a tea towel pat them dry with another tea towel or rag.
- Arrange on parchment and lightly grease the tops. Parchment paper works best, as silicone mats will keep the zucchini chips from drying out properly. You can use a spray like avocado or coconut oil, or you can brush the tops with a bit of liquid oil.
- Season as desired. Sprinkle lightly because the seasoning becomes more concentrated as the slices shrink in the oven.
- Bake until crisp. Depending on how thin your slices are and how much you managed to dry them, this can take an hour to 90 minutes.
Air Fryer Method
- Prep the zucchini slices as outlined above, with salt, oil, and seasoning
- Set the air fryer to 350F.
- Lay in a single layer.
- Air fry 10 minutes or so, until crisp.
Dehydrator Method
- Prep the zucchini as outlined above, with salt, oil, and seasoning.
- Set the dehydrator to 135F.
- Lay the zucchini in single layers in the dehydrator discs.
- Dehydrate until crisp, anywhere between 8 and 12 hours.
How to season zucchini chips
How you choose to season your zucchini chips is up to you, but I do have some tasty suggestions!
As I mentioned earlier, smoked paprika makes them taste like the ketchup flavored chips I grew up with. Truth be told, that was never my favorite flavor, as I always loved sour cream and onion best. But I know they’re hugely popular with other people.
Pork King Good has just come out with some delicious keto friendly seasoning shakers, including Ranch, Dill Pickle, and Sour Cream and Onion. I am already planning another batch of these keto zucchini chips just to test them out. Yum!
More delicious keto chip recipes
- Keto Tortilla Chips
- Brussels Sprouts Chips
- Zesty Nacho Kale Chips
- Portobello Mushroom Chips
- Baked Cucumber Chips
- Air Fryer Pepperoni Chips
Baked Zucchini Chips Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (350 g) large zucchini
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt, divided
- Avocado oil spray , (or 1 to 2 tsp liquid oil)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground pepper
- Additional salt to taste
Instructions
- Slice zucchini crosswise into 1/8 inch thick slices using a mandolin slicer or food processor.
- Place the zucchini in layers into a colander or sieve, sprinkling with a little salt with each layer. (You will use about 1/4 tsp salt). Let drain one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 225F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lay the zucchini slices out on a tea towel and pat dry with another tea towel. Then lay them out on the prepared baking sheets, close together but not touching. Spray lightly with the avocado oil spray or brush lightly with liquid oil.
- In a spice shaker, combine the paprika, pepper, and the remaining salt. Sprinkle over the tops of the zucchini.
- Bake 70 to 90 minutes, until dry, browned and crisp, rotating sheets halfway through baking. If some chips are crisp early, remove them from the pans and return the rest to the oven.
- Sprinkle with additional salt to taste. Serve immediately.
- Store in a covered container on the counter for up to 3 days. If they soften as they sit, simply re-crisp them in a warm oven.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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What a fantastic snack!
I love zucchini, this is such a great way to use it. Definitely need to keep this in mind for zucchini next year.
I have a convection microwave so I used the combined crisp/microwave function. Crisp, crunchy chips in approx 27 minutes with the Whirlpool convection microwave. Yum. I have scoffed about six zucchinis. No problems getting my five serve of veges today! Now for some popcorn cauliflower!
Yes please! What an awesome idea!
I have yet to harvest any zucchini in my garden so at least you got one good lookin one! These chips sound fantastic! MMM!
I discovered zucchini chips this summer and they are now up there with my favorite snacks. Next time I make them, I’m going to season them with smoked paprika and try your method of salting them to get the moisture out!
They look amazing Carolyn. I’ve never tried them this way so I need to give this a whirl.
Did they get as crisp as you hoped? They look delicious and I think sprinkling with them with salt beforehand to sweat them out was brilliant. Dudette doesn’t like zucchini yet either, but I’ll keep chipping away at that. 🙂
They did get quite crisp, after being left in the oven for a while!
What a great idea! I have never made zucchini chips, but I love sweet potato chips and beet chips so I am sure these would be right up my alley, especially considering I have a massive zucchini obsession 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
I make zucchini and eggplant chips a lot in my dehydrator. Especially when they are in season, there is really no better way to use those honkin zucchinis!
Have you tried kale chips? They are so yummy. I made zucchini chips once, a long time ago, and I didn’t salt the zucchini before hand. It took forever to get a crisp chip.
I have tried kale chips…I wasn’t impressed with my first go of them. What I really like to do is saute kale with garlic and chili. Some of it stays soft, but other parts get crisp and I love it!
I’ve been looking forward to trying zucchini chips for months – love the addition of smoked paprika! I’ve found that my kids will eat more vegetables if they’re “chipped” like this. My husband too. 🙂
I frequently sprinkle smoked paprika on my kale chips, so I’ll have to give it a go when I try these zucchini chips!
These look absolutely incredible.
I didn’t care for the baby zuchs. They were bitter to me. Going to have to hit the market and try these.
We prefer the baby zucchinis. They’re great bite-sized pieces in stir-fry meals.
These look great! I tried to make some similar in August, but it was a major fail. I think I sliced them too thin! I will definitely try these again with the smoked paprika!