Dehydrated Zucchini Chips Recipe (2024)

Learn how to make the best dehydrated Zucchini Chips with super simple seasoning. They make an easy and tasty snack with crunch!

I love making snacks from scratch that I know my family will love. We all love crunchy snacks like potato chips and kale chips, so I started making dehydrator zucchini chips.

It’s a great way to use extra zucchini from your garden or the Farmer’s Market. All you need are fresh zucchini, olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder and a food dehydrator to make these tasty veggie chips.

Try my delicious recipe for dried zucchini this summer, and hopefully your kids will have a new favorite vegetable snack.

• 4 small zucchini
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Measuring spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Dehydrator

By the Numbers: How to Dehydrate Zucchini

Follow these simple steps to learn the best way to dehydrate zucchini into crispy chips.

Step 1: Slice Zucchini Rounds.

The first step is to cut 4 small zucchini into thin slices. The thinner you make them, the faster they will dehydrate and the crispier they will be when finished. I typically slice mine to be about ¼” thick and find that to be perfect.

Pat dry zucchini with a paper towel if there is any moisture on them. Once dry, transfer the sliced zucchini into a mixing bowl.

Step 2: Coat Zucchini with Olive Oil.

Evenly coat your zucchini slices with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. You don’t need much oil – it’s mainly to help the spices stick.

Step 3: Season Raw Zucchini.

Next, sprinkle ¼ teaspoon each of sea salt and garlic powder over the zucchini, making sure it is evenly coated. If you have too much salt in one area, that chip will be incredibly salty because of how much the zucchini will shrink down during the drying process. Do not over-salt.

Step 4: Arrange Slices on Dehydrator Trays.

Lay out the seasoned raw zucchini slices in a single layer on each dehydrator tray until you’ve used all of your squash or you run out of space.

Step 5: Dehydrate Zucchini Chips.

Turn the dehydrator onto 135° F and allow it to dry for approximately 6 hours. The amount of time needed will vary depending upon how thin your slices are and how large your zucchini were. It’s best if you can rotate the trays a few times. The top trays will get more air than the bottom trays, so they’ll dry unevenly if you don’t rotate.

Step 6: Cool and Store Chips.

Once cooled to room temperature, store your crispy zucchini chips in an airtight jar or other container until ready to eat.

Tips for Making Zucchini Chips

Answers to all of your questions about making my easy zucchini chips recipe.

What size zucchini works best?

I prefer to use smaller zucchini because they have smaller seeds, less water and therefore seem to dehydrate more evenly. That said, you can use any size zucchini.

You’ll be surprised by how much larger zucchini shrink down during the dehydrating process. Large zucchini may also take longer to dry fully, so you may have to adjust the dehydrating time accordingly.

I personally don’t recommend using this method with other summer squash like yellow squash. The seeds in the crookneck squash are much larger and have a harder texture compared to zucchini.

How to get perfect zucchini slices?

While I love my food processor, it just doesn’t give the perfect slices that I can get with a mandolin slicer or sharp Chef’s knife. I used my Misen Chef’s Knife in the pictures you see in this recipe because I love how smoothly it cuts.

I slice my zucchini to a thickness of about ¼” because it shrinks down so much. You can slice it thinner and it will dehydrate faster, but be aware that the chips will be paper thin. If you slice it too much thicker, it will take forever to get dry enough to store.

If you want to mix it up, a lot of mandolin slicers also have a crinkle cut attachment. I find kids love crinkle chips.

Other seasoning tips and ideas?

While I kept the ingredients super simple, you can add additional spices to create new vegetable chip flavors in your second batch.

• If you like savory seasonings, try my Cajun Seasoning or Taco Seasoning.
• For Vinegar Zucchini Chips, soak the zucchini in apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar) before dehydrating.
• For a sweeter flavor, replace the ACV with balsamic vinegar.
• Another favorite combo is Parmesan Cheese with Italian Seasoning (use nutritional yeast instead of cheese for a vegan alternative).

Just remember not to over-season or your chips will be inedible.

Best dehydrator for home use?

The most popular brand is the Excalibur Dehydrator. If you do a lot of food dehydrating, it’s a great choice because it has a ton of space to dehydrate foods, and I love how the trays pull out.

If you’re on more of a budget, Nesco has great-quality dehydrators as well. They’re more reasonably priced, but the tray system isn’t as convenient. Since the heat source is in the top of the lid, you have to rotate the trays. I have used mine for years although I’d love to upgrade to an Excalibur someday.

How to make zucchini chips without dehydrator?

The reason I prefer to make dehydrated zucchini chips is that you don’t have to crank on the oven on a hot summer day. Even the air fryer heats up the house more than I’d like.

However, if you don’t have a dehydrator, you can also make zucchini chips in the oven or air fryer. It’s good to keep these methods in mind in case you end up slicing up too much zucchini to fit on your dehydrator trays!

• Oven Method. Spread the seasoned zucchini slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake on the lowest temperature setting for 2-3 hours, or until completely dried.
• Air Fryer Method. Lay your zucchini slices out on your air fryer racks or in the basket. Cook the zucchini at 270˚ F (or lower) for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

How to store zucchini chips?

As soon as your zucchini chips are cooled, you want to put them in an airtight container like a mason jar or plastic Ziploc bag. Store them at room temperature for up to a week. If they soften (it happens if there’s any moisture left in the zucchini at all), you can crisp them back up with just a couple minutes in the oven.

Where to buy zucchini?

If you don’t have a garden, most grocery stores have plenty of zucchini. I often buy mine from Misfits Market because they have a better price on organic zucchini than my local grocery store does. Plus I love having my groceries just show up on my doorstep each week.

More Ways to Use Zucchini.

During zucchini season, most of us have more than enough of this versatile summer squash to go around. If you find yourself with extra zucchini, here are some different ways to enjoy it!

• Gluten Free Zucchini Fritters
• Gluten Free Zucchini Bread
• Instant Pot Gluten Free Pasta (tips show how to add zucchini during cooking)
• Easy Zucchini Noodles

Other Food Preservation Recipes.

If you have a garden, you probably have a lot of produce you want to preserve. While I love dehydrated food, there are other ways to preserve your garden’s bounty too.

Here are some of my favorite recipes you can use for this year’s produce haul:

• Dehydrated Apple Chips
• Dilly Beans
• Sweet Pickle Relish
• Fermented Spicy Carrots
• Fresh Garden Salsa

More Food Preservation Ideas