Air Fryer Zucchini Chips Recipe (Extra Crispy!)

If you’re craving potato chips, but want to stay true to your new year’s resolution, these easy and healthy air fryer zucchini chips are a great alternative! Learn how to make them the crispiest chips with a disgorging method below to remove moisture from the squash. 

air fryer zucchini chips

Zucchini is part of the squash family that has a history in Mesoamerica. Squash is part of the Three Sisters crops that include corn, beans, and squash–these crops do well grown together and are eaten together as part of the Native American diet. Like other forms of squash, zucchini are filled with many beneficial nutrients like Vitamin B, Potassium, Vitamin A, iron, and more. 

Substituting zucchini for potatoes when making and eating chips is a great healthy option for people who want to reduce the number of carbs in their diet. Zucchini is also full of fiber and antioxidants, which is always a plus! If you love zucchini, you can also try our grilled zucchini and squash recipe for more ideas.

Types of zucchini to use

sliced and cut zucchini

For this recipe, we used black beauty zucchini which is found in many grocery stores. However, you’re welcome to use any type of zucchini for this recipe that you can find or you can use other types of summer squash like coccozella or yellow squash.  

We like using zucchini or other types of summer squash for this recipe because you can easily slice them into thin pieces and they crisp up in the air fryer fairly quickly and easily. 

Seasoning options for zucchini chips

garlic powder and onion powder

This zucchini chip recipe is a great option for those who want to stay away from carbs, but it’s also packed with a ton of flavor. You can change up the seasoning based on your preference. From something as simple as salt and pepper to more complex tastes like garlic and onion powder. 

Here are other types of seasoning:

  • Smoke paprika
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Italian seasoning
  • Lemon pepper 

One of the important steps in this recipe to get ultra-crispy chips is to disgorge the zucchini with salt. Disgorging is a process in which you use salt to take out the excess water in vegetables. Since zucchini and squash are full of water, you want to remove as much as possible before seasoning and air frying. 

We’ve tested zucchini chips with and without disgorging first and the former process always gives us crispier chips. To disgorge zucchini, sprinkle salt on top and let it rest on the counter for 15 minutes. Then gently squeeze out the excess water over the sink. After you’ve towel-dried the zucchini, season it to your heart’s desire. 

The best way to slice zucchini for chips

slicing zucchini with mandoline slicer

Hands down the easiest way to slice zucchini in thin, even slices is using a mandoline! Since I like to cut them at about 1/8th of an inch in thickness, I use a mandoline and a cut-resistant glove (this is a requirement if you don’t want to hurt yourself) to get them evenly sliced fairly quickly. 

How long to air fry zucchini chips

placing zucchini strips into air fryer

To air-fry zucchini chips, preheat the air fryer to 320°F and place them evenly inside the pan. After trying to cook them on higher heat, they burned too quickly and lower heat took a longer time to crisp. Cook them for about 10 minutes and then mix. I like to remove the already crispy chips at this time and continue cooking for another three to five minutes until all the chips are golden brown and crispy.

It’s best to eat them ASAP, although these are so good you’ll want to eat them all in one sitting! For more air fryer recipes you can also make air fryer cauliflower, air fryer meatballs, and air fryer asparagus.

air fryer zucchini chips next to air fryer
air fryer zucchini chips closeup
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5 from 2 votes

Air Fryer Zucchini Chips

Golden brown, crispy, and seasoned air fryer chips are the next best thing to potato chips. These healthy chips are perfect for your next snack or on top of a healthy salad.
Course Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword healthy chips, vegegtable chips
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Salting (disgorging) 15 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 33kcal

Equipment

  • air fryer
  • mandoline
  • mixing bowls
  • paper towels

Ingredients

  • 2 zucchini
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • avocado oil spray
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder

Instructions

  • Wash the zucchini, cut off the top with a knife, then cut its length in half.
    sliced and tops cut off zucchini
  • Use a mandoline slicer or knife to cut into about ⅛” thick slices.
    slicing zucchini with mandoline slicer
  • Sprinkle salt, tossing midway and after to evenly distribute the salt. Let rest for 15 minutes so the salt extracts the water.
    sprinkling salt on zucchini slices
  • Gently squeeze the juices out and then place on paper towels.
    squeezing water out of zucchini
  • Add another paper towel on top and try to dry off each slice.
    drying zucchini on paper towels
  • Spray with avocado oil lightly on the top of the zucchini and sprinkle garlic and onion powder. I found you don’t necessarily need to season both sides because the chips are so thin.
    zucchini sprinkled with seasoning
  • Preheat the airfryer to 320 °F, then add the zucchini slices in one single layer and cook for 10 minutes.
    placing zucchini strips into air fryer
  • Mix the chips around and remove any chips that are finished (the golden brown ones). Continue to cook the rest for another 3-5 minutes or until all the chips are golden brown and crisp.
    air fryer zucchini chips in a bowl

Nutrition

Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1178mg | Potassium: 512mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 392IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg