Baked Zucchini Chips
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Feb 13, 2026 
When I’m craving something crunchy, but still healthy and light, I make these baked zucchini chips. I slice fresh zucchini very thin, then season and bake them, until perfectly crisp, to create a diet-friendly snack. They’re crunchy little guys are incredibly easy to make, and low in calories. Win-win!
Why I Love Zucchini Chips
When trying to stay on a healthy eating plan, I find snack time the hardest meal to stick to. Mainly because I get tired of eating the same three healthy snacks over and over again. This winter, I’ve been experimenting with healthy snack options to mix things up a bit and help me stay on a clean eating regimen.
The naughty snack I miss more than any other munchy, is chips… Potato chips, tortilla chips, pretty much any sort of salty fried chippity-chip. To have something crunchy and salty, that is also healthy, I turned to zucchini.
When zucchini is sliced thin and baked at low heat, it turns into thin rounds of crispy goodness. I have to tell you, this is one of my favorite zucchini recipes! I don’t have a lot of self-control with these chips either, but at least I know they are ultra-light and packed with goodness. Like my sweet potato chips, it’s a guilt-free snack I can enjoy anytime I want!
Ingredients and Tips
- Zucchinis – fresh zucchini, evenly sliced 1/8 inch thick
- Olive Oil – or your choice of healthy cooking oil
- Salt – like kosher or crunchy sea salt
- Hot Smoked Paprika – optional, but recommended for a sweet smoky note
- Cumin – optional, but recommended for earthy depth
Pro Tip: You can season your zucchini chips however you like. Always add salt no matter what, but you can add garlic powder, onion powder, or a little cayenne pepper for some heat! Everything bagel seasoning would also be a fun option.
How to Make
Slice the zucchini – I like using a mandolin to keep the slices consistent. If you don’t have a mandolin, cut them as thin as possible with a sharp chef’s knife. Lay the zucchini slices on paper towels in a single layer. Cover with more paper towels and set a baking sheet on top of the zucchini slices. Press down on the baking sheet, applying slight pressure, to help squeeze out some moisture.
Preheat the oven – I preheat it to 235 degrees F. (Preheat two ovens if you have them to fit more in at once.) Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Brush the parchment paper lightly with olive oil.
Season – I lay the zucchini slices in a single layer on the parchment paper. Fit as many on each baking sheet as possible. Then I lightly brush the top of the zucchini with olive oil. Sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt. You can also sprinkle with a little cumin and smoked paprika for extra flavor, or any seasonings of your choice.
Bake low and slow – Bake for 1 1/2 – 2 hours until crisp and golden. If some zucchini chips are still flimsy or damp, remove the crisp chips and place the damp chips back in the oven for a few more minutes. Allow the zucchini chips to cool on the paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Store in an air-tight container.
Serving Suggestions
If you love chips made out of vegetables, you can combine these with my healthy carrot chips, kale chips, and crunchy beet chips, too!
These easy baked zucchini chips can be eaten on their own as a crunchy, delicious snack! I find they are also delicious paired with creamy dips and sauces like whipped cottage cheese dip, dill dip, or magic taco dip!
Expert Tips
- You can use any size of zucchini available, but this is the one time you’ll hear me suggest going with larger zucchini squash. Because the chips shrink as they bake, the large grandma’s garden-sized zucchini works exceptionally well. They are also a little drier than baby zucchini, so they have less moisture to release.
- Using a mandolin slicer also helps a great deal, because all the zucchini slices are exactly uniform so they come out perfectly crunchy across the board.
- A Silpat baking sheet would work just as well as parchment paper if you want to use that instead.
- Best of all, you can season your light and healthy zucchini chips any way you like. I love them with a touch of smoked paprika and cumin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baked Zucchini Chips can be stored in a zip bag or airtight container for several weeks at… Although there’s no way they’ll last that long! (My kids usually gobble them up on the first day.)
Adding different seasonings can drastically change the flavor of the chips. For example, you can use ranch seasoning, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, or a homemade combination of simple seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder) with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. You can even make sweet zucchini chips by sprinkling the zucchini rounds with cinnamon sugar!
Yes. In fact, I have a separate air fryer zucchini chips recipe just for that. You’ll love it!
More Healthy Snacks To Try:
Baked Zucchini Chips
Video
Ingredients
- 4 large zucchini, evenly sliced 1/8 inch thick
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt
- 1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin, optional
Instructions
- Slice the zucchini. (Using a mandolin helps keep the slices consistent.) Lay the zucchini slices on paper towels in a single layer. Cover with more paper towels and set a baking sheet on top of the zucchini slices. Press down on the baking sheet, applying slight pressure, to help squeeze out some of the moisture.
- Preheat the oven to 235 degrees F. (Preheat two ovens if you have them to fit more in at once.) Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Brush the parchment paper lightly with olive oil.
- Lay the zucchini slices in a single layer on the parchment paper. Fit as many on each baking sheet as possible. Then lightly brush the top of the zucchini with olive oil. Sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt. You can also sprinkle with a little cumin and smoked paprika for extra flavor.
- Bake for 1 1/2 – 2 hours until crisp and golden. If some zucchini chips are still a little flimsy or damp, remove the crisp chips and place the damp chips back in the oven for a few more minutes. Allow the zucchini chips to cool on the paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Store in an air-tight container.
I’ve finally discovered a recipe for a healthy snack! Thank you very much for sharing your recipe. I tried it yesterday and it tastes even better than I expected. Please continue to share more and more healthy recipes with us.
looking forward to your cookbook!
Exactly the inspiration I needed for meal planning today.
I made these, but they came out teeny tiny and not crispy enough for a dip, even after 2 hours. It would probably be easier to make in dehydrator? I was kind of a slave to the oven the entire time. I will use them as a topping for a salad, maybe.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, Sommer! I am such a huge fan of chips, but I eat way too many of them, so this healthier option seems like a great switch. Can’t wait to try these!
Quick question: Since the goal of the low & slow cooking is to dry the zuke slices out so they become crispy chips, would salting them as they sit in the paper towels help? This would draw out more moisture, plus the salt would become part of the seasoning, so that you wouldn’t need to put more on later. Have you tried this?
Hi Bess!
Absolutely, salt does help. Feel free to salt them earlier than mentioned in the recipe if desired. :)
I cooked it after your recipe. This was very tasty . Everyone in my family had a lot of fun eating it. Thanks for this recipe . Carry on ….
Let me offer a pretty good tip. I cut a 2 inch piece off of the zucchini end first, on a big angle. This angled cut will then produce a much larger slice on your mandolin. The slices may get oval shaped but are nice and large and can handle the shrinkage.
It’s a great alternative for potato chips low carb and yummy
In my country chips are made from rootbeef, and must say it is even better
Great taste, but I feel like I wasted a zucchini. They crisped down to an almost-nothing. The amount created doesn’t justify the time baking. Instead, I’ll put on the same ingredients, grill them for a few minutes, and eat them that way.
More interested in keto friendly snacks and dishes