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Thursday, July 29, 2021

Got Zucchini? Make Zucchini Chips



I don't have the overabundance of zucchini that many gardeners seem to get. However, I have a daughter who is not wild about zucchini. So I am always looking for new ways to prepare this lovely summer squash that will appeal to her.

Enter zucchini chips. I got the idea when she bought herself some vegetable chips and was actually enjoying them. Then I discovered that many other folks make zucchini chips with their dehydrators, air fryers, and ovens. Since I have my dehydrator out and running this month, I decided to give that a try.

Here's what I did:

I sliced fresh, washed zucchini between 1/8 to 1/4-in thick and placed them, plain (no oil/no seasoning), on the dehydrator trays, up against each other but avoided overlapping. I set the dehydrator to 135 degrees F (the setting for fruits and vegetables) and left it for 3 hours. After 3 hours, I switched the trays around for uniform drying. After another 5 hours, the slices were dry.


I tasted a couple and really liked them. I could eat the whole batch myself, I think. It's late in the evening, so I'll season and add them to tomorrow's lunch. I think these will be a hit.

My zucchini chips are very thin. I started with 1/8 to 1/4-inch slices. I may try slicing the zucchini a little thicker for a sturdier chip next time (the kind that could stand up to some dip). The only downside to thicker chips is longer dry time. We'll see how they turn out. And just so you know, bigger zucchini is actually a plus, here. The slices shrink up considerably, so a fatter zucchini would yield more generous sized chips.

I didn't use any oil, but a light spritz of the trays with cooking spray might be good, especially for super thin edges when not getting a full slice.

Have you made zucchini or any other vegetable chips?

9 comments:

  1. That's a good idea. I'm wondering if you will need a little oil to get the seasonings to stick?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Live and Learn,
      I think that ultra-fine salt and seasonings should stick. I have popcorn salt that is very fine and I think onion powder, garlic powder, and maybe chili powder would also adhere lightly. I will see at lunchtime!

      Delete
  2. Anyone used their oven to do this? How did you do it...temp and how long?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Linda,
      I haven't tried this in my oven. But after reading several recipes, I think you could use your lowest oven setting (180F ?) and get a good zucchini chip. You'll want to use a non-stick baking sheet, silpat, or parchment and spray with cooking spray. Alternatively, if you have an oven-safe cake or cookie cooling rack with narrow enough openings between slats, you could spray racks with cooking spray and set above a baking tray to get better air circulation. In an case, you may have to flip the chips over after an hour. I believe that an oven at the lowest setting would produce a chip in a couple to a few hours, I would guess about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, if the chips are thin (1/8 to 1/4-inch slices).
      I hope someone else chimes in, here, with personal experience.

      Delete
  3. I love this idea - In fact, my husband brought a zucchini home from the office yesterday. A co-worker grew it and had one to spare. I am going to give it a try. Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ruthie,
      Enjoy! These are delicious and addictive, I think. I'll be making more as we get more summer squash.

      Delete
  4. Update on the zucchini chips:
    Comments from family -- "these are delicious" "that's so cool" I can't believe you made these" "interesting" (The last one was my less adventurous with veggies husband.)

    Linda, I rethought what I said earlier. You may need to bake these at 180 F for 4 hours. I read a recipe online and the gal baked hers at 225 F for 2+ hours.

    Live and Learn, you were right. Seasonings didn't stick as well as I thought. The cheese powder and popcorn salt stuck the best. Next time I might sprinkle with seasonings before drying.

    I'll definitely do these again. They were a tasty way to eat my vegies without added fat.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, Lili! I will have to see how they turn out.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The deer have been eating our zucchini just as they start to grow, so we'll see how many more we get. But if we do get more, I will try drying it to make chips. Thanks, Lili.

    ReplyDelete

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