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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?
