If you’re like many gardeners, you just might have zucchini coming out of your ears during harvest season. I’ve been there before, and I’m all about new ways to preserve zucchini! I especially love it when I can use my dehydrator for preserving because it’s simple to use and a great way to store food. These zucchini chips are delicious and make a healthy and homemade alternative to regular chips!
Prepper’s Dehydrator Handbook
This recipe for zucchini chips comes from the Prepper’s Dehydrator Handbook by Shelle Wells of Rockin’ W Homestead. It is full of solid information on how to dehydrate fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even jerky!
The best part about this book is the recipes for how to dehydrate specific fruits and veggies, plus different ways to actually use your dehydrated food. That is a key component!
The good news is that you don’t need to be a prepper at all to enjoy this book!
Dehydrator Zucchini Chips Recipe
You can use any type of dehydrator for this recipe, but I prefer using an Excalibur dehydrator. I have the 9 tray version and could easily have doubled this recipe and all of the zucchini would have still fit easily.
First, slice the zucchini into ¼-inch thick rounds. It’s best to keep the thickness roughly the same for even drying.
Cutting the zucchini into ¼-inch thick rounds is important as they will shrink up quite a bit in the dehydration process. This will ensure that they will be crunchy and sturdy enough to hold up to dipping!
Try experimenting with a crinkle cut slicing blade that makes ridges in the chips, the ridges tend to give spices more area to grab on to.
Mix together the apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and chili powder to a wide bottomed, nonreactive bowl.
Add a handful of zucchini slices to the bowl and toss until they are just coated with the vinegar and spice mix. Separate any pieces that stick together.
Arrange the chips on dehydrator trays. They can touch but should not overlap. Repeat with the remaining zucchini slices
Dry at 135°F for 10 to 12 hours until crisp.
If you have a bottom heating dehydrator, you may need to rearrange the trays halfway through the drying cycle.
After 5 hours, move the top trays to the bottom so that chips will be evenly dried.
These zucchini chips turned out awesome! They are crispy and just the slightest bit vinegary, which I personally love. The best part is that there is no guilt in eating them by the handful!
They also happen to be low carb, vegan, paleo, and Whole 30 friendly, if you’re into those sorts of things.
Oh, and they make the perfect accompaniment to homemade chunky guacamole! They held up well for the task.
If you have a ton of zucchini this season, or even if you are able to purchase some locally grown zucchini from the farmer’s market, I highly recommend making these zucchini chips!
It’s better than leaving excess unwanted zucchini on some poor neighbor’s doorstep, right? Right!
If you still have extra zucchini lying around, make a loaf or two (or three) of my delicious Zucchini Spice Bread.
Zucchini Chips
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini
- 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- chili powder to taste
Instructions
- Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. It's best to keep the thickness the same for even drying. Experiment with using a crinkle cut slicing blade that makes ridges in the chips, the ridges tend to give spices more area to grab on to.
- Add apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and chili powder to a wide bottomed, nonreactive bowl. Stir until incorporated.
- Add a handful of zucchini slices to the bowl and toss until they are just coated with the vinegar and spice mix. Separate any pieces that stick together.
- Arrange the chips on dehydrator trays. They can touch but should not overlap. Repeat with the remaining zucchini slices.
- Dry at 135°F for 10 to 12 hours until crisp. If you have a bottom heating dehydrator, you may need to rearrange the trays halfway through the drying cycle. After 5 hours, move the top trays to the bottom so that chips will be evenly dried.
If you really want to add a punch of flavour, dehydrate the zucchini slices unseasoned, rehydrate in pickle/jalapeño juice for approximately 20 minutes and then put them back in the dehydrator. Spicy pickle flavour zucchini chips. Amazing!
I’m new to dehydrating and wondering what’s the best way to store them? And do you store right away, warm or wait till theyve cooled?
Hi Jenna. I wait until they’re cooled and store in an airtight mason jar.
Does this recipe work the same for yellow summer squash?
Definitely!
Enjoyed this site. I’m dehydrating zucchini now. I’m diabetic so any ideas for low carb munching is like finding gold. Lou , Georgia
Thanks for Zucchini Chips Recipe
You’re welcome. Enjoy!
You always conquer us again and again with wonderful and delicious food. So far, we have always fried zucchini as standard, because only those prepared in this way could be eaten. Thank you for another way of preparing zucchini. We all love potato chips, but now we will eat our dehydrated zucchini with even more zeal. Thank you so much Colleen for this delicious recipe.
You’re so welcome. Enjoy!
thanks going to try the zucchinis. Like your site
Thank you!
Glad I found this blog . Love the content !
Thank you!
can i can zuchinni just like green tomatoes for frying in the winter? Also, can i dehydrate between two screens inside a car window? Don’t have one and live in the hills in Ky. Thanks for any input i’m new at this and have alot in my garden.
Hi Tina, I’m not sure how you can your green tomatoes, so I can’t say if you would can zucchini the same way, but there are a few recipes in my post How to Preserve Zucchini that may help. As long as you get your zucchini thin enough, they should dehydrate just fine in a car window.
Hi
What about doing them in the oven? I don’t have a dehydrator
How long? And I’m assuming the lowest temp on my oven
Yes you can but seriously – buy any inexpensive dehydrator on Amazon. You can put it outside just because there is a little noise and maybe a little heat. Set the timer – cause I have forgotten. So inexpensive and then you start finding a lot of things to dehydrate! Apple chips, kale even beef jerky!
I’m making the recipe- excited to find it. A little feedback- the pop up ads on your site are overwhelming and discourage me from using it.
Hi Diedra, I hope you like the recipe! I’m sorry that you feel that way about the ads, but they are what makes me able to keep the blog going so that I can provide free information to everyone!
You mention seasonings “to taste”, do you have a good starting point? I don’t want to over season.
Hi there, thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m going yo try it out. Just wondering, how long do you think these would keep? Would it be like any dried fruit – you can store in an airtight container for a long time, or do you think they would spoil?
As long as all of the water was removed during dehydrating they should store for a long time!
Thank you for you website. I’m not sure how I came a crossed it but, I’m glad I did. You offer many ideas that I have tried and I like them all. I love trying new things – kombucha which I keep going. I love your site. Thank you Colleen