Dehydrated Zucchini Chips 3 Ways: Salt, Spice, Dill Pickle

Looking for ways to use up your summer garden zucchini? Dehydrating zucchini is a great way to preserve your zucchini and it makes for a delicious and healthy snack. Dehydrated zucchini chips are great to eat as is or combined with your favorite dip of choice such as guacamole or ranch. 

I purchased a dehydrator a couple of years ago when I was overwhelmed with my garden zucchini and had always wanted to make zucchini chips. Since then, we have made zucchini chips, dried apricots, jerky, and more! It has been such a beneficial appliance to have in the home.

Why Use a Dehydrator?

There are a few main reasons why I prefer using a dehydrator over the oven for preserving and drying food. 

• The dehydrator can operate at a much lower temperature.
• Due to this low temperature, the foods being dehydrated keeps more of their beneficial enzymes.
• The dehydrator is energy efficient.
• The dehydrator contains many stackable trays and can process a higher quantity of food at the same time.
• The dehydrator does take up counter space but will not occupy the oven for hours at a time if the oven is needed. 
• Even with the oven on its lowest setting, it can contribute to increasing the temperature of the home causing the need for the air conditioner to run more than necessary. The last thing we want to do is to increase the temperature of our homes during these hot summers. 

Dehydrated Zucchini Chip Tips

• Go light on the salt/spices. I recommend sprinkling salt/spices on only one side of the zucchini. The zucchini will shrink in the drying process resulting in a very salty/spicy chip. 
• The same goes for oil. Only use a small amount or the chip may not crisp up properly. 
• Our first two recipes (salt and spices) do not use oil at all. We only used it in the third recipe (dill pickle).
• Get creative with your spices! Looking for something spicy? Add red pepper flakes. Looking for something sweet? Add cinnamon and sugar (or sweetener of choice).
• Slice zucchini about ⅛ inch thick. 
• Dehydrate zucchini at 135 degrees F.
• Rotate the trays during the dehydrating process to ensure more even drying.
• Store zucchini chips in an airtight container with a lid. I prefer mason jars.
• Be sure the zucchini chips are completely dehydrated before storing them. If there is moisture left in the zucchini, then it can increase the likelihood of mold growth on the chips.

Dehydrated Zucchini Chips 3 Ways – Salt, Spice, Dill Pickle

Looking for ways to use up your summer garden zucchini? Dehydrating zucchini is a great way to preserve your zucchini and it makes for a delicious and healthy snack. Dehydrated zucchini chips are great to eat as is or combined with your dip of choice such as guacamole or ranch.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Snack

Equipment

• Dehydrator
• Mandoline slicer, box grater for slicing, or a sharp knife

Ingredients

  

Salt and Spice

• 2-3 medium sized zucchinis
• salt
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• paprika
• italian seasoning

Dill Pickle

• 1 large or 2 medium zucchinis
• 1 tbsp dried dill (fresh may be used as well)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 – 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

 

Dehydrated Salt and Spice Zucchini Chips

• Cut the ends off of each zucchini.
• Thinly slice the zucchini. I recommend keeping them around ⅛ inch thick. Use a mandolin if available, otherwise a sharp knife will work just fine.
• Season one side of the sliced zucchini with a sprinkle of salt for the salt only chips.
• Combine equal amounts of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle one side of the sliced zucchini for the spice chips.
• Spread the seasoned zucchini slices in one layer evenly onto the dehydrator trays.
• Dehydrate the zucchini at 135 degrees F until crisp. All dehydrators our different. Ours took about 8 hours.
• Store in an airtight container. We prefer mason jars.
• Enjoy!

Dehydrated Dill Pickle Zucchini Chips

• Cut the ends off of each zucchini.
• Thinly slice the zucchini. I recommend keeping them around ⅛ inch thick. Use a mandolin if available, otherwise a sharp knife will work just fine.
• In a large bowl, combine zucchini slices, dill, onion powder, salt, oil, and vinegar.
• Stir until well combined.
• Spread the seasoned zucchini slices in one layer evenly onto the dehydrator trays.
• Dehydrate the zucchini at 135 degrees F until crisp. All dehydrators are different. Ours took about 8 hours.
• Store in an airtight container. We prefer mason jars.
• Enjoy!

Keyword dairy free, dehydrated zucchini, garden recipe, garden zucchini, gluten free, healthy, low carb, summer recipe, Zucchini, zucchini chips, zucchini recipes, zucchini squash

I hope you enjoy these Dehydrated Zucchini Chip Recipes! Feel free to get creative with flavors and spices. Ideas are endless. I mentioned a couple of them in the Dehydrated Zucchini Tips section above.

If you are looking for more recipes to use up your plentiful garden zucchini, please visit our Persian Zucchini Boat and Grandma’s Homemade Zucchini Bread recipes. 

Happy Harvesting!