These air fryer zucchini chips take less than 15 minutes to make! Coat them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese for the best veggie side. We even have a dairy-free option for you!
Using the air fryer to make side dishes is our new favorite thing! We love air fryer baked potatoes and air fryer asparagus too. It cooks veggies so quickly and it's a healthy way to complete your dinner.
Looking for more chips? Try these healthy potato chips for another crunchy snack or side!
Tell Me About These Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
If you've never made zucchini chips, let me show you how to make them in the air fryer. They cook quickly and evenly thanks to the hot air circulating around them. Air frying gives you a tender center and crispy golden brown outside, especially when you add parmesan cheese.
- Healthier alternative: no added oil like deep frying thanks to the hot hair.
- A handful of ingredients: you need less than 5 ingredients and less than 15 minutes!
- Crispy Texture: The parmesan cheese crisps the outside of the zucchini slices, giving them the best texture.
- Get more greens: air frying vegetables, like air fryer asparagus, is a great way to add vegetables to your plate (bonus: they fit into a keto diet!).
- Easy to customize: make them dairy-free with nutritional yeast or serve them with your favorite dipping sauce like hot honey, marinara sauce or a creamy ranch dressing.
Serve them as a healthy snack or as a side dish with blackened salmon or air fryer salmon bites.
We use the Ninja Foodie 2 Basket Air Fryer so we can make these at the same time as another air fryer recipe, like air fryer bacon wrapped chicken breast, for a complete meal.
Grab These Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for these parmesan zucchini chips. Most are pantry staples, so they're easy and affordable to find at the grocery store. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Zucchini: this is the star of the show and even better during the summer months when you can grow them in your backyard or buy them at the farmer's market.
- Sea salt: I think kosher or sea salt really makes a difference!
- Fresh cracked black pepper: shaker pepper will work too but the large chunks of cracked black pepper add more flavor and makes them look so pretty.
- Garlic powder: this aromatic flavor adds depth. You can also add onion powder.
- Parmesan cheese: you can use shredded parmesan or more finely grated/powdered.
Tip: with such few ingredients, it's important to use high-quality cheese and fresh zucchini for best results.
Craving another zucchini recipe? Try this grilled zucchini salad or these buffalo chicken zucchini boats.
Recipe Variations
- Dairy-free: If you want to opt out of adding cheese to these zucchini chips, just swap the parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast! It's a non-activated yeast that has the best parmesan flavor.
- Different Air Fryers: You may notice this recipe is made on a baking sheet! That's because our oven is also an air fryer, similar to a convection oven, We have the matte white Cafe double oven and LOVE it. It works like a phone and recently had a software update to add an air fryer! Cook times will be the same regardless.
- Extra crispy breading: mix the parmesan cheese with panko breadcrumbs (gluten-free if needed), then coat the zucchini chips in the panko mixture.
- Italian style: add Italian seasoning to the parmesan cheese.
You may notice this recipe is made on a sheet pan! That's because our oven is also an air fryer! We have the matte white Cafe double oven and LOVE it. It works like a phone and recently had a software update to add an air fryer! So crazy! Cook times will be the same regardless.
How to Make Zucchini Chips in the Air Fryer
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. These crispy zucchini chips are really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure they turn out every time.
Video: Watch How to Make Them
Step 1: Cut the Zucchini
Thinly slice the zucchini into rounds. You can use a mandoline slicer to slice them thinly or you can do it by hand with a knife. Try to get them all as close to the same thickness as possible for even cooking.
Note: The cooking time will vary depending on how thick or thin the zucchini is sliced. Thin slices will cook quickly and thick rounds will take a bit longer to air fry.
Step 2: Prep and Season
Pat them dry with a paper towel really well to absorb as much excess moisture as possible. This helps them get crispy rather than soggy.
Arrange them in a single layer in the air fryer basket or on a sheet pan like ours.
Note: If you're using an oven to air fry you can place the zucchini chips on a wire rack on top of the baking sheet for even cooking, similar to how we make baked chicken wings.
Drizzle them lightly with avocado oil or spray them with olive oil spray or coconut oil spray then sprinkle with sea salt, parmesan cheese, and fresh cracked black pepper.
Step 3: Air Fry the Zucchini Chips
Air fry at 370°F for 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starts to brown.
Serve right away plain or with ranch dressing.
This post is sponsored by Cafe Appliances. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We purchased these and loved them so much we had to reach out and come up with some recipes for you guys!
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini thinly sliced into rounds
- Olive oil or coconut oil spray
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (sub nutritional yeast for dairy-free option)
- fresh cracked black pepper
Recommended Equipment
- Air Fryer
Instructions
- Start by slicing the zucchini chips. You can use a mandolin to slice them thinly or you can do it by hand with a knife. They don't have to be perfect! Just try to get them all as close to the same thickness as possible for even cooking.
- Lay them evenly in the air fryer basket or on a sheet pan like us. Spray them with olive oil or coconut oil spray then sprinkle with sea salt, parmesan cheese and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Air fry at 370°F for 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starts to brown.
- Serve right away plain or with ranch dressing.
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