Air Fryer Zucchini Chips With Mint Dip Recipe

There's no need to run to the store the next time you have a hankering for colorful and salty veggie chips — they can easily be made at home. Air fryer zucchini chips are just one of the recipes you can make in an air fryer, a convenient appliance that helps you make delicious crispy dishes without deep frying them in fat or firing up the oven. Zucchini is a great option for veggie chips because it's easy to slice, it already comes in just the right shape and size, and it's a nutritious, low-calorie, non-starchy vegetable. Those avoiding white potatoes may especially appreciate this treat.

Making healthy veggie chips at home is pretty straightforward, and recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a simple recipe for zucchini chips made in the air fryer that really delivers with a salty, garlicky flavor and a crispy texture. They're delicious on their own, but the recipe also includes a creamy mint dip that creates another layer of flavor from the bright mint and zesty lemon juice, and a contrasting mouthfeel from the creamy Greek yogurt.

Homemade zucchini chips are more economical than specialty veggie chips from the store, and you get the added satisfaction of making something from scratch — especially gratifying when you're making a healthier version (but just as delicious!) of a more processed store-bought product. As an added bonus, it will make your kitchen smell great, so consider this recipe for your next homemade snack.

For this recipe, you will first make a mint yogurt dip, and you will need Greek yogurt, fresh mint, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. For the zucchini chips, the ingredients are zucchini, extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper.

Place the yogurt, mint, lemon, salt, and pepper in a bowl and stir well to mix. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Slice the zucchini into ⅛-inch rounds using a knife or a mandoline slicer. Try to make them all the same width.

Place the zucchini rounds in a mixing bowl with the oil and seasonings and toss well to coat the rounds evenly.

Place the rounds in a single layer in the air fryer basket or rack. Work in batches if you can't fit them all in a single layer to avoid overcrowding.

Preheat the air fryer to 400 F.

Air fry for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway, until crispy and browned. Check periodically after the halfway mark and remove any chips that are turning too brown.

Serve warm or cool.

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Zucchini isn't the only vegetable you can use to make tasty chips in the air fryer. In fact, the list of options is quite long. Zucchini, which is considered a summer squash, is one of the most popular types of squash. You can also make chips with butternut squash, which is a winter squash. It requires more prep work to remove the peel, but the texture works very well. For a softer chip similar to zucchini, consider making chips from eggplant. Choose Japanese eggplant because it has a thinner shape that's ideal for chips.

Root vegetables are probably the most popular choices for chips. It's easy to find recipes for sweet potato, beet, and carrot chips, but don't stop there. First, try other varieties of the above, such as golden beets or purple sweet potatoes. Then, consider less widely used root vegetables that are ideal for chips, such as turnips, rutabaga, celery root, jicama, parsnips, and yuca (also known as cassava). Finally, don't neglect plantain as a candidate for veggie chips, even though it's technically a fruit.

Recipes for veggie fries may be more numerous than those for veggie chips, but you can adapt these to make chips instead. The basic prep steps of seasoning and tossing the vegetables are the same. Just cut the veggies into thin rounds instead of sticks or wedges. Start by checking out these 18 veggies for making fries that aren't potatoes to get inspired.

Veggie chips really only need three ingredients — oil, salt, and the vegetable itself. This recipe includes a few spices for more flavor, but they're not strictly necessary if you'd like to simplify the recipe and still make a delicious chip. On the other hand, you can go the other way and add more richness and flavor. For example, some people like to bread the chips and include grated cheese, which is not necessary for zucchini chips to taste great, but it's an option if you'd like to make a more luxurious version.

To make them this way, dip the zucchini slices first in beaten egg and then in panko breadcrumbs. You can then place them in the air fryer basket or rack and cook them in the same way as in our recipe. To make the breadcrumb mixture richer, mix in grated Parmesan cheese first. To add flavor, mix in dried spices as well. Good options include thyme, oregano, Italian seasoning, paprika, and garlic powder. You can choose to dredge the zucchini slices in flour first before dipping them in egg and the breadcrumb mixture. Since zucchini is moist, the flour creates a barrier between the zucchini and the egg, helping the egg to adhere better and thus creating maximum breadcrumb cling. Finally, browse some of the 30 top types of dips for ideas on creative chip and dip pairings.

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