Name: Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 400 g zucchini, sliced 3 mm thick; ½ tsp salt; 2 eggs, beaten; 60 g panko breadcrumbs; 40 g parmesan, finely grated; 1 tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp garlic powder; 2 tbsp olive oil, for spraying; 150 g Greek yogurt; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 1 tsp lemon juice

Air Fryer Zucchini Chips

Thin zucchini slices coated in parmesan breadcrumbs and air fried for 15 minutes until crisp and golden, with a yogurt dip.

30 min total Serves 4 servings Easy

Making Air Fryer Zucchini Chips Ahead

Best eaten straight away. They do not reheat well, but 3 minutes in the air fryer helps.

Making Air Fryer Zucchini Chips

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

Toss the zucchini slices with the salt and leave for 10 minutes. Pat very dry with kitchen paper.
Mix the panko, parmesan, paprika and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Put the eggs in a second dish.
Dip each slice in egg, then press firmly into the crumb mixture.
Heat the air fryer to 190°C / 375°F. Spray the slices with the olive oil and arrange in a single layer. Cook for 15 minutes in two batches, turning once, until golden and crisp.
Mix the yogurt, garlic and lemon juice and serve as a dip.

A Few Pointers

Cut the slices evenly so they cook at the same speed.
Pat the salted slices dry before the egg.
Eat them quickly: they soften as they cool.

Behind the Recipe

The sound of the first one snapping is the sign that the batch is right. Thin slices of courgette hold a lot of water, so the secret is to draw some out before the crumb goes on, and to cook them in a hot, dry air stream that finishes the job.

Slice the zucchini into rounds about 3 mm thick, using a mandoline if you have one, or a sharp knife and patience. Salt them lightly, leave them for 10 minutes and pat them dry with kitchen paper. They will look beaded with moisture, and that is what you are removing.

Press the crumb on firmly with the flat of your hand. Mix panko, finely grated parmesan, paprika and a pinch of garlic powder, then dip each slice in beaten egg and in the crumb. A loose coating falls off as soon as the air catches it.

Cook in a single layer, spraying with a little oil, and turn the slices once halfway. Cooking in two batches gives a better result than trying to squeeze them all in at once. Serve them hot with a garlicky yogurt dip.

Good Alongside

Yogurt dip · Marinara sauce · Burgers · Green salad

Changing the Recipe

Panko gives the crunchiest crust here, but ordinary dried breadcrumbs will still fry crisp if that's what's in the cupboard.
An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.