Greek fried zucchini are crunchy chips made with thin sliced zucchini dipped in batter and fried until crispy. They make an excellent snack or appetizer when served with a creamy dip.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Crispy fried zucchini chips have a mild garlic and herb flavor.
Also known as: Kolokythakia tiganita
Serves: 6 people
Serve with: A creamy dip like tzatziki, squeeze of lemon juice, or hummus. They make the perfect summer appetizer!
You may also like: Baked Zucchini Sticks or Greek Zucchini Fritters
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Zucchini - You'll need about two medium, or one large zucchini for this recipe. Don't skip the step of salting and draining your zucchini or they'll be too wet for frying.
- All-purpose flour - Combined with water, the flour makes the batter for your fried zucchini chips. I haven't tested this recipe with other types of flour, so I can't say for sure how substitutes would work out.
- Seasoning - Salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder add flavor to your zucchini chips.
- Water
Slicing zucchini
Slice your zucchini with a kitchen tool like a mandoline slicer for even thickness throughout your chips. Evenly sliced zucchini cooks at the same rate, so there's no chance of undercooked or overcooked bites. Thin, ⅛" slices are perfect for this recipe.
- OXO Good Grips Chef's Mandoline Slicer
- Fullstar 6-in-1 Mandoline Slicer For Kitchen
- Professional Box Grater, Stainless Steel with 4 Sides
How to make Greek fried zucchini
- Thin slice zucchini to ⅛", add zucchini to a colander placed over a bowl, and salt generously. Allow to drain for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour), tossing once halfway through.
- Use a tea towel or paper towels to pat zucchini dry on both sides. This process helps draw water out of your zucchini and prevents the zucchini from getting soggy when fried.
- Preheat your oil. Once oil is preheated, dip a few zucchini slices at a time into your batter.
- Immediately drop (carefully!) your slices into the hot oil.
- Allow slices to cook a few minutes on each side, flipping once halfway through.
- Retrieve chips with a spider strainer and transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil.
Tips and tricks
Drain and pat zucchini dry - Don't skip the step of salting and draining your zucchini. Otherwise, your chips will turn out soggy.
Preheat your oil - Make sure your oil has preheated fully to 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (or 176 to 190 degrees Celsius). Otherwise, your chips will turn out greasy.
High smoke point oil - Use a cooking oil with a high smoke point over 400 degrees Fahrenheit (or 204 Celsius) to prevent burning.
Dip and fry quickly - Dip your dried zucchini slices quickly into the batter, then gently drop into your hot oil. Zucchini doesn't need to sit in the batter for more than a few seconds.
Don't overcrowd the pan - Chips can get stuck together while frying. Instead, fry your chips in several smaller batches.
Flip halfway through - Flip your chips halfway through frying to ensure both sides are golden brown.
Retrieving chips from oil - Use a spider strainer/fine mesh strainer/skimmer to retrieve your finished chips and drain excess grease. Here's an example from Amazon: Spider strainer
Frequently asked questions
Tzatziki sauce, shawarma sauce, hummus, or an aioli are all great choices to serve with your zucchini chips. They could also be topped with a squeeze of fresh lemon and served as is.
Fried zucchini is best served immediately after preparing. Your chips will lose their crispiness over time, just like other fried foods (like fries and onion rings).
📖 Recipe
Greek Fried Zucchini
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (240 g) water
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- cooking oil
Instructions
- Using a mandoline slicer, thinly slice zucchini into ⅛" slices. Transfer zucchini slices into a strainer placed over a bowl (or over the sink) and sprinkle generously with salt. Allow to set for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour), tossing once halfway through to drain off excess water.
- Pat zucchini slices dry on both sides and set aside.
- In a stock pot (or any pot with tall sides), preheat an inch of cooking oil to 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit (176-190 degrees Celsius).
- While oil preheats, prepare batter. In a bowl, whisk together flour, water, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add more water as needed. Batter should thickly coat the sides of your zucchini slices.
- When oil is preheated, dip zucchini slices into batter, shake off excess, then gently drop into preheated oil. Do not overcrowd pan (this causes zucchini to stick together while frying). Fry for about 4 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Chips should be golden brown. Using a spider strainer/skimmer, lift zucchini from the oil, and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining zucchini.
- Serve warm with your choice of dipping sauce.
Recommended Equipment
Video
Notes
- Tzatziki: Greek fried zucchini is best served with a creamy tzatziki sauce.
- Thin-sliced: Thick sliced zucchini will turn out soggy when fried - thin sliced is best.
This is an excellent recipe. I made it yesterday as part of a Father's Day meal and my husband asked me to make it again soon! If you follow the directions and allow the zucchini to sweat out their liquid the result is light and crispy. Fry at high temp in oil that can handle it - I used high oleic sunflower oil. There is nothing that actually needs to get cooked so all you're doing is crisping the batter and high temp will give you a crispy coating fast. Tip: These are traditionally served with Tzatziki. Make your own - easy and much better than store bought unless you have access to a real Greek market.
Hi Ruth, glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Made these and my kids asked for more! We loved them, can't wait to try them again