Greek Fried Zucchini

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.

Greek fried zucchini, or kolokythakia tiganita, are thin zucchini slices dipped in batter and fried in oil until golden brown and crispy. A popular appetizer served in Greek taverns, these crispy zucchini chips are crowd pleasing and surprisingly easy to make at home.

To make fried zucchini chips, you'll need two medium zucchini, flour, spices, cooking oil, and a pot with tall sides for frying. That's it! You'll have a platter of zucchini chips ready for snacking in no time.

Serve Greek fried zucchini on their own or with a creamy dip like tzatziki sauce. They make a great side dish for your next meal or party appetizer for a crowd.

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

I highly recommend using a mandoline slicer, the slicing attachment of a food processor, or the slicing side of a box grater to slice your zucchini. Using a slicing tool, rather than slicing by hand, not only saves time but also makes perfectly even slices.

Zucchini sliced to the exact same thickness will all cook at the same rate. Thicker zucchini takes longer to cook and can retain more water (making your chips soggy), so I recommend slicing your zucchini as thin as possible. ⅛" slices were the perfect thickness for me.

• 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 dry out zucchini

Zucchini is made up of 95% water, so it's very important to take a few steps to dry out your zucchini as much as possible.

• Thinly slice your zucchini to ⅛". Thicker zucchini slices retain more water and turn out soggy when fried.
• Add your zucchini slices to a colander placed over a bowl (or over the sink) and salt generously. Salt helps draw the moisture out of your zucchini slices. Allow them to drain for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour), tossing once halfway through to drain off excess water.
• Using a tea towel or paper towels, pat your zucchini slices dry on both sides.

Frying tips

• Don't skip the step of salting and draining your zucchini. Otherwise, your chips will turn out soggy.
• 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.
• Use a cooking oil with a high smoke point over 400 degrees Fahrenheit (or 204 Celsius) to prevent burning.
• 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 - otherwise chips can get stuck together while frying. Instead, fry your chips in several smaller batches.
• Flip your chips halfway through frying to ensure both sides are golden brown.
• 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
• Drain your fried chips on a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess grease.

What to serve with fried zucchini

Greek fried zucchini is best served warm with a creamy tzatziki sauce. Optionally, top with a squeeze of fresh lemon just before serving.

Dipping sauce ideas:

• Tzatziki sauce
• Shawarma sauce
• Hummus
• Aioli