Self-toughening ZrB₂-SiC based composites are fabricated by in-situ reactive hot pressing. The effect of sintering additive content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites is investigated. Microstructure observation found that the in-situ reactive hot pressing could promote the anisotropic growth of ZrB₂ grains and the formation of interlocking microstructure. Such microstructure could improve the mechanical properties, especially, for the fracture toughness. The improved mechanical properties could be attributed to the self-toughening structure related to the ZrB₂ platelets and the formed interlocking microstructure, which could trigger various toughening mechanisms such as grain pull-out, crack bridging, crack deflection, and crack branching, providing the main contribution to the high fracture toughness.