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Air fryer zucchini fries are a healthy, low-calorie, low-carb snack that tastes just as good as fried! They are simple to make and come together quickly and easily using an air fryer.
Featured with this recipe
- Ingredients for Amazingly Delicious Zucchini Fries
- How to Make Fried Zucchini in the Air Fryer
- Make Zucchini Crispy
- Seasoning and Breading the Zucchini
- Types of Air Fried Zucchini
- Tips for the Best Air Frying Zucchini Fries
- Easy Air Fryer Zucchini Dips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing Leftover Zucchini Fries
- More Ways to Cook Zucchini
- How to Make Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries Recipe
Air fryer zucchini fries are light and tasty with all the flavor! It is the perfect side dish for any meal or enjoy as a light snack. It is easy and delicious to make zucchini fries in an air fryer. You will love the flavor combination with the seasonings and crispy outside. It is the perfect combination for a summer-picked zucchini!
Using an air fryer has all kinds of great benefits. I love the air fryer because it heats up food fast and gives it a nice, crisp texture similar to deep-fried foods. It uses much less (if any) oil than a deep fryer which makes your foods healthier. I love cooking with the air fryer, especially during the summer months because it doesn’t heat up the house and there is no need to pre-heat.
Ingredients for Amazingly Delicious Zucchini Fries
These simple ingredients can be stored and used over and over again throughout the summertime! Take your freshly picked garden zucchini to the next level with this delicious air fryer recipe. It is the best way to add a side dish or have a light snack during the day. Making these zucchini french fries in the air fryer is the easiest recipe yet!
- Zucchini – Medium-sized zucchini is best! They are cut into spears and then into half. I like to cut the zucchini in half first then slice it into fourths.
- Kinder’s seasoning blend – This seasoning is a blend of all things delicious! It is totally optional but will make these zucchini fries even better! It has garlic, salt, and pepper all mixed together. Plus, store it for more delicious recipes, or make these zucchini fries more than once.
- Butter – Melted butter or avocado oil helps tenderize and give a softness to each zucchini spear.
- Panko bread crumbs – Take your zucchini spears and dip them in a breadcrumb mixture for a crispy outside layer that tastes amazing!
- Grated parmesan cheese – Cheese never hurts! It is the best way to give flavor as well as the melted cheese taste.
- Cooking spray – To make these spears extra crispy, spray cooking spray lightly overtop the coated zucchini before closing the basket to the air fryer. We like to use an olive oil spray.
How to Make Fried Zucchini in the Air Fryer
Use up all your freshly picked zucchinis from the garden with this quick and easy air fryer recipe! Kids to adults love zucchini fries. They are hand-held and easy to bite down on. They are simple to make in the air fryer in less than 10 minutes!
- Prepare – Rinse and pat dry zucchini and slice into spears.
- Combine – Place zucchini in a bowl or zip-top baggie and toss with salt, pepper, and seasonings. Add butter and toss to coat. Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow dish and mix until combined. Place zucchini spears in the crumb mixture one at a time and turn over until completely coated in crumbs.
- Assemble – Place breaded zucchini in a single layer in the air fryer and spray generously with cooking spray.
- Bake/Fry – Air fry at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until breading becomes golden brown.
- Serve – Take out of the air fryer with tongs or forks and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess moisture. Serve hot with marinara sauce, ranch dressing, or your favorite dipping sauce.
Make Zucchini Crispy
The trick to making zucchini crispy is spraying the breadcrumb coating with cooking spray before air frying. If you coat the zucchini with breadcrumbs but don’t spray it, the coating will clump and fall off. Spraying over the coating will allow the crumbs to “fry” and get golden brown. Otherwise, it will have more of a baked taste.
Seasoning and Breading the Zucchini
I prefer to season my zucchini with salt and seasonings before coating. The flavor of the coating can be minimal if you season the zucchini first. That way you don’t have a tasty coating on the outside and a bland inside. You get flavor all the way through!
Season with salt, seasoning salt, BBQ seasoning, ranch seasoning, cajun seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, or any of your other favorite spices or spice blends. Then toss with butter and coat in a blend of panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese (about 1 cup breadcrumbs to ⅓ cup parmesan). Spray with cooking spray before cooking to hold the crumbs to the zucchini.
Types of Air Fried Zucchini
There isn’t just one correct way to air fry zucchini. You can cut it thick or thin before cooking. You can add breadcrumbs for a crunch or you can keep it plain. The time and temperature you cook the zucchini at will depend on how you cut it and what outcome you are looking for. Here are some ideas:
- Zucchini spears – Fried zucchini spears are my favorite way to air-fry zucchini. I love how you get a crisp outer coating but also a crisp-tender core. Spears also hold up well when dipped. Air fry zucchini spears for 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees.
- Air fryer zucchini fries – Zucchini fries are sliced smaller than spears and the coating is more prominent. This is great for those who love their zucchini extra crispy. My kids love the zucchini fries because they taste less of the zucchini and more of the crispy coating. Air fry zucchini fries for 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Breaded zucchini chips – You can slice breaded zucchini chips as thick or as thin as you would like. I like slicing them slightly thicker and at an angle to get a nice big chip. Air fryer zucchini chips bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees. If you have thicker chips, you may need to add more time. Check after 8 minutes and continue air frying for 1 to 2 minutes at a time until done.
- Thin zucchini chips – If you want zucchini chips that aren’t breaded and that look more like a tiny potato chip, you will want to cook them at a much lower heat. I love this kind of zucchini chip tossed with pasta. Air fry for 8 to 10 minutes at 250 degrees. When you slice the zucchini chips extremely thin, they may blow around in the air fryer. If you notice this, just redistribute them each time you check on them. If you want to crisp up the zucchini, raise the heat to 350 degrees at the last minute of cooking.
Tips for the Best Air Frying Zucchini Fries
Follow these helpful tips to make the best zucchini fries in the air fryer. Get to know your air fryer and how it works best when making these zucchini fries. Combined you will have the best experience making recipes in your air fryer!
- Always cook in a single layer – If you overlap the zucchini slices or spears in the air fryer, it will cook unevenly and may not get crispy all the way around.
- Air fry in batches – If you have a large amount, it is better to fry in batches rather than crowding the air fryer basket.
- Know your air fryer – The times and temperatures are based on my own experiences with my basket air fryer. Cooking times may vary between brands or if you are air frying in a convection oven (in this case you may need to add more time).
Easy Air Fryer Zucchini Dips
What is fried zucchini without a good dip to go with it?! Here are some of our favorite dipping sauces for fried zucchini. These are simple to make or you can use store-bought. The flavors are endless!
“Mmmm!!! We’re always looking for new side dishes, and any way that we can use our air fryer. This was delicious, thank you!”
-Jessica
Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchini holds a lot of water, even thought it may not look like it. You’re going to need to draw out that moisture somehow! The easiest way to get this done is to sprinkle the zucchini with salt to draw out some of the moisture, then pat dry and lay out a couple paper towels and line them over the towels.
First, take the zucchini and cut it in half. You should have about 3 to five inches of zucchini. Cut the ends off and carefully slice down the middle of each half. Then lay the halves onto a cutting board and slice another half. This will give the zucchini a triangle appearance that looks similar to a french fry.
My favorite dip is our delicious homemade ranch dressing. But you can also dip them in marinara sauce, Chick-fil-a sauce, homemade fry sauce, and more!
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Storing Leftover Zucchini Fries
Make extra zucchini fries and place the leftovers in a tight container that will stay in the refrigerator for a few days. When ready to reheat, place in the air fryer, oven, or microwave to warm up. Reheat zucchini in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Enjoy them over and over again!
More Ways to Cook Zucchini
Looking for more delicious ways to cook zucchini? Check out our guide on How to Cook Zucchini in 4 different methods! Try it roasted, grilled, or sautéed! There are so many options and variations for zucchini recipes. During the summer months when you are growing your zucchini be sure to follow along with these great recipes!
How to Make Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized zucchini
- salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons Kinder's seasoning blend (optional)
- 3 tablespoons melted butter (or avocado oil)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned)
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- cooking spray (to taste)
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry zucchini and slice into spears.
- Place zucchini in a bowl or zip-top baggie and toss with salt, pepper, and seasonings. Add butter and toss to coat. Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow dish and mix until combined. Place zucchini spears in the crumb mixture one at a time and turn over until completely coated in crumbs.
- Place breaded zucchini in a single layer in the air fryer and spray generously with cooking spray.
- Air fry at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until breading becomes golden brown.
- Serve hot with marinara, ranch dressing, or your favorite dipping sauce.
Perfectly crispy and so easy to make!
Mmmm!!! We’re always looking for new side dishes, and any way that we can use our air fryer. This was delicious, thank you!