Parmesan Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
These Parmesan Air Fryer Zucchini Fries are crispy, flavorful and healthier than traditional fried zucchini. With a crispy, cheesy coating and tender inside, they’ll become a family favorite.
Jump to:
- Crispy Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Ingredients
- How to Make Zucchini Fries In The Air Fryer
- Tips For Crispy Zucchini Fries
- What To Serve With Zucchini Fries
- Storage
- How To Reheat Zucchini Fries
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries Without Breading
- Why Is My Fried Zucchini Mushy?
- More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Recipe
Crispy Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Zucchini is one my favorite vegetables as it’s low in carbs and calories and rich in nutrients. I love how it can be used in many different ways like in Parmesan Zucchini, Zucchini Fritters or Crispy Zucchini Chips.
Zucchini is coated with panko and parmesan mixture to give a crunchy and crispy texture. With a crispy outside and a tender inside, you can satisfy your craving for deep dried french fries without the carbs. Also it’s a great way to use up extra zucchini in the summer.
The best thing about these zucchini fries are, they become golden and crispy without being deep-fried. Serve them with your favorite dips for a healthy appetizer or snack.
For more air fryer recipes, check my Air Fryer Recipe Collection.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Healthy – They’re low-carb, keto-friendly, and healthier for you than traditional french fries. And they can be made gluten-free too.
- Easy to make – With a few simple ingredients from your pantry these fries are easy to make and will be ready in minutes.
- Delicious – The seasoning and parmesan make these zucchini fries extra yummy you want to eat every single one.
- Appetizer or snack – They make a healthy snack or appetizer for a party or a fun way to serve up veggie fries for kids.
Ingredients
Zucchini: Use fresh zucchini that’s firm, without blemishes or black spots. Look for small zucchini as they’re less watery. Avoid using zucchini that’s been sitting in the fridge for too long or that’s ripe. These zucchini tend to be bitter with a yellowish flesh.
You can also yellow squash instead of zucchini.
Eggs: Makes the breadcrumbs mixture stick to the zucchini.
Bread crumbs: I used panko bread crumbs but plain bread crumbs will work as well. To make this low-carb and keto friendly use almond flour.
Parmesan cheese: You can use freshly grated or the bottled parmesan.
Seasonings: I used a mix paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper to season the fries. Feel free to add Italian seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning, cajun seasoning or any of your favorite spice mix.
Oil: this is optional but a little oil sprayed on the fries makes them crispy and gives them a golden color. You can use any cooking oil like avocado oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
How to Make Zucchini Fries In The Air Fryer
*Scroll below for the printable recipe card and ingredient measurements.
This Air fryer zucchini recipe is simple and easy to make! Dip the zucchini sticks in egg and in the panko mixture and toss them in the air fryer!
Prep: Cut the zucchini into sticks. Pat dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, kosher salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder in to a shallow dish and mix till combined.
Dip: Dredge zucchini in egg wash and then in the bread crumb mixture and place them on a baking sheet.
Air Fry: Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees F. Line the Air fryer basket with parchment paper or use an olive oil cooking spray to spray the basket.
Place the breaded zucchini on the air fryer in a single layer. Working in batches, air fry zucchini for 7 to 10 minutes until crispy and golden brown. You can flip them and air fry for another minute or two if you prefer.
Serve: Remove air fried zucchini from the basket and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Tips For Crispy Zucchini Fries
- Use small zucchini as they have fewer seeds and are less watery.
- Pat dry the zucchini sticks throughly with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Place the zucchini in a single layer and cook in several batches.
- Once the all fries are cooked, you can warm them up in the air fryer for a minute or two.
What To Serve With Zucchini Fries
Crunchy air fryer zucchini fries are good on their own but they’re extra delicious served with a dip. Here are some of my favorites:
- Ketchup
- Spicy mayo sauce
- Ranch dressing
- Dill yogurt dip
- Tzatziki dip
- Marinara sauce
They’ll also be an a great side dish with any main dish like chicken, beef or seafood.
Storage
Zucchini fries taste best when they’re fresh. However, if you have any leftover zucchini fries, place them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. They’ll last for about 3 days.
They’ll lose their crisp when stored and you need to reheat them. I don’t recommend freezing them.
How To Reheat Zucchini Fries
Air fryer is notoriously good at reheating food. I hardly use the microwave to reheat my food anymore. The food comes out crispy and fresh. It’s the best way to reheat fries to maintain their crispy texture.
Simple preheat Air fryer and place the zucchini fries in the Air fryer basket. Cook at 375˚F for 3 to 4 minutes until they’re warm and crispy.
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries Without Breading
You can use this same recipe to make zucchini fries with no breading. Simply leave the panko breadcrumbs out and use parmesan cheese along with the spices.
They might need less time in the Air fryer to cook with no breading so check at 7 minutes to see whether they’re done.
Why Is My Fried Zucchini Mushy?
Nobody wants soggy fries. And there could be several reasons your fries end up being mushy.
You could be using large zucchini. These typically contain a lot of water and seeds. Cut the middle seedy part out before cutting them into sticks. Also dipping the zucchini in all purpose flour before the egg wash will prevent the zucchini being soggy.
Make sure you leave enough room in you air fryer basket for the hot air to circulate so you get crispy crunchy fries every time.
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Recipe
Crispy Parmesan Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 zucchini small
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- olive oil cooking spray
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini into sticks. Pat dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, kosher salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder in to a shallow dish and mix till combined.
- Dip zucchini in eggs and then in the bread crumb mixture and place them on a baking sheet.
- Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees F. Line the Air fryer basket with parchment paper or use an olive oil cooking spray to spray the basket.
- Place the breaded zucchini on the air fryer in a single layer. Spray oil on the zucchini lightly. Working in batches, air fry zucchini for 7 to 10 minutes until crispy and golden brown. You can flip them and air fry for another minute or two if you prefer.
- Remove air fried zucchini from the basket and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
- Use small zucchini as they have fewer seeds and are less watery.
- Pat dry the zucchini sticks throughly with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Place the zucchini in a single layer and cook in several batches.
- Once the all fries are cooked, you can warm them up in the air fryer for a minute or two.
Variations:
- Use any seasoning mix or spices you prefer like Italian seasoning, cajun seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning for the bread crumb mixture.
- Leave out panko crumbs or use almond flour for low-carb, keto zucchini fries.
Storage:
- Store leftover zucchini fries in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
- Reheat them in the air fryer at 375˚F for a few minutes until warm crispy.
