These crispy and flavorful Air Fryer Zucchini Fries are coated with Italian breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
Dip zucchini fries in your favorite ranch dressing or marinara sauce for a delicious appetizer that everyone will love!
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
One of my favorite appetizers to order is zucchini fries. They’re tender on the inside with a crispy coating on the outside. Plus they’re just fun to eat!
Let me show you how to easily make them at home.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make these crispy zucchini sticks in the air fryer. As always, you can find the full printable recipe located below.
- Zucchini – fresh zucchini, sliced into 3″ x 1/2″ sticks
- All Purpose Flour – helps the breading attach to the zucchini
- Seasonings – salt, pepper, Italian
- Eggs – for binding
- Breadcrumbs – Italian breadcrumbs or Panko for an extra crunchy coating
- Parmesan Cheese – I like to use the grated, canned version for this recipe
How To Make Zucchini Fries
This recipe is pretty easy to prepare, but it does take a little bit of time to dip and coat each zucchini stick. That being said, it’s also a great recipe to have little helpers in the kitchen! My kids love to help with this sort of thing and it makes them more eager to eat their veggies.
Slice Zucchini into Sticks
For this recipe, I’m cutting the zucchini into fries that are about 3 inches long, by about 1/2 inch wide.
PRO TIP: You can make them into circles or larger sticks if you desire. Keep in mind that you might need to adjust the cook time if the zucchini is smaller or larger.
Coat Zucchini In Flour
In a large bowl combine all purpose flour with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
Add in the zucchini sticks and make sure they’re completely coated in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour.
Dip In Egg
In a separate bowl, whisk together two large eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. The egg mixture should be a pale yellow color.
Dip each zucchini stick into the egg mixture, allowing any excess egg to drip off.
Coat with Breadcrumb Mixture
In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese.
Place the egg-dipped zucchini stick into the breadcrumbs and roll it around to coat completely.
Repeat this process with the remaining zucchini sticks.
Cook In Air Fryer
Place the zucchini sticks in the basket of the air fryer in a single layer. Make sure there is room between each fry, so they are not touching.
Spritz the tops of the zucchini with olive oil cooking spray and cook for 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Serve with Dipping Sauce
Once the zucchini fries are golden brown and cooked, serve immediately for best texture and taste.
I like to top the fries with a little extra salt and a sprinkle of more parmesan cheese.
Here are a few of my favorite dipping sauces to serve with zucchini fries:
- Ranch Dressing
- Marinara Sauce
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Creamy Dill Dressing
Baked Zucchini Fries
I love using my air fryer because it cooks super fast, but if you don’t have an air fryer – have no fear! – you can still bake these delicious zucchini fries!
For best baking results, place a cooling rack inside of your baking sheet to lift the zucchini off the bottom of the pan. This will allow more circulation under the zucchini, giving you a crispy fry.
Spritz the top of the zucchini with olive oil spray and bake at 425 degrees F. for about 20 to 22 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.
Make Ahead and Freezing
Unfortunately, due to the high water content of zucchini, it’s not advised to freeze zucchini.
Once frozen, the zucchini sticks become extra soggy when cooked, creating a gummy bread-coated mess. Trust me – I tried and I failed.
Additionally – cooking these ahead of time does not yield the best results either.
These zucchini fries are best when served right away.
If you’re finding yourself with an abundance of zucchini – check out my blog post on how to properly freeze zucchini for later use.
More Zucchini Appetizers
Zucchini is so hot right now. Here are a few more of my favorite ways to serve them up as an appetizer.
There are so many fun ways to eat your veggies!
I hope you give this recipe a try! I think you’re going to love it!
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Ingredients
- 2 medium Zucchini, cut into 3 inch x 1/2 inch sticks
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp water
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs, or panko bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated (I like the canned version for this recipe)
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Slice your zucchini into 3" pieces, about the size of a french fry.
- Combine the all purpose flour, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a large bowl In a separate medium bowl whisk together the two eggs with 1 tbsp of water, until an even pale yellow color. In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and stir together.
- Place the sliced zucchini into the flour mixture and toss gently to coat each zucchini stick evenly. Shake off any excess flour, then dip the zucchini into the egg mixture.
- After the egg mixture, place the zucchini into the breadcrumb mixture and turn several times, to allow the zucchini to be coated in the crumbs. Repeat with the remaining zucchini sticks.
- Spritz the bottom of your air fryer basket with non-stick spray, then place the coated zucchini in an even layer, making sure they do not touch. Spritz the top of the zucchini with more non-stick spray.Cook at 385 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes, until they're golden brown. Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce if desired.
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Sherie bradley
We love zucchini fries! Instead of eggs, I use my favorite zesty Italian dressing. It’s so yummy!