Air fryer zucchini fries are super crispy and perfect alongside some ranch dressing for dipping. This recipe will show you how to get that fresh-out-of-the-fryer taste with a fraction of the oil.
These air fryer zucchini fries rival any version you can find in a restaurant. With no need for messy and popping frying oil, you can enjoy them with little to no guilt and minimal clean-up.
What really takes these fries to the next level is the batter – a combination of flour, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. The texture is out of this world and compliments the moist, tender zucchini like no other.
Whether you grow zucchini in your garden or have a big haul from the farmer’s market, this recipe is an awesome way to utilize it. Who said that vegetables have to be boring, anyway? For another easy air fryer side, try air fried cauliflower or broccoli!
How to Make Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Making air fryer zucchini fries requires a handful of wholesome ingredients and a few, simple steps. Check out the recipe overview below before diving in.
- Whip Up the Batter Coating: Using a fork, whisk together flour and dry seasoning on a large plate. In a small bowl, scramble the eggs with a whisk. In another small bowl, toss the bread crumbs with parmesan cheese.
- Prep the Zucchini: Slice zucchini into sticks. In this order, dip each stick in flour seasoning, egg mixture, and parmesan/bread crumb mixture. Repeat until you run out of zucchini.
- Air Fry and Enjoy: Grease the air fryer tray with cooking oil. Place zucchini sticks in a single layer in the air fryer tray. Coat with cooking spray. Ary fry and enjoy!
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Tips for the Best Zucchini Fries
Below, find a couple of tips to help you make the best zucchini fries.
- Cut zucchini into equal-sized pieces. Slice your zucchini sticks into as equal-sized pieces as possible. This will help promote even cooking in the air fryer.
- Use high-quality parmesan. Parmesan is one of the main ingredients in this recipe, so don’t skimp on quality. For the best flavor, grab a block and grate it fresh.
- Serve right away. Serve your zucchini fries straight out of the air fryer. If you let them sit too long, they will turn rubbery and lose their crispiness.
- Air fry in batches. Working in batches, air fry zucchini fries in a single layer. If you stack them, they will not get as crispy.
- Pat zucchini dry before breading. To ensure the breading sticks, pat your zucchini sticks with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
Gluten-free? Substitute traditional flour for almond flour and omit the breadcrumbs.
Serving Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Air fryer zucchini fries can be substituted anywhere you would serve traditional french fries. Serve them as a side dish to cheeseburger sliders or a ribeye steak. They can also be included in any kind of appetizer tray (think — air fryer hot wings, chicken tenders, and jalapeno poppers).
Different Dipping Sauces
Below, find a couple of different no-fuss dipping sauce ideas to pair with your zucchini fries. Make one or a couple.
- Light Ranch Dressing: Check out an easy recipe for a healthy ranch.
- Creamy Tomatillo Dressing: Made with buttermilk, tomatillos, cilantro and more..this dressing will quickly become your go-to for dipping!
- Sriracha Mayo: Mix equal parts of mayo with sriracha.
- Chipotle Sauce: Mix canned adobo pepper sauce with mayo, cumin, and lime juice.
- Tzatziki Sauce: Go Greek! Find a quick and creamy tzatziki sauce.
- Creamy Honey Mustard: Mix equal parts honey mustard and mayo.
Storing Leftover Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Refrigerating: Place leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Zucchini fries will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Freezing zucchini isn’t a good idea. Once you reheat it, it turns soggy due to the high moisture content in the zucchini. It’s highly recommended that you only make what you can eat within a few days.
Reheating Tip: Use the air fryer to reheat your leftover zucchini fries. It will return them to their crispy, fresh-out-of-the-fryer state.
FAQ
How long do you cook zucchini fries in an air fryer?
Zucchini fries take about 9 minutes per batch at 400°F. Keep in mind you may need to increase or decrease cooking time according to the thickness of your fries.
Is fried zucchini better than french fries?
Fried zucchini is healthier for you than french fries. However, fried food is fried food at the end of the day. Using an air fryer to make your favorite fried snacks significantly reduces the cholesterol and fat intake, while giving you all that crispiness you love so much.
How do I avoid soggy zucchini?
Avoid soggy zucchini by eating it fresh out of the air fryer. Additionally, ensure you pat your zucchini dry of any moisture before you dredge it in the breading.
Do I need to peel zucchini?
You do not need to peel zucchini. Keeping the peel intact for this recipe helps the breading stick better.
More Zucchini Recipes
- Air Fryer Parmesan Zucchini Chips – Cheesy, crispy zucchini chips
- Cheesy Zucchini Breadsticks – Low-carb substitute for breadsticks
- Vegetable Zucchini Spread (aka Ikra) – Classic Ukrainian veggie spread
- Zucchini Pizza Bites – Mini pizzas with a zucchini crust.
- Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups – Low-carb substitute for lasagna
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini
- 1 tsp salt adjust to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup bread crumbs panco or italian bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp spray oil
Instructions
- On a large plate, combine flour, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- In a separate, small bowl, whisk eggs together. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.
- Cut zucchini into 3-inch long fries. Dip each fry into flour seasoning, followed by egg and parmesan bread crumbs.
- Coat the air fryer basket with cooking oil and place zucchini fries into the basket in a single layer. Spray the zucchini with light coat of cooking oil. Air fry at 400°F for 9 minutes.
Very good! I did listen to the comments and added 1 tablespoon each of garlic, onion and paprika powder. Little bit of salt too in the flour mix. And sliced them a little thinner. Had to cook about 15 minutes in the air fryer. Will make again!!
That's great to hear, Wendy! There's a ton of wise cooks in the comments — I learn from them a lot, too! Enjoy 🙂
Recipe was crispy as advertised. I also might put in a bit more seasoning and maybe a ranch dip would be good. But what a mess to do. I think next time I will only do half of coating recipe at a time as the bread crumbs/cheese mixture got so gummed up it was hard to coat all of the remaining fries.
Thanks for sharing your experience! So glad the recipe delivered on the crispiness! 🙌 As for the coating mixture, I hear you —it can get a bit tricky as you work through it. Doing half the coating at a time is a smart adjustment to keep things fresh and easy to manage.
I followed recipe exactly. To my tastes, this was incredibly bland and very "eggy" tasting. Texture was right, but small comfort. If the salt were bumped up and other spices added (garlic, paprika or sumac, etc.) added they'd be much better. Maybe use one egg beat with water. Maybe add a squeeze of fresh lemon. To be fair, I did not use a dipping sauce but thought it shouldn't be critical to recipe.
To increase the flavor in breaded foods, you can add seasoning to the flour, the egg AND the breadcrumbs.
I agree! Lacks flavor. Will add garlic and more salt to try and get the desired effect.
Hey Marsha, Thanks for the feedback! That's interesting that you got an "eggy" taste. Perhaps a lighter coating of the egg mixture next time along with more spices will suite your taste preferences. I'm happy to hear the texture was just right though!
So yummy and easy! Instead of Italian Seasoning I used Onion Powder and Aglio Olio seasoning from Trader Joe’s. I didn’t spray with oil and these still came out SO yum! I used bread crumbs with Italian Seasoning and GOOD quality Parmesan cheese! The quality is really a game changer just like you mentioned.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! I agree -good quality Parmesan do definitely make a difference. Thanks for sharing your tweaks!
These were easy and perfectly crispy, these will be on repeat ☺️
Hi Leah, I am so happy to hear this. Glad you feel the same way about them as I do 🙂
These zucchini fries were DELICIOUS. Fresh and crispy all at the same time. Definitely plan to make again. Thank you for the great recipe!
I'm so glad to hear that you loved the zucchini fries Christie! Fresh and crispy is exactly what we aim for. Thank you for the wonderful feedback, and I’m thrilled you plan to make them again. Enjoy every bite!
Hi, can the parmesan be subbed by freshly grated pecorino? Trying to use what I have on hand insteas of buying more cheese. Thanks!
Hey Lena, I haven't tried it with a different cheese. It could work, but the flavor and texture might be a little different. Let us know if you do try it!
Like another commenter, my husband tolerates zucchini (that was the PERFECT description)...but he loved these. I made four air fryer batches and my daughter and I managed to get one serving each before he headed straight back to the air fryer for more.
Plain, with ranch, or sriracha, they were delicious!
I love to hear we're converting people to love zucchini!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing this!
These were absolutely delicious! Suppose I could batter them and put in refrigerator for a couple of hours before cooking them?
Hey Vicki, I'm happy to hear these were a success! I wouldn't recommend battering up the zucchini in advance because of it's moisture content. It might become too soggy. If you do experiment with it, let us know how it turns out!
Delicious and crispy. Great instructions. Thanks!
You're welcome! Enjoy!
excellent recipe. i actually screwed up and put the seasoning and parm and everything with the breadcrumbs. 😜but it still turned out great! will definitely make again!
Hi Camille, A happy accident! 🙂 Glad it turned out!
My husband who “tolerates” zucchini said to always make it this way. I tried a couple different thicknesses and we found the thinner, the better. Also added a little garlic powder and smoked paprika.
Hey Debi, That's awesome your husband discovered that he does like zucchini after all. 😉 Thanks for sharing this!
What is one serving?
Hi Celine, Depending on how big you cut your zucchini fries it will yield around 24 pieces, so a serving size would be about 6 fries.
In the nutrition content, trans fat is listed as 1 gram per serving. Is this correct? I am not sure what in the recipe is responsible for the trans fat. Thank you
Hello CC, To be honest, I am not sure where the trans fat value is coming from. We use a nutrition calculator after listing all of our ingredients and it auto-calculates. I think it can be off sometimes, perhaps thats the case here. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help!
Hello! These are tasty! I’ve made them twice ! And my toddler loved it! I can’t seem to get them crunchy. Are they suppose to be or just a little soft? 🙂
Hi Brianna, I'm so happy to hear your toddler loves them! For crunchy zucchini fries, I would make sure the fries are in a single layer with space in between them when frying. Also, try patting the zucchini stripes with a paper towel to remove access water before breading. However, the longer the zucchini fries sit out, then they will loose the crispness. They are best served hot - but not for a toddler. I hope this helps! 🙂
Have zucchini coming out my ears so I found your recipe. Was fabulous and my husband loved it. Have shared it with about 3 other people (sent them the link to your site). I was wondering if they could be prepped up to the air frying and then frozen and it looks like you can. If I air fry them straight from the freezer will it be crispy?
Hi Sandra, I don't recommend freezing zucchini fries. Due to zucchini's high moisture content, they become soggy after freezing. However, leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.
Can I replace Parmesan cheese with sharp cheddar cheese since that’s the only cheese
I have available in my fridge now?
Hi Brenda, I would probably just recommend omitting the cheese instead of replacing it with cheddar cheese. The cheddar cheese might melt too much, instead of providing a crumbly texture and flavor like the Parmesan cheese does.
These turned out just like the picture. I dipped them in egg before the flour and again before the bread crumbs. I used panko with a little regular bread crumbs. I also added garlic powder. They were crunchy and delicious. My husband loved them. We dipped them in chic fil a sauce. I also found the suggestion of another post that using plastic bags for the flour and the crumb mixture really did help keep the mess down. Will make again.
Hi Connie, Using the bags is a great tip! I'm happy to hear these turned out delicious! 🙂
I'm new to the air fryer game. Got some zucchini at my local farmer's market so just had to try these. Delish! Dipped them in Chick Fil A sauce and it was heavenly! Will definitely make again and wouldn't change a thing!
Hi Toby, Thanks for this awesome review!
Amazingly delicious way to eat up our garden's zucchini!!!
Hi Megan, I'm glad you enjoy this recipe!
I made these today and they are very good. Quick, easy and a healthier version of one of my favorite munchie snacks.
Hello Amanda- I love hearing that! Thanks for giving this recipe a try, we really love it too!
Can this work with mozzarella cheese?
Hi Lakisha, I personally have not tried making them with mozzarella cheese. The taste and texture would be different than using parmesan. If you do try it, let us know.
These were delicious!! I was looking for a new recipe for zucchini and came across this one. I’m so glad I tried it!! Will definitely makes these again. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hi Lori, I'm happy you found this recipe. We love all things zucchini!! I'd recommend our zucchini fritters recipe to try as well, if you haven't already.
Can these be done in the oven ? Since I don't own a air fryer.. ( yet )
Hey Dave, Yes they can. Bake them for about 20 minutes or until crispy in a preheated oven set to 420°F. Enjoy!
Really good use of zucchini. Next time I’ll add some garlic powder and some cayenne pepper to make them spicy zucchini fries. No kidding-These were really good. I used 2 zucchini’s and had fries left over. I did cook more than the time stated. Served the fries (& ranch) with ribs, and tomato/cucumber/onion slices. Great dinner. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Beverly- adding cayenne for some heat sounds like a delicious idea! What a lovely dinner you had. Thank you for giving my recipe a try!
These were so bland, I feel I wasted all the ingredients. Plain zucchini dipped in ranch is definitely better.
Hi Pamela, I am wondering if you added the Parmesan cheese and the seasoning? They shouldn't be blend if the seasoning is added.
Full Disclosure…..I can’t really cook. Well I try to not have to. I wanted a healthy version of zucchini sticks..I had high hopes for these based on the reviews. I have the toaster oven type of air fryer so maybe that’s why they didn’t turn out good. Otherwise, I think if I make them again, I would need to fry them.
Hi Christine, What made them not good? I would love to hear a little more details, we may be able to troubleshoot the situation. Thanks for your honest review.
These were yummy! Easy to make too. I wishedvI would've had an oil sprayer to make them more crunchy and flavorful.
Hi Val, I am thrilled to hear that you loved this recipe! Thank you for sharing your feedback with me. Enjoy!!
BEST EVER!! This was my 4th, and final attempt at using the air fryer, it was FABULOUS!!! Only change I had to make, I had to use fine Panko Bread flakes, since I didnt have many bread crumbs, this is the only way I will make my zucchini now!!! Everyone Loved it. Thank You!!!
Hi Greta, I am thrilled that this recipe was a success! Thank you for sharing your feedback. Enjoy!!
I found this recipe today and made this as a side dish. The zucchini came out crispy and delicious. I'll use this recipe again. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Hey there Bridgette, I am so happy to hear that this recipe was a success! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback!