Are you tired of your regular french fries that are deep-fried in tons and tons of oil? If you are tired of feeling guilty each time you eat these snacks, then I have a solution for you! And that is Zucchini fries 😉
You can easily transform zucchini into delicious fries that are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside – all you need is an air fryer and a few minutes of your time. You can also do this easy air fryer zucchini fries recipe with your kid because it is that easy!
You can also check how to air fry your regular fries so they won’t be bad for your health that much.
How to Make Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
What I love about making zucchini fries in the air fryer is that aside from it being a great side dish that all ages will love, you will also retain the health benefits of this summer squash veggie because you will be needing barely any oil at all – you will just need to trust your air fryer to do the job by letting air to circulate around inside.
The ingredients:
2 medium zucchini
1 large egg beaten
½ cup almond flour or panko bread crumbs – this is for breading
½ cup parmesan cheese grated
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or seasoning of choice
½ teaspoon garlic powder optional
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
Oil for spraying olive or oil of choice
Instructions:
Cut the zucchini into sticks (after cutting it in half). I would recommend cutting them to about 1/2 inch thick and three to four inches long.
Note: you do not need to peel the zucchini because the skin or peel intact will help the breading stick to the zucchini better.
In a shallow bowl, combine the almond flour or bread crumbs, grated parmesan, spices, and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine.
In a different bowl, place the beaten egg.
Dip or coat the zucchini sticks in flour seasoning, egg mixture, and breadcrumb mixture. Make sure each stick is coated to ensure that it will become crispy.
Spray the air fryer with cooking oil and place your coated zucchini fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Make sure you place the zucchini fries in a way that will not overlap or overcrowd each other.
Work in batches if necessary.
Cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F or until the zucchini fries are golden and crispy.
Tips for the best crispy zucchini fries
For the best zucchini fries results, I have here some tips or notes to remember when doing this zucchini fries air fryer recipe:
- Make sure you cut the zucchini into equal-sized so that they will cook evenly at the same cook time.
- Make sure you choose your favorite, best-quality parmesan cheese because it is one of the main ingredients of this recipe that will put flavor to your zucchini. You can also directly grab a block of parmesan and grate it for the best flavor.
- This air fryer zucchini recipe is best served hot so you must serve them right away after pulling them out of the air fryer. This will ensure that your zucchini fries are crispy. Sitting them out too long will make them rubbery and will lose their crispiness.
- Pat your zucchini dry and remove any excess moisture before breading so that you can be sure that your breading mixture will stick to your zucchini.
- There is no need to peel zucchini because its skin will help the breading stick better.
- If you are following a keto diet, go for almond flour instead of breadcrumbs.
- Cooking time will usually depend on the size of your zucchini fries and the type and size of your air fryer so I recommend checking your fries about 5 minutes in cooking time.
What to serve with zucchini fries
These zucchini fries are already so flavorful and delicious on their own. But if you want a whole meal experience that is filling, here are some ways on how you can pair and serve your zucchini fries:
- Burgers or vegan burgers
- Ribeye steak
- An appetizer tray that includes chicken wings, these air-fried buffalo cauliflower bites, air-fried sweet potato fries, and more.
- Your favorite dipping sauce: Ranch, Chipotle Sauce, BBQ sauce, and more.
- Air fried pizza
- Grilled salmon
- Soup
- and more!
How to store your air-fried zucchini fries
If you have leftover zucchini fries, you can place zucchini fries in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Your zucchini fries will remain fresh for 3 days.
If you are planning to freeze your zucchini fries, I do not recommend doing so because once you reheat them, they will turn soggy due to the high moisture content in the zucchini.
To reheat, transfer the zucchini fries and reheat them in the air fryer for a few minutes. They will still have that crispy result.
Why Use An Air Fryer for Zucchini Fries?
In general, zucchini fries are rich in healthy nutrients including vitamin A and other beneficial plant compounds. If you want to retain these health benefits, I recommend using an air fryer to cook! Don’t believe me? Look at this long list of air fryer vegetarian recipes I have!
This easy zucchini fries recipe is made for the air fryer if you want your fries to be low-carb and guilt-free when you consume them because an air fryer does not require you to deep fry or drench your food in oil to cook them and make them crispy!
Sure, you can opt for a baking oven but it might take you to use more cooking tools which will add more time to your cleaning process. A baking oven also requires more cooking time than an air fryer.
Crispy Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Are you in need of zucchini recipes that will be loved by everyone in your family (yes, even kids)? These zucchini fries are delicious and it will only take a few tools, a few ingredients, and a few minutes of cook time!
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 large egg beaten
- ½ cup almond flour or panko bread crumbs - this is for breading
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or seasoning of choice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder optional
- Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
- Oil for spraying olive or oil of choice
Instructions
- Cut in half and slice zucchini into sticks. Ideally, cut them to about 1/2 inch thick and three to four inches long.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the almond flour or bread crumbs, grated parmesan, spices, and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine.
- In a different bowl, place the beaten egg.
- Dip or coat the zucchini sticks in flour seasoning, egg mixture, and breadcrumb mixture. Make sure each stick is coated to ensure that it will become crispy.
- Spray the air fryer with cooking oil and place your coated zucchini fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Make sure you place the zucchini fries in a way that will not overlap or overcrowd each other.
- Work in batches if necessary.
- Cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F or until the zucchini fries are golden and crispy.
I’m Anastasia and I’m a full-time blogger, online entrepreneur, and Pinterest marketing strategist. I help digital entrepreneurs and bloggers drive targeted traffic from Pinterest either through my online courses or through Pinterest consultancy.