Air Fryer Zucchini Fries are baked in a seasoned panko and parmesan crust and the result is a delicious, mouthwatering crispy zucchini stick! You won't even miss those deep-fried french fries!
There is no doubt that the air fryer makes incredibly crispy french fries, but have you tried making crispy zucchini fries? This recipe is stellar at creating perfectly delicious and perfectly crisp zucchini fries by combining panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and lots of seasonings.
The zucchini is coated in a flour and cornmeal mixture, then dredged in an egg and milk wash before breading. The trick to getting it extra crispy is spraying the breading with cooking oil right before air frying.
I use the same highly tested and perfected technique when air frying southern-style okra, bloomin' onion petals, and deep fried pickles.
Zucchini fries can be made in any style air fryer, but they work best when using the holed basket. Because I often make a lot of zucchini fries at once, I usually have 2 or 3 or air fryers going at the same time! They produce nearly identical results, except that my Instant Omni Plus cooks them just a bit quicker at roughly 8 minutes. With my Ultenic basket air fryer and my Instant Duo Crisp, it takes about 10 minutes.
Air fried zucchini fries are a flavorful warm side dish, but they are also fantastic enjoyed at room temperature during parties and gatherings. Make these fries once and they will make you fall in love with your air fryer all over again!
There is no need to peel the zucchini if you don't want to take this extra step. Although, the breading will stick a bit better to the flesh of the zucchini than it will the skin. I don't usually peel my zucchini because once it is dredged in the egg and milk wash, the pank mix sticking has never been a problem.
Zucchini is a naturally soft vegetable once cooked due to its high water content. While the combination of the panko breading and air frying method give it a nice crispy crust, you can make the zucchini a little less soft if that's your preference. Instead of adding the salt to the panko mix, sprinkle it over the zucchini slices and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This will pull out much of the moisture and help it remain firm while air frying.
Yes! See my instructions below for baking these crispy zucchini fries instead of using your air fryer.
Ingredients
You need:
- Fresh zucchini: look for blemish free, large and firm zucchini.
- Breading: panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Egg and milk: combined to make an egg wash that gets the breading to stick.
Yield: about 16 fried zucchini sticks.
One large zucchini will feed about 3 people when served as a side dish. Easily double or triple the recipe and keep all ingredients proportionate.
Make It Vegan
Make these air fried zucchini sticks vegan with 3 simple substitutions:
- Use oat milk instead of dairy milk.
- Skip the egg or use flax egg.
- Use a plant-based parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast flakes.
Step By Step Air Fryer Instructions
STEP 1: In a medium sized bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and cornmeal. In a second medium sized bowl, combine the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, panko breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese. In a third medium sized bowl, mix together the milk and egg until smooth.
STEP 2: Wash and dry the zucchini. Trim off the top and slice the zucchini in half shortways. Slice longways into skinny pieces that resemble sticks.
STEP 3: Working in batches, coat the cut zucchini sticks in the flour and cornmeal mixture, then dredge in the milk and egg wash. Coat the dredged zucchini in the breadcrumb mixture. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil, then add zucchini in one layer spread out so it is not touching. Spray breaded zucchini with a generous amount of cooking oil.
STEP 4: Air fry at 400°F/204°C for 8-10 minutes, until zucchini fries are golden brown. Do not turn halfway through. Remove from the basket carefully using tongs. Serve warm or at room temperature.
How To Make Crispy Zucchini Fries In The Oven
Follow the same steps for breading the zucchini as you would if air frying them. Then:
- Place the breaded zucchini on a baking sheet (but preferably on a crisping tray like this) and spray generously with cooking oil.
- Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, or until the breading becomes golden brown. Remove carefully with tongs and serve.
Dipping Sauce Recommendations
Air fryer zucchini fries are incredibly delicious plain without any sauce at all, but if you love creamy dipping sauces these pair well with:
- Ranch dressing
- Garlic aioli
- Tzatziki sauce
- Chipotle mayonnaise
- Creamy garlic parmesan dressing
Helpful Air Frying Tips
- I prefer using my hands to coat and bread the zucchini. It's much easier to press the bread crumb mixture onto the zucchini sticks this way than it is when using tongs. It will be messy, but this is kind of a messy recipe to begin with!
- Spray the breaded zucchini very generously with cooking spray of your choice for extra crispy results. Spraying with oil also gets the breading to stick better and not fall off once removed from the air fryer.
- If you'd prefer an entirely oil free recipe, skip the spraying. But note that you won't get perfectly crisp zucchini fries!
- Keep in mind that every air fryer is different and cooks at varying speeds. For the first time cooking any recipe, get to know your air fryer by constantly checking in on the food and monitoring the results. Your air fryer may need more or less time than mine.
- Storing: keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat using the "reheat" setting on the air fryer or in a toaster for a few minutes.
If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to give it a star rating and let me know what you thought in the comments! And follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Recipe
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Equipment
- 3 mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Wash and dry the zucchini. Trim off the top and slice the zucchini in half shortways. Slice longways into skinny pieces that resemble sticks.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and cornmeal. In a second medium sized bowl, combine the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, panko breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese. In a third medium sized bowl, mix together the milk and egg until smooth.
- Working in batches, coat the zucchini sticks in the flour and cornmeal mixture, then dredge in the milk and egg wash. Coat the dredged zucchini in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil, then add zucchini in one layer spread out so it is not touching. Spray breaded zucchini with a generous amount of cooking oil.
- Air fry at 400°F/204°C for 8-10 minutes, until zucchini fries are golden brown. Do not turn halfway through. Remove from the basket carefully using tongs. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Oven Baking
- Follow steps 1-3 above. Place the breaded zucchini on a baking sheet (but preferably on a crisping tray) and spray generously with cooking oil.
- Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes, or until the breading becomes golden brown. Remove carefully with tongs and serve.
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