Air fried zucchini fries with breadcrumbs are a quick and healthy side dish your family will love! Light and delicious zucchini sticks coated in crispy breading with a no oil healthy alternative recipe. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and easy to make in under 15 minutes.
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If you need an easy dinner recipe, these air fried zucchini fries would be the perfect compliment to crispy chicken breast. You would also have less dishes to do, same coating - two dishes!
Air fried zucchini is the a great side dish I love to have in the summer when I'm not having asparagus or sweet potatoes with my summer dinner. Great to serve with turkey burgers or hot dogs!
What Makes This Recipe Work
- These are a simple snack that can work in any model! Whether you have a Ninja Foodi, Instant Pot Duo Crisp, Nuwave XL, Gowise or Instant Vortex - any model will work.
- Easy to make appetizer or side dish you can cut into chips, planks, strips, spears sticks or slices! Pick your favorite french fry shape and go for it!
- Kids and picky eaters will love to eat their veggies in this fun shape. They are seasoned with the perfect amount of spice blend and can be easily adjusted based on your preferences.
- Easy prep! Make these ahead by cutting and prepping zucchini into sticks and then bread once you are ready to air fry them.
Ingredients to Make This Recipe
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
- Zucchini: Mini zucchini works well because it is already fry size. You can also use eggplant or another yellow squash type if you prefer.
- Breadcrumbs: Panko or homemade breadcrumbs work great for this recipe. You can also use pork rinds if you prefer a keto or low carb version. Use gluten free breadcrumbs if needed. Cornmeal is also a delicious grain you can mix in for really good flavor.
How to Make This Recipe
This is a step-by-step walkthrough of how to cook this recipe. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cook time and temperatures.
Pancake mix creates a delicious first base, similar to making with flour coating in traditional frying. I add in ¼ packet of ranch seasoning for additional flavoring. After you coat with the pancake mix, add the fries to an egg wash and coat thoroughly.
The final step is breading. My favorite combination is a homemade bread crumb/panko bread crumb mix. Panko bread crumbs also make a great crunch. You can use almond flour for keto zucchini fries or whole30 zucchini fries.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to get ALL of the moisture out of the zucchini prior to breading. Place cut zucchini on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit on the paper towel for 10 minutes to soak up moisture and pat out any extra moisture prior to breading so the coating sticks.
- When coating, use a fork to move zucchini around. This will help to less the mess and keep the coating off of your fingers keeping it on the squash.
- Cut the zucchini as evenly as possible. Thinner pieces will take less time while thicker pieces may take more time to cook. If you cut thicker pieces, try reducing the heat to 390F so that you do not over crisp the batter.
- Do not overcrowd the zucchini in the basket. This will help the fries to crisp and brown evenly.
- These are best to serve immediately. If you do have leftovers, store in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. To lessen soggy outside, crisp and reheat for 3 minutes.
- You can prep these to freeze for up to six months in a freezer safe container. Cook straight from frozen by adding 1-2 minutes more or until desired doneness.
- Stir in some Parmesan or make dairy free with some nutritional yeast to give the air fried zucchini a delicious cheesy flavor.
Recipe FAQs
The best way to keep it from getting soggy is to use the air fryer over the oven or deep frying. Also, flipping them halfway during air frying and eating them right away also helps to keep them from being not crispy.
Yes, omit pancake mix and Panko bread crumbs for a mixture of equal parts almond flour and parmesan cheese.
Yes air fried zucchini is super easy to make without breadcrumbs and no flour! Spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with your favorite seasoning blend (Italian, taco, ranch and Cajun flavor all work perfectly.)
Yes, however air fried zucchini fries are like non-other! If you do want to oven bake them, they can be baked on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 25-30 minutes at 425F.
Marinara or ketchup are my preferred sauces, however tzatziki, fry sauce, yum yum sauce, ranch, sriracha sauce, garlic aioli or any savory dip would be delicious.
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Air Fried Zucchini Fries with Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 4 mini zucchnis
- ½ cup pancake mix
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- ½ packet ranch dressing mix
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel zucchini skin and cut zucchini into even fry shapes about ¼ inch wide by 4 inches long. Place on a paper towel and sprinkle sea salt on zucchini.
- Spray basket with coconut oil spray and preheat to 400F if required.
- In a shallow bowl, mix ¼ of the ranch seasoning packet into the pancake mix and in another shallow bowl, ¼ of the seasoning packet into the panko bread crumbs (you are using ½ of one packet, so ¼ of the total packet)
- Using forks, coat zucchini fries with pancake mix, then egg, then panko bread crumb mix. Repeat process until all zucchini fries are coated.
- Add zucchini to basket in a single layer and do not crowd them. Air fry for 7 minutes or until desired crispiness. Serve with ketchup, marinara, ranch dressing, aioli or your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Be sure to get ALL of the moisture out of the zucchini prior to breading. Place cut zucchini on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit on the paper towel for 10 minutes to soak up moisture and pat out any extra moisture prior to breading so the coating sticks.
- When coating, use a fork to move zucchini around. This will help to keep the coating off of your fingers and on the squash.
- Cut the zucchini as evenly as possible. Thinner pieces will take less time while thicker pieces may take more time to cook. If you cut thicker pieces, try reducing the heat to 390F so that you do not over crisp the batter.
- Do not overcrowd the zucchini in the basket. This will help the fries to crisp and brown evenly.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Crisp and reheat for 3 minutes.
cathy
I was curious that there was egg used in this recipe since it was under plant based recipe? Is there something else used
Lyndsey
Probably just a mistake on my part! You can sub a flax egg though for binding if you want to keep it 100% plant based.