Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
These Air Fryer Zucchini Fries are crispy, perfectly seasoned, and so easy to make. The air fryer is the best way to make zucchini fries!
I love using my air fryer because it makes food deliciously crispy with very little oil. Our favorite air fryer recipes include Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, Air Fryer Cauliflower, and these Air Fryer Zucchini Fries.
When you have an abundance of fresh zucchini and you’ve had your fill of Roasted Zucchini and Zucchini Bread, these zucchini fries are the perfect zucchini recipe to satisfy your cravings!
The air fryer makes the best zucchini fries. Since air circulates around the fries as they cook, they turn out so crispy! In this recipe I’ve combined a few simple seasonings and Parmesan cheese with a crispy breadcrumb coating to give these zucchini fries the best texture and flavor. You are going to love them!
Enjoy this air fryer zucchini as an appetizer, side dish or snack. Zucchini fries are delicious on their own, or serve them with a dipping sauce. Try them with marinara sauce, ranch dressing or aioli.
Ingredients
- Zucchini: Choose fresh zucchini that are deep green in color with skin that is free of blemishes.
- All-Purpose Flour: The flour helps the egg to stick to the zucchini.
- Eggs: The eggs are the “glue” that helps the seasoned breadcrumb coating to stick to the zucchini.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Panko makes the crispiest coating!
- Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan adds delicious flavor to this air fryer zucchini recipe.
- Seasonings: A combination of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper adds lots of flavor.
- Olive Oil Spray: Lightly spraying the zucchini fries before cooking helps to make them extra crispy. I prefer olive oil spray, but you can another oil spray such as canola oil or coconut oil.
How to Make Zucchini Fries in an Air Fryer
Here is an overview of how to make air fryer zucchini fries, with some tips for success. Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.
If you know how to make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders or Baked Chicken Tenders, the steps for breading zucchini fries are very similar.
- Trim the ends off of the zucchini. Cut each zucchini crosswise into two pieces. Then cut into 1/2-inch sticks. I’ve found that it’s best to not pat the zucchini dry. A little moisture will help the flour to stick.
- Working with a few zucchini fries at a time, first coat the zucchini in flour. Gently tap off any excess flour.
- Dip in the beaten eggs, making sure to fully coat all sides of the zucchini with the egg.
- Coat the fries in the breadcrumb, Parmesan and seasoning mixture.
- Place the fries in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Leave a little space between each zucchini piece so that the air can circulate around as they cook.
- Spray the tops of the fries with oil spray.
- Air fry for 10-12 minutes until the outsides are browned and crispy and the fries are tender when pierced with a fork.
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries Recipe Tips:
- Don’t crowd the air fryer basket. Arrange the zucchini fries in a single layer with a little space between them. This allows the air to circulate around them, crisping the edges. You will probably need to cook the fries in batches.
- You do not need to flip the fries. Both sides will crisp without flipping and the less you handle the zucchini fries, the less likely you’ll lose some of the crispy coating.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, omit the Parmesan cheese.
- Different air fryer models may cook differently, so adjust the cook time as needed.
Can I use regular breadcrumbs?
I have tested this recipe with both Panko breadcrumbs and regular breadcrumbs. You can use regular breadcrumbs, but the fries won’t be quite as crispy as they are with Panko. The larger pieces of Panko breadcrumbs make for a crispier breading. Either way, the fries are delicious!
Can I bake these in the oven?
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake the zucchini fries in the oven. Here’s how to do it:
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the breaded zucchini fries on the parchment-lined baking sheet and spray lightly with oil spray.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once halfway through the cook time, until fries are browned and tender when pierced with a fork.
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs*
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- olive oil spray, or other oil spray such as canola or coconut oil
Instructions
- Trim off the ends of the zucchini. Cut each zucchini in half crosswise. Then slice zucchini into ½-inch thick fries. (You do not need to peel the zucchini.)
- To prepare the zucchini fries you will need 3 wide, shallow bowls, dishes or pie plates. In one dish, place the flour. In the second dish, lightly beat the eggs. In the third dish, stir together the Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Working with a few zucchini fries at a time, coat each one first in the flour, and gently tap off any excess flour. Then coat in the egg, making sure to fully coat all sides. Finally, coat each piece with the breadcrumb mixture.
- Arrange fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving a little space in between each fry for the air to circulate. (Cook in batches as needed.) Spray the tops of the fries with oil spray.
- Air fry at 400° F for 10-12 minutes, until the outsides are browned and crispy and the insides are tender when pierced with a fork. You do not need to flip the fries. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Regular breadcrumbs may also be used, but the zucchini fries will be slightly less crispy.
A little time consuming since I doubled the recipe, but worth it. I used 4 zucchini and my 3 boys and I each had a zucchini a piece! These fries were so healthy instead of French fries and a perfect compliment with cheeseburgers 🍔. Crunchy on the outside, so tender on the inside and very tasty! Served them with salsa. Yum!
I’ve made this recipe three or four times only with different variations of the way I cut the zucchini. Used the same recipe though and love it.
These are a bit of work but are totally worth it! My family and I loved them. They are so crispy and tasty. The only thing I did differently was to salt the zucchini and let it sit to get some of the water out. That way it doesn’t get soggy. Definitely a keeper!
Oh my this is SO good!
DELICIOUS!!
Very good I prepped them ahead of time excellent
I made these and my family raved about them. This will be my new zucchini recipe. It is a little time consuming so I switched the flor and the breadcrumbs to gallon baggies for a faster result
At 400 degrees for 10 minutes it burns the fries. And not doing it in oil and using flour results in raw flour being on the fries. There is little to no flavor in the actual breading.
Hi Evan,
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe, especially since many others have make it and loved it. Different air fryers can cook differently, so you may need to adjust the cooking time for your model. The flour shouldn’t be raw anymore after cooking in the air fryer.
These zucchini fries were fantastic!! I followed the recipe as written and the final product was delicious! Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside! This is a definite keeper of a recipe!!!!
Thanks for sharing a GREAT air fryer recipe, Kristine!!
These fries are perfection!! Just made a half batch and ate every single one of the fries by myself lol!
Could these fries be prepped through the breading step and then frozen to be air fried at a later time??? I would love to have a stash of these fries in my freezer ready to air fry whenever the craving hits me!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I have not tried freezing them before cooking. If you decide to try it, let me know how it works.
This was the first thing I cooked in my new air fryer, and they were great. I used whole wheat flour and the pork rind crumbs with a little panko thrown in to change it up. Work fine and then dipped in yum yum sauce. 1 zucchini would had been just right for my husband and I, but I did 2, and we ate everyone of them. It was yummy! 😀