Air Fryer Zucchini Fries

Air Fryer Zucchini Fries are a quick and easy healthy side dish! A few basic pantry ingredients turn your fresh zucchini into delicious, crunchy fries in just a few minutes.

recipe overview

These Air Fryer Zucchini Fries are crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside in just 10 minutes!

Zucchini is especially abundant in the summer months, when gardens all over are producing like crazy. If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy zucchini in the air fryer, this is the recipe you need!

I like zucchini fries because they have a combination of the soft inside of a french fry with the crunchy breading of a mozzarella stick.

And just like mozzarella sticks, I usually serve mine with marinara dipping sauce!

Need MORE zucchini recipes? Try my Zucchini Fritters! It’s a beautiful dish and brings a lot of flavor to your plate!

You should also check out how I make Zucchini Boats in the air fryer, filled with ground meat and cheese.

list of ingredients

You don’t need many ingredients to make crispy and crunchy air fryer zucchini fries. Grab these things and we can get cooking!

• Garlic Powder – This common seasoning adds lots of warm, savory flavor to our zucchini breading.
• Paprika – I like to add paprika to most breadcrumb mixtures. It adds a bit of warmth and also gives the breading more color.
• Italian Seasoning – This blend of herbs is delicious with zucchini!
• Salt and Pepper – You don’t need to add salt to your air fryer zucchini fries if you don’t want to, but feel free to season these to your own taste.
• Breadcrumbs – Any type of breadcrumbs can be used, including plain or panko style. Gluten-free breadcrumbs work too! You can use Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs if you want more flavor, or try unseasoned ones with the seasonings above. These are delicious any way you make them!
• All-Purpose Flour – This recipe will work with regular all-purpose flour or your favorite gluten-free flour blend.
• Eggs – You’ll need two large eggs for this recipe. The eggs help the breading stick to the zucchini.
• Zucchini – For this recipe, I’m using either 1 large zucchini or two smaller ones. You want to cut the zucchini into sticks that are about 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches long.
• Spray oil – To get a coating on these fries that’s just like they were deep-fried, a bit of oil sprayed on the breading is all you need. Use your favorite store-bought spray oil, or an oil mister.

how to make these zucchini fries

1. After you have cleaned your zucchini, slice them into 1/2-inch sticks. Chop off the ends, but no need to peel!
2. Time to prep for the breading! You’ll need three bowls here: one for the whisked eggs, one for the flour, and one for the seasoned bread crumbs (just mix the breadcrumbs with the seasonings!). To coat the zucchini sticks, first dredge them in flour, then egg, then seasoned bread crumbs. Be gentle!
3. Carefully place the coated zucchini sticks in the air fryer basket and spray the basket and sticks generously with oil. Cook these for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees F (or 200 degrees C), flipping and re-spraying halfway through. Be sure to keep an eye on your fries! The times may vary.
4. Once cooked, serve with marinara dipping sauce and enjoy!

recipe tips and tricks

• Cut the zucchini into equal-sized sticks so that they will all cook evenly, and at the same rate. I find that pieces that are about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch thick are perfect.
• Coat them well. To get these fries really crispy, we’re using a three-step breading: Flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Take your time to be sure that each piece is well coated with all of these.
• Work in batches if you need to. It’s important to allow room for air to circulate around each piece of zucchini in the air fryer if you want them to really get crispy.
• Don’t skimp on the oil. Be sure to spray the fries when you start cooking them and then spray them again with oil when you flip them over. The more oil you add, the more brown and crispy the zucchini fries will get.
• Eat them right away. I’ll give you some storage tips, but these fries are really best if you enjoy them right out of the air fryer. Zucchini are made of mostly water, so they’ll get soggy if they sit too long.
• Have dipping sauce ready! These are delicious dipped in marinara sauce, ranch dressing, or garlic aioli. Kids might even want to dip these in ketchup!

freezing for later

After dredging through the three bowls, gently place the breaded zucchini sticks on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and freeze them separately so they don’t stick together.

Once frozen, you can transport them to a freezer-safe container or zipper bag and freeze for up to six months!

When reheating frozen zucchini fries, they can either be thawed first and cooked for about 10 minutes at 400°F/200°C or you can keep them frozen and cook them a few minutes longer, likely 15-20 depending on how many and the size of your air fryer!

storing leftovers

In the fridge, these zucchini fries will last about 3 to 4 days. The breading will definitely not be as crunchy the next day, so try to make only as many as you need for one meal.

To combat moisture, put a paper towel in any container with your leftovers, and use a paper bag if you have one!

The extra material will help absorb some of the humidity to keep the leftover fries as crunchy as you can.

Reheat zucchini fries in the air fryer at 400°F/200°C for about 10 minutes.

recipe variation and substitutions

You can change up the flavors in this air fryer zucchini recipe to suit your mood and tastes!

• Try using Cajun seasoning instead of Italian seasoning to give these fries a spicy kick.
• Ranch seasoning is also an excellent flavor to add to zucchini.
• You can mix in a few tablespoons of Parmesan or Romano Cheese to add a cheesy, savory flavor to the breading.
• This recipe works with yellow squash or green summer squash.

do I need to remove the seeds from the zucchini?

This will depend on the size of your zucchini.

If you are using small to medium zucchini, the seeds are generally small and soft, so there’s no need to remove them.

If you’re working with large zucchini that you’ve harvested from your garden, you may have large woody seeds inside. Scoop them out before cutting the zucchini into sticks.

do I need to peel them first?

I do not peel the zucchini when making this air fryer recipe. I like the texture that the skin adds to the fries. Zucchini with all of the skin removed can sometimes be too soft.

That said, if you don’t like the skin, you can peel it away! Just note that the fries might be a bit more delicate after they’ve cooked.

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