Love baked zucchini but loathe turning on the oven during the hottest part of summer? Make this Air Fryer Zucchini instead!
Air-fried zucchini, composed of zucchini pieces coated in a light Parmesan and panko breadcrumb mixture and air-fried until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, is the low-maintenance cousin of air fryer zucchini fries.
The air fryer is the ideal kitchen appliance for cooking vegetables with maximum crunchiness in a healthy manner. In addition to the apparent fact that we have an abundance of zucchini, I enjoy cooking with it because it requires minimal preparation compared to other vegetables.
For Roasted Zucchini or Grilled Zucchini, it is sufficient to cut the zucchini into spears.
Instead of making air fryer zucchini chips, which, while delicious, require more time to prepare zucchini slices and cook in smaller batches, I opted to cut the zucchini into bite-sized pieces.
This method requires less time to prepare the zucchini, and you can add more at once to the air fryer basket for a quicker, low-carb side dish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Air-fried zucchini is one of our go-to snacks and sides for numerous reasons.
- This recipe is gluten-free, ketogenic, and vegan, making it suitable for virtually all dietary preferences.
- With only four ingredients and twelve minutes of actual cooking time, virtually anyone can prepare this dish.
- Kid-friendly — A simple way to get your children to eat their vegetables! This zucchini air fryer recipe is kid-approved.
- Try different seasonings, shapes, and cooking times to personalize the dish (find more ideas below).
- Zucchini is low in calories and high in nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese.
If you enjoy zucchini, you will love our squash blossom quesadillas, Mexican meatball soup, sopa de conditions, and calabacitas recipe.
How to Air Fry Zucchini
Due to its inherent blandness, zucchini is versatile. It also implies that seasoning is essential.
- I seasoned the breading with onion powder, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.
- Since this recipe is exceptionally light and nutritious, preparing it as zucchini Parmesan in an air fryer makes it more satisfying.
Add cayenne to make it spicy, or substitute nutritional yeast for Parmesan (or omit it) to make air-fried zucchini vegan.
AVOID OVERCOOKING
- Air fryer zucchini cooking times vary by model. Plan on 7 to 9 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and check frequently.
- Note that the zucchini will remain al dente once cooked. If the zucchini is cooked until it is completely soft, it will taste soggy.
Ingredients
- Zucchini: Using an air fryer, the green bounty of summer produce becomes addictively crispy and flavorful. It is nutritious, succulent, and a crowd-pleaser! The vegetable zucchini is rich in vitamin C, potassium, fiber, antioxidants (and even a little calcium).
- Olive Oil: Aids in crisping the zucchini and prevents it from burning.
- Panko: It creates a deliciously crisp exterior on the zucchini.
- Flour: A flour coating helps the breadcrumbs adhere and imparts a fried flavor to the zucchini. White whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be used.
- Parmesan: A small handful of Parmesan cheese imparts a delicious salty cheese flavor.
- Spices: A simple blend of salt, onion powder, and black pepper is sufficient to impart flavor to these zucchini pieces.
Directions
- Medium-sized zucchini should be trimmed and cut before being added to a mixing bowl.
- Oil the zucchini and toss.
- Mix in the panko crumbs, Parmesan, flour, and seasonings. Toss to combine.
- Add half of the zucchini in a single layer to an air fryer.
- Air-fry zucchini at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 to 9 minutes, occasionally shaking the basket. Transfer to a serving dish. Continue with the remaining zucchini. ENJOY!
Storage Advice
- Storing: Refrigerate zucchini for up to four days in an airtight container.
- Reheating: Reheat leftovers in the oven at 350 degrees F on a baking sheet or in an air fryer.
- Freezing: I do not recommend freezing zucchini because once thawed, it becomes soggy. If you insist, you can freeze zucchini for up to three months in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Allow defrosting in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Serving Suggestions for Air Fryer Zucchini
- Meat: Serve with Pork Tenderloin, Short Ribs, or Chicken Piccata
- Fish: This dish would pair well with Salmon, Shrimp in Garlic Butter, or Grilled Cod.
- Pasta: Enjoy zucchini with Instant Pot Spaghetti, Pasta Primavera, or Shrimp Ravioli.
- Casserole: Serve zucchini air-fried as a side dish with Chicken and Rice Casserole, Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole, or Spinach Artichoke Macaroni.
- Sandwich: Combine zucchini prepared in an air fryer with a Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Slow Cooker, Pulled Pork Sandwich, or Blue Cheese Burger.
- Stir-fried: Cauliflower Fried Rice, General Tso Chicken, and Beef Lo Mein are enhanced with zucchini.
Air Fryer Zucchini Recipes
- PREP:7 mins
- COOK:8 mins
- TOTAL:15 mins
Ingredients
- 3 small/medium zucchini about 1
- 1/4 pounds
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese for a vegan version, use nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
See above
Top Tips
- Flip the zucchini coins halfway through the cooking process to ensure airflow and consistent cooking.
- It is essential to preheat the air fryer for a few minutes, particularly for shorter recipes like this one. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and wait four to five minutes before cooking the zucchini.
- Make sure that the zucchini is not overlapping in the air fryer basket. This will help them crisp evenly.
- Use little oil: The most beneficial aspect of air fryers is that you can cook with less oil. Start slowly and work your way up to a more challenging level.
- Serve immediately: Warm, crisp, and tender zucchini tastes best!
- Slice the zucchini as uniformly as possible to ensure it cooks at the same rate.
Air Fryer Zucchini - FAQs
When freshly prepared, zucchini cooked in an air fryer tastes the best. If you have leftover zucchini, store it in an airtight container for three to five days in the refrigerator. Return the zucchini to the air fryer and air fry at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 to 5 minutes or until heated.
I like to keep my vegetables basic by seasoning them with kosher salt and black pepper. You can easily add a teaspoon of garlic powder, taco seasoning, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, or everything but the bagel seasoning for additional flavor. You can flavor zucchini with any of these or your favorite seasoning blend.
For easy removal, you may use parchment paper, but the cooking spray is not required on the basket. Because olive oil coats the zucchini, it prevents them from sticking. However, if using a baking sheet, you should spray it lightly with cooking spray.
If you are searching for a coating that can be used on zucchini, you will adore the layer we use on our Air Fryer Onion Rings.
Serve with the dipping sauce of your choice, such as ranch dressing. Additionally, you will enjoy our Zucchini Fritters.
Zucchini holds a lot of water, even thought it may not look like it. You’re going to need to draw out that moisture somehow! The easiest way to get this done is to lay out a couple paper towels and line them over the towels.
To get the very best crispy vegetables with creamy interiors, ATK’s Healthy Air Fryer cookbook advises that a mixture of oil and water not only attains a satisfying crunch but also ensures vegetables such as broccoli and fennel don’t dry out as they cook and crisp
Storing/Freezing Instructions
Place leftover zucchini chips in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can reheat them by placing them in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 3-5 minutes. These baked zucchini chips will store well in the freezer in a plastic freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Cooked zucchini will stay good for up to two days in a covered container in the refrigerator. If you’ve got more fresh zucchini than you can use in a few days, you can freeze it for later use.
Overcooked zucchini turns mushy. More: For oven roasted zucchini, take a look at our Garlic Roasted Zucchini with Feta.
- Bring water, vinegar, and salt to a boil.
- Prepare squash by removing seeds. Cut into bite-size pieces.
- Parboil squash in vinegar mixture for about 5 minutes.
- Scoop squash from vinegar mixture into prepared jars. Remove liquid from heat and ladle into jars. Wipe rims clean and seal jars.
Pat dry with a towel and either dehydrate at 120°F or skewer. Dehydrate until pliable but leathery, about 3 hours or so in my dehydrator. Or, hang the zucchini in a hot dry place for 24 to 48 hours, depending on the temperature. In either case, you want them to be dry, but not hard.
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