Air fryer zucchini – incredibly crispy, light, and truly addictive. Learn how to cook them quickly in only one batch.
These crispy air fryer zucchini will make your day! They definitely made mine. I was expecting to like them, but I didn't expect to like them so much. So much that I cooked them again the next day, so that I could take some pictures as well. This recipe had to be shared!
Not to mention that I was so happy to find a way of cooking all the fries in one batch. Usually, you would be instructed to place them in the air fryer in one layer and cook them in two batches.
However, this method allows you to cook all of them at once without worrying about the side effects. They will still be incredibly crispy and cooked through.
I normally associate any kind of breaded foods with deep frying. Although I often make baked schnitzel or panko chicken in the oven, still, the first thought when thinking about breading is deep frying.
And I am not into deep-frying. Not only because of the amounts of oil involved, but also because of the mess, the fat that I have to discard somewhere afterward, the smell and so on.
That is when this air fryer comes handy. I just love the thing. Although I only have it for a couple of months now, I have been using it extensively, there is hardly any other extra kitchen gadget that I use that often nowadays.
I use a Kesser Air Fryer XXL to make this recipe.
What do you need?
- Zucchini – one larger or several smaller ones, about 400-450 g/ 1 lb.
- All-purpose flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and spices for the breading.
- Cooking spray oil.
How to make?
Making air fried zucchini is really easy. Season and bread the sticks, place them in the air fryer and cook turning once. I think that “turning once” is the “hardest/ annoying” part of the recipe... otherwise, this cannot be easier.
- Cut the vegetables into sticks, about 4 cm/ 1 ½ inches long. Set aside.
Breading:
- Place the flour on a large plate.
- Add ½ teaspoon fine sea salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper + ½ teaspoon thyme + ¾ teaspoon garlic powder + ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder. Mix well.
- Whisk the eggs in a bowl.
- Place the breadcrumbs on another large plate. Mix well with 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- Turn the sticks into the flour. Pat gently to remove the excess.
- Drag through the beaten eggs.
- Turn the sticks into the breadcrumbs and press gently (if necessary) to make sure that the crumbs stick well.
- You might need to clean your hands a couple of times in between.
Cooking:
- Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes to 200 C/ 400 F.
- Place a layer of breaded zucchini in the basket of the air fryer.
- Spray lightly with oil.
- Place the second layer in the opposite direction of the first layer, with space in between.
- Arranging the pieces this way will allow them all to become nice and crispy without you having to cook them in two batches. I've tried this method several times, it really works.
- Spray again and air fry the zucchini for 5 minutes.
- Now comes the “difficult” part.
- Carefully remove the first layer of zucchini from the basket (using tongs) and place them on a large plate.
- Gently flip the pieces that are still in the basket on the other side. Spray lightly with cooking oil.
- Return the sticks from the plate back to the basket, arranging them again in the opposite direction, but making sure that they are lying on the other side as well. Spray lightly.
- Continue cooking for another 5 to 6 minutes until the fries are cooked through, golden and crispy.
How to serve?
- They should be served immediately.
- However, if you have leftovers you can definitely reheat those in the air fryer again. Do that for 3 minutes at 180 C/360 F. Or you can reheat them in the oven at 180 C/360 F for 5 to 10 minutes or until hot.
- Serve the air fryer zucchini as a light meal with a dip of your choice. And salad.
- The dip you can see in the photographs is chili dip.
- You can also make a garlic sour cream dip, homemade mayonnaise, or sweet and sour sauce.
More zucchini recipes:
How to Saute Zucchini with Onions
Air Fryer Zucchini
Ingredients
- 1 lb zucchini 450 g
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 30 g
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup dried breadcrumbs 75 g, Note 1
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- fine sea salt and black pepper
- cooking spray oil
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini into sticks, about 4 cm/ 1 ½ inch long. Set aside.
Breading:
- Mix: Place the flour on a large plate. Add salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, sweet paprika powder and mix well.
- Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Place the breadcrumbs on another large plate and mix with Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- Bread zucchini: Turn the zucchini pieces into the flour. Pat gently to remove the excess. Drag through the beaten eggs. Turn the sticks into the breadcrumbs and press gently to make sure that the crumbs stick well.
Air frying:
- Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes to 200 C/ 400 F. Check the instructions of your fryer; some don't need preheating (mine does).
- Layer zucchini: Place a layer of breaded zucchini in the basket (it is hot!). Spray lightly with oil. Place the second layer of zucchini in the opposite direction of the first layer, with space in between (See pictures in the blog post). Using this method will allow you to cook all the zucchini in one batch. Spray again and air fry the zucchini for 5 minutes.
- Flip: Carefully remove the first layer of zucchini from the basket (using tongs) and place them on a large plate. Gently flip the zucchini that are still in the basket on the other side. Spray lightly with cooking oil. Return the sticks from the plate back to the basket, arranging them again in the opposite direction, but making sure that they are lying on the other side as well. Spray lightly.
- Continue cooking for another 5 to 6 minutes until the zucchini sticks are cooked through, golden and crispy. Serve immediately as suggested above.
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