Zucchini Parmesan Crisps
by Chungah
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Ultra crispy zucchini chips! Makes for the best snack or side dish to any main. Make it in the oven, stovetop, or air fryer! So easy, so good!
Featured Comment
What do you do with all that summer zucchini just waiting to be used up? Well, we’re going to slice them up real nice, coat them in a Panko-Parm mixture, and cook them until they’re wonderfully crisp and golden brown. It’s a very sneaky snack, appetizer, and side dish situation, and you’ll be consuming all that zucchini in no time.
Why you’ll love these zucchini parmesan crisps
- Summertime treat. Zucchini parmesan crisps is a favorite summertime snack for the entire family to enjoy (especially when dipped in Ranch). Not to mention, even the pickiest of eaters will be fighting for these!
- Great way to use up zucchini. Is your garden overflowing with an abundance of summer zucchini? Not sure what to cook next? Say goodbye to zucchini bread and use up your bounty with these perfect, oh-so-crisp, golden brown snackable zucchini crisps!
- Flexible recipe. These crisps can easily be fried, baked, or cooked in the air fryer, depending on personal preference.
How to make zucchini parmesan crisps
- Prep the zucchini. Salt the zucchini in a single layer on a baking sheet to help draw out the excess moisture. This is key for crispy zucchini chips!
- Make the ultra-crispy coating. Combine the Panko breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan. If Panko is not available, use traditional breadcrumbs.
- Set up your station. Prepare three shallow bowls with flour, beaten eggs, and the Panko mixture.
- Dredge and coat. Dredge in flour, dip in eggs, then press the zucchini round firmly into the Panko mixture on both sides so a thick layer sticks to the eggs.
- Cook. Heat the oil and carefully place a few zucchini rounds in a cast iron skillet until golden brown. Work in batches as an overcrowded pan will lead to soggy zucchini chips! Transfer to a wire rack to drain the excess oil while also keeping the zucchini chips nice and crispy.
- Serve. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.
How to serve zucchini parmesan crisps
Snack
These crisps can be served as a snack (perfect for littles!) with Ranch, fry sauce, marinara sauce, or even guacamole.
Side dish
These can also be served alongside various main dishes, since they can be baked together at 425°F.
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Zucchini Parmesan Crisps: Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchini is very high in water and the salt helps draw out excess water.
Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store. While both Panko and breadcrumbs can both be used as a coating for fried foods, Panko is much flakier and yields a crunchier, crispier texture.
You’ll want to cut your zucchini into even slices, keeping your oil nice and hot, and space them apart when cooking. This will yield the crispiest zucchini slices!
Yes! These can be cooked in the air fryer at 400°F for 9-10 minutes, flipping halfway.
Absolutely! Place a cooling rack (that has been coated with nonstick spray) on a baking sheet, and bake at 425°F for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
You can serve these with your favorite dipping sauce like Ranch, fry sauce, or marinara sauce.
Zucchini Parmesan Crisps
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup Panko*
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced to 1/4-inch thick rounds
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Lay zucchini slices flat in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt, to taste; let stand 15 minutes.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- In a large bowl, combine Panko and Parmesan; set aside.
- Dredge zucchini rounds in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.
- Working in batches, add zucchini rounds to the skillet, 5 or 6 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a wire rack.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Salt the zucchini. Because zucchini has a high water content (94% water), salting the zucchini beforehand will help draw out the excess water, making it firmer and avoiding mushy, limp zucchini.
- Panko yields a superior crunch. Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb made from crustless bread and processed into large flakes, yielding far more ultra-crispy goodness (compared to traditional breadcrumbs).
- Use a cast iron skillet. A cast iron skillet is ideal here for even heat distribution for the hot oil.
- Cook in batches. If too much zucchini is added at once, the oil temperature will drop and the zucchini will absorb too much oil, resulting in soggy zucchini.
- Transfer to a cooling rack placed on a baking sheet. This will allow the zucchini crisps to cool slightly, draining the excess oil while the coating stays crispy.
- Use the air fryer. This is a great recipe for the air fryer! Preheat the air fryer to 400°F, cooking for 9-10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp, flipping halfway.
- Bake as needed. Zucchini crisps can be baked on a cooling rack (that has been coated with nonstick spray) and placed on a baking sheet, cooking at 425°F for 20-22 minutes, or until crisp and cooked through.
- Serve immediately. These are best served immediately for maximum freshness and crispness. Zucchini parmesan crisps do not make for the best leftovers.
- Mix it up. Use golden zucchini or mushrooms, or swap out the Panko for whole wheat breadcrumbs, or Italian style bread crumbs. Serve with Ranch, marinara sauce, garlic aioli, fry sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce(s).
Did you make this recipe?
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NO way could I be trusted anywhere near a basket of these crispy golden chips. This is like having a serving of vegetables right?
Exactly! I love the way you think, Erin!
Chung-Ah, do you think these could be fried then reheated in the oven without losing the crispiness?
Unfortunately, these are really best when fried and served immediately as the crispness will lose out over time.
How long after frying will they retain the crispness? I was thinking of frying and cooling and serving with ranch dip but I don’t want to make them too early in the day when friends are coming around 6:30.
This is really best when served immediately – about 5-10 minutes after cooking.
I am the same way. . grazing all day long. . it doesn’t help that we work from home huh? anyway, I will also skip dinner if I’ve munched too much on any given day . . dude, I would devour a big plate of these. . love!
These are fabulous!! Fried zuc is simply delicious!
what a great snack alternative to potato chips!
Another pin worthy recipe. I can’t wait till I get zukes in the garden now! Though I will need to bake it… frying smokes up my house too much.
I love snacking! Especially in the form of crunchy, crispy and cheese zucchini parmesan crisps! I have been going through a zucchini addiction lately, so I am stoked to have another way to feed (literally!) my new obsession! Pinned!
Good morning!
No doubt this recipe is damn delicious. I have already ‘pin’ . I love zucchini.
what a great snack!
Girl I would not be able to stop eating these either! And I’d way rather graze on a variety of stuff than eat 1 big dinner. I mean, snacking & variety makes the world go round 🙂
very delicious! 😀
Definitely better than donut holes, in more ways than one. And that crust?! Amazing.
Looks good, but a ton of carbs for such a small amount. Makes me wonder how heart healthy it actually is.
I’m a very low carber, myself (keto) and I love that Chungah included this in her New Year’s Eve Appetizer Round-up! I often have to keto-fy recipes and have gotten used to it! The bulk of the carbs are in the breading method, so, that’s what I will modify. I’ve always done ‘EB’ (egg wash and breading) instead of the traditional chef’s ‘FEB’ (flour, egg wash, breading), so, I will dip into egg wash and then bread them with finely grated pork rinds mixed with freshly ground parmesan (that I will probably add a little Italian seasoning or parsley to) and it will be just fine! Thanks for including this, Chungah!!!