Zucchini Parmesan Crisps
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Perfectly golden brown parmesan-crusted zucchini slices (to use up all that summer zucchini!). So crispy, so good!
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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.
reasons to make 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? 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.
tips and tricks for success
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
more favorited zucchini recipes
Zucchini Parmesan Crisps: Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchini is very high in water and the salt will help 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 more 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
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
Equipment
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.
- Working in batches, dredge zucchini rounds in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.
- 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 paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
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These look great! What is the dip?
These are absolutely delicious and addicting! I bake them in the oven at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes and they still come out crisp. I also serve them with a dill dip. A definite favourite of ours.
Thank you for instructions for baking these. The fried option is not a healthy snack at least for me. I will definitely try your version.
Delicious!!!
I will try this, sounds delicious!
Delicious!!!
Nice recipe but ZUCCHINI is plural of ZUCCHINO. There is not any ZUCCHINIS.
Rude. It’s ZUCCHINIS google it
Very rude. Also, check your grammar. You shouldn’t use “is” when referring to plural nouns. It should be “are”.
Life is too short the get angry over something so ridiculous as this. Come on people!
How do you make this ahead of time? Just put it in the oven to reheat?
I live in Mexico, and ordered a grocery delivery today, and because I screwed up on converting weights and measures, I ended up with waaaayyyyy too much zuchinni. I will be making it later today – can hardly wait!
Awesoooome!
Delicious! Crispy and light. A great use of zuchinni
These look tasty! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I loved this recipe, I did both zucchini and green tomatoes both came out great. I added garlic powder and a little onion powder to the flour. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Made the zucchini parmigiana crisps. DELICIOUS & very easy. So good brought some over to my daughter to try. She loved them. Good warm, room temperature or straight out of the refrigerator. Served them with garlic aioli.
I’m going to try these out later, and was pondering a condiment, and came to same conclusion – ailoi would be perfect!
I made a few changes – I used avocado oil instead of vegetable oil and I used coconut flour instead of regular flour. So much better for you. As they were a little bland so I added some black pepper and garlic powder while cooking. They were 100% better! You can use anything if you want for something to dip them in. I used a chipotle mayo. Sooooo yummy! Or have them plain, however you like them. Thanks for sharing with us.
Hi Cheryl,
Really like your changes, a better, healthier version, I believe it is also great for Ketogenic diet too! Your chipotle mayo sounds delicious too, would you please share your recipe?
Many thanks,
Ida
This recipe is good, but a bit bland. I added a sprinkle of garlic powder while they were cooling and its MUCH better!
Could you just BAKE them instead? and not use flour but just use the panko? thank you
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, we cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Yes, that is the only way I do these! I spray them with a little olive oil and bake them at 425 until crispy. MUCH healthier than cooking in oil.
Awesome news!!!:)
Jackie, did you spray them with olive oil right before baking, or before dipping in the flour?
I’m excited to try these! I have a feeling these are going to be a hit with my toddler too 🙂
OMG…I just made these and YUM! Thanks for a fool-proof recipe. I had tried many others before but couldn’t get the ratios right. So I know which recipe I’ll be coming back to in the future. Thanks for sharing!
So happy you enjoyed it!
I’ve made these several times with your recipe and they are absolutely mouthtastic. My favorite way to make zucchini. I was wondering what you think of using the same recipe for making fried green tomatoes?
Sounds like a great idea! 🙂
I made this recipe and my husband loved it. I made a few changes. I used yellow squash as that’s what I had in the kitchen. I also added black pepper. It was very good and tasty.
Thanks for the recipe!
Skip the breadcrumbs if you want to cut back on carbs. I mix the Parmesan, S & P in with the flour, dip in egg and fry. The flour also gets a crispy effect with a lot less carbs.