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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Hi.. i’m trying to change some eating habits for my son. i see you fry these in vegetable oil, does frying them in olive oil have a different caloric intake? trying to see what is best for him.
Olive oil is not a suitable choice for frying as it has a smoke point of only 320 degrees F, and using olive oil does not make food “healthier” than frying with other kinds of oils.
Hi Chungah! These look mouthwateringly Cinful! 😉 Can’t wait to try them. I LOVE the way you make food just jump right off of the page!
Just made these! So good and super easy 🙂
Plain zucchini chips are no fun.So thank you for the giving them alittle pick-me up! Can’t wait to share them , with my frends @ family! Thank you
I happened upon this site thru a HomsteadSurvival.com posting and have added you to my favorites. I LOVE the way your recipes print out and you make it sooo easy!
OMG this was a great find! Great way to add veggies to my lunch and dinner. I made the batch and sure it says 4 servings; This girl ate these zucchinis in 2. Definitely added a little salt for a bit more flavor, instinct was to dip in ranch sauce. Thank goodness I didn’t have any in the fridge. Admittedly I did dip a couple of them in hummus the next day with lunch, mostly because I’ll dip anything in hummus right now and probably need a 12 step support group for help. LOVE YOUR BLOG! Damn delicious!
All I can say is YUM!!! My husband and I both absolutely loved this recipe. I served it along with your “Bang Bang Shrimp” (OMG amazing fyi) and some chow mein! This meal is definitely at the top of both of our lists!!
Temp and amount of time for baking? This looks delicious and can’t wait to try, but cannot fry. Thanks! Just discovered you and have saved many of your wonderful recipes.,
Jane, unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise on the appropriate baking time and temp. However, please feel free to browse through the comments here – several readers have tried baking these with a successful outcome.
I had a lot of trouble getting the mixture of Panko and Parmesan to stick to the chip. I pressed as instructed and still had trouble. I dipped into the flour, then egg, then that mixture as it said. Any suggestions? I tried a few different things to try and help but nothing seemed to work.
Thanks!
Danielle, it may be that the egg mixture was not very successful. It is best to dip the zucchini completely into the beaten eggs – this acts as your binder for the Panko.
Just made these and they were incredibly crunchy even after having cooled down. Absolutely delicious!
Love fried food… And fried zucchini… I LOVE these. Of course frying is messy, especially if you are clumsy and end up spilling half a bottle of vegetable oil on yourself in the process… Still worth it and now the kitchen smells great as well as having these to snack on.
Chung-ah! Love all of the recipes on your blog that I have tried. Yummy (Damn!!) delicious, and easy. One request–Can you move the search bar to the top of the page so it’s more easily accessible?? (Please, please, please?!?!?) Thank you!!
You have the best recipes! Thanks for sharing them. I’m glad I found you on Pinterest.
What a great looking photograph of a delectable yummy dish … OK after I make your wonderful cranberry stuffing this week, I will get around to these. Very appetizing photos!!
Love these Zucchini Parmesan Crisps! Made them three times in the last three days. Plain crispy original recipe, original recipe with ranch dipping sauce, original with hot sauce dip, hot sauce mixed with ranch, double the cheese (the winner!!), less cheese. All easy and fabulous!! As a matter of fact we have LOVED all of your recipes! I am old enough to be your mother (grandmother!?!) and have cooked for years, but my family has been delighted with everything I have tried on your website! You’re adorable! Please let us know when you’ll be on the east coast. We would love to have you (and Jason!) over for dinner!!
I made these for dinner and they were delicious! My boyfriend added some seasonings to the panko and so they came out super flavorful. We had orange chicken and rice and still managed to eat all the zucchini because of how addicting and good they are. I’m so glad I found this on Pinterest.
Does anyone know the calories in these?
Unfortunately, as I am not a registered dietician, I am not comfortable sharing nutritional information for any of my recipes. I recommend utilizing online calorie counters at your discretion to obtain such information.
The best!
Is it possible to make this snack the day before you are gonna use it? Will the stay crispy?
These are really best when served immediately.
Made these tonight to pair with BBQ pork sandwiches- So good! The coating was perfectly crunchy. I added some italian seasoning to the breadcrumbs for extra flavor. Thanks so much!