Baked Zucchini Fries
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BAKED, super crispy, perfectly golden brown zucchini fries! So easy to make and such a healthier alternative to fries and chips. Yes, please!
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Why i love this recipe
- Completely baked. These zucchini fries are completely baked start to finish. There’s no messy hot pot of oil involved here – you just don’t need it!
- Crisp-tender goodness. These are amazingly crisp right out of the oven – so crisp that no one would ever believe these didn’t hit a single drop of oil. The secret? The Parmesan-herb breading, baked on top of a cooling rack to help get these babies crisp and perfectly golden brown.
- Great way to use up zucchini. Have an overflow of zucchini during the summertime and not sure what to do outside of zucchini bread? Time to make zucchini fries, perfect as an appetizer, side dish or even as an after school snack! These zucchini fries are an absolute crowd-pleaser for both kids and grown ups.
- Perfect for picky eaters. Get that serving of veggies in with these irresistible zucchini fries, a healthier alternative to chips and french fries, dipped in your favorite dipping sauces – Ranch, garlic aioli and marinara are our typical crowd favorites here.
ingredients
Panko
Panko is made from crustless bread, yielding a more flaky, airy texture with superior crispness than regular breadcrumbs.
Parmesan cheese
Parmesan adds a savory, nutty flavor, melting and crisping when baked to form that golden crust.
Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
For an extra kick of flavor! Dried basil, oregano or Herbs de Provence can also be used in place of Italian seasoning.
Zucchini
Use smaller or medium-sized zucchini, firm to the touch, as they are less watery and seedy than larger-sized zucchini, which will further help in achieving a crispy, not soggy, zucchini fry.
Flour
All-purpose flour, almond flour or white whole wheat flour will all work very well here.
Eggs
The eggs serve as a binder, helping the Parmesan-breading stick to the zucchini to create that favorited crispy coating.
the three-step process for crispy baked zucchini fries
- Flour. The flour will help dry the zucchini from any excess moisture, creating a dry surface for the eggs and breadcrumb coating to adhere to.
- Eggs. The eggs are essentially the glue here, creating a sticky surface to ensure the final breadcrumb coating stays in place.
- Breading. The Parmesan-herb breadcrumbs are pressed onto the zucchini fries for an ultimate crispy coating.
tips and tricks for success
- Pat dry. Because zucchini has high water content (94% water), patting the zucchini dry beforehand will help remove excess moisture to ensure crispy zucchini fries, avoiding mushy, limp zucchini.
- Use the air fryer. This is a great recipe for the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F, cooking for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp, flipping halfway. Avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket to achieve maximum crispness.
- Serve immediately. Zucchini fries are best served immediately for maximum freshness and crispness. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 375°F until warmed through. Leftover zucchini fries can be mushy when reheated in the microwave.
pro tip
Don’t skip the cooling rack.
The cooling rack is one of the best kept secrets for crispy zucchini fries. This helps elevate the zucchini fries, allowing for better air circulation, resulting in even cooking and a more consistent golden brown, crispy, crunchy coating.
more favorited zucchini recipes
- Zucchini Tots
- Zucchini Fritters
- Baked Parmesan Zucchini
- Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups
- Parmesan Zucchini and Corn
Baked Zucchini Fries: Frequently Asked Questions
Almond flour or white whole wheat flour can also be used here.
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 be used as a coating for fried foods, panko is much more flakier and yields a crunchier, crispier texture.
You can serve these with your favorite dipping sauce like Ranch, fry sauce or marinara sauce.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Baked Zucchini Fries
Ingredients
- 1 cup Panko*
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine Panko, Parmesan and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- Working in batches, dredge zucchini in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.
- Place zucchini onto prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Indeed, they are damndelicious! We are gobbling them up before our chicken wings are even finished baking! What a great recipe for a summer bumper crop of zukes!
These are AMAZING! I followed the recipe exactly, expect used crumbled cornflakes because I didn’t have panko, which was super crunchy and yummy. Thank you from our bunch of happy bellies!
I have been a chef my whole life.. all that good food caught up with my heart! I tried these healthy zucchini sticks to “be good”!! AMAZING!!! I prefer them over deep fried shockingly!! Delicious!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Pleasantly surprised!
Cut the zucchini thin……lots of cheese and seasoning, don’t even think about not using the cooling rack, that is what makes them crispy. I made these with chicken wings-Franks Hot sauce (same oven temp-same blue cheese side) delish.
This was tasty – even without the cheese (I didn’t have any grated, just pre-sliced Parmesan pieces). The flour did not stick to the outer skin so I thought that may affect the sticks but I “pasted” them on when I placed them on my rack. Also, the egg mixture started getting pasty, too, so I just dropped the zucchini sticks in directly and then into the panko.
I was also making Bolognese sauce and using that as the dipping sauce. So good! Will definitely make these again and will try with an air fryer in the future.
Great recipe simple and flavorful and breading is crispy. You can even reheat and they are still crispy!
Zucchini Surprise! I was tempted to add some chili flakes to the panko mix….not needed…served with dipping bowls of sweet chili sauce and tzatziki…absolutely fantastic
I’ve made these dozens of times and they’re amazing and absolutely worth the effort. The prep is kind of time consuming though, is it possible to make them in advance and then freeze them, either before or after baking them?
I also would like to know if they can be frozen before or after baking
These were truly delicious and quite easy to make. I will definitely be making them again!
Ended up peeling off like half the breading because I thought it was too much but they were absolutely delicious!
It’s great without the flour.
LOVED these zucchini fries! They were easy and so tasty. I was very impressed with how crispy they were. I’ll definitely make these again!
So delicious. It turns out even if I skip the flour.
We used just egg whites for an even crispier light texture and seasoned the whipped whites with some Braggs Amino for another layer of flavor! Everyone loved the “fries”!
These took some time to prep, but they were really good and filling. This will definitely be on the repeat list.
Our zucchini plant pops out zucchini like crazy, so finding ways to cook them is a must. My kids and I eat these fries like candy. Soooo good!
Do make extra of these, store them in the fridge in a container so they keep their shape. Then….when you are making your eggs for breakfast, fry these up, maybe have some salsa and cheeze with an egg on top of them. They are much more crispy the second time around, deeper flavor and since part of the water has been cooked out, more toothsome. Really, really good as leftovers.
I was really skeptical about these but I’m amazed by how crispy these came out. I don’t have a cooling rack so just preheated the baking sheet – but wow! I will absolutely make these again, thanks for a great recipe.
Are these ok to be baked in a air fryer? Also diabetic friendly? Aka panlo
This is absolutely my favorite zucchini recipe. What a treat! I will make these often this summer!
Made them as chips instead of fries and they were fantastic! Had to use 4 eggs to get it to stick to flour, but otherwise no issues.