Baked Zucchini Fries
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
BAKED, super crispy, perfectly golden brown zucchini fries! So easy to make and such a healthier alternative to fries and chips. Yes, please!
Featured Comment
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Hi do these freeze well??
Freezing sounds like an amazing idea but unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Hi Chungah
I work with Microplane and we are interested in using the recipe and your photos in some marketing materials.
Would you care to contact me if you’re interested?
Thank you!
Hi Ashley – you can email me at contact@damndelcious.net. Thanks!
Delicious! Mine didn’t come out quite as pretty as yours. It was hard to get the egg to stick to the floured zucchini and then harder still to get the panko mixture to stick. But I will say, they were really delicious. Maybe my zucchini was too dry. In any case I was really impressed by the crunch! Loved them.
These are absolutely wonderful! Made them as directed and my husband and I loved the crispness and the flavor. He pronounced them the Best Ever. I used my homegrown dried basil & oregano. My IGA didn’t have a block of parmesan to grate so I put some good quality shredded parmesan in my mini chopper along with the herbs and processed until fairly fine. Then mixed with the panko crumbs as directed. The only addition was that I sprayed the prepared zucchini on the baking rack/pan lightly with olive oil just before baking. Baking times were spot on in spite of using various sized zucchini. We both loved this recipe and it will be a keeper! Thanks for a Super Recipe!!
Easy and a great side with anything,I used extra sharp provolone grated with the panko (which is just white bread crumbs no crust)
Amazing!!! My husband,son of a chef, couldn’t stop eating them and raving about them! Thank you!!
In one of your pictures, it looks like the zucchini fries are frozen. Do you cut the fries and then freeze the zucchini fries and then get them out to prepare? This would be a great way to have the zucchini fries ready and prepped several nights or weeks ahead and save time (especially in weeknights)!
The zucchini is actually not frozen here!
Tried this recipe last night. Husband said this recipe is definitely a keeper!! Soooo delicious!! I warmed up marinara sauce for dipping. It was great. Look forward to trying other recipes of yours!
How delicious! I am eating them as I type . I was skeptical, I must admit, but boy am I glad I went ahead and tried it instead of frying them. I’ll be doing this again for sure. Thanks for the lovely recipe!
Hi my name is Susan Chambers ,
I just wanted to know can you tell me what Panko is & where can I get it ?
I have never heard of that . Please and thank you .
Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store.
These are outstanding! It’s become a joke around here about how we are eating zucchini each nigh since our garden is producing so many. This recipe is by far our favorite. making it for the 3rd time right now.
It’s Zucchini time in the South so I needed something different to do with them for dinner. These were easy and perfect! In fact, my husband commented that you could serve these in any restaurant and they’d be a winner!!! Thanks for you great recipes and food ideas.
I made these this afternoon. I have a convection oven and fought the urge to turn on the convection fan because I was skeptical on how crispy they really would get. Voila! They really do crisp up nicely with no convection heat at 425 degrees.
I thought dipping them in a doctored up jarred spaghetti sauce (I added feta crumbles and fresh basil) would be the way to go. However, after having a couple that way, I decided to try ranch as an alternative dipper and the ranch was a bit tastier! I used one good sized zucchini and cut in half through the root and stem ends. Then cut those halves into quarters making spears. Mine were more like wedges than “fries”. Still turned out great!
Second time making these fries. Making them for the ladies in our monthly group. The ones who don’t do different kinds of dishes even liked them and have been waiting for me to do them. Great recipe…no changes!
Made these for dinner tonight. Ahhh-Mazing!
did you freeze zucchini after you quartered them, then coated them and baked ? I just want to make sure I get them as crispy as possible! Thanx!
I freeze them no problem. Prepare as recipe states. Then spread on baking tray and freeze as individuals (so they are easier to retrieve later)). Store them in freezer bags. Followed the same baking instructions from frozen. Slightly softer texture than if you were to make them fresh, but making up a big batch to have quick side dishes later is a big plus in my household.
Can’t you just figure that out on your own?
As someone on a strict budget, I would rather not find out the hard way that it doesn’t work. Just money, time, and food down the drain. Maybe be a little more considerate, or keep the pointless comments to yourself.
these look amazing, i cannot wait to try them. 🙂
I made these tonight and they came out really good. This may be my dinner. I was wondering if you could make these ahead of time and place them in the fridge before baking or would the panko get soggy.
Yes, absolutely!
Hi, I love this recipe since I can let my 1 year old son eat it! Question though, can you make these ahead and freeze them?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
This one was REALLY good! I was skeptical that they would be crispy but they really were! I was out of panko, so I subbed in crushed croutons…….and they were awesome. This recipe is a keeper and will go into my permanent rotation. I think using the cooling rack makes all the difference so don’t skip this step! This is one my first recipe comments ever….but I had to chime in because it’s that good. YAY!
do you have a recipe for the ranch garlic aioli marinara?
Not at the moment.