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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How many zucchini slices are in a serving?
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to provide the number of zucchini fries in a single serving as they can range so much in size and girth.
A delicious part of dinner tonight, served with some feta ranch type dip. Thanks for the great recipe!
Great recipies and your site is very easy to navigate. I’m doing the fries tomorrow for 8 women playing cards and lunch so it will be a good test.
Thanks
Marilyn Whiting
I hate to say it, but these really let me down. They taste like microwaved zucchini slices wrapped in unseasoned toast. I obviously did something wrong, but I can’t figure out what; as far as I can tell, I followed the instructions to the letter. Any thoughts?
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well.
I am not entirely sure what went wrong but perhaps your oven temperature is not calibrated? That may have resulted in the “microwave” texture. I also recommend seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. A little bit of seasoning goes a long way.
Hi, these look totally delicious…can’t wait to try them ! What oven temperature do you use?
The oven should be preheated to 425 degrees F.
I don’t generally post comments about recipe’s but this one is FANTASTIC!. Hard to believe that they are not fried. Even my very picky, wont try anything, husband liked them and asked me to make more! Nice to have a healthy alternative.
I used yellow squash from my brother’s garden in this recipe. The idea of using non-stick spray on cooling racks is a good idea. The fries came out brown and crisp and didn’t stick like fries often do when baked in the oven. I’ll definitely make these again! Thanks!
These are fantastic! I just pulled some extra fat zuchinnis from my garden and made some fat fries. The only thing I did different was I cooked them on my grill on low heat. Excellent!
This may be a dumb question, but is the Italian seasoning the dried herbs only, or the dry Italian seasoning mix used to make dressing?
The Italian seasoning here refers to the dried herbs.
We coat zucchini with unsweetened coconut milk instead of egg to keep them vegan. Costco also carries Panko in two large bags, it is great anytime you would normally use bread crumbs.
Hi there, just wondering if you could help me out on this. Every time I put something that is covered in panko into the oven, it doesn’t seem to become brown and stays white. I checked the temperature of the oven and it is at the correct temperature so I’m not too sure what is going wrong? Thanks so much 🙂
Nina, perhaps your oven rack is set too low? If your oven rack is set a little higher, it might help with the browning process.
I could eat ALL of what is pictured. I love these! Guilt free FRIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With or without the dips. I’m easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What kind of dressing is that that your serve with the Zucchini. Made this last night very good. I halved the recipe.
We served these with Ranch dipping sauce.
Can I use corn starch instead of flour?
You can certainly try substituting cornstarch but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Using a substitution may also result in a mediocre outcome.
Do you really only quarter the zucchini? I must buy larger zucchini than you do.
I tried to cut them smaller than that to be the size the pictures looked like.
Your recipes are wonderful and have improved our menu’s greatly.
Thank you!
Yes, quartering should do the trick but if you have larger zucchini or if you prefer “skinnier” fries, please feel free to cut as needed to suit your preferences.
Can regular breadcrumbs be used if palanko is not available
Yes.
Delicious! Our fav is with garlic aioli!
These look awesome, I also have used crushed croutons that give a nice crispy fry, and no need to add any extra seasonings.
There is an asterisk next to panko in the ingredient list. Is that supposed to be accompanied by a note? Thanks!
Yes, the note has been added – thanks for letting me know!
Oh my goodness. Zucchini fries! YES! There’s a local brew pub near my house that makes fried pickles and peppers, but zucchini fries look even better. I want some of these right now.
These look amazing, and a great way to get kids to love their veggies! Winner 🙂
These take me back….way back! Only I’m certain they are much lighter than the ones I used to eat. Will need to give these a try!