Stuffed Air Fryer Zucchini Boats

Air fryer zucchini boats with ground beef, stuffed with chicken or vegetarian are a great dinner or snack! Cooked and crisped fast in our Ninja Foodi or Cosori this is the best way to make them.

Air Fryer Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Yep, you can load these babies with meat, or just a variety of cheeses. Just one of many of our best air fryer zucchini recipes here on our site. We have tried it all and love these a bunch of different ways. Use what you have on hand. Let us know what your favorite “stuffing” is.

Ninja Foodi Zucchini Boats

Want to make these in a Ninja and/or Foodi this time, great idea!! With the latter multi function machine you will use the lid that is attached and the air crisp button. The basket with the holes in the bottom will allow the heat to rotate and cook everything evenly. Don’t overlap these, you want a nice crisp on the edges.

You can use any brand of machine you might have. You just need a large enough basket to fit each piece. I like buying smaller to medium or pick them early out of my garden. Small has more flavor than really large squash if you didn’t know that.

You’re going to start with some med./large zucchini. We have a plant in our garden which yields A LOT of them this time of year so we are always looking for new zucchini recipes.

Get the kids in the kitchen to help you with this. It is super easy and they will want to eat them even more if they can say “I made it.” A spoon will do to scoop out the middle so you can fill it all up. First lay them in your air fryer basket and make sure they fit.

• Then slice them in half lengthwise and discard both ends you won’t want to eat.
• Use a spoon to gently scoop out the middle so they look like boats ready to be filled!

Then use your imagination as far as what you’d like in them!

Fillings for zucchini boats

1. Cheese
2. Crack chicken dip
3. Taco meat topped with cheese

You can really use anything though, let us know what is your favorite combo.

That is really all the prep work you need, then comes the melting.

Ingredients

1. Zucchini, medium size is best so they fit nicely
2. Cheese is a must for us, cheddar and mozzarella are a fave but husband uses dairy free
3. Olive oil will help the edges not dry out
4. Fillings for meat are
   • air fryer ground beef or taco meat that is precooked
     • chicken is great with some cheese on top too
       1. you can fill with tuna for a low carb tuna melt idea
       2. ground sausage and diced tomatoes work together
       3. sauteed vegetables for a vegetarian option

You can make baked zucchini taco boats in the oven too but during the hotter months I am not about to turn that on and heat up my house even more. SO this is a great alternative to make these a few at a time for a healthy meal.

Depending on what you stuff inside them you can make these keto and/or gluten free quite easily so everyone in the family can enjoy them for a meal. Yes, we have a lot of zucchini recipes we love but these ground beef stuffed zucchini boats top the list for a hearty meal. 

Tips

Do you eat the skin on zucchini boats?

Yes! If they are unwaxed of course which is important. Of course ours had none of that because it’s from our vegetable garden so they’re absolutely perfect and fresh. 😉

Can you freeze zucchini boats?

Freezing sliced zucchini is better than freezing them whole. Since these are halved they are okay frozen and defrosted but really I prefer them freshly cooked. They’re cheap enough typically year round so I personally don’t see the need to freeze. Just buy, slice, stuff, and air fry zucchini the same day.

What is the best way to freeze zucchini?

1. Cut them – After your zucchini is washed, cut off both ends and discard those pieces. 1/2′ rounds or dials work best.
2. Blanch in boiling water – If you give zucchini a quick bath in boiling water will keep it from becoming discolored and/or mushy in texture.
3. Then cool in a bowl of ice water
4. Drain well and then pat zucchini pieces dry with paper towels
5. Package in air tight containers or freezer bags without air inside, then put inside your freezer

Can grated zucchini be frozen?

Yes, and it is handy to do if you like zucchini bread but have too many on hand and don’t want to cook multiple loaves right away. Just shred with a cheese grater Lay it on a few paper towels Roll it up and press with a hand so moisture is absorbed. Sometimes there’s so much moisture I fold it all the way up and squeeze the liquid out over the sink!

Now have we shared all things zucchini with you? 😉

What to serve with zucchini boats

1. Refrigerated Biscuits Garlic pull apart bread is easy to do and perfect to pair with these.
2. Pesto salad is a bit healthier but with another pop of flavors

For those of you who like the top of your air fryer zucchini boats to be quite browned and crispy:

How do you use air fryer oil?

Just spray a bit of olive oil spray on the top during the last 2 minutes to get a real crispy crunchy cheesy top! Find more zucchini dinner recipes here too!

• Air fried zucchini chips
  • or zucchini slices whichever shape you prefer 
  • using Panko bread crumbs for a light crunchy outside
  • they’re amazing sprinkled with parmesan cheese and a side of marinara sauce or fry sauce
• Our air fryer zucchini fritters can almost be a complete meal
• Grandma’s moist zucchini bread recipe
• Salt and pepper fried zucchini
• And our zucchini pineapple bread is a great twist