Air fryer zucchini fries or spears are a great side dish or a healthy low carb snack your whole family will love! We do love our air fryer zucchini boats but these are meatless and lightly breaded for a crispy bite!
We had a lot of zucchini in our garden this year! That meant we made zucchini fries spears, chips, and lots of bread for breakfast with it. Anyway you cut or slice this green vegetable we just love it. Find this and more on our air fryer recipes page.
We do love mixed air fryer vegetables but sometimes you want some crunch on the outside. With a little bit of breadcrumbs and your favorite seasoning, these taste deep fried but a healthy version of that. If you have a craving for fries with zucchini like at the fair every summer, these will do the trick!
Ninja Foodi Zucchini Fries
Wondering how to cook breaded zucchini spears as a Ninja Foodi recipe? Since we planted our vegetable garden we have had a lot of these green veggies and had to use them up in a creative way. Only difference with the Foodi is you need to use the lid that is attached.
Should you peel zucchini before you cook it?
Not at all. I have never shredded it before using at all. There is quite a bit of liquid in this veggie so the skin keeps it together well really. It is not chewy and actually has a lot of vitamins in it so don’t bother removing it.
How do you cut zucchini fries?
It is up to you how thick you want them. Just keep in mind the thinner they are the shorter cook time needed. I like to slice in half, remove ends and then in half lengthwise so they are the size of pickle spears basically. I mean you can cut them into dials too and follow the same directions. Those would be said to be more like air fryer zucchini chips than spears though.
Ingredient Notes
The star of the show are of course a few Zucchini, medium size is best. The larger ones aren’t actually as tasty. There is a lot of water to them and aren’t as firm either in the middle. Keep the skins on in this case to prevent pieces from falling apart.
Panko bread crumbs are better than the more dense Italian style if you ask me. In this case it is made from the insides of the bread, the white part with the crust removed. This means it is lighter and crispier, what you would get at a Japanese restaurant.
Egg should be whisked in a bowl or plate and added at room temperature ideally. You don’t need to combine with any milk in this case. You want it to coat the outside so the breading and seasonings stick well.
As far as the seasonings we add, I like Old Bay recipes, Garlic salt, and a pinch of some Kosher Salt and pepper to taste at end. You could add a bit of shredded parmesan to the coating mix.
Olive oil cooking spray is not only to prevent them from sticking but spraying on the Panko will get them to a golden brown with the hot air.
You can use shallow small bowls too for your bread crumbs and one for your egg, totally up to you. It’s the way I make almost all of our air fryer vegetable recipes other than those like our Ninja foodi french fries that aren’t breaded.
Dipping Sauces
Dipping sauces: Ranch dressing, marinara sauce or this is how to make fry sauce are best. I mean they’re quite good just as is right out of the basket but it is totally up to you. Those who put ketchup on everything might like that.
Tips
This is kinda’ my assembly line of sorts. Prepare all ingredients and then dunk and dip, then cook! The girls can do this themselves now that they are teens which I love. Yellow squash is kinda’ fun to mix things up too.
I have used my large air fryer before which works well for these since it has shelves and crisps it all without flipping at all. You can fit a lot too, but my square Cosori basket is by far my favorite overall and use it every day.
The biggest tip when making air fryer vegetables, or anything else in your machine really, is layer in air fryer in only ONE layer. If you crowd your food in the air fryer basket the sides won’t get an opportunity to get really crunchy and crispy like you want them to be.
Separating them allows the hot air to create a crispy outside, but still leave the outside tender and moist. If you needed a version like this you could easily use a gluten free version of Panko, you can find that online all the time and usually at the store. It tastes almost identical really.
OH and try to remember to flip them halfway through the total cook time. This isn’t totally necessary if you forget, but if you remember it makes every inch perfectly crunchy!
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
- 2 shallow bowls
- 1 knife
- 1 cutting board
Ingredients
- 1-2 medium zucchini, cut into spears, pickle size
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp Old Bay
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 large egg, whisked, at room temp. ideally
- 1 spray olive oil
Instructions
- Slice zucchini into spears, the size of pickle spears. Blot dry with paper towels.
- Whisk your egg on a plate and mix bread crumbs and seasonings on a separate plate. (could add 1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese to breadcrumbs if you wanted)
- Dip spears in the egg, allow excess to fall off and then press into bread crumbs on all sides.
- Place inside air fryer basket so they don't overlap. Spray with olive oil.
- Set to 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Flip, and reset to 350 degrees for an additional 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
Most would quickly refer to it as a green vegetable. It is usually cooked inside or as a stand alone savory dish or side dish. Botanically though, zucchinis are actually categorized as fruits because of seeds inside.
Eat right out of the basket or have a few dipping sauces available to serve with them. Make as a side dish or a snack. Dip and enjoy! Some like a light squeeze of lemon juice after they’re freshly cooked too.
One of many of our best air fryer zucchini recipes here on our site. They were a huge hit at 400 degrees for a few minutes. So good that we made zucchini spears after that. It’s nice to have a bit of variety.
If we just want something light at the end of the day this is one of our favorite zucchini dinner recipes. We love zucchini taco boats too.
Other Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love
Crispy air fryer fried shrimp with some air fryer okra on the side is amazing. Air fryer zucchini fritters are fun ones too. Meatballs in air fryer are keto and low carb snacks. Air fryer carrot fries are amazing too. Then make our pumpkin zucchini muffins with your leftover veggies.
There is a printable version of this recipe with an ingredient list too. Of course you can come back and get what you need the next time you want to make them too, but sometimes it’s handy to keep it in your recipe book.
I’m so excited to make this! I’m still getting loads of zucchini from my garden.
I can’t even tell you how much we enjoyed these! They cooked up perfect in the air fryer. So crispy and delicious!
I have a question:
Can I prepare zucchini in advance…mixed and di p zucchini in eg and bread then wait till dinner …i currently have a ninja 100 it small.
And dinner takes a turn to cook…so can it be ait a turn breaded. Will it be soggy waiting??
P.s.i lobed the dry rub air fry wings…yummy!
My coating didn’t stick. What did I do wrong?
@Dorothy, Dip the pieces lightly in flour first, then in the egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs. The flour will keep the egg from sliding off the zucchini.This works for everything from chicken tenders to onion rings.
The panko makes this so crispy and taste so good! Love it!
Yes!
The best appetizer and party food! So easy to make in the air fryer!