Air Fryer Zucchini Recipe – Healthy & Delicious with Gaelic!

Ivy Smith February 9, 2023 in Kitchen & Food, Air Fryer - 11 Minutes

Read Time:5 Minute, 17 Second

Zucchini pieces are coated lightly with Parmesan and panko breadcrumbs before being air-fried until they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This version of zucchini is less time-consuming than air fryer zucchini fries.

This air fried zucchini is a healthy way to eat. The zucchini is then given a fantastic, crispy crust. The zucchini gets a delicious crust from cooking close to the heat source that is difficult to achieve in a conventional oven. Of course, you can bake the zucchini while broiling it. The air fryer, however, produces results much more quickly and simply. That it is a low-carb and low-calorie dish is the best part. Anyone following a paleo diet can enjoy it because it is keto friendly.

Table of Contents

Ingredients and Substitutions

Zucchini – Grab some from the grocery store, farmer’s market or your backyard garden

Olive oil cooking spray or extra virgin olive oil – If necessary, you can replace this with a different cooking oil, such as avocado oil. Just be sure it works with your overall strategy.

Garlic powder – Gives just the right amount of flavor, but if you’d like, you can add more seasonings. (Italian spices are enjoyable!)

Salt – Enhances the flavors of everything. I prefer to use kosher salt or sea salt.

Parmesan cheese – Complements the garlic well and toasts nicely, helping to achieve a crispy texture without the use of breading. Try nutritional yeast as an alternative for dairy-free dishes.

How to Cook Zucchini in Air Fryer

1. Used an air fryer in place of conventional frying techniques. In contrast to deep-frying or shallow-pan frying, the air fryer uses less oil to cook food, which helps control the total number of calories. Additionally, limiting the total amount of saturated fat by using a little less oil (depending on the type) can help. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise keeping saturated fat consumption to less than 10% of daily calories.

2. Spice mixture while reducing salt. Spices are a salt-free way to add flavor to food. This is crucial because salt consumption can worsen conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease, which are at risk for developing in diabetics.

3. Made a more clever coating. We combined our spice mix with just enough Parmesan cheese to create a savory, flavorful coating rather than going with a thicker, batter-style coating.

4. Substituted a squeeze of lemon for any dipping sauce. Citrus was used to enhance the natural goodness of our air-fried zucchini. With this cooking technique, bright acidity is added to the food, negating the need for dipping sauces.

Why I Love This Recipe

This recipe only requires 5 simple ingredients and no breading necessary – this cheese gives it a nice crisp without the carbs
It takes less than 5 minutes to prep, thanks to quick air fryer cooking
A great way to get your veggies in when you have an abundance of summer fresh zucchini
Easy to scale and make a bunch for meal prepping
A great low-calorie side dish or snack
Kids love the french fry shape, and it helps keep the zucchini from getting too mushy while roasting

Can You Air Fry Summer Squash?

Yes, summer squash is wonderful. Timing and recipe is the same if you’re using summer squash. Even yellow zucchini cooks exactly the same.

Helpful Tips

To give the otherwise healthy snack a little breading, you can, if you’d like, add some panko bread crumbs to your mixture.
Zucchini can be cut into slices to make crisp zucchini chips if you don’t want fries.
Make these in batches if necessary, depending on the size of your Air Fryer basket. If you have a smaller Air Fryer, this can be quite common to do with many Air Fryer recipes.
Once you’ve completed the first batch, which serves as a test batch, you’ll realize how simple it is. You will become an expert at this nutritious side dish by adjusting your cooking time as necessary based on the specific Air Fryer model you have.
To prevent the cheese from melting during the cooking process, place the zucchini sticks closely together and the cheese right on top.

Conclusion

The ingredients for this quick and easy Air Fryer Zucchini recipe total just a few, and it comes together in no time. The ideal side dish or snack to whip up when you need something quick and healthy are crispy, crunchy, keto air fryer zucchini fries without breading. Perfect for sating your savory snack cravings while sticking to your meal plan.

Recipe FAQs

Can I Use Yellow Squash?

Certainly, yellow squash is a fantastic air-fried vegetable. Like with zucchini, you can slice it up to make another delectable snack.

Do You Recommend a Dipping Sauce for These Zucchini Fries

We prefer to eat these unadorned, but you can also eat them with your preferred fry sauce, marinara sauce, ranch dressing, or my yum yum sauce.

How to Store Leftover Air Fryer Zucchini?

Zucchini scraps can be kept in the fridge for up to three days if they are sealed in a container.

I advise preheating the Air Fryer and placing your healthy vegetables back in it for a minute or until heated through. This will give you perfectly cooked zucchini that is ready to eat once more.

Can You Freeze Zucchini?

Fries made from zucchini can definitely be frozen. Once they’ve cooked, let them cool down to room temperature. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the fries on the sheet and pop it in the freezer for about 2 hours. Fries can be moved to an airtight freezer-safe container or freezer-safe bag once they have completely frozen. In this manner, they avoid congregating as they freeze.

When you’re ready to eat them, remove the bag from the freezer and let thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat in the Air Fryer!

Try the following Air Fryer recipes if you are interested!