This easy-fried zucchini recipe transforms ordinary zucchini into a crispy and flavorful dish. Serve as an appetizer or a tasty side dish with a bowl of warm marinara or homemade avocado ranch dressing.
What’s In This Post
Crispy Fried Zucchini
If you have a summer garden, chances are pretty good that you have some zucchini, and if you don’t, zucchini is readily available at your local grocery store all year. This is one of our favorite zucchini recipes. You can make these up to a few hours in advance and reheat them right in the air fryer or oven, and they will still be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. We like to serve them with marinara, but you can also serve with Honey Mustard Sauce or Southern Comeback Sauce.
They reheat incredibly well and are always a favorite with family and friends. I love to serve them for family night with Lemon Pepper Wings, Baked Shrimp Toast, and French Onion Dip.
Fried Zucchini Ingredients
- Zucchini: look for medium-sized, unblemished, firm zucchini
- Flour: all-purpose
- Eggs: large ones
- Breadcrumbs: Italian and Panko
- Parmesan cheese: freshly grated
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper
- Oil: vegetable or canola
- Sauce: marinara or homemade ranch
How to make Fried Zucchini
Start by cutting your zucchini into sticks or rounds. Either way, they should be about 1/2 inch thick. Now, set up three bowls: one with flour, one with beaten eggs, and one mixed with Italian breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
Dredge the zucchini sticks or slices in the flour, dip them in the eggs, and in the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat until you have coated all the zucchini.
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a Dutch oven or heavy skillet like a cast iron skillet. Now working in batches, fry the zucchini on each side for a few minutes or until golden brown. Then, remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain excess grease. Serve with warm marinara sauce or ranch dressing.
Recipe Tips
- Leave the skin on and cut the sticks or rounds for zucchini bites about 1/3-1/2 inch thick for optimum frying.
- I like to make my own breadcrumbs using croutons. They provide such terrific flavor with a lot fewer preservatives. I grind them up in my mini food processor.
- To avoid the dreaded breading fingers, use one hand for the wet ingredients and the other for the dry ingredients! Voila, no more constant hand washing.
- Try cooking in the air fryer for a lighter version with less fat and calories.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan cheese as it is flavor-packed and helps make this recipe so delectable.
How to cook fried zucchini in an air fryer
Bread the zucchini per the instructions and spray the pieces lightly with cooking spray. Then, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Arrange in a single layer and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until crispy. Every air fryer cooks differently, so check on them several times.
How to bake these zucchini sticks
Bread the zucchini per the instructions and spray the pieces lightly with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the breaded zucchini in a single layer with some space between them. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Storage and Reheat
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They can also be reheated in an air fryer in a single layer at 400 degrees for 2-3 minutes or in the oven at 375 degrees for 5-6 minutes.
More Zucchini Recipe
Fried Zucchini Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 medium to large zucchini
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Marinara optional
Instructions
- Set up 3 bowls. One with flour, one with beaten eggs, and one mixed with Italian breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Dip each stick in the flour, then in the eggs, and then in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Heat 1/2 inch oil in a Dutch oven heavy or heavy skillet. Working in batches, fry the zucchini for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to paper towels to drain any excess grease. Serve with warm marinara sauce.
Notes
- Leave the skin on and cut the sticks or rounds for zucchini bites about 1/3-1/2 inch thick for optimum frying.
- I like to make my own breadcrumbs using croutons. They provide such terrific flavor with a lot fewer preservatives. I grind them up in my mini food processor.
- To avoid the dreaded breading fingers, use one hand for the wet ingredients and the other hand for the dry ingredients! Voila, no more constant hand washing.
- For a lighter version with less fat and calories, try cooking in the air fryer.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan cheese as it is flavor-packed and really helps make this recipe so delectable.
Nutrition
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Elizabeth Ervin
Thank you for giving me a recipe that gets my husband to eat zucchini! It’s one of my favorite veggies and he refuses to embrace it lol but this got him!!! 10 stars ⭐️
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome Elizabeth!
Stephanie
These are so easy to make yet such a great side dish! I’m going to try them in the air fryer next to make them even easier.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Stephanie! Enjoy!
Marion Menheneott
could I do these in the air fryer?
Beth Pierce
Yes you most certainly can.
marysa
I would love to make this for my daughter. We were just talking about how she loves tempura, and I’m sure she would enjoy this as well. Looks delicious with that crunchy coating!
Natalie
Oh, my favorite appetizer ever!! I never get tired of zucchini. These are crisp & tasty!! We loved them!
Krystle
SO crispy! My favorite way to use up fresh zucchini from my garden.
Kara
I love the combination of the seasoned bread crumbs and panko. Made the zucchini coating so crisp and flavorful! These were a hit with the whole family!
Sara
Love how versatile zucchini is, and this recipe is no exception! Perfectly quick, easy and delicious! Even my picky eaters loved every bite!
Sandhya
Zucchini fritters are one of my fav ways to use up leftover zucchini’s So delicious!
Kristen
These are seriously delicious! Will definitely make them again!
Carrie Robinson
Such a tasty way to use up that garden zucchini! Looks delicious. 🙂
Elizabeth
Such a delicious way to use all this fabulous end of season zucchini! Will definitely be making again!
Jessica Burgess
YUM! We made these to snack on before dinner the other night and decided we didn’t need dinner! These were so good we made another batch instead of having what we had planned. 🙂 Thank you!
Allyson Zea
Oh! This fried zucchini looks so tasty and like the perfect snack or side dish!
Julia
I am always looking for new zucchini recipes in the summer and this one is delicious! Thank you for sharing it!
Lily
This breading was incredible!! I served these zucchini on the side for burger night and the kids loved them!! These are a delicious way to get kids to eat more veggies!