Zucchini is one of my favorite summer vegetables. It’s cheap (especially if you have a friend or neighbor who is growing it), versatile, and totally delicious. So if you’re looking for extra ways to use up your summer zucchini, you’ve got to give these Baked Zucchini Fries a try. They’re crispy on the outside but creamy and delicious on the inside! Eat them plain or dip them into your favorite pizza sauce or marinara sauce.
Originally posted 7-28-2012, updated 8-12-2022.
Are Zucchini Fries Crispy?
Zucchini is a high water content vegetable, so it tends to get very soft when cooked. To counteract that, we’ve cut the zucchini into smaller pieces to allow for more evaporation and coated the fries in a crispy combination of panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan. The result is a zucchini fry that is crispy and tasty on the outside, but soft and creamy on the inside.
Do I Have to Use Panko?
I highly suggest sticking with panko breadcrumbs here instead of regular breadcrumbs because their light texture and larger pieces help make the zucchini fries extra crispy. Regular breadcrumbs tend to be smaller pieces and a bit more dense, which will produce a harder shell rather than a light, crispy coating.
Make Them Gluten-Free
To make these zucchini fries gluten-free you’ll need to make two swaps. Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour, potato flour, or arrowroot flour to dredge the zucchini before the eggwash, then use gluten-free panko crumbs for the final coating. I do not suggest using almond flour or coconut flour in place of the all-purpose flour because they will not absorb moisture as well as the all-purpose flour.
How Are the Leftovers?
The one caveat with these Baked Zucchini Fries is that they’re definitely best right when they come out of the oven. After they’re stored in the refrigerator the breading will absorb moisture and become soft. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t still totally gobble them up after reheating, but you definitely won’t get the same texture experience.
Baked Zucchini Fries
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 lb. zucchini ($1.69)
- 2 large eggs ($0.39)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs ($0.50)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.36)
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning ($0.30)
- 1/2 tsp salt, divided ($0.03)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.04)
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce (for serving) ($0.50)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Slice the zucchini into matchsticks that are ½-inch wide and 3-inches long. Set the zucchini aside.
- Whisk the eggs in a bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the panko, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and ¼ tsp salt.
- Add the sliced zucchini to a large bowl. Sprinkle the all-purpose flour and remaining ¼ tsp salt over the zucchini. Toss the zucchini until they are evenly coated in flour.
- Place wire cooling racks over a large baking sheet to lift the zucchini pieces and allow airflow underneath. Bread the zucchini slices by briefly dipping them in the whisked egg, letting the excess run off, then coating them in the panko-Parmesan mixture.
- Place the breaded zucchini on the wire racks with a small amount of space between each piece to allow for airflow.
- Bake the breaded zucchini fries for 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy.
- Serve immediately with pizza sauce for dipping.
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Nutrition
How to Make Zucchini Fries – Step By Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Slice about one pound of zucchini into ½-inch thick matchsticks (about 3-inches long).
Whisk two eggs in a bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, and ¼ tsp salt.
Place the sliced zucchini in a large bowl and sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt and 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour. Toss the zucchini until they are evenly coated in flour.
Place two wire cooling racks over a large baking sheet. Begin to bread the zucchini fries by first briefly dipping them in whisked egg, allowing the excess to drip off, then coating them in the panko-Parmesan mixture. To make this process faster, I usually dip 2-3 at a time into the eggwash.
Place the breaded zucchini on the wire racks with a little space between each piece.
Bake the zucchini fries for about 20 minutes in the fully preheated 425ºF oven or until they are golden brown and crispy. Allow the fries to cool for a couple of minutes before wiggling them loose from the rack. If any of the fries are stuck, use a fork to scoop under the fry and lift it up off the rack.
Serve the zucchini fries with pizza sauce or marinara for dipping!
Just made these tonight and they were amazing. It was so hard to share them with my husband as I wanted to eat them all.
I just made these for my “We Don’t Like Vegetables” nephews. Not only did they eat them, they had seconds. My veggie loving self enjoyed them as well. I have no guilt in making these fries for my nephews. Very nice recipe and super easy. The boys had fun shaking the zucchini in the bag. Thanks for sharing this!
I tried this recipe with the panko/parmeasan/italian seasoning mix and another time with italian style breadcrumbs/parmeasan. The panko and italian seasoning mix turned out much better mainly because it had a lot more flavor than the pre-mixed italian style breadcrumbs. Excellent side dish!
YAY, I don’t have to do my late-night runs to Carls Jr. anymore! Thanks, Beth. I crave fried zucchini at least once a month. This is not only healthier, but gives me a reason to use that “LePresse” cutting gadget that I got from an infomercial like 10+ years ago. My favorite dipping sauce for these is Bleu Cheese dressing.
I made these last night to go along with our grilled chicken sandwiches and they were delicious. 15 minutes is too long in my oven, but they were so good. My kids used regular ketchup instead of the marinara sauce.
I made these as the appetizer for an italian dinner last night. My boyfriend ate so many he could barely eat the amazing pasta and pine nut/garlic broccoli I made ha! they were delicious, I used a hot and Spicy vodka sauce for dipping, soo good! thanks!
I made these as the appetizer for an italian dinner last night. My boyfriend ate so many he could barely eat the amazing pasta and pine nut/garlic broccoli I made ha! they were delicious, I used a hot and Spicy vodka sauce for dipping, soo good! thanks!
I just love Zucchini. Thank you for the wonderful pictures. Mouthwatering!
Zucchini and summer. Got to love them both. GREG
These look delicious. I can’t wait to try them.
I’ve been meaning to try zucchini fries – these look awesome! On my list to try :)
These look so delicious! Great idea! Maybe I can even get my husband to eat them ;)
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you know, I’ve been meaning to make some baked onion rings–maybe I should make a big tray of zucchini fries along with the onion rings and have a tasty crispy snacky feast!
This is an awesome base and I love that you can improvise super easy with ingredients you have around. I halved the panko bread crumbs (mainly because I didn’t have enough) and added corn meal. I also did not have Italian seasoning so I did a mixture of Garlic Salt, oregano, basil, cayenne for a little kick.
Another idea would be curry added to the mixture and raita to dip :)
Yummy!
YUM. These look awesome. I’m always on the lookout for other ways to use the zucchini from my CSA!