Air Fryer Zucchini Fries with Lemon Tarragon Aioli are perfect for snacking. Strips of zucchini, coated in panko cook up perfectly crispy in the air fryer. Dip them in an easy-to-prepare creamy aioli flavored with tarragon and lemon, or serve them with homemade ranch dressing, chipotle crema or cilantro lime crema.
Growing up, I have fond memories of our mom making us zucchini fries. They were crispy, salty and so good dipped in marinara sauce. Mom would deep fry hers, but I have a long standing fear of deep frying things. There’s just something about a massive pot of boiling oil that totally freaks me out.
So, as soon as I got my air fryer, I knew that zucchini fries were one of the first things I’d be making in it. Second only to my other childhood snacking obsession – Buffalo Wings.
I love my air fryer.
- I love that it makes fried foods healthier.
- I love that there’s no preheating.
- I love that it is small and portable.
- I love how it makes things extra crispy.
And, although I grew up eating these zucchini fries with marinara sauce, I went a little fancy with this version and served them with a lemon tarragon aioli. It’s super simple to prepare this aioli using your blender or food processor. A word of knowledge though… once the aioli is emulsified, hand whisk in the olive oil. I learned the hard way that olive oil turns super bitter when it’s processed through a high power blender…
If you’ve never had tarragon before, it tastes a bit like black licorice. I love its distinctive flavor and it pairs really nicely with the lemon zest. This aioli is also amazing as a dipping sauce for steamed artichokes.
However, if you’re not into the flavor of tarragon, you can leave it out entirely, or substitute it with another fresh herb. Basil would be amazing in this aioli too.
Homemade ranch dressing, marinara sauce, white bbq sauce, chipotle crema and cilantro lime crema also make great dipping sauces for zucchini fries.
How to make crispy Air Fryer Zucchini Fries:
- The breading trio. I dip my fries first in flour, then eggs, then a panko-bread crumb mixture that’s seasoned with nutty parmesan cheese.
- Single layer cooking. Be sure that you cook these in a single layer in your air fryer basket. You’ll need to work in batches, but while the first batch is cooking, you can be dredging more zucchini fries. Cooking in a single layer ensures that the air has room to move around the fries.
- High temperature. I cook these at 400 degrees and they crisp up right around the 8 minute mark.
Can I make zucchini fries in the oven?
- Yes! You can also bake these in a 425-degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
How to reheat zucchini fries:
- You can reheat these zucchini fries right in your air fryer set to 400 degrees for 3-5 minutes.
Tools used for making Air Fryer Zucchini Fries:
If you loved these Air Fryer Zucchini Fries I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
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More Zucchini Recipes:
- Sriracha Glazed Salmon with Zucchini Noodles
- Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Pizza Boats
- Half & Half Linguini with Zucchini Noodles, Herbs & Fried Capers
- Vegetarian Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups
More air fryer recipes:
- Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts
- Pasta Chips
- Green Bean Fries
- Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce
- Air Fryer Falafel
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Ingredients
Zucchini Fries
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 eggs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Lemon Tarragon Aioli
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest)
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
Instructions
Zucchini Fries:
- Cut the zucchini into sticks no more than 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches long.
- Add the flour to a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl whisk the egg and season with salt and pepper. In a third shallow bowl, combine the panko, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and olive oil.
- Dredge zucchini in flour, then eggs, then Panko mixture.
- Heat air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Working in batches, place the zucchini fries in a single layer in the air fryer. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until crispy. Season with kosher salt while warm.
Lemon Tarragon Aioli:
- While the fries cooking, prepare the aioli.
- Combine egg, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the canola oil until emulsified.
- Fold in the tarragon leaves and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2018. It was updated in 2022 to add new photographs.
I’m totally jealous of your air fryer! My friend has one and I’ve been so curious about it ever since she got hers. That won’t stop me from trying these in the oven though. We’ve got zucchini out our ears, and I’m having a hard time getting my kids to eat it. They’ll totally go for these fries!
Yes – I think the kiddos would love them Mary! My picky-eater brother and I would always gobble these up as kids.
These looks SO good! Lemon tarragon is such a great combo. I’ve never used an air fryer but I think this is a pretty good reason to try one out 🙂
Thank you so much Hawnuh!
Yum! I love zucchini fries, and these looks so easy to make. That lemon tarragon flavor combination sounds really good. I wish I could borrow someone’s air fryer to try it out before I decide to buy one.
You can borrow mine Waz! I don’t use it very often, but always love the results.
This is great! I have tried making zucchini fries before that turned out soggy and awful. Throwing them in the air fryer? Genius! I will have to try your recipe for sure. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I hope you love them Aleta!
I highly recommend salting and sweating the zucchini for 10 minutes or so prior to dredging the pieces. Getting excess moisture out lets them crisp better.
These were great. Couple points, and would love others answers. Our air fryer only goes to 200 degrees. So, I cooked them for 10 minutes at 200 and they seemed fine. Soft and crispy. I almost thing 400 degrees would turn them into burnt sticks. The recipe says dredge the zucchini in flour, egg, crumps. My problem was that a) my fingers got covered with breading, b) the breading didn’t stick to the zucchini, and there wasn’t nearly enough breading for two zucchinis. (I patted the breading onto the zucchini). Then c) Not surpising, but the result didn’t look as nice as yours. But… They tasted awesome!! So, it gets five stars, but what am I doing wrong?