Air Fryer Zucchini Fries are perfect for snacking. Strips of zucchini, coated in panko cook up perfectly tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Dip them in an easy-to-prepare creamy aioli flavored with tarragon and lemon, or serve them with homemade ranch dressing, chipotle crema, remoulade sauce or cilantro lime crema.
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.
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.
These zucchini fries are a healthy alternative to french fries and I’d have to say they’re equally as delicious! Whether you serve them as an appetizer, a snack, or a side dish, they’re guaranteed to be a hit!
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 garlic aioli too.
🛒 Ingredients needed
- Zucchini – I used two medium zucchini for this recipe.
- Flour + Eggs – Used to help the breadcrumb mixture adhere to the zucchini fries.
- Panko + Italian Bread Crumbs – Or, you can use just panko or just breadcrumbs.
- Parmesan Cheese
- Salt + Pepper
✔️ Tools used
- Air Fryer – Or, see below for instructions to make them in the oven.
- Tongs – Perfect for grabbing those hot fries out of the basket.
📋 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 and gives them that perfect, crispy texture.
- High temperature. I air fry these at 400 degrees and they crisp up right around the 8 minute mark.
Making them 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.
ℹ️ Recipe FAQs
To ensure crispy zucchini fries, you want to be sure to cook them at a high temperature and in a single layer. Work in batches to be sure your zucchini fries don’t overlap, and cook them at 400-degrees.
If you would like to draw excess water out of your zucchini, you can salt the zucchini generously with salt and let them sit in a colander for 30 minutes. Then, rinse off the salt and follow the directions below.
🥣 Dipping Sauces for Zucchini Fries
- Honey Mustard Sauce
- In-N-Out Sauce
- Chick-Fil-A Sauce
- Remoulade Sauce
- Green Goddess Dressing
- Marinara Sauce
- Boom Boom Sauce
- Cilantro Lime Crema
- Bang Bang Sauce
🥒 More Zucchini Recipes
- Sriracha Glazed Salmon with Zucchini Noodles
- Zucchini Bread
- Sauteed Zucchini
- Zucchini Pizza Boats
- Half & Half Linguini with Zucchini Noodles, Herbs & Fried Capers
- Vegetarian Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups
- Creamy Zucchini Soup
- Spaghetti Alla Nerano (Spaghetti with Zucchini)
🌟 More air fryer recipes
- Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts
- Pasta Chips
- Air Fryer Burgers
- Green Bean Fries
- Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce
- Air Fryer Falafel
Did you make these air fryer Zucchini Fries?
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Air Fryer Zucchini Fries Recipe
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 2023 to add new information. The recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
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?
can you use dried tarragon?
Hi Laura – Yes, you can. I would cut the amount back to 1 teaspoon though. Enjoy!