Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries

Crispy, tender, salty, flavorful,  baked zucchini fries. They’re a perfect little appetizer, side dish for sandwiches, or even a great after school snack. They’re inexpensive and a delicious way to enjoy your vegetables.  Try them with you favorite veggie dip, or with our Buttermilk Ranch or Homemade Pizza Sauce! This is an easy side dish and a fun snack that most kids will actually eat!

Ingredient Notes

• Zucchini – Use up that garden zucchini if you have it! Store bought also works well. In general, smaller zucchinis the best flavor and texture. Save those jumbo ones you forgot to pick for baked goods like this Chocolate Zucchini Bread.
• Italian Seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs – Panko bread crumbs are usually found on the baking aisle. If you don’t have or can’t find any Italian-style panko bread crumbs, just add 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon onion powder to 1/2 cup plain panko bread crumbs and you’ll be good to go.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Eggs

 How to Make Baked Zucchini Fries

1. The first step is to cut your zucchini into little planks.  The easiest way to do this is to cut both ends off, then cut into several strips, then cut each strip into the fry shape.  Larger fries will be meatier and taste more like zucchini.  Smaller fries will cook faster and tend to be crispier.
2. Once your fries are cut, set up a little dipping station. Panko crumbs are awesome because they add a lot of crispness and they’re actually lower in calories than traditional bread crumbs. However, they also soak up moisture like a sponge, so if you start dipping the zucchini in the eggs and then rolling the sticks in the entire 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, after a few batches, the bread crumbs won’t stick anymore. So you’ll want to work with a portion of the bread crumb/Parmesan cheese mixture at a time, and you may need to wash your hands frequently during the process.
3. Once you are done you should have them all lined up, not touching each other, on your baking sheet. Then into the oven they go. They’ll bake for a bit, get flipped, and then bake some more. All ovens are different, so bake them until they look browned and crisp! Try them with your favorite veggie dip, or with ranch or marinara.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Baked Zucchini Fries

5 from 32 votes

Crispy baked zucchini sticks perfect for dipping in your favorite sauce!

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 24 minutes minutes

Total Time 39 minutes minutes

ServingsServings6 side dish portions

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Equipment

• 1 Baking Sheet

Ingredients

• 1 pound zucchini
• ½ cup Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese the crumbly stuff, not shreds
• 2 eggs

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick spray, or parchment paper. Set aside.
• Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
• Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.
• Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half so you have two short, stubby pieces. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half, making 2 planks. Repeat with the remaining halves (so you’ll get 16 planks per zucchini).
• Stack 2 planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield “meatier” fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel.
• Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don’t want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they’ll soak up moisture from the egg and won’t stick to the zucchini. Place the coated strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. If you have convection setting on your oven, that will help get them crispier, faster!
• Serve immediately with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing or Pizza Sauce.

Notes

• Flipping the fries over is a very important step; do not skip it.

Nutrition

Calories: 51kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 100mg, Potassium: 225mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 266IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 57mg, Iron: 1mg

Course: Side Dishes, Vegetables

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Baked Zucchini Fries, Zucchini

Calories: 51kcal

Author: Sara Wells

Cost: $5

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