If you miss fries but not the grease, these zucchini fries are the answer. A parmesan-panko crust goes shatteringly crisp in the air fryer while the inside stays tender, and the whole batch is done in about 20 minutes.
Why the air fryer wins here
- Zucchini holds a lot of water - the air fryer's circulating heat drives it off fast, so the coating crisps instead of steaming.
- You need only a spray of oil, not a pot of it.
- The parmesan in the crust browns into savory, crackly little bits you cannot get from baking alone.
Here's what you'll need
Nothing fancy - the only rule is to cut the zucchini evenly so every fry finishes at the same time.
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into 3-inch sticks
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Olive oil spray and black pepper
- Ranch or garlic-yogurt dip to serve
Here's how it comes together
- Pat the zucchini sticks very dry with paper towels - this is the crisp-or-soggy moment.
- Stir the panko, parmesan, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder together in a shallow bowl.
- Dredge each stick in flour, dip in egg, then press firmly into the panko mixture.
- Arrange in a single layer in the basket, spray with olive oil, and air fry at 400 F (200 C) for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Serve immediately - they are at their crunchiest in the first 10 minutes.
Things I learned while testing
- Crowding the basket is the number one cause of soggy fries - two batches beat one packed one.
- Parmesan grated fine from a wedge sticks better than the pre-shredded kind.
- Salt at the end, not before - salting early pulls water out of the zucchini into the crust.
Make ahead and leftovers
- Bread the sticks up to 4 hours ahead and keep them on a rack in the fridge.
- Leftovers keep 2 days - re-crisp in the air fryer for 3 minutes; the microwave will soften them.
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