Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
The crunchy snack everyone loves. These air fryer zucchini fries are quick and easy and sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. Panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese give this lovely vegetable the perfect crunch that will have them coming back for more. Read on for tips and tricks to make the most out of their time in the air fryer.
Air Fryer Tips
The Oven We Use
Air fryers are not actually fryers, but rather convection ovens. This means the fan inside the oven moves the hot air around the food, creating a crispy exterior in less time than it would take to cook in the conventional oven.
There are several styles of air fryers on the market today, and each has its pros and cons. We love the Instant Pot Vortex Pro, not only because it features a rotisserie and air fryer basket, but the pre-sets take the guess work out of cooking.
Another big selling point for us is that it comes with two slotted trays and enough room to cook both at the same time. This means we don’t have to keep shaking a basket as we have had to with other styles of air fryers. It is still necessary to rotate the trays to ensure an even crisping of your food, but you will not have any soggy parts of your food as we experienced with the basket type air fryer.
How to Get the Crispiest Result
- Make sure your zucchini is dry. The flour is essential in the breading stage.
- Lay your zucchini in a single layer, not touching.
- Use a light misting of oil to allow the breading to brown.
- Rotate your trays every five minutes. (top to bottom, and bottom to top)
- Flip your zucchini halfway and add oil to the top.
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Equipment
- Instant Pot Vortex Pro
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini cut into spears
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan
- spray oil
- salt, pepper, seasonings as you like
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 375° on bake.
- Wash and slice your zucchini in half widthwise and cut each half into spears.
- In the first bowl, add flour and season to taste. In the second bowl, beat one egg and a Tbsp. of water. In the third bowl, add panko, parmesan cheese, and season to taste. I used garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.
- Individually, dredge a spear of zucchini in flour. Shake off the excess flour, then coat in egg, then drop into breadcrumbs to coat. Continue until all spears are prepared.
- Place spears on slotted tray in an individual layer, not touching. You will use two trays for this amount of zucchini.
- Spray the top with a light coating of oil.
- Place one tray on the bottom tray rack and one tray directly above that. Bake for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, rotate the trays by moving the bottom tray up and the top tray down. Cook for 5 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, flip each of the spears and again coat with a light spray of oil. Return the trays to the oven, rotating positions once again. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, finally rotate the trays one last time. This ensures each side of the zucchini has had enough time to brown up. Cook for the last 5 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove and plate your air fryer zucchini. Serve with marinara, ranch, or any dip of your choosing.
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