Baked Zucchini Fries Recipe With Parmesan Cheese
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Mar 24, 2022 • 2 min read
Zucchini fries are an alternative to traditional french fries that you can bake in the oven. Make baked zucchini fries for a delicious, healthy appetizer or side dish.
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What Are Zucchini Fries?
Zucchini fries are zucchini squash cut into thick sticks, coated in breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and spices, and then fried until golden and crispy. You can also bake zucchini fries in the oven for a healthier snack, appetizer, or side dish. Popular sauces and dips for zucchini fries include marinara sauce, garlic aioli, and ranch dressing. As far as health benefits go, fresh zucchini are high in dietary fiber and potassium—useful in maintaining good blood pressure—and help achieve the recommended daily value of vitamin C and B6.
4 Tips for Making Zucchini Fries
Follow these tips to make the crispiest batches of zucchini fries:
- 1. Opt for baking. Rather than deep frying the breaded zucchini fries, bake them in an oven to make crunchy, tender fries without any excess oil. You can also use an air fryer or convection oven to ensure you get the crispiest zucchini fries possible. You can try this method with other veggies as well.
- 2. Go dairy-free or gluten-free. Swap Parmesan cheese for extra breadcrumbs or nutritional yeast. Or, try a vegan Parmesan cheese. For gluten-free zucchini fries, use gluten-free seasoned breadcrumbs.
- 3. Use a wire rack. Whether you’re frying or baking, a wire cooling rack will come in handy. If frying, transfer cooked zucchini fries to a wire rack as they finish cooking to ensure they stay as crispy as possible. If baking, cook zucchini directly on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet to ensure airflow keeps the fries crispy on all sides.
- 4. Experiment with dipping sauces. Half the fun of zucchini fries is dipping them before eating. Serve a marinara sauce alongside the zucchini fries for a classic flavor combination. Or, experiment with other condiments like ranch dressing, garlic aioli, or ketchup, like classic french fries.
Baked Zucchini Fries Recipe
makes
prep time
10 mintotal time
35 mincook time
25 minIngredients
- 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the bottom position. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
- 2
In a shallow bowl, whisk together ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, cheese, and garlic powder.
- 3
In a second shallow bowl, whisk the eggs until beaten. Season with salt and pepper.
- 4
Working 1 at a time, dunk zucchini sticks into the beaten egg mixture to coat, then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Set on the wire rack in the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining zucchini.
- 5
Spray breaded zucchini with cooking spray (or drizzle with olive oil). Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 25 minutes.
- 6
Serve oven-fried zucchini fries with marinara dipping sauce.
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