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- What Are Zucchini Fries?
- Carbs in Zucchini Fries
- How To Slice Zucchini Fries
- How To Make Zucchini Fries Without Breadcrumbs
- How To Make Zucchini Fries Crispy
- How To Store Baked Parmesan Zucchini
- How To Freeze Baked Zucchini Fries
- Dipping Sauce for Parmesan Zucchini Fries
- Tools To Make Oven Baked Zucchini Fries
- Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries Recipe - Low Carb with Parmesan
Have you ever made low carb crispy baked zucchini fries? If you haven’t… oh my gosh, you need to. They are a much healthier alternative when you’re craving French fries.
These Parmesan zucchini fries are super simple, using common pantry ingredients. I’ve been missing variety in my veggies over the past week because we’ve been traveling at an all-inclusive resort, so it’s nice to get home and make my low carb favorites. Like this baked zucchini fries recipe.
What Are Zucchini Fries?
Oven baked zucchini fries are sticks of zucchini that are breaded and baked (or fried!). I used Parmesan cheese for the breading to avoid carbs, gluten, and the need for any specialty flours. Similar to jicama fries, they’re easy to make… and dip!
I’ll be the first to admit, when I’m craving junk food but want to stay healthy, these baked Parmesan zucchini fries are a lifesaver! They are one of my favorite ways to make low carb French fries.
Carbs in Zucchini Fries
A medium zucchini has:
- 6 grams total carbs
- 4 grams net carbs
That means it was pretty much effortless to make these zucchini fries low carb. All I had to do was use low carb breading, which was super easy to do by using Parmesan.
Each serving of the resulting zucchini fries recipe has:
- 4 grams total carbs
- 3 grams net carbs
Don’t worry, though. Even though these are low carb zucchini fries, they taste delicious! My whole family loved them, including my 11-month-old daughter.
How To Slice Zucchini Fries
Slicing zucchini fries is super easy:
- Cut your zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise again.
- Keep repeating cutting lengthwise until you get thin enough pieces.
- Once the pieces are narrow enough, just stack them and cut them across to get the length you want your baked zucchini fries to end up.
You can check the video below to see what the pieces look like before breading them.
How To Make Zucchini Fries Without Breadcrumbs
As I mentioned in my last post, I know summer squash isn’t exactly in season right now. But, my local Costco still has a fresh batch, so I’m taking advantage while I can. I’ll happily make a simple zucchini noodles recipe and these baked zucchini fries over and over.
For the zucchini fries recipe, I got the zucchini extra crispy by breading it in Parmesan cheese mixed with garlic powder and black pepper. Then, the broiler finished it off to make it crispy. It’s the best kind of coating I’ve tried so far!
I have to say, I’ve made healthy low carb zucchini fries with all kinds of breading, but this Parmesan one is my absolute favorite. Here is what I like about it:
- It’s easy to find and always around in your pantry. So, you can make oven baked zucchini fries on a whim!
- The coating gets crispy in the oven, which is fantastic. Who wouldn’t love crispy zucchini fries?
- The Parmesan cheese flavor is to die for. It reduces the need for spices.
If that wasn’t reason enough to make this zucchini fries recipe, I can’t go without mentioning how incredibly simple it is. You need just five ingredients! You might even have them on hand right now.
How To Make Zucchini Fries Crispy
The Parmesan coating does a pretty good job of making these oven baked zucchini fries crispy. But, here are a few extra tips to ensure that happens:
Watch for watery zucchini.
If yours is “wet”, it will have a harder time crisping up. Pat dry with paper towels if needed.
Use smaller zucchini if possible.
The larger the zucchini, the higher the moisture content.
Do not salt the zucchini fries.
I’ve tried a recommendation that involved salting the zucchini over the sink to drain some of the water before baking. I don’t recommend this, as the result was too salty and more mushy than crispy.
Broil if needed.
You can place the Parmesan zucchini fries under the broiler to crisp up at the end.
Lightly pan fry if you’d like.
To make the low carb zucchini fries even more crispy after baking, you can lightly pan fry them.
How To Store Baked Parmesan Zucchini
If you want crispy zucchini fries, it’s truly best to eat them fresh. But if you must store them, do so in the fridge layered with paper towels between them. They will get soggy, so you’ll likely need to pan fry them if you want them crispy again.
How To Freeze Baked Zucchini Fries
You can freeze zucchini fries. Just make sure to bake them first. After baking, place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag.
To serve frozen zucchini fries, do not thaw them. Place them straight into the oven until hot and crispy. If needed, you can lightly pan fry to crisp up more.
Dipping Sauce for Parmesan Zucchini Fries
My favorite dipping sauce for these low carb baked zucchini fries is organic marinara. Parmesan cheese and tomato sauce are such a classic combination. Can’t go wrong with that. I also think they are awesome with Dijon mustard, but maybe that’s just me. Any dipping sauce works, really.
Everything is better with dipping sauce!
And since there aren’t a lot of carbs in zucchini, you totally have room for a sauce even if you’re trying to be low carb.
That being said, these Parmesan zucchini fries are so good that the dipping sauce is totally optional. The cheese and garlic powder provide so much flavor that nothing else is needed.
But if you like a creamier sauce, I think these go perfectly with my spicy appetizer dipping sauce, or keto ranch dressing, too.
How do you like your low carb zucchini fries? Plain or dipped in a sauce? Let me know!
And if you’re not sure how to make crispy baked zucchini fries, don’t worry. It’s so easy! All the instructions are on the recipe card below, plus scroll down for the VIDEO!
Tools To Make Oven Baked Zucchini Fries
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Baking sheet – I love this one because it doesn’t stick and I get more crispy zucchini fries than using parchment paper. And, the non-stick coating is PTFE-free, PFOA-free and BPA-free.
- Chef’s knife – A good knife is a must in the kitchen, and makes it effortless to cut the zucchini.
- White bowls – This set is the perfect size for dredging and dipping.
Low Carb Parmesan Zucchini Fries Recipe
Reader Favorite Recipes
The recipe card is below! Readers that made this also viewed these recipes:
Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries Recipe - Low Carb with Parmesan
Recipe Video
Tap on the image below to watch the video.Like this video? Subscribe to my YouTube cooking channel for healthy recipes weekly! (Click the bell icon to be notified when I post a new video.)
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C). Line and lightly grease a baking sheet. (Parchment paper works best, but foil might be okay if you grease it very well.)
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Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise 4 times (to make eight long sticks from each squash). Then cut the sticks once crosswise, making 16 sticks from each squash, approximately 4 in (10 cm) long and 1/2 in (1 cm) thick. If the zucchini sticks feel "wet", pat them dry with paper towels.
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Prepare two shallow bowls - one with beaten egg and one with a mixture of grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and black pepper. Dip each squash stick in the egg, shake off the excess, then press into the parmesan mixture, coating all sides. (Use one hand for the egg and the other for the parmesan, to avoid getting too much egg in the parmesan which will make it clumpy.) Place on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer without touching.
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Bake for about 20 minutes, flipping the fries and rotating the pan halfway through, until fairly dark golden.
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Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until darker golden and crispy.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 8 baked zucchini fries, about 4" long each
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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188 Comments
Df
These were so easy and I loved them. I wish I had made more. I used my airfryer and set to same temperature and cooked 8 minutes per side. I had put parchment in the basket so they wouldn’t stick. So I needs to turn them. Yummiest.
Jill
These were so yummy! I would definitely make them again. I only had to cook them for 10-12 minutes in my oven😊
Jill Franklin
The flavor of this was really good. However, I couldn’t get the breading to stick to the outside and they ended up being limp. I’m just trying to figure out the whole breading thing, because I’ve tried this with the fried chicken and now the zucchini and fried onion rings. The fried veggies were a real mess. Not at all crispy. What am I doing wrong?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Jill, I recommend a technique where you use different hands for the wet and dry. Breading can get clumpy if it gets wet, and then will no longer stick. Use one hand to dip into the egg wash, that same hand to place on top of the bowl with breading, and then use the other (dry) hand to scoop breading over the zucchini and remove from the breading. Hope this helps!
Maya
It really was delicious. It didn’t look as pretty as in your pic, but the taste was excellent. I didn’t have parmesan cheese so I used mozzarella instead and I added onion powder with a little of Italian seasoning too. Could definitely snack on these while watching a movie.
Mary Ann Stoll
Is the temperature of the oven secret???
Never found recipes without the info for the oven temperature? What gives?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Mary Ann, There’s no secret, the oven temperature and all other recipe specifics are listed on the recipe card. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Enjoy!
Anne Rodkin
These are so good.
I did them in my air fryer at 390 degrees (default setting on my two drawer Ninja) for about 15 minutes
Not as crispy as regular fries, but really tasty with a nice crust.
Shelly
Thanks for mentioning the air fryer. I have the same one as you and I’m going to try a couple to a few minutes longer for the crispness.
Angie
I made these for my family and they were a hit, my husband said they taste like healthy mozzarella sticks lol. Definitely will make again when I’m stuck with zucchini!
Samantha
Love love LOVE these! As did my non-keto family! Keep sharing your recipes!
Karol
These were so delicious. The taste was yummy and I froze a bunch of them. They did come a bit too soft, so next time I’ll cut the cooking time to 15 minutes. Otherwise, a winner!!
Patty
Do you think this recipe will work in an Air Fryer?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Patty, Yes, but this recipe will work best (and quickest) if you have an air fryer oven with racks instead of a frying basket.
Selena
Maya!
I have your new cookbook. This was one of the first recipes I tried when I began Keto in April 2021. I make these all of the time!!! They are delicious!!!! I also use your bacon-wrapped zucchini when I bake a batch of these!!!
Thank you for helping me with Keto!!!
Maureen
Great addition to the zucchini line up. Crispy outside and soft and creamy inside.
Nejra
Thanks for the recipe! I’m going to add it to my list!
Just a heads up, did you mean to add kcal to the calories?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Nejra, kcal is often used interchangeably with calories.