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Get It NowThis baked zucchini fries recipe is made to satisfy the toughest cravings for golden, crispy potatoes — in a healthier way! I’ve been making them for years, and even my kids have enjoyed them since they were toddlers. These parmesan zucchini fries require no breadcrumbs and need just 5 basic ingredients you might already have on-hand. They are a fun alternative to plain roasted zucchini, which is also delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Baked Zucchini Fries Recipe
- Savory garlic and parmesan taste
- Light, crispy outside, tender inside
- 5 simple ingredients
- No bread crumb mixture (like fried zucchini) or deep frying needed
- Fast cooking time, done in 30 minutes
- Naturally gluten free, low in carbohydrates, and perfect for dipping
- Easy, healthy appetizer or side dish
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 as a healthier alternative to breadcrumbs. Like jicama fries and rutabaga fries, they’re low carb and very easy to make… and dip!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for baked parmesan zucchini fries, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Zucchini – Use small or medium zucchini. Yellow squash would also work.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – Many recipes use panko bread crumbs or flour, but parmesan makes the perfect breading in this recipe and adds so much flavor! (It also makes these keto zucchini fries, but anyone can enjoy them.) Finely shredded cheese can also work, but may not stick to the zucchini as easily.
- Egg – Use a whole, large egg. A flax egg may work as an egg substitute, but I have not tried it.
- Spices – Garlic powder and (optional) black pepper. You can also add other spices if you like, such as Italian seasoning.
How To Slice Zucchini Fries
- Cut your zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise again.
- Repeat cutting lengthwise until you get thin enough pieces.
- Stack the pieces and cut them crosswise to get the length you want your fries to end up.
You can check the pictures (in the next section) or video (on the recipe card below) to see what the pieces look like before breading them.
How To Make Zucchini Fries
This section shows how to make baked zucchini fries (without breadcrumbs!), including step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Prep. Cut the zucchini as explained above. Prepare two shallow small bowls, one with whisked egg and one with grated parmesan cheese and spices.
- Dredge. Dip each zucchini fry (see above for how to cut them — or below for a visual) in the bowl with egg, shake off any excess, and press into cheese mixture to coat.
- Arrange. Place the fries in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. (Or for even crispier results, use an unlined nonstick pan or line with aluminum foil. You’ll need to coat with cooking spray if you go with this option.)
- Bake. Cook keto zucchini fries in the oven until deep golden brown, flipping the fries and rotating the pan halfway through.
Tips For Crispy Zucchini Fries
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:
- Use small zucchini if possible. Larger zucchini will have a higher moisture content.
- Pat dry. If you have particularly “wet” zucchini, pat them dry with paper towels.
- Do not salt. Salting the zucchini before baking makes them mushy and too salty in flavor. The parmesan is already salty, so no extra salt is needed
- Help the “breading” stick. To ensure that it does, use one hand for breading and the other hand for the egg mixture. Try to avoid touching the breading with the wet hand. Doing this will prevent the parmesan mixture from clumping. If it clumps, it won’t stick.
- Let them breathe. Air flow is important for crispy results, so make sure to leave space between the fries on the baking sheet.
- Crisp up after baking. Broil zucchini after baking to make them extra crispy. Alternatively, you can also lightly pan fry them, or even cook the whole recipe in the air fryer instead, which yields more crispy results than the oven does.
Storage Instructions
For crispy zucchini fries, it’s truly best to eat them fresh. However, they can be stored for later as well:
- Store: Keep any leftovers from this zucchini fries recipe in an airtight container in the fridge between layers of paper towels. They may get a little soggy, so you’ll need to crisp them up again when reheating.
- Reheat: Pan fry or broil to reheat and make zucchini parmesan fries crispy again.
- Freeze: After baking, place onto a parchment lined baking sheet to freeze solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Instead of thawing, bake from frozen until hot and crispy. (Thawing can make them mushy.) Lightly pan fry if needed to crisp up more.
Dipping Sauces For Zucchini Fries
Dipping sauce is optional, but adds to the fry eating experience! (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.) Try dunking your zucchini fries in sweet marinara sauce, quick ranch dressing, 5-minute spicy mayo if you like a kick, or lemon garlic aioli!
More Healthy Zucchini Recipes
If you enjoy oven zucchini fries, I have a whole collection of delicious healthy zucchini recipes for you! Try some of my favorites below:
Tools I Use For This Recipe
- Baking Sheet – It’s nonstick and helps make fries crispy.
- Chef’s Knife – Makes effortless work out of slicing zucchini.
- White Bowls – The perfect size for dredging and dipping.
Zucchini Fries Recipe
Zucchini Fries (Easy & Healthy!)
This cheesy baked zucchini fries recipe uses just 5 ingredients and it's low carb! They are golden, crisp, and ready in only 30 minutes.
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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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218 Comments
Shirley
0Can you make these ahead of time?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Shirley, These would be best if made fresh.
Brenda
0OMG😃 I just made these and they were so crispy and delicious.I didn’t change a thing they were perfect as is.Thank you so much, I cannot wait to try the zucchini quiche and fritters.
Helen
0I rarely leave a comment on a recipe but I have to say that not only were these easy to make, they were also delicious and perfectly crispy! I did them in the oven on a tinfoil lined tray and it seemed to help brown them on all sides without me needing to flip them over half way through. Absolutely will make these again and again!
Jessica
0Do they tend to be kind of mushy inside, or did I cook mine too long?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jessica, It sounds like you make over over cooked them, but they will be soft inside.
Gloria Pahl
0OMGosh!! This is an easy and delicious way to eat zucchini. My husband and son both loved it. We had it as a side dish to air fryer chicken, but it would be great as a snack as well. Will definitely be buying more zucchini to make this awesome dish!
Stephanie Tyler
0These Baked Zucchini Fries are awesome. I’m not a cheese person so I left off the Parmesan cheese. I will probably make these two to three times a week!
Carmella Goodman
0These zucchini sticks were a huge hit with my family. No dipping sauce needed. Thank you for this very easy recipe.
Babs
0These were top notch. My husband said more thatn once he would eat these ‘anytime’! Thank you for a great, easy low carb recipe.
Tina
0Note that if you use parchment paper, don’t broil on high. You will turn the paper into ashes 🙂
Melody
0Hi Maya. I want to make zucchini fries for meal prepping in a few weeks, so I want some tips on how to meal prep them? I want them to stay crispy the entire week. Thank you!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Melody, If you want them to be crispy while eating them as leftovers, I recommend reheating them in an air fryer or toaster oven.
Bryanna
0Can you please suggest something different to use than parmesan? I am dairy free. Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Bryanna, Depending on your dietary needs, you can use either bread crumbs (panko or regular), almond flour, or crushed pork rinds.
Sheril Van Avery
0Follow your heart has a dairy free parm, not too bad, I found it at Kroger and HEB in TX
Anira
0Look so good. Am I missing where you state the oven temperature??
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Anira, That is listed in the 1st step on the recipe card.
Marsha
0Can you use some bread crumbs too?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marsha, Yes, you can mix in bread crumbs with the parmesan if you like.
Susy Ball
0Can you fix the fries in a fry pan on the stovetop? It’s too hot to use the oven this time of year, especially in Texas! I live in California, hot there this time of year now, but I am visiting my mom right now. Also will these fries work with finely chopped mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Susy, I have never made this recipe on the stovetop so I can’t say for sure if it would work or not. If you try it out please let me know the results!
Wendy
0These were so good!
Kays
0This is seriously so good!! My and the kids just love them so much!‼️‼️
Laurel
0If you make these in the air fryer, how long and at what temp would you cook them? Thank you. Excited to try these!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Laurel, I have not tested this recipe with the air fryer but others have suggested 390 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Sandy Ward
0To make it vegan will it be good with a flaxseed meal instead of an egg? I like this recipe but haven’t made it yet. On a strict regimen.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sandy, A flax egg may work as a substitute, but I have not tried it.
Dixie L Daniel
0Do you have to turn them over if air frying, I’m new at this air frying. Thanks.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Dixie, I use tongs when flipping things in the air fryer.
Df
0These 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
0These were so yummy! I would definitely make them again. I only had to cook them for 10-12 minutes in my oven😊
Jill Franklin
0The 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
0Hi 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
0It 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
0Is the temperature of the oven secret???
Never found recipes without the info for the oven temperature? What gives?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi 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
0These 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
0Thanks 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
0I 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
0Love love LOVE these! As did my non-keto family! Keep sharing your recipes!
Karol
0These 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
0Do you think this recipe will work in an Air Fryer?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi 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
0Maya! 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
0Great addition to the zucchini line up. Crispy outside and soft and creamy inside.
Nejra
0Thanks 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
0Hi Nejra, kcal is often used interchangeably with calories.