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GET IT NOWMy Zucchini Fries Recipe Is Crispy, Cheesy Veggie Goodness
These zucchini fries are my favorite way to satisfy those cravings for parmesan french fries in a lighter, healthier way! I’ve been making them for years, and in fact, they’re one of my oldest zucchini recipes. Even my kids loved them when they were toddlers.
- Tender zucchini with garlic parmesan coating – These fries are lightly crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and loaded with savory flavor with a light parmesan crust. You’ll actually want to eat your vegetables with these!
- No breadcrumbs or deep frying – I use parmesan cheese for the breading and bake the zucchini fries in the oven, so they’re healthier, naturally low carb, and gluten-free.
- Just 5 simple ingredients – If you’ve got zucchini, you probably have everything else you need in your pantry.
- Quick appetizer or side dish – My zucchini fries recipe takes just around 30 minutes! They’re a perfect summertime dinner side, but I also love them as an appetizer for parties or even a snack.
This is a simple, fun upgrade to my plain roasted zucchini, except my baked zucchini fries recipe has a crispy parmesan coating. Make it with me!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my zucchini fries recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Zucchini – Yellow squash works great, too! Of course, summer squash fries won’t actually taste like potatoes, so if you want a veggie option that tastes closer to those, make my rutabaga fries, yuca fries, or jicama fries instead.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – This makes a healthy breading in place of breadcrumbs, and adds tons of flavor. I prefer grated parm from a shaker can for this recipe, because it doesn’t melt as easily. I don’t recommend using shredded cheese, which melts a lot in my experience.
- Egg – This helps the parmesan stick to the zucchini. A flax egg might work as an egg substitute.
- Spices – I kept it simple with just garlic powder and (optional) black pepper. You can also add other spices if you like, such as Italian seasoning, paprika, or onion powder.
How To Make Zucchini Fries
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Slice the zucchini. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then in half lengthwise again. (You’ll end up with 4 wedges.) Repeat cutting lengthwise until you get thin strips, slightly less than 1/2 inch thick. Then, stack the pieces and cut them crosswise to the length that you want your zucchini fries.
- Coat in breading. To set up your breading stations, whisk the egg in a small shallow bowl, and mix the parmesan with spices in another shallow bowl. Dip each zucchini fry into the bowl with the egg, shake off the excess, and press into the cheese mixture to coat. (See my tips below on this part!)
- Bake until golden. Arrange the zucchini strips in a single layer on a lined baking sheet (again, see my tips below). Bake zucchini fries until deep golden brown. Flip them and rotate the pan halfway through. Eat them fresh while they’re hot!
My Tips For Crispy Results
- Use small zucchini if possible. Larger zucchini holds more water, which can make the fries soggy. I recommend getting small to medium ones if you can.
- If your zucchini is particularly “wet,” pat dry with paper towels after slicing. This helps the breading stick better and they crisp up more.
- Don’t add salt. Salting the zucchini before baking makes them mushy and too salty. The parmesan is already salty enough, anyway.
- For extra crispness, replace half the parmesan with breadcrumbs. I didn’t do this to keep this zucchini fries recipe light and easy, but not going to lie, parmesan alone is not as crisp as breadcrumbs. If you want to make the swap, replace half of it with panko breadcrumbs, gluten-free breadcrumbs (like I do for fried eggplant), or even almond flour (like I do for fried zucchini).
- Use one hand for the breading and the other for the egg mixture. This is my top tip, and I do this for all my breaded recipes! Breading can clump if it gets too wet, so using opposite hands helps to avoid this issue. Sometimes I even do this in batches: Keep most of the breading in a separate bowl, and add only a little at a time to the bowl where you’re dipping. This always keeps the breading clump-free.
- Parchment paper, foil, bare pan, or a rack? Decision time! Parchment paper doesn’t get your zucchini fries quite as crispy as aluminum foil or an unlined pan, but they don’t stick to it as easily. If you choose foil or a bare pan, coat with a generous layer of cooking spray. You can also bake the fries on a rack fitted over a baking sheet (the trick I’ve learned from cooking bacon in the oven), for extra air flow — translation: extra crispness!
- Don’t crowd the baking sheet. Make sure to leave space between the fries to help them get crispy.
- Want extra browning and crispness? You can pop the pan under broiler for a couple of minutes, or lightly pan fry them. Or just cook them in the air fryer for 7-8 minutes (similar to my air fryer zucchini, except in fry shapes instead of slices).
Zucchini Fries (Easy, Healthy Recipe)
My baked zucchini fries recipe uses just 5 ingredients and takes 30 minutes! They're healthy and easy, with a golden, crisp parmesan coating.
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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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 15-20 minutes, flipping the fries and rotating the pan halfway through, until fairly dark golden. (The time can vary depending on the size of your zucchini strips.)
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Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until darker golden and crispy.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 8 baked zucchini fries, about 4″ long each
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get crispy zucchini fries that don’t turn out watery, prevent the breading from clumping, the best way to prepare your pan, how to get extra browning, and more.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. I place them between layers of paper towels to absorb any moisture. They do get a little soggy, so you’ll need to crisp them up again when reheating.
- Meal prep: I don’t recommend making these ahead, but you can slice the zucchini in advance to save time.
- Reheat: You can pan fry or broil to make the zucchini fries crispy again, but my favorite method is to pop them in the air fryer for a couple of minutes.
- Freeze: Arrange the fries on 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.
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I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Zucchini Fries
Serving Ideas
Looking for the perfect pairing for your zucchini fries? Here are some of my favorites:
- Dipping Sauce – Totally optional, but it totally enhances the fry experience! I love them with my homemade marinara sauce (pictured above), but my quick ranch dressing, spicy mayo, or garlic aioli are also amazing with these.
- Burgers – My baked zucchini fries are perfect with beef burgers and bacon wrapped hot dogs. You can also change it up with a turkey burger, salmon burger, chicken burger, or smash burger.
- Fish – Repurpose the parmesan breading to make my parmesan crusted tilapia or parmesan crusted salmon. Double the parmesan!
- Chicken – Pair your fries with my crispy coconut chicken tenders or grilled chicken. It’s a kid-friendly combo that adults love, too!
255 Comments
Renee Goerger
0I’m all for saving carbs and substituting zucchini fries for potato fries. These look perfectly breaded. I can’t wait to make your recipe!
Shiho
0I love zucchini and have had zucchini chips before and loved it. This recipe is even better because it is low carb!
Kate Hackworthy
0These zucchini fries sound delicious! I love how crispy they look on the outside but soft inside. Can’t wait to make them.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I hope you like them, Kate!
Tisha
0These parm zucchin fries sounds so yummy and look crispy! I’m not sure I would share a batch!!
Michelle
0Hi, I made these tonight. The parm batter was crispy kind of, but the zucchini was totally mush to bite. I even left it in the oven at 200 for maybe an hr. Hoping it would dry out a bit.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Michelle, Everyone’s oven is a bit different and it sounds like they were baked too long if they were mushy inside.
Tim Simmons
0I made a batch of these for game day not telling anyone that they were low carb and everyone thought that they were FANtastic. Will now be a regular addition when we host any kind of get together.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Tim! I’m so glad everyone liked them!
Jennifer
0The cheese didn’t stick to the egg wash at all.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jennifer, Sorry to hear you had this issue. Did you do everything the same as the recipe card, and check the video? It’s hard to say what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you. My guess would be that your zucchini might have been “wet”, which makes the egg wash not stick well and therefore the cheese too. You can try patting dry first next time.
Jennifer
0These were absolutely delicious!!! We did fry ours in coconut oil to add some healthy fat. Which made these amazing. This recipe will be a regular addition to our Keto diet. These are a must try!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked the zucchini fries, Jennifer! Please come back soon!
Amelia
0I don’t care for Parmesan cheese. I’m not sure if you could use another kind of cheese. What do you think would be a good substitute?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Amelia, It would need to be another very hard cheese, like Pecorino Romano.
Sue
0My husband says hands down best way to eat zucchini. The second time I made them I made one change: salted the zucchini for 30 minutes then patted them dry. Much less watery.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much for sharing, Sue! I’ll need to try that!
Penny Saucerman
0Delicious! Quick, easy prep. The control on my oven just went out and I couldn’t use the broil function, so I just turned off the oven after 20 minutes and baked them a couple more minutes. Even without broiling to finish them off, they were crispy and delicious. My husband loved them. I served them with organic marinara and that was delicious. I think ranch would be great, too. I also looked up your spicy appetizer sauce and will make it in the future when I have more time. Husband is diabetic, so I am always searching for reduced-carb recipes. It’s especially hard to find recipes for crispy, crunchy foods. I wonder if larger zucchini would work for those who said theirs was soggy since they tend to be drier. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad they still worked for you, Penny. We love them with the spicy appetizer sauce – hope you’ll try it.
Breanna
0THANK YOU!! It was delicious, every one was fighting over them. Especially my parents.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yay, that’s great to hear, Breanna!
Cherie
0Hi! Love these! I mixed a little half and half with my eggs to them less thick. I also added onion powder to cheese and used chipotle black pepper in place of black pepper. I breaded the zucchini by placing Parmesan mixture in a zip top back. Baked very crispy on parchment and no sticking. Will definitely try again! Thanks!
Jill Franklin
0I’ve had problems with the breading on the zucchini as well as my onion rings. However, I like the idea of using a ziploc bag. That prevents too much handling between bowls. I’ll try that next time.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you love them, Cherie! Those spices sound delicious to add. Great idea to bread the zucchini by shaking in a bag.
Nancy Sutton
0I love your recipes!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Nancy!
Amy T.
0Worked out well. My Parmesan was fresh grated kind from the store and the larger grating doesn’t stick as well as finer grated, for people’s reference. I took the advice on the no clumpy eggs in cheese but it ended up happening b/c I did what you said not to, haha! Just grabbed pinches and smooshed against the zucchini and it worked fine. I had some smaller and some larger pieces. The smaller are less watery as people say than the larger ones. The broiler helped but baking a bit longer is fine to crisp them up too. I did the bake and broil thing…two minutes for the broiler for me. Came out great though and hoping to entice my sick diabetic partner to eat some (she loves cheese and has stomach issues but tolerates zucchini). They smell so good when baking too. Great recipe, thanks! ps. used zucchini from my garden. Good recipe to keep in my garden Pinterest board for what to do with things after they come out of the garden. 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I a so happy you liked them, Amy! Please come back again soon!
Elmira
0Couldn’t get parm mix to stick to zucchini so I ended up sprinkling it on top on cookie sheet. Added some Italian seasoning, red pepper, garlic powder, too.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Elmira, I have some tips about this in the post above the recipe card. Make sure you are using different hands, so that you try to minimize touching the dry mixture with wet hands covered in egg.
Linda
0How many in a serving or are you calling 1 medium zucchini a serving?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Linda, It’s 8 fries in a serving.
Rhonda
0Sounds awesome..trying tonight!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I hope you love it, Rhonda!
Nati
0Sounds good! Can I serve the next day too without having to heat them up?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Nati, These are best fresh. They get soggy after you store them.
Teresa
0Mine were soft and not sure why. I wanted them crispier.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Teresa, Try placing them under the broiler at the end. I updated the instructions to include this step.
Stephanie
0I love zucchini and am always looking for new ways to eat it. I can not wait to try these. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get my boys to try them since they look like fries.
Elizabeth
0They turned out great! I subbed cotija for Parmesan (I use them interchangeably in most recipes). I think using parchment is key—no sticking, and easy cleanup. Delicious with keto ranch and my keto oven bbq chicken. Thanks for a keeper recipe.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for sharing with us, Elizabeth!
Melissa Szucs
0Hi Maya
I just tried this tonight and OMG, they were amazing and so simple! Thank you so very much for this great receipe!!! Im sure i will find more just like this on your website!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Melissa! Thanks for stopping by!
Diane Willis
0I made the Zucchini Fries today and they were good, but they didn’t brown like yours on the video. You turned them 1/2 way through the cooking period and they were brown on the bottom. I started to turn mine 1/2 way through and although the tops were beginning to brown (unlike yours), the bottoms were wet and completely unbrown. The parchment paper seemed wet. I cooked them longer… about 25-30 minutes and they were somewhat browned, and tasted good, but they weren’t really crispy… a little limp.
What do think caused this difference?
BTW, the flourless chocolate cake is to die for!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Diane, It might be that your oven runs a little cooler than mine, since you needed to cook them for longer to get them to brown, OR your zucchini pieces were bigger. Try increasing the temp a bit next time. Another possibility is you had particularly “wet” zucchini; you can pat them dry a bit before coating if they feel damp. Finally, I added a step to place them under the broiler at the end, so that should help with the crispiness.
Gaye Miller
0These are great! My husband really liked them too. That makes them double great! We like spicy food, so I mixed Cajun seasoning in with the parmesan cheese. Using parchment paper and flipping them is the secret to them turning out crispy. Thanks for thiś recipe!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you and your husband liked them, Gaye! Thanks for stopping by!
Pam
0How can these have 21 g of protein?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Pam, The protein comes from the eggs and parmesan cheese.
Lola
0These recipes are wonderful. Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Lola!
Roe
0So, First of all they tasted delicious! But mine sort of turned out more like zucchini cheese scramble lol. I did grease the tinfoil really really really good but the zucchini just stuck right to the tin foil. I couldn’t flip them. They were pretty soft, I’m guessing because I didn’t turn them halfway through. Also, I can’t have garlic bc I have IBS and garlic is an irritant. I skipped the powder but do you think some sort of powder is necessary to help with the crust? Do you have any other methods for getting the fries crispy?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Roe! I’m glad they were delicious despite the flipping issues. I think that was definitely the biggest reason they weren’t crispy. Using parchment paper next time can help if they still stick for you using greased foil. The garlic powder isn’t necessary so you can definitely skip it!
Rhonda
0Awesome perfect snack. I chose a low carb spicy marinara to dip. Delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Rhonda! Love these zucchini fries with marinara.
mEGAN
0I made these with dairy free cheese and they turned out great! Slightly different flavor than when I made them with regular parmesan, but still delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Good to know! Thank you, Megan!
Barbara
0Making them as we speak, also added some eggplant fries
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I hope you like them all, Barbara! Thanks for stopping by!
Carol
0Awesome! These are delicious. Thanks for the recipe
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Carol!
Jill
0In the oven now. I used garlic salt and onion powder on mine. Cannot wait try these!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Jill! I like to add those, too.
Kay
0Made these for my tea today – scrumptious. 😀
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Kay!
Rebecca
0Would it work to substitute yellow squash in this recipe?
Barbara
0yellow squash, zucchini and eggplant…awesome
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rebecca, I haven’t tried it but it would probably work. Let me know how it goes if you do!
Travis
0In the video it appears that you use partchment paper…if that is true it would be nice if the recipe were to reflect that. As other comments have said these stick to a commercial non stick pan. I will try one more time with parchment paper but I am not optimistic.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Travis, The recipe card originally stated to line the pan, so it was never recommended to place the fries directly on a non-stick pan. I added to the recipe card that parchment paper works best, though foil might be okay if you grease it very well. I always use parchment paper when making these fries and they never stick. Hope you like them!
Michele
0Do you think avocado could work? I used up our zucchini yesterday. 🙁
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Michele, Yes, that sounds like a great idea!
Holly Woods
0I have been eating low carb for a month now and there are not very many veggies that I care for (including zucchini). But they looked so good I thought I would try these tonight. I made them for me and my husband. They were delicious! And so easy to make! My husband loved them too! Makes me very happy because I needed to add more vegetables to my low carb diet and these definitely do the trick! Thanks so much!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0You’re welcome, Holly! I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed these.
Mari
0These were a nightmare to make and were no better than when I just saute squash. What a waste of my time and Parmesan cheese!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Mari, Sorry to hear that they weren’t for you. What was difficult about making them? I have a video posted above the recipe card and it’s pretty straightforward. Other than that, I find them different from sauteed squash and have gotten the same feedback from others. If you prefer pan frying, you could try this fried zucchini and squash recipe instead, which is even more crispy.
Andrea Hosage
0Delicious, thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Andrea!
Jaygee
0This looks tasty and interesting. Have you tried, or do you think that, using an air fryer would work for this?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jaygee, I don’t have an air fryer so haven’t tried it or had experience with it unfortunately. I don’t see any reason for it not to work, though. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it!
Hanya
0My fries stuck to the baking foil even after I put some grease on it. How can you prevent this from happening?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Hanya, You might need to grease it more generously if using foil. Another option would be to use parchment paper. Or, you could use these non-stick pans – they are truly non-stick and easy to clean even without lining them.
Lisa jones
0Could you fry these? Are they really crispy baked like this?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa, Yes, frying them should work too. I haven’t tried it, but they will likely be even more crispy that way. (Let me know how it goes if you give it a try.) Otherwise, the fries do come out crispy right out of the oven, and you could put them under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp up more. But, they do lose their crispiness if you let them sit for a while, so they’re best eaten right away.
Kaylyn
0Wow! I made these tonight and they will definitely be a new go-to side for me! So easy and delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Kaylyn! They’re a go-to side for me, too.
Ariel
0So the parmesan cheese, you get it out of the bottle like you would use on spaghetti? Could you use the bagged kind that’s with the cheese in the store?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ariel, I use this parmesan cheese. Any finely grated parmesan will do – it doesn’t matter what container it comes in or if you want to grate it yourself. The only bagged kind I’ve seen is shredded, not grated, though.
Abby
0I used freshly grated Parmesan and they turned out great!!! Will definitely make again and again!
Michele
0Silly question, but did you use fresh parm here or the canned stuff? I never use the canned stuff, but I think here it might coat better?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Michele, I used the kind from a can but either one should work as long as it’s finely grated. Let me know how it turns out if you try the fresh kind.
Marcee
0Just made a batch of these and they are delicious!!! I dip mine in ranch.
Missy
0Oh my goodness…I know what I’m doing with my zucchini this week! Yum!
KalynsKitchen
0Happy Friday! Just letting you know I featured this in my weekly Low-Carb Recipe Love on Fridays post. Hope a lot of my readers will tap over here and get the recipe!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Kalyn! I appreciate the share! I have one of your recipes in an upcoming roundup I’m doing, too.