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This 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.
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!
Even though these are naturally keto zucchini fries, no specialty flours or ingredients are needed.
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 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
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 In The Oven
This section shows how to make zucchini fries baked (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 Parmesan 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 these easy sauces:
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:
Recommended Tools
- 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
Baked Zucchini Fries Recipe (Easy & Healthy!)
This parmesan zucchini fries recipe uses just 5 ingredients and it's low carb! Baked zucchini fries are golden, crisp, and easy to dip in 30 minutes.
Go Ad-FreeRecipe Video
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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.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
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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209 Comments
Lynn
0Wondering if these would work in a convection oven or an air fryer machine?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Lynn, It depends on what kind of air fryer you have. If you have a large toaster oven-style air fryer, then yes. If you have a small vertical air fryer, then I think they would burn. A convection oven would also work, but keep an eye on them and pull when golden brown. You don’t want them to get too dark.
Danielle
0I made these the other night, they were delicious!
sue
0need your help please. in the “tool” section you recommended a special non stick ribbed baking sheet…. I have that on order. in several comments, you suggest parchment paper. since I have the baking sheet coming… which do you recommend? thank you
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sue, One or the other would work. If you ordered the pan to use, then it will work great without needing the parchment paper!
Adriana Gutierrez
0Very good as a low carb noodle alternative under spaghetti sauce. Baked on convection 425°F for first half of bake, then 450° for the last 10 minutes.
Cali
0I’m not seeing any videos (under the “video” part of the page) to tap on and watch. Is it just me? I have no problem seeing or playing videos from other sites. Thank you!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Cali, Please make sure you are not viewing the website in ‘Reader Mode’ or in an RSS feed, the video will not work when either of those options are enabled.
Bill Guy
0Math correction: Cutting the zucchini lengthwise 4 times yields 16 long sticks. Cutting those once crosswise yields a total of 32 fries.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Bill, The recipe card is correct – we are cutting them into 8 long sticks, not 16.
Amelia Blackwell
0Thank you so much, really a winner recipe!
Kora
0Made these to go with your coleslaw recipe and hamburgers on keto bunz turned out good and hubby liked them too 🙂
Janice Scott
0Thanks for such a great recipe. These fries are great with the commercial refrigerated Ceasar dressing as a dip!
Mallory
0Thanks for the great recipe! I enjoyed it very much!
JanieD
0Another winner. Unbelievable. I will make for lunch or snacks in the future. I made a mistake and peeled the zucchini but worked fine. So easy and great for dipping. Didn’t have to broil as they were very crispy and brown.
Lynda
0Love this recipe it is in my regular rotation. For me it works best using parchment paper greased with a bit of oil. Leftovers are great warmed up in the frying pan with a bit of oil.
Maureen
0Delicious guilt free snacking! This is my new favorite zucchini recipe. So good!
Megahn
0Parmesan did not stay on the zucchini.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Megahn, Did you thoroughly pat the zucchini dry before dipping into the egg? If the zucchini is wet before it goes into the egg, the egg won’t stick and the parmesan won’t stick.
Carole
0Thank you for the yummy recipe. Any one who takes a keto journey is always looking for healthy new ways to make low carb/keto foods.
carol
0Delicious! As close to french fries as you can get. I served mine with salt and malt vinegar English style.
Thank you so much for posting.
Sabrina Sperry
0This was great. Cut strips on the smaller size lengthwise or they get squishy. You can put them in a frying pan to crisp them up more or they are leftovers.
Danielle
0These are so delicious! I dip them in keto chili mayo – Yum!
Marge Florence
0These “fries” are the most delicious zuke recipe I have made. I’ve made them several times now for family and friends and everyone says they are wonderful. Thank you so much. I just wrote the recipe out to put in my “best recipes” box!
Janay Coleman
0It was messy to make but oh so worth it!!!! These came out delicious and I even cut them a little thinner so they were crispier! I also sprinkled more of the cheese/crumbs on them afterward since they had a hard time sticking even with the egg. Ther were so so good!
Kathy EH
0These were YUMMY–and satisfied that occasional carb crave! Even non-ketonian hubby and son liked them. And so easy to make :-D. I followed your suggestion to bake them on parchment paper, and they came out beautifully golden, crisp, and slid right off the baking sheet. (I used the convection setting on my oven.) A second batch is in the oven as I type this, which will go into the freezer to have on hand the next time I’m craving carbs! Thank you for a DELICIOUS and uncomplicated recipe!
Arena
0Sounds delicious and can’t wait to try it. Just wondering if anyone know how much a serving size weighs as preparation sizes differ.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Arena, It would be really difficult to give a serving size by weight because each piece of zucchini will not be equally dressed. A serving is 8 baked zucchini fries or 1/4th of the recipe.
Jeanell
0OMG these were so good. Perfect alternative to fries. We had these with some air fried chicken wings and ranch dressing. I made a second batch they were so good. Perfect with ranch dressing.
Marcia
0These were yummy! I was so glad to find a recipe that didn’t have pork rinds. Easy to make. I think I used more parmesan than the recipe calls for, but I had 3 zucchini. I’ll be making these again! Thank you!
Cherene
0Zoooooodles where have you been all my life!!!! I’m so excited these were amazing and I used a pan. Thank you so much for the recipe. I love your recipes they are really excellent.
Linetta
0Tried this tonight with keto chicken tenders. Was very happy with my meal! Thanks for the recipe!
Josh
0I was dubious about this recipe from the start. Using parmesan cheese as a breading never works. It sticks to the pan very well, but not what you are trying to cook. The egg doesn’t help, it just makes the messy lumpier…. Taste is great, and the idea is lovely, but execution is not good. An actual flour, like almond or nut flour, with the parm playing a more minor role would probably work better.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Josh, It sounds like your “breading” might have gotten too “wet”. If it gets covered in the egg, it won’t stick. Use two hands to coat, so that you have a wet hand and a dry hand, as shown in the video. Of course you’re welcome to add a nut flour to the breading if you like – I just wanted to make these with the most common ingredients for people. Hope this helps.
Stephanie
0Can you make these in an air fryer?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Stephanie, It depends on what kind of air fryer you have. If you have a large toaster oven style air fryer, then yes. If you have the small vertical air fryer, then I think they would burn. You can absolutely bake them in the oven and then finish in an air fryer instead of using your broiler.
Chris
0You can try using the Wisps available at Costco(most of them). They are a little more money than using grated parm and abut the same as fresh parm. BUT they are already super crispy. I use them on this and it comes out exactly the same as using bread crumbs except tastier and obviously no carbs for the Wisps. They have them in Cheddar and Parmesan. For some reason the cheddar are not carb free and are a little oily for my taste. You will need to crush them obviously as they are the shape of a small cracker.
Mindy Saline
0Josh,
I just made these today and was also worried about the parmesan sticking.
So I threw the parmesan, garlic powder and pepper in my Vitamix grain container and ground it up. You could do this in any blender.
I also used one hand for egg and one hand for cheese mixture and it turned out amazing!!!
I also used a non stick baking sheet too and all the cheese stuck to the zucchini.
Good luck next time!
Raven S.
0Josh you need to use the grated (NOT shredded) parmesan that’s basically like a powder (or a flour, like you said.) I started out using the shredded parmesan, that REALLY did not work. I don’t know why I thought that was the type I was supposed to use. Switched to the grated and it was perfect. Sprinkled them with some shredded parm just because I could. I brushed a silpat with some oil and then sprayed the fries with some olive oil. They came out beautiful, didn’t need to be flipped or broiled. Had them with ranch and sf ketchup. Yummy!
Patricia
0These were so good. I am in my second year of keto. Nice to have something crunchy and new! I put them in the convection oven setting at 210 c. No need to broil or pan fry, they came out crispy at about 15 minutes.
Dip was a mix of garlic mayo and plain yoghurt. Tasty. Thank you for posting them.
Jillian
0These are delicious and will be one of my healthy freezer food staples from here on out! That way I’ll always have a keto friendly healthy “guilty pleasure” side on hand to add to any meal, especially when I’m feeling lazy although trying new WholesomeYum recipes is one of my favorite things to do even on a weeknight after work. I will say my first attempt didn’t come out as crispy as I had hoped but maybe I’ll try using slightly smaller zucchini and/or turning my oven up a few degrees as it is slightly smaller than a standard oven so that may be the issue in my case.
PS – SPRINKLE THEM WITH TRUFFLE SALT AFTER THEYRE DONE, THEY ARE TOO DIE FOR!!
Priscila
0Love these! So yummy and satisfying.
Anita
0I love this recipe! My husband does too! I make these at least once a week
Debbie
0I am currently trying to do WW and I found your recipe and I am making for my dinner!! They look and smell delicious I can’t wait to taste them!! I am using my homemade spaghetti sauce..OMG!! I love these! Thank you so much!!
Elizabeth
0The Zucchini Fries were delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipes! I am always looking for recipes, especially vegetables, to cook without breading. Next time I will try cooking them in my new air fryer!
Celeste Ashton
0Made this today. It was yumalicious..made it in my air fryer.
Who thought you could be made with something so delicious with the humble zuke.
Jennifer Brewer
0What temperature did you use and for how long?
Thanks!
R Foy
0Looks great – Perfect for the zukes in the fridge as we speak!!
Caro
0Hi there! Could we do this recipe but with sweet potato or any kind of radish? (not a nightshade?)
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Caro, I haven’t tried it with sweet potatoes or radishes. If you try it let me know how it turns out.
Sharon
0Wow! So freaking good! I loved them! What a great recipe! I’m so glad I discovered your website! Thanks!
Terese
0Thank you SO very much for all your hard work to make things so easy for all of us. I have an immune disease and have to focus on reducing inflammation in the body. These Keto recipes help doing this! I’m very grateful to you!
Lisa
0Have you tried this recipe in an air fryer?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa, I haven’t but readers told me they have and liked it.
Sharon
0Can you freeze them?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sharon, No, it’s not recommended to freeze these. They will be soggy.
Brenda
0oh my… 8 months now on Keto…. I was missing french fries…. this is great.
Chérie
0Why is it no one who shares keto recipes, well there are a few websites that do, tell us how much is a serving size?? My hubby and I look at recipes, but there is no serving size. I understand that per the nutrition information is per serving. But how much is a serving…. 1/2 cup, 1 cup, 2 cup? It’s great to share recipes, but it’s to difficult for me to know how much a serving is. I find wonderful dinner recipes, but know one tells us how much a serving is. Just what it yields and the nutrition information. Thank you for this recipe, I’m going to make these, but cut very thin and make a chip.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cherie, Every single one of my recipes lists the serving size. 🙂 You’ll find it on the recipe card above, in the Recipe Notes section.
Elita
0I think what Cherie means is that the serving sizes are listed as a fraction of the total recipe, as opposed to a specific measurement. Such as “4 servings” in the recipe card above, rather than something like “1/2 cup”, “4 oz.”, “60 grams,” “6 fries”, etc. If you are making the recipe, you should be able to count how many fries the total recipe yields and then divide by 4 to get the serving size, but some recipes are harder to do eyeball, say like with a stew or something of the sort.
Tara
0Yum! These zucchini fries are incredible, especially with that cheesy coating! I love how easily they come together.
Luci
0That’s a great alternative to French fries. This is a huge hit in my house.
Sues
0These are just awesome!! Way better than regular fries, if you ask me! I love that there are parmesan and garlic powder on them, too!
Kelly Anthony
0These crispy zucchini parmesan fries will be perfect in helping me eat healthier this new year.
Katie
0These look SO delicious! I love that they’re made with zucchini but still have that indulgent taste to them. Thanks for sharing!
Chantelle
0Your nutrition facts is the serving size the whole recipe or 1 zucchini? I’m doing keto and trying to keep track of everything… Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Chantelle, The nutrition info is per serving. The serving size is in the recipe notes above.
Tameeka
0Hello what is considered a serving of the zucchini fries? A cup for 218 calories or the whole thing for 218 calories? Thank you
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Tameeka, A serving is 8 (count) 4″ long zucchini fries.
Esther Vandehey
0They were delicious, my whole family loved them. Baked perfectly in my toaster oven. Baked ten minutes on the bottom rack and then moved it to the top rack to bake for the last ten minutes.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for sharing, Esther! Love the idea of making them in the toaster oven.
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!