When zucchini season hits, we get SO excited. Easy to grow in the garden, and cheap to buy, this healthy and delicious vegetable deserves so much more love than it gets! And this crispy fried zucchini recipe is our very favorite way to eat it. OK, so frying makes it a little less healthy, but it makes it SO yummy. We cut it into sticks (almost like zucchini fries) and coat it in the crispiest For more zucchini recipes, like our super snacky Zucchini Fritters and healthy Roasted Zucchini, check out our 20 BEST Zucchini Recipes.
5 Key Ingredients For The Crispiest Zucchini
- Zucchini: Not too big, not too small, look for zucchini with nice green skin and that are pretty evenly sized so they fry up nicely.
- Flour: Regular all purpose flour, to help the batter stick.
- Eggs: Eggs help the panko stick to the zukes.
- Panko: The airiest breadcrumb of all, we love panko for battered recipes like this.
- Seasonings: Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika.
Always Salt Zucchini Before Frying
The first thing you’ll do before anything fun like battering and frying is simply to salt the zucchini pieces. If you’ve ever cooked eggplant before, this is a similar process. Zucchini is a vegetable (well, technically is a fruit because of the seeds, but let’s just call it a veg here for simplicity’s sake) and it has a lot of moisture in it. Sogginess is a major common complaint when it comes to fried zucchini and we do not want you to have that issue! So, salting the zucchini before you batter and fry it will protect you from any soggy messes. Sure, you could skip it and save yourself an hour of time. But, know that you’re risking less-than-extra-crispy fried zucchini if you skip that step.
How To Make Fried Zucchini, Step By Step
- Salt the zucchini to get rid of any extra moisture.
- Batter the zucchini. Prep three bowls: One for seasoned flour, one for whisked eggs, and one for panko. Dip the zucchini in the flour, then the egg, then the panko to encrust each piece.
- Fry the zucchini pieces! Work in batches. See more tips about frying below, and the full recipe at the bottom of the page will have all the instructions.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- Make sure your oil at 350°F before you fry. You’ll need a deep frying thermometer for this. Too hot, and you’ll have burnt outsides with under-cooked zucchini inside. Not hot enough and the oil will leak into the zucchini, leaving you with a soggy mess.
- Fry the zucchini in small batches: This is always a good idea when you’re frying, because every time you add things to the oil, the oil temperature drops a bit. Adding only a few pieces of zucchini at a time will ensure that everything cooks evenly.
- Make it gluten-free: We’ve tested this recipe using gluten-free flour and gluten-free panko, and it worked just fine.
- Choose medium-sized zucchini. Save the giant ones from your neighbors yard for recipes like our Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats, or Zucchini Muffins. The big ones have a lot of moisture, and so they’re more likely to be a little soggy.
- Like all fried foods, these are best eaten right away.
Serving Suggestions
- Dipping sauces! We love to serve this with creamy sauces for dipping, like a yummy Garlic Aioli or Dill Dip.
- More Italian or Mediterranean-inspired appetizers! We’re thinking Marinated Olives and Cheese, or Mediterranean Meatballs with Tzatziki.
- While you’ve got the oil hot, maybe a few other fried dishes? Fried Mozzarella, anyone!?
- This crispy fried zucchini would make a perfect starter for a summery meal like Shrimp Scampi, or our Mediterranean Pasta Salad, Pasta Primavera, or a classic Caprese Salad.
More Zucchini Recipes
On To The Next (Cooking) Adventure!
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