Crispy Zucchini Fries

5 from 1 vote

You won't believe that these Crispy Zucchini Fries are baked in the oven! Paired with a creamy lemon herb dip, the easy side dish recipe will be the star of your next summer meal!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Baked Zucchini Fries, Crispy Zucchini Fries, Zucchini Fries

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings people

Calories 229kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

3 small zucchini (about 1 lb. total)
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
6 tablespoons canola or avocado oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the optional Creamy Lemon Thyme Dip:

½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
Dash of salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Brush a very large baking sheet (or two smaller baking sheets) with 3 tablespoons of oil. Set aside.
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. You will not need to scoop the seeds from the very small zucchini, but if you’re using larger zucchini, cut the seeds out from the center. Slice zucchini into ¼-inch thick strips.
Place flour in a small dish. Whisk together milk and egg in a separate small dish. In a third small dish, toss together breadcrumbs and 3 tablespoons oil. Season the breadcrumb mixture with about ¾ teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper.
One at a time, dip zucchini strips in the flour, then in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumb mixture. Use your fingers to press the breadcrumb mixture onto the zucchini.
Heat the prepared baking sheet in the hot oven for 5 minutes. Arrange the breaded zucchini in a single layer on the hot pas.
Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 16-20 minutes, flipping the zucchini halfway through.
While the zucchini is in the oven, whisk together all of the dip ingredients.
Serve zucchini fries with creamy dip!

Notes

It's difficult to calculate the nutrition information for a recipe like this, because it's impossible to know exactly how much of the oil, egg, flour and breadcrumbs will be consumed with each zucchini fry. Instead, the nutrition information below is a very rough estimate, assuming that you will use about half of the breadcrumbs, oil, flour and egg mixture when preparing your fries (the rest will be discarded).

This recipe calls for canola oil or avocado oil for greasing the baking pan. This is because these oils have a mild taste and a high smoke point so that they can stand up to the 450-degree F oven. I do not recommend substituting with butter or olive oil, but you can use a vegetable oil if you prefer.
Make sure that you're using panko breadcrumbs, which you can find in just about any grocery store these days. Panko is made from bread baked by electrical current, which yields a bread without a crust, and then grinding the bread to create fine slivers of crumb. It's much crispier than traditional breadcrumbs.
If you'd like to make Parmesan Zucchini Fries, you can add a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese to your breadcrumb mixture.
These zucchini fries are best when served warm from the oven!
Garnish with fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley or basil, if desired!
Serve the zucchini fries with ketchup, warm marinara sauce, or my creamy lemon herb dip!
Reheat leftover zucchini in a 375-degree F oven for about 5-7 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Country Living Farmhouse Kitchen cookbook.

Nutrition