Air Fryer Zucchini Recipes

6 of our favorite air fryer zucchini recipes you’ll love are here! From side dishes to dinner and even a dessert everyone will rave over. Try these and then pop over to our other easy air fryer recipes for more.

Do we have a favorite? I guess we do if I really thought about it, but it depends on whom you’re asking in our house, and what time of day it is. Of course we couldn’t just stick with savory, there is a sweet one too you have to try!

You can try our zucchini dinner recipes and zucchini dessert recipes but these are specifically designed to cook with HOT circulating heat. I don’t know about you but ever since I got my Foodi and Cosori I have been cooking all the things in it. During the summertime this green veggie goes nuts in our garden so we cook with it a lot.

Let’s start with our favorite shall we, after all it was our very first in our new Ninja Foodi. I crave these bites at Carl’s Jr. I tell you. Seasoned with salt and pepper and dipped in a bit of ranch dressing they are a perfect side dish or snack before lunch.

You don’t have to make fried zucchini in a particular brand either. Since then I’ve bought an AirWave and this Cosori that I love too. They all work the same with just a different air fryer basket shape. Zucchini sliced thick or super thin can change the texture of the entire dish.

It is….. air fryer zucchini chipsy’all! I just add enough Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese to get that crispy crunchy outside but still taste the green vegetable inside. For larger versions, try air fryer zucchini friestoo!

Do you soak zucchini before cooking?

I have never bothered doing this. In the bottom I’ll explain one other step I do take that will be shown below.

Do you have to bread zucchini in air fryer?

No, If you want a healthier version that doesn’t have any breading at all we have two options for you. First off you can make air fryer zoodles. From there you can toss with cheese, spaghetti sauce with ground beef, or just a sprinkle of parmesan.

I have another option though we made when we had avegetable garden that went nuts! Seriously I couldn’t make things fast enough with the number grown that summer.

Now let’s talk about one more super savory and hearty dish. Ok so this could be a side dish for sure, or a meal if you wanted a vegetarian option when people come over.

Similar to potato pancakes in a sense, instead use veggies to create these little patties with plenty of seasonings mixed within it. They have a short cook time and only need a bit of olive oil spray instead of deep frying.

How to cook zucchini without getting soggy?

You can mix it with other ingredients to make into a patty like our air fryer zucchini fritters. A great way to enjoy these babies is with a dollop of sour cream on top. You could add cheese to them too which is fantastic, or keep them dairy free. Kept naked you need to press with paper towels to dry and toss with olive oil.

Can you air fry shredded zucchini?

Now let’s talk about cutting a zucchini when making these last two. Well, it’s really shredding and not slicing. There is a trick to making them perfect though. You know how wet they get, well this is what you need to do to eliminate that excess moisture. Air fried or not if you don’t do this it will change the texture of the batter and thus the dish. SO when you shred do so on a bunch of paper towels, then fold over and press down gently to eliminate the water.

How do you get vegetables really crispy in air fryer?

Just like when we make air fryer squash and zucchini you will need to get them really dry right after slicing them. Whether you shred or dice lay out a few paper towels and roll them inside. Press down to absorb all that water, then you can toss with oil to coat, not before.

Tips

You should always lay in a single layer no matter what you are making. That way the hot air will circulate around each piece which will make it taste as though it were deep fried, but without the added saturated fat.

If you were to make zucchini noodles too you’d want to use the technique shown above. The moisture left on the outside will leave it softer than you’d want. Take the extra 5 minutes and do it y’all!

Let’s move on to the final one that is sweet! Serve air fryer zucchini bread for breakfast or dessert with a bit of cream cheese frosting on top. OH MY.

This one only takes about 15 minutes to prep and great for a small batch or for gifting during the holidays! Using these small baking loaf pans you see here it is just enough for 2-4 people to enjoy together.

What can I do with lots of zucchini?

You can make a healthier low carb version of pasta with it too! Have you done this yet? We were all surprised at how much it tasted like spaghetti using theseair fryer zucchini noodles or zoodles as they call them.

Ninja Foodi (Option)

If you are going to use a Foodi you would want to use the lid that is attached to get that crispy texture on the outside. Want to try another vegetable that transforms it from good to amazing? Give ourair fryer carrot fries a whirl, but we do have others using this green veggie too like;

Other zucchini recipes you’ll love

In the oven our moist zucchini breadrecipe has people raving over. You can make the loaves into air fryer muffinsinstead. Just use silicone muffin cups for a smaller grab and go treat. Blueberry zucchini muffinscombine fruit and vegetables together to make them really moist. During the Fall, pumpkin zucchini muffins are our favorite too.