What could be better than tender roasted zucchini? Air Fryer Zucchini that's ready in less than 15 minutes, that's what! Our recipe for zucchini in the air fryer follows a simple step-by-step process and uses easy ingredients. If you have yet to air fry zucchini, you're in for a treat!
Jump to:
Zucchini is one of the easiest veggies to work with, and has a flavor that goes with pretty much everything. It's great sliced thinly for sandwiches, served as a side dish for chicken, pork, steak, seafood, or simply enjoyed as-is: deliciously seasoned, roasted zucchini slices with feta cheese!
If you love this simple summer vegetable as much as we do, you're really going to love our recipe for air fryer zucchini. Let's get into what makes it so great!
Ingredients
- Zucchini: It's easy to find fresh zucchini at your local grocery store during its peak season, which is from May to August. If you grow it yourself, then you know how abundant this beloved summer squash is! When you're picking out a zucchini to use for air frying, smaller zucchinis with the stem still attached are the best choice for flavor. They come in a variety of colors - green, white, and yellow - and all will work for this dish.
- Avocado Oil: Avocado oil is our favorite for air frying, but you can also use olive oil. We recommend light olive oil if so. See our guide to oils for air frying for more info.
- Cornstarch: This helps the zucchini crisp up as much as it can in the air fryer. It's a pretty moist vegetable!
- Garlic Powder: Great for adding garlicky flavor without using fresh garlic, which would burn. (But if you want to make garlic in the air fryer, see our roasted garlic recipe).
- Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper works best.
- Salt: Go for kosher salt or sea salt flakes. Avoid table salt.
- Red Pepper Flakes (optional): For a little bit of spice, add some red pepper flakes!
- Feta Cheese (optional): This is optional, but you should definitely try it if you're a feta fan. It's so good with air fried zucchini. Alternatively, you can also use Parmesan cheese.
- Parsley (optional): Personally, we like the vibrant punch of flavor parsley adds to this air fryer zucchini recipe, but you can leave it out if you want.
Watch the Video
How to Air Fry Zucchini
When you're following this guide, remember: salt after air frying, not before! Salting before air frying will make the zucchini soggy.
Step 1
Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Wash the zucchini and dry it thoroughly, then cut it into 1-inch pieces. See our video on How to Cut Zucchini for a more in-depth guide.
Step 2
Place zucchini in a large bowl. Toss with avocado oil, cornstarch, garlic powder, and pepper. Mix to coat all the pieces with the seasoning.
Step 3
Pour the zucchini chunks into the air fryer basket. Try to get it in a single layer as much as possible so you don't overcrowd the air fryer. The more space they have, the crispier they'll get (remember, though, that zucchini will always be a little soft). Cook in batches if necessary.
Step 4
Air fry zucchini for 6-7 minutes, or until tender-crisp to your liking. Shake the basket halfway through to ensure even cooking. Carefully remove when done, and toss with salt. Garnish with optional ingredients, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Use an oil sprayer filled with your preferred oil. Avoid using pressurized cooking sprays with additives, as they might damage the air fryer non-stick surface. For more information see our comprehensive guide on Our Favorite Oils to use for Air Frying.
- We wait to salt until after air frying the zucchini so the salt doesn't draw out the moisture while air frying as this can lead to sogginess.
- Cook time and how crisp they get will depend on the size of the zucchini slices and the space they have in the air fryer. Smaller pieces will cook faster and might not crisp up as much. We recommend 1-inch pieces.
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket, as that can cause the zucchini to steam and be soggy.
- Cook time may vary depending on your specific air fryer. As always, use the cook time and temperature as a guide until you are more comfortable with your specific brand of air fryer.
- If cooking in multiple batches, be sure to check on the remaining batches early, as they may cook more quickly.
Toaster Oven-Style Air Fryer Instructions
For toaster-oven style air fryers with a tray, such as the Breville Smart Oven Air, follow the instructions above, but cook for 8-10 minutes. Make sure the zucchini is spread out evenly on the tray and not touching. Use a spatula to stir the zucchini around halfway through the cook time.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Zucchini
- Air Fryer Salmon Bites
- Air Fryer Steak Tips
- Air Fryer Thin Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Boneless Pork Chops
As-is, air fryer zucchini is also delicious paired with marinara sauce or ranch dressing as a dip.
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 400°F for about 3-5 minutes until crisped up and heated through to your liking.
FAQ
We add a teaspoon of cornstarch when seasoning, which helps keep the zucchini from getting too soggy. We also salt after cooking; we found that salting beforehand made it soggier. Zucchini will never crisp up as much as other vegetables, as it contains over 90% water (source), but it does get nicely browned around the edges and has a great flavor.
Definitely. Keep in mind you'll have to adjust the timing according to the sizes of the zucchini pieces, but you can absolutely use this recipe to make either air fryer zucchini fries or even air fryer zucchini chips.
Leave a comment and review for us below if you enjoyed this recipe, or if you have questions about any of our air fryer recipes!
Air Fryer Zucchini
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini cut into 1 inch slices.
- ½ Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper freshly cracked black pepper works best
- Salt to taste after air frying
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste; optional garnish
- ¼ cup feta cheese or more to taste; optional garnish
- ½ Tablespoon parsley chopped finely; optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400℉.
- Wash 2 medium zucchini and dry thoroughly.
- Cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Place zucchini in a large bowl and toss with ½ Tablespoon avocado oil, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mix to coat the zucchini with the seasoning.
- Pour zucchini into the air fryer basket in a single layer as best as you can. The more space you leave them, the crisper they will get.
- Air fry 6-7 minutes or until tender crisp to your liking. Be sure to shake the air fryer basket halfway through to ensure even cooking.
- Carefully remove from the air fryer and toss with Salt to taste. Serve immediately.
- Garnish with ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes for a spicy kick, ¼ cup feta cheese, and/or½ Tablespoon parsley if you like. All optional!
Notes
- Use an oil sprayer filled with your preferred oil. Avoid using pressurized cooking sprays with additives, as they might damage the air fryer non-stick surface. For more information see our comprehensive guide on Our Favorite Oils to use for Air Frying.
- We wait to salt until after air frying the zucchini so the salt doesn't draw out the moisture while air frying as this can lead to sogginess.
- Cook time and how crisp they get will depend on the size of the zucchini slices and the space they have in the air fryer. Smaller pieces will cook faster and might not crisp up as much. We recommend 1-inch pieces.
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket, as that can cause the zucchini to steam and be soggy.
- Cook time may vary depending on your specific air fryer. As always, use the cook time and temperature as a guide until you are more comfortable with your specific brand of air fryer.
- If cooking in multiple batches, be sure to check on the remaining batches early, as they may cook more quickly.
Comments
No Comments