Crispy Fried Zucchini with Dipping Sauces

These crispy fried zucchini are coated with a parmesan breading and pan fried to perfection. Served with a creamy parmesan dipping sauce and perfect with marinara, this restaurant-style appetizer is simply delicious!

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• The double breading on the fried zucchini chips makes them SO crispy, and the seasoned breadcrumb coating adds a lot of delicious flavor. This is going to be your new favorite way to eat zucchini!
• Fried zucchini is so easy to make, and you can easily double or triple the recipe if you’re feeding a group.
• The easy creamy parmesan dipping sauce complements the fried zucchini chips SO WELL. There’s a little parmesan in both, and the creaminess of the sour cream & mayo mixture is an absolute dream with the crispiness of the fried breadcrumb coating. You’ll want to use this sauce on everything. You could also dip your fried zucchini into ranch dressing or marinara if you prefer!
• This a great recipe for make-ahead meals or snacks-on-hand. Refrigerate the zucchini in an airtight container up to 5 days. To reheat the chips, bake them at 375° Fahrenheit so they crisp up again, or reheat them in the air fryer.

Key Ingredients

Zucchini – This recipe calls for 2 medium zucchini, which are generally about 6 to 8 inches long. I cut the zucchini into discs this time because they’re just so easy, but you could also cut them into slivers (matchsticks) so you’ve got zucchini fries instead! If you end up prepping too much zucchini, freeze the leftover unbreaded zucchini to use later.

Breadcrumbs – These give the zucchini that perfect crisp coating. You could also use panko, or for gluten free fried zucchini, use gluten free breadcrumbs (and gluten free flour).

Parmesan – There’s just the right amount of parmesan cheese mixed into the breading to complement the savory breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning. It’s perfect.

Chef’s Tips

• Make sure your oil is hot enough before you put the zucchini discs in it! If the oil isn’t hot enough, the zucchini won’t fry – they’ll just soak up the oil. If it’s too hot, though, the zucchini will burn. 350°-360° Fahrenheit is usually the best target range for fry oil.
• For a lighter option, you can fry your zucchini discs in the air fryer instead of a pan. Prep the fried zucchini as instructed below, spray them lightly with air-fryer-safe cooking spray, then air fry the battered discs for 10 minutes in an air fryer preheated to 380° Fahrenheit. After 10 minutes, flip the discs over and fry them another 5 or so minutes, then serve them with marinara and creamy parmesan sauce!
• Use a really sharp knife or a mandoline to cut up the zucchini into evenly-sized discs. If they’re not evenly-sliced, they won’t cook evenly, so keep that in mind! The thinner the slices, the crispier the fried zucchini chips will be! You can slice them up to ¼-inch thin.
• To freeze the zucchini chips after they’ve been cooked, let them cool completely, then spread them out on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer to set up for an hour or so. After that, you can toss them into a sealable freezer bag. To reheat, bake them in the oven, broil them, or fry them in a pan or an air fryer until they’re warmed through and crispy again.

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