Go Back
+ servings
Fried zucchini next to small cups of marinara and parmesan ranch

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!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Yield:8

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • Sharp knife
  • 4 bowls
  • 3 whisks or silicone spatulas
  • Large pan
  • Tongs
  • Large plate or cooling rack
  • Paper towels

Ingredients

For the Creamy Parmesan Dipping Sauce

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ground black pepper to taste

For the Fried Zucchini

  • 2 medium zucchini sliced into ½-inch-thick discs
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs see Notes
  • ½ cup grated parmesan
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • olive oil or other neutral oil, for frying

Optional

  • marinara for serving

Instructions

For the Creamy Parmesan Dipping Sauce

  • Combine all dipping sauce ingredients in bowl.
    Ingredients for creamy parmesan dipping sauce in a bowl
  • Stir thoroughly until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
    Creamy parmesan dipping sauce in bowl

For the Fried Zucchini

  • In one bowl, beat together eggs, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and additional salt and pepper. Set aside. Add all-purpose flour to third bowl. Set aside.
  • Pour enough oil into pan to create ½-inch-deep layer and place pan over medium heat.
  • Dredge zucchini discs through flour. Tap disc against side of bowl to shake off excess flour, then fully dip floured zucchini in egg mixture, coating both sides. Let excess egg drip back into bowl, then dip zucchini in breadcrumb mixture.
    Dip zucchini chips into egg mixture then breadcrumbs to coat
  • Coat both sides of zucchini disc thoroughly, then set aside and repeat with remaining discs.
    Coated zucchini discs on a baking sheet
  • When oil is hot, add discs to pan in batches, being careful not to overcrowd pan. Lay discs in a single layer so they don't touch or overlap.
  • Cook zucchini discs 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove fried zucchini discs and place on plate lined with paper towels or on cooling rack set over paper towels, to drain any excess oil. Repeat until all zucchini discs are fried. If desired, season fried zucchini discs immediately with additional salt. Serve with parmesan dipping sauce and/or marinara.

Notes

  • Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten free breadcrumbs instead of traditional breadcrumbs, and gluten free flour in place of all-purpose flour.
 
Recipe yields approximately 8 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving of fried zucchini out of 8, using the ingredients listed. Nutritional values include information for the parmesan dipping sauce but not the marinara. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 8. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1serving | Calories: 271kcal | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 660mg | Potassium: 229mg | Total Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 22g | Vitamin A: 304IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 2mg
Recipe By:Cheryl Malik