Air-Fried Zucchini Sticks
Air-Fried Zucchini Sticks feature garlic, onion, and dill seasoned panko coating that's air-fried until crunchy. Best served with ranch or dill dip.
This post may contain affiliate links
After recently publishing recipes for air-fried chicken fingers and breaded drumsticks, I knew I wanted to try making Zucchini Sticks in the air fryer, too. I first tried it with the panko breading exactly the same as in the chicken recipes, but I wasn't wowed. Something tasted off to me. So I got to work revising.
As soon as I bit into that first zucchini stick from the first batch, I knew it needed some dill. So that was the first change I made. I also omitted the basil, celery salt, and paprika that I had added to the chicken, because it didn't fit with the dill and zucchini.
Finally, I added a bit of oil to the panko mixture in the zucchini version. I found that I was struggling a little bit with the panko adhering to the zucchini sticks, and then browning with the air fryer. That little bit of oil really helped with both aspects.
If you're a fan of zucchini sticks, but don't want to deep-fry (or even pan-fry) them, make sure to give these Air-Fryer Zucchini Sticks a try. Keep reading to learn how to make them.
How to Make Air-Fried Zucchini Sticks
To make these crunchy, flavor-filled zucchini sticks, start by mixing up the panko coating mixture. This simply involves stirring together the panko, flour, spices, and oil in a medium bowl. Set it aside for now.
Now go ahead and prep your zucchinis. First, wash and dry them. Then trim off both ends and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut each half in half (lengthwise) again. You should now have 8 long, skinny pieces of zucchini. Cut these all in half crosswise to make 16 shorter skinny pieces of zucchini.
Now you'll brush each of these zucchini pieces with mayonnaise, which will act as the "glue" for the panko coating. I like to spear a piece of zucchini on a fork, then brush it with mayo using a silicone brush. This helps prevent me from getting mayo all over my hands.
Once the zucchini is evenly coated with the mayo, drop it into the bowl containing the panko mixture, and toss it around until it's evenly coated. Transfer the coated zucchini stick to your air fryer basket or tray, or a wire rack fitted into a baking sheet if you're baking your zucchini in the oven. Repeat these steps with all of the remaining zucchini.
Once your air-fryer basket is full, cook the zucchini until the coating is golden brown and crunchy. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to do it in two batches. Serve immediately with ranch or dill dip.
Air-Fried Zucchini Sticks Ingredients
- Panko - If you need your zucchini sticks to be gluten-free, make sure to substitute gluten-free panko.
- All-purpose flour - If you need your zucchini sticks to be gluten-free, make sure to substitute a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
- Kosher salt
- Dried dill
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Canola oil - Or you can use any other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- Small to Medium zucchinis - I recommend that you avoid using zucchinis that are larger than 6-8" long as they tend to have tough seeds and skin, and a more watery texture. However, if you want to try, scoop out the seedy center.
- Mayonnaise - Make sure to use a vegan mayonnaise to make your zucchini sticks vegan.
Want more zucchini recipes?
Air-Fried Zucchini Sticks Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for 4 pieces of zucchini sticks (¼ of a recipe). If your portion is larger (or smaller) than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
The nutrition calculations assume that you will use all of the panko mixture, but depending on the size of your zucchinis, you may not.
This recipe is dairy-free as written. To make your zucchini sticks gluten-free, replace the panko with gluten-free panko and the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. To make your zucchini sticks vegan, replace the mayo with a vegan mayonnaise alternative.
Air-Fried Zucchini Sticks
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- If you plan to cook your zucchini in the oven, heat the oven to 425°F, using the convection setting if available.
- Stir together 1 cup panko, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon dried dill, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle 2 teaspoons canola oil over the panko mixture, then stir. Note that it will form clumps at first, but keep stirring until the clumps break down, and the oil becomes distributed through the panko mixture. Set aside.
- Trim off both ends of each zucchini, then cut each zucchini into spears by cutting into quarters lengthwise. Cut each of these spears in half crosswise to end up with 8 short spears per zucchini (note that I recommend avoiding very large zucchinis for this recipe. However, if you want to try, scoop out and discard any tough seeds, and you will likely need to cut the zucchini a little differently, so the pieces aren't too large).
- Brush each zucchini spear lightly but completely with mayonnaise (the easiest way to do this while keeping your hands clean is to spear each piece with a fork). Transfer the piece of zucchini to the bowl containing the panko mixture, and toss to coat. Place the zucchini spear into your air fryer basket, or onto a wire rack inset into a baking sheet if cooking in the oven. Repeat with all of the remaining zucchini.
- Once your air-fryer basket or tray is full, start the zucchini cooking at 425°F for 9-12 minutes, until the panko is golden brown and the zucchini is tender. Repeat with the remaining zucchini if it doesn't all fit at once. If using the oven, bake on the convection setting for 10-14 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately with ranch or creamy dill dip.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!
