These crispy breaded vegan zucchini fries are easy to make and simply delicious. Make these restaurant-quality appetizers easily at home in minutes. Deep-fried, air-fried, or baked, these cook up crunchy and golden brown. This fried zucchini is super flavorful dipped in marinara sauce, pizza sauce, vegan chipotle mayo, or vegan sriracha mayo.
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❤️ This recipe is
- quick and easy to make.
- egg and dairy-free.
- easy to make gluten-free.
- a healthier alternative to french fries.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Zucchini - about 1 medium zucchini or 2 small ones. They need to be small enough that they don't have large seeds forming in them yet or you will need to cut around the seeded section.
- Flour - to make the batter. You can swap this out for whole wheat, or any type of grain-based gluten-free flour. I don't recommend almond flour.
- Corn Starch - to make the zucchini fries extra crispy. You can use potato starch instead as well.
- Garlic Powder - for flavor.
- Onion Powder - for flavor.
- Salt - for flavor. Feel free to reduce the amount to suit your taste or dietary needs.
- Plain Plant-Based Milk - to mix with the batter. You can use any type that you have or simply use water instead.
- Panko Bread Crumbs - or any type of vegan bread crumb. You can also crush up the vegan stuffing and use it as bread crumbs too. You can use gluten-free bread crumbs or even corn flakes to make them gluten-free.
- Nutritional Yeast - optional for a slightly cheesy flavor. This replaces the parmesan cheese in many traditional recipes. You can also use my homemade vegan parmesan instead.
- Italian Seasoning - for flavor. You can use any type of dried herbs that you wish in its place like, basil, oregano, or parsley.
- Oil - for deep frying or spray oil if you choose to bake them instead. Any neutral flavored oil will work.
- Sauces - for dipping. Choose your favorite dipping sauce like marinara, pizza sauce, vegan ranch, vegan chipotle mayo, or vegan sriracha mayo.
🔪 Helpful tools
- Deep Fryer - or you can use a pan with about 1 inch of oil in the bottom.
- Tongs - for getting the zucchini in and out of the hot oil.
🥄 How to make vegan zucchini fries
Step 1 - Preheat your frying oil to 350° F. (If you are baking them preheat the oven to 425° F.)
Step 2 - Wash a medium-sized zucchini and cut both ends off. Then cut it into long thin French fry-shaped pieces.
Step 4 - Prepare the batter by mixing 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Then add 1/2 cup of plain plant-based milk and stir well until you have a smooth thick batter.
Step 5 - In a separate bowl mix 2 cups of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Step 6 - Dip each piece of cut zucchini in the batter and coat it well, then dip it into the bread crumb mixture and coat it with a layer of the bread crumb mixture.
🥘 Cooking Methods
DEEP FRY
Step 1 - Set your deep fryer to 350° F (182° C) or heat a pot of oil with at least 1 inch in the bottom.
Step 2 - Fry in batches of about 5-6 fries at a time, so they have enough room to cook evenly.
Step 3 - Deep fry for about 3 minutes until they are golden brown. Then pour it onto a paper towel-lined plate before arranging it on a plate with dipping sauce.
BAKE
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 425° F (218° C).
Step 2 - Spray a baking sheet with a spray oil before placing the breaded fries on it, then spray the zucchini with another coating of oil before baking.
Step 3 - Bake the breaded zucchini for 10 minutes, then take them out of the oven and flip them to the other side. Put them back in the oven for 10-12 more minutes until they are golden brown for a total cook time of 20-22 minutes.
AIR FRY
Step 1 - Set the temperature to 375° F (190° C).
Step 2 - Place the zucchini fries in the air fryer so that they are separate and air can get around each piece.
Step 3 - Spray them with oil.
Step 4 - Cook for a total of 15 minutes (flipping the pieces after five minutes of cooking).
👩🏻🍳 Pro tips
- Try to cut the fries into equal-sized pieces so they cook in the same amount of time.
- Use small or medium zucchini that don't have large seeds forming in them yet.
- Serve hot, they tend to get soggy after about 1/2 hour.
- If you want another creative alternative to fries, try my recipe for tofu fries!
🍞 How to make gluten-free vegan zucchini fries
To make the vegan zucchini fries gluten-free as well, simply swap out the flour with any grain-based gluten-free flour or chickpea flour. You will also need to use a gluten-free bread crumb or crushed-up cornflakes instead of traditional breadcrumbs.
🥡 How to store and reheat zucchini fries
Refrigerate: Fried zucchini is best served hot and fresh, but it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed container.
Freeze: You can also store the fries in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat them directly from the freezer, they will just need about 5 extra minutes of baking time.
Reheating: Reheat the vegan zucchini fries on a cookie sheet in the oven at 375° F for about 10 - 15 minutes until warm.
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan zucchini fries recipe
Vegan Zucchini Fries
Ingredients
- oil for deep frying (or spray oil for baking)
- 1 medium zucchini
Batter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup plain plant-based milk or water
Bread crumb mixture
- 2 cups bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your frying oil to 350° F. (If you are baking them preheat the oven to 425° F.)
- Wash a medium-sized zucchini and cut both ends off. Then cut it into long thin French fry-shaped pieces.
- Prepare the batter by mixing 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Then add 1/2 cup of plain plant-based milk and stir well until you have a smooth thick batter.
- In a separate bowl mix 2 cups of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- Dip each piece of cut zucchini in the batter and coat it well, then dip it into the bread crumb mixture and coat it with a layer of the bread crumb mixture.
DEEP FRY
- Set your deep fryer to 350° F (182° C) or heat a pot of oil with at least 1 inch in the bottom.
- Add about 5-6 fries to the basket at a time, so they have enough room to cook evenly.
- Deep fry for about 3 minutes until they are golden brown. Then pour it onto a paper towel-lined plate before arranging it on a plate with dipping sauce.
BAKE
- Preheat the oven to 425° F (218° C).
- Spray a cookie sheet with a spray oil before placing the breaded fries on it, then spray the zucchini with another coating of oil before baking.
- Bake the breaded zucchini for 10 minutes, then take them out of the oven and flip them to the other side. Put them back in the oven for 10-12 more minutes until they are golden brown for a total cook time of 20-22 minutes.
AIR FRY
- Set the temperature to 375° F (190° C).
- Place the zucchini fries in the air fryer so that they are separate and air can get around each piece.
- Spray them with oil.
- Cook for a total of 15 minutes (flipping the pieces after five minutes of cooking).
Notes
- Try to cut the fries into equal-sized pieces so they cook in the same amount of time.
- Use small or medium zucchini that don't have large seeds forming in them yet.
- Serve hot, they tend to get soggy after about 1/2 hour.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
These are delicious!! (I baked mine.) I wonder if you could use this batter/coating technique to make onion rings.
I'm so happy that you like them, Cheryl! Yes, you can use the same batter for onion rings too! Enjoy! 🙂
I love this. Thank you for the recipe. I dont know if you know this helpful hint but if you put your fried food on a cooling rack over the kitchen sink your fried goodies will stay crispy and not become soft from being on a paper towel lined plate. It Works 😊 blessings!
You're welcome! I'm glad that you like it! That sounds like a cool trick to try. Thanks! 🙂
If you want to prepare and freeze them for another day, would you do that before or after frying/baking?
I have not tested it, but I think that I would freeze them before frying.
Not sure how you get 8 servings out of one medium zucchini. Just how big are your zukes? I'm getting ready to make these, and I know they will be delicious. But I'm cooking up 4 of them.
Yum 🙏🏽☺️
🙂