Air fryer zucchini fries. Healthy gluten free dairy free air fryer zucchini fries are just like the real zucchini fries.... crispy, delicious... minus all the oil and heavy breading!
My air fryer zucchini fries are:
- Gluten Free.
- Dairy Free.
- Healthy.
- Crispy!
So this year I grew my very first garden!! I build 3 raised beds from hand. And I really mean from hand! I got the wood, nails, drill, and everything. Then, I put the garden box together in my back yard, dug out the grass, filled the boxes with some rich materials for my little seeds to grow in and... waited. And after a lot of love, encouraging words (my neighbors probably think I'm a crazy lady), and patience, I'm proud to say that I have harvested the zucchini in this recipe right from my yard!
Growing a garden has not only been so therapeutic for reducing my anxiety and balancing my mood, but it has been incredibly rewarding! Right now we are getting some cucumbers in and I am so proud! So if you are a home gardener, you know that summer zucchini and cucumbers grow like mad! I hope you are ready for ALL the zucchini recipes coming to my blog in these last few months of summer!
First up, we have my healthy air fryer zucchini fries! I went out to eat with some girlfriends a few weeks ago and we ate these delightful crispy air fried zucchini fries with this tangy garlic dip and I was in love. But, after looking up "how to make zucchini fries at home" on google and scrolling around.. I was disappointed to find that even the "healthy zucchini fries" results still had bread flour. Like come on people, change more than just baking instead of frying. Lets look at the ingredients!
HEALTHY GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE AIR FRYER ZUCCHINI FRIES INGREDIENTS
Gluten free fried zucchini and it still tastes good? Yes!
- Zucchini
- Almond flour
- Nutritional yeast
- Fresh basil
- Eggs
- Pink Sea Salt
- Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper
- For the sauce: mayo, lemon juice, mustard
Zucchini are a great filler veggie because they actually have a high water content! But, what they also contain is potassium, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, and vitamin B6!
Almond Flour. I used almond flour to get that crispy bread-like outside, without all the refined white flour. Almond flour is literally mad from almonds! A great source of fiber, plant-based protein, and healthy fats!
Nutritional Yeast. If you have never tried nutritional yeast, you need to try it! It is literally THE BEST parmesan cheese substitute. It is LOADED with nutrition. Just 3 tablespoons have: 40% of your daily need for iron, 200% thiamin, 90% niacin, 600% vitamin B6, 50% biotin, 700% pantothenic acid, 45% magnesium, 270% zinc, 40% selenium, 130% copper, 40% manganese, 130% molybdenum.
Nutritional yeast is a nutrition powerhouse! A great option if you don't eat a lot of meat.
Fresh basil. The basil came straight from my garden this year! I'm happy to say basil has been an easy crop to grow! Basil is high in antioxidants to fight inflammation, as well as some vitamin K, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and potassium!
Eggs. I use local eggs that I get at the farmers market! Eggs contain so many essential nutrients and are a great source of protein!
Pink Sea salt. Make sure you get unrefined and unprocessed pink salt. A lot of salt is bleached. Yes bleached!!
Spices. I used onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. And that's it! I like to buy organic spices.
Mayo. I used about ⅛ cup in the dipping sauce, which really doesn't come out to be too much per person. And honestly, mayo in small amounts isn't that bad for you, its main ingredient (when you buy all natural of course) is egg.
Lemon juice. Lemons are filled with vitamin C! Vitamin C helps to reduce inflammation and disease in the body. And not to mention the tangy flavor goes amazing with the crispy zucchini.
Mustard. For this I used some basic yellow mustard! Mustard seeds themselves (which is then turned into mustard) actually has trace minerals in them!
IS FRIED ZUCCHINI GLUTEN FREE?
Traditionally fried zucchini is made with bread crumbs and all purpose flour, so no it is not gluten free. But, my air fried gluten free zucchini fries are gluten free! I made them with almond flour.
IS FRIED ZUCCHINI BETTER THAN FRENCH FRIES?
It depends on what you are looking at! From a fried food perspective, fried zucchini is no better than French fries. If you are comparing air fried French fries with air fried zucchini, they each are healthy in their own way. Both are vegetables with different nutrients. That is why you should eat a variety of vegetables.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE AIR FRYER ZUCCHINI FRIES
First, if you need an air fryer, click here!
If you want to be time-efficient making these, start by getting the zucchini ready. Then, prepare your dipping sauce while the zucchini cooks. Depending on how large your air fryer is, you will probably have to make them in batches. A trick is to keep them warm and crispy in the oven heated on the lowest heat setting.
Step 1: prepare your zucchini slices
Slice your zucchini into wedges like in the picture below. The thinner you slice them, the faster they will cook!
Pat them dry on a towel to remove excess moisture so that the batter sticks to them better.
Step 2: prepare the batter
In 1 bowl, combine ½ cup almond flour, ¼ cup nutritional yeast, ¼ cup fresh chopped basil, ½ teaspoon pink sea salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Whisk them together to combine.
In another bowl, whisk together 2 eggs until they are light and foamy.
Dip the zucchini slices in the egg wash ~7-8 pieces at a time. Make sure that each piece is totally coated in the egg.
Then, one at a time, let the excess egg drip off the zucchini slice. Press the slice gently into the almond flour batter so that all sides are covered. Carefully place the battered zucchini fry in the air fryer basket.
Step 3: Air fry your zucchini
Make sure there is enough space in between the fries so that the air can circulate around and crisp the fries. Set your air fryer to 375 degrees F for 15 minutes.
Before air frying--->>> After air frying
You can store the done fries in an oven to keep them warm. Set the oven to the lowest temperature.
Step 4: Make the dipping sauce
Meanwhile, while the fries cook, make your dipping sauce.
To make the sauce whisk together ⅛ cup mayo, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of pink sea salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard.
If you want the dip to be thicker, add more mayo.
IS AN AIR FRYER WORTH IT?
Yes!! An air fryer is totally worth it if you find yourself making a lot of fried food, or are a lover of a crispy texture. Air fryers heat up and cook much faster than the oven because they are much smaller than an oven and can circulate the air around faster.
Other recipes you might like to use up your summer zucchini:
- Dark Chocolate Zucchini Oats
- Farmer's Market Salad
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Avocado Frosting
- Lemon Zucchini Cookies
- Classic Zucchini Bread with Coconut Oil
- Warm Zucchini Pasta with Tomatoes
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters
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Air Fryer Zucchini Fries (gluten free, dairy free)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the zucchini fries:
- 4 medium zucchini
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast can sub parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh chopped basil
- ½ teaspoon pink sea salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 lg eggs
For the dip:
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ⅛ cup mayo use ¼ cup for thicker dipping sauce
- 1 teaspoon pink sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Instructions
For the zucchini fries:
- Slice each zucchini into long thin strips. The thicker you make them, the longer they will take to cook.
- Pat the zucchini dry on a towel to remove excess moisture.
- To make the "breading" add the ½ cup almond flour, ¼ cup nutritional yeast, ¼ cup fresh chopped basil, ½ teaspoon pink salt, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper to a medium sized bowl. Mix well to combine and set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the 2 eggs.
- Set your air fryer to 375 degrees F timed at 15 minutes.
- Dip the fries in the eggs ~6-8 wedges at a time. Allow the excess egg to drip off before pressing the fry into the almond flour mixture. Press the almond flour mixture all over the fry and then gently transfer it to the air fryer basket.
- NOTE: only bake 1 layer of fries at a time to allow even air circulation around them. The amount of fries that can be cooked per batch depends on the size of your air fryer basket. Cook them for 15 minutes.
For the dip:
- In a dish, whisk together the juice of 1 lemon, ⅛ cup mayo, 1 teaspoon pink sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of mustard.
- NOTE: these are best eaten fresh, they will get less crispy as they cool off. If you store them and want to make them crispy again, simply put them in your air fryer again for ~5 minutes or until they are the way you want them.
Michelle
OMG!!
I am absolutely in heaven with this recipe! Was just telling my family the other day that I was missing being able to eat the fried zucchini at Carl's Jr ever since I was diagnosed celiac. Thank you Rosemary! Xoxo
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Ahhh I am so so excited for you to try these!!!
Lauren
Congrats on growing your garden!! So awesome-- nothing like veggies you grew yourself! And love this recipe, nailed it with the nutritional yeast! yum!
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Thank you! I was soo proud to bring in some fresh home grown cucumbers!
Christie
So proud of you and your garden so that you can reap the benefits of it and make delicious zucchini fries! I love how simple the seasoning mix is for these yummy fries.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Your zucchini fries are absolutely tantalizing with that almond flour breading. You really know how to make eating healthier fun!
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I don't know about you, but I have been getting soo much zucchini! So much that I stopped tending to it a month ago hoping it would die off but it keeps on going LOL