Keto Air Fryer Zucchini
The perfect keto side dish, Air Fryer Zucchini is so easy to make with just 4 ingredients, in less than 20 minutes! This delicious recipe has no breading, which makes it low carb and naturally gluten free! Serve it with steak, chicken, as part of a bowl, or as a snack.
An air fryer is great for making everything from tofu to meatballs, and veggies to bacon. It helps crisp up your favorite foods without using a ton of oil! It's a much healthier way to eat your favorite fried foods and my new favorite way to cook zucchini.
Tossing zucchini with just a little bit of oil helps it crisp up in the air fryer, while parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning add a ton of flavor to this quick and easy recipe.
The zucchini can be added to bowls, like this Vegan Meatball Bowl or this Italian Bowl with Quinoa. It can also be served as a side dish with your favorite entrees ranging from steak to chicken to seafood. You can also simply eat it as a healthy low-carb snack!
No matter how you serve it, this Italian seasoned zucchini is guaranteed to become one of your new favorite recipes to make in an air fryer!
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Ingredients
- Zucchini - for this recipe, you'll want approximately 1 pound of zucchini. This will either be one very large zucchini (as seen pictured above) or 2 small zucchinis. I have a 5.8 quart air fryer and have found that 1 pound of diced zucchini will make a perfect even layer in the air fryer.
- Olive oil - another type of vegetable oil can also be used in place of the olive oil.
- Italian seasoning - click the link to the left for the homemade spice blend that I used in this recipe. It's easy to toss together in less than 5 minutes and so flavorful! You can also purchase pre-made Italian seasoning on the spice aisle at the grocery store.
- Parmesan cheese - if you'd like to make the recipe vegetarian and vegan, feel free to use a vegan "parmesan-style" cheese, nutritional yeast or umami seasoning instead.
Step by step instructions
- Dice the zucchini into 1 inch cubes. Add them to a bowl and toss with the olive oil, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.
- Place in an even layer in an air fryer basket. This will allow the zucchini to cook evenly and get crispy on the outside.
- Slide the basket into the air fryer and cook at 400°F for 13-15 minutes.
- Remove the air fryer basket and serve the zucchini immediately.
Tips and tricks
- Don't crowd the air fryer! This is true for pretty much all air fryer recipes. You want to make sure the air can circulate around the food and allow it to crisp up on the outside. This is why you want the zucchini to be in a single layer in the air fryer, with a little space between each piece of zucchini. If you want to double the recipe, you'll probably need to air fry the zucchini in two batches, as to not over-crowd it.
- Don't skip the oil! This is what helps the zucchini brown and crisp up on the outside. You only need 1 tablespoon, which is way less than if you were pan-frying or deep frying zucchini.
- This recipe is best when eaten immediately after the cook time. Soggy zucchini is something that no one wants, but if you let the cooked zucchini sit around for a while, that's exactly what you'll get. Be sure to dig into these zucchini, as soon as they come out of the air fryer for the best texture!
- Feel free to mix up the seasoning! While I do love the Italian seasoning paired with zucchini, you can also mix up the seasoning and toss the zucchini with shawarma seasoning for a Middle Eastern flair, or Moroccan seasoning to pair with these Chickpea Carrot Bowls. You could also try this Blackened Seasoning mix to spice things up! To keep things easy, you can also simply season the zucchini with salt and pepper.
- To make this recipe vegetarian and vegan, replace the parmesan cheese with a vegan "parmesan style" cheese, or simply omit the parmesan cheese. This will also make the recipe dairy-free and whole30 approved.
- For this recipe, I used a Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer. I've been very happy with this air fryer, so if you're in the market for a new one or your first one, I'd highly recommend it!
What to serve with it
Cooking zucchini in an air fryer is a great way to make a quick side dish or snack.
If serving the zucchini as a snack, they're delicious on their own, drizzled with a little lemon juice or dunked into one of these delicious dipping sauces!
- Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
- Marinara Sauce
- Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream Sauce
- Vegan Avocado Ranch Dressing
- Spicy Cashew Dressing
- Keto Burger Sauce
If serving them as a side, try pairing them with grilled meats, veggie burgers or Italian dishes. You can also add them to your favorite bowls! Try them in these bowl recipes.
- Italian Bowl with Quinoa
- Vegan Meatball Bowls
- Italian Butternut Squash Bowls
- Charred Cauliflower Bowls
- Keto Meatball Bowls
Or serve them alongside these Keto Pizza Bowls!
More zucchini recipes
If you love this air fryer zucchini recipe, then I know you'll also love these other healthy zucchini recipes!
- Low Carb Italian Sausage Zucchini Bowls
- Keto Buffalo Chicken Bowls with Cheesy Zucchini Noodles
- Grilled Zucchini
- Low Carb Enchiladas with Zucchini
- Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats
- Vegetarian Lasagna
Recipe
Air Fryer Zucchini
Ingredients
- 1 pound zucchini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Serving options
- ½ teaspoon flakey sea salt
- ½ lemon sliced into wedges
Instructions
- Dice the zucchini into 1 inch cubes.
- Add the cubed zucchini to a bowl and toss with the olive oil, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.
- Place in an even layer in an air fryer basket.
- Slide the basket into the air fryer and cook at 400°F for 13-15 minutes.
- Remove the air fryer basket and serve the zucchini immediately.
- Optionally top with flakey sea salt and a drizzle of lemon juice.
Notes
- The nutrition information provided below is for one cup of air fryer zucchini. This recipe makes approximately 4 cups.
- This recipe is best when eaten immediately after the cook time. Soggy zucchini is something that no one wants, but if you let the cooked zucchini sit around for a while, that's exactly what you'll get. Be sure to dig into these zucchini, as soon as they come out of the air fryer for the best texture!
- Feel free to mix up the seasoning! While I do love the Italian seasoning paired with zucchini, you can also mix up the seasoning and toss the zucchini with shawarma seasoning for a Middle Eastern flair, or Moroccan seasoning to pair with these Chickpea Carrot Bowls.
- For this recipe, I used a Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer. I've been very happy with this air fryer, so if you're in the market for a new one or your first one, I'd highly recommend it!
