This homemade Crispy Fried Zucchini uses panko breadcrumbs to make perfectly crisp fried zucchini chips!

plate of Fried Zucchini

Crispy Fried Zucchini

Have you ever been to Maggiano’s restaurant? Their Zucchini Fritté (crispy fried zucchini) is my absolute favorite appetizer, and I’m not gonna lie, sometimes, when I’m not with a big group of people, I just order zucchini fritté as my meal!  

This homemade recipe for Crispy Fried Zucchini is made with panko breadcrumbs to give it a super crispy, crunchy, outside just like the ones you get at a restaurant and they are so easy to make!

Breaded Fried Zucchini chips

How to Prepare the Zucchini for Frying:

Cut the zucchini: Maggiano’s slices their zucchini into long thin strips but I used a mandolin to cut mine into thin circles that are about 1/8 inch thick. This was way easier for me to fry at home since I don’t have a big fryer. If you have the space in your fryer to use long strips go for it, but I kind of like that the zucchini chips are a little smaller. Either way they are delicious.

Remove excess water: Zucchini is a watery vegetable so you’ll have to do a little preparation to get it ready for frying. I started by salting the zucchini to draw out the water just like I do for my Chicken Alfredo Zucchini Lasagna. Lay all of my zucchini slices out on a paper towel covered baking sheet and lightly salt them. Let them sit for 30 minutes, flipping them once about halfway through. If you can let them sit for longer go for it. The more time they sit the more water the paper towels will pull out, but 30 minutes will get the job done.

crispy Fried Zucchini

How Hot Should the Oil Be for Frying Zucchini?

The oil should be between 325 degrees F – 350 degrees F. You should use a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. Too hot and the zucchini will burn, too cool and it will come out greasy. 

Start by heating the oil to 350 degrees F and as you drop the zucchini slices into it to fry the temperature of the oil will begin to drop. Fry in batches making sure the temperature never goes below 325 degrees F and letting it heat back up to 350 degrees F n between batches.  

How to Make Fried Zucchini:

  1. In a small bowl mix together flour, cornstarch, ½ tsp Kosher salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder.
  2. Slowly add soda water or club soda, whisking the mixture lightly. When your batter is the consistency of pancake batter you can stop adding water.
  3. Pour the Panko bread crumbs into another bowl.
  4. Dip each slice of zucchini into the batter, then into the Panko breadcrumbs pressing the breadcrumbs into the batter to make sure the zucchini is well coated on both sides.
  5. Fill your fryer, or pan, with enough oil to cover the zucchini slices (I used vegetable oil) then heat it to 350°F using your deep fry thermometer to ensure you keep the temperature steady.
  6. Gently drop 3-4 slices of coated zucchini into the oil and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp.
  7. Sit finished zucchini chips on a paper towel lined baking sheet to get off the excess grease and continue cooking the rest of your chips.
  8. When you are done sprinkle the zucchini chips with the Kosher salt, Parmesan cheese, and Romano cheese.

Fried Zucchini appetizer

No fried zucchini is complete without this amazing lemon aioli. Make it ahead of time, fry your zucchini, and start dipping those crispy, crunchy, perfectly fried zucchini chips. You’ll be wondering where they’ve been all of your life!

Looking for more Zucchini recipes?

CRISPY FRIED ZUCCHINI
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Servings: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Crispy Fried Zucchini

 This homemade Crispy Fried Zucchini uses panko breadcrumbs to make perfectly crisp fried zucchini chips!

Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Zucchini
  • Table Salt
  • 8 ounces Soda water
  • ½ cup All Purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Black pepper, ground
  • ¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Oregano
  • 4 cups Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Romano cheese

Instructions

  • Using a mandolin or a sharp knife slice the zucchini into ¼” thick round slices.
  • Lightly sprinkle zucchini slices with salt and lay them out on paper towels for about 30 minutes, flipping them once. This will help remove some of the water from the zucchini.
  • In a small bowl mix together the flour, cornstarch, ½ tsp Kosher salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder.
  • Slowly add soda water, whisking the mixture lightly. When your batter is the consistency of pancake batter you can stop adding water.
  • Pour Panko breadcrumbs into another bowl.
  • Dip each slice of zucchini into the batter, then into the Panko breadcrumbs pressing them into the breadcrumbs to make sure they are well coated on both sides.
  • Fill your fryer, or pan, with enough oil to cover the zucchini slices (I used vegetable oil) then heat it to 350°F.
  • Gently drop 3-4 slices of coated zucchini into the oil and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp.
  • Sit finished zucchini chips on a paper towel lined baking sheet to get off the excess grease and continue cooking the rest of your chips.
  • When you are done sprinkle the zucchini chips with the Kosher salt, Parmesan cheese, and Romano cheese.
  • Serve with a lemon aioli dipping sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 249kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 724mg, Potassium: 484mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 300IU, Vitamin C: 27.1mg, Calcium: 118mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.
Author: Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell
Course: Appetizer

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This recipe was originally published April 5, 2016. It was republished with updated images on July 19, 2019