10 Minute Air Fryer Zucchini

This air fryer zucchini recipe is the easiest way to get a delicious flavorful side dish on the table in about 10 minutes! Slice the zucchini, toss in olive oil, and season with a blend of your favorite dried herbs and Parmesan cheese and air fry! If your garden is overflowing with zucchini this summer, be sure to keep this recipe handy.

 

You Will Love This

• You will never cook zucchini any other way! Sliced zucchini can be a bit finicky to make because it cooks super quickly and is easy to overcook into a limp, mushy mess. The air fryer cooks the sliced zucchini into perfectly tender rounds that are slightly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Perfect for an easy veggie side dish or afternoon snack.
• If you loved this easy air fryer recipe, be sure to check out my air fryer French toast, air fry baked potatoes, air fryer asparagus, and air fryer green beans.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Zucchini – Grab some from the garden, the farmer’s market, or the grocery store. Try to make sure they are the same size so they cook evenly.
• Olive Oil – Olive oil is my preferred oil for air frying, but you could also use grapeseed oil or avocado oil. You could also use olive oil cooking spray if you like.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese – Grated Parmesan cheese works well for this recipe because it perfectly coats the slices of zucchini. You could also use shredded or shaved Parmesan but it may be hard to get to stick well to the zucchini or stick as evenly as grated Parm. If you prefer, you could sub panko bread crumbs for the Parmesan.
• Italian Seasoning – If you don’t have any Italian seasoning on hand you can sub with dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried rosemary instead.
• Garlic Powder – I love a little sprinkle of garlic powder because it adds a ton of flavor without having to chop up fresh garlic. Fresh garlic is also prone to burning, so garlic powder works well in this recipe. If you want to add a bit of heat, try using paprika or a pinch of cayenne pepper too!

Instructions

Slice zucchini into 1/3″ thick slices to create thick coins. Add sliced zucchini to a large bowl.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper.

Toss to coat the zucchini evenly.

Arrange zucchini slices evenly in a single layer across a couple of air fryer trays or in an air fryer basket, spacing them apart a bit. You may need to cook them in batches.

Air fry for 5-10 minutes or until the zucchini reaches your desired level of doneness.

Garnish with fresh parsley and more Parmesan cheese if desired and enjoy!

Favorite Dipping Sauce

If you want a creamy sauce to accompany your air fryer zucchini, some of our family favorites include:

• creamy garlic Parmesan sauce
• whipped feta dip
• creamy honey mustard dressing
• creamy balsamic dressing
• olive oil and balsamic dip
• ranch dressing

No Air Fryer?

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can also just bake the zucchini on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the oven!

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Follow recipe instructions to season the zucchini with oil, herbs, and Parmesan.
• Spread in a single layer across the parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Roast for 10 minutes or until the zucchini is tender-crisp.

Tips

• Add just a pinch of salt initially and add more to taste after cooking. The Parmesan cheese is going to add some salty flavor as well so to avoid your zucchini being too salty, add a pinch of salt with the herbs and spices, and then add more to taste after you’ve cooked the zucchini.
• Keep the slices around 1/3″ thick or thicker so that the zucchini doesn’t overcook. Zucchini cooks super quickly so if the slices are too thin, you’ll end up cooking it into oblivion! You are looking to roast the zucchini.
• The air fryer is the perfect way to cook vegetables, but keep in mind that all air fryers cook slightly differently so the cooking time is just an estimate. I used the Instant Vortex to cook my air fryer zucchini. Also, the size of your zucchini will affect the cooking time as well. Try to find small or medium-sized zucchini.

FAQ

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

• Make-Ahead: These air fryer zucchini are best enjoyed fresh from the air fryer. I don’t recommend making them ahead of time. I also don’t recommend seasoning them too long before air frying them because the salt will begin to draw out the moisture from the zucchini and dilute the seasoning.
• Storage: If you have leftovers they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• Reheating: Reheat leftover zucchini right in the air fryer! Air fry at 350 degrees for a couple minutes or until warmed through.

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