Forget French fries! These keto & gluten-free zucchini fries are the way to go! They're so tasty and much healthier than regular fries!
When you get a hankering for French fries, satisfy those cravings with these keto and gluten-free zucchini fries! These zucchini fries are one of our favorite zucchini side dishes. In fact, we prefer these zucchini fries over regular potato fries (but, to be fair, we've never been die-hard French fry lovers). Plus, they're much healthier!
To make the exterior of these keto zucchini fries crispy and full of flavor, you first dip the zucchini spears in whisked egg and then into a mixture made of freshly grated parmesan, garlic powder and red pepper chili flakes.
We think the best way to enjoy these zucchini fries is with our homemade garlic aioli sauce (recipe further below), but you can also serve the fries with ranch dressing, sugar-free ketchup, low-carb marinara sauce, or nothing at all.
These keto and gluten-free zucchini fries take 10 minutes to prepare and about 15 to 20 to bake in the oven. Enjoy!
What Are Zucchini Fries?
Zucchini fries are simply spears of baked or fried zucchini, with have a soft interior and crispy outside — somewhat similar to potato fries but different. The crispy exterior is usually made from a variety of ingredients such as eggs, grated parmesan, panko crumbs, flour and spices.
To make the zucchini fries keto and gluten-free, most people use egg, grated parmesan and seasoning for the crispy exterior. Zucchini fries are typically broiled or baked in an oven or an air fryer. They can be deep fried as well.
Key Ingredients
Medium zucchinis: Even though you'll be slicing the zucchini into spears, we don't recommend using larger zucchinis. If need be, it's best to use smaller zucchinis.
Egg: Just one egg is needed for the wash, which will be coated with grated parmesan.
Freshly grated parmesan: The key to making the best keto zucchini fries is to use freshly grated parmesan. We made several batches with store-bought grated parmesan and they weren't too bad, but they definitely weren't as good as the ones we made with freshly grated parmesan. But, if that's all you got, then you go with what you got!
Garlic powder: To flavor the outside coating, we love using garlic powder. But, you can use another seasoning of choice.
Red pepper flakes: We love adding a little kick to the fries, but this ingredient is entirely optional.
How To Make
These keto zucchini fries only take 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake. Here are the key steps to making these fries:
STEP 1: Rinse zucchinis and trim off the ends on each. Cut each zucchini in half, lengthwise. Then, cut each of those halves in half again, and then one more time to get thinner spears. Finally, cut each of the spears in half so they're a few inches long. You should have a total of 16 spears per zucchini. Lightly season with salt. Before dipping in mixtures, be sure to dry them with a paper towel.
STEP 2: In a shallow bowl, whisk an egg and set aside.
STEP 3: In another bowl, stir together freshly grated parmesan, garlic powder and red chili flakes (optional).
STEP 4: Dip each of the zucchini spears in the whisked egg and shake off any excess egg before dipping in the parmesan mixture.
STEP 5: Roll the egg-coated spear in the parmesan mixture and place on lined baking sheet a few inches apart from one another.
STEP 6: When done, place the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. We usually bake for a full 20 minutes. As soon as the zucchini fries are done baking, remove from the oven and serve immediately (best to eat while still warm!).
What to Serve with It
We recommend serving the zucchini fries with our garlic aioli (recipe below zucchini fries — just takes a few minutes to make!). You could also consider ranch dressing, marinara sauce, or sugar-free ketchup. Be sure to prepare the dipping sauce while the fries are in the oven, so it's ready to serve when fries are done.
Related Recipes
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear your feedback! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag @lowcarbsimplified on your photo of this recipe on Instagram or Facebook. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Keto & Gluten Free Zucchini Fries
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchinis, about 10 ounces
- Few pinches of salt
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese finely grated with smallest grater hole (freshly grated produces the best results)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Get started: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the zucchini: Rinse zucchinis and trim off the ends on each. Cut each zucchini in half, lengthwise. Then, cut each of those halves in half again, and then one more time to get thinner spears. Finally, cut each of the spears in half so they're a few inches long. You should have a total of 16 spears per zucchini. Lightly season with salt. Before dipping in mixtures, be sure to dry them with a paper towel.
- Make the fries: In a shallow bowl, whisk an egg and set aside. In another bowl, stir together freshly grated parmesan, garlic powder and red chili flakes (optional). After, dip each zucchini spear in whisked egg and shake off any excess egg before dipping in parmesan mixture. Roll spear in the parmesan mixture and place on lined baking sheet a few inches apart from one another.
- Bake and serve: When done, place pan in oven and bake for roughly 20 minutes, until golden brown. We usually bake for a full 20 minutes. As soon as they're done baking, remove from oven and serve immediately (best to eat while still warm). Serve with favorite dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Homemade Garlic Aioli
Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (we use Hellmann's or Sir Kensington's)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Prepare garlic: In a small bowl, combine minced garlic with lemon juice and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes (to reduce the bite of the garlic).
- Finish and serve: After garlic has sat, combine mayonnaise, olive oil, and lemon juice with garlic. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and store in fridge following.
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