Easy Air Fried Zucchini (No Breading)
This post may contain affiliate links.
This air fried zucchini recipe creates a tasty side dish with bright Italian flavor. With less oil and no breading, making roasted zucchini in the air fryer has never been easier or healthier!
2025 Update: This recipe is still a family favorite and has been updated to add extra cooking tips for our readers. We use our air fryer every single day, so our air fryer tips should help you with this recipe. We hope you love it as much as we do!
Air Fried Zucchini Recipe
Cooking in an air fryer is a huge time saver, and it’s so much healthier than deep frying! You can use it to make everything from Prosciutto Egg Cups to Mini Burgers and Frozen French Fries!
But one of my new favorite healthy dishes to prepare is air fried zucchini! It’s a simple but super flavorful side dish. And because this fried zucchini has no breading and less oil, it’s better for you!
Learn how to cook anything in your air fryer with our free cook time chart!
Yummy! 😋 It was Very Good! Didn’t change a thing. Pinned it !! Thank you for the recipe. 😊
–Trena
Why This Recipe is a Favorite
- Healthier than deep frying. The air fryer does a great job of making veggies crispy. They taste like they were breaded and deep fried, but zucchini in the air fryer is much better for you!
- Perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. This side dish comes together in a snap, and clean up is a breeze. Just wash the air fryer basket and you’re done!
- Pairs well with many different proteins. The zucchini and caramelized red onions taste great with burgers, chicken, pork chops, and even poached eggs.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Zucchini: I like to choose zucchini that are small to medium in size. Large zucchini tends to be seedy, which is less than ideal. You may substitute summer squash (yellow) if that is available!
- Onion: I prefer to use red onion, but yellow or white onion would work well too. It’s fine to omit the onions if you don’t care for them.
- Oil: Olive and avocado oil are my favorites for air frying. Both have a high smoke point, which helps prevent them from burning under high heat.
- Italian Seasonings & Herbs: Basil, Oregano, Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper. If you use these seasonings a lot, I recommend making my homemade Italian seasoning recipe to have on hand.
How to Make It
- Preheat your air fryer. This is an important step because creating crispy veggies requires high heat. Otherwise, they’ll be soft and possibly mushy, too.
- Wash and dice the veggies. Make sure to dice them at least twice the size of the holes in the air fryer basket. If the pieces are too small, they’ll fall through the holes once they begin to cook down.
- Season the veggies. Add all the diced vegetables to a large bowl. Add the oil and all the Italian seasoning, and mix well to coat.
- Pour the seasoned zucchini into the air fryer. Use a wooden spoon or shake the basket to spread them evenly on the bottom of the basket. Close and set the timer for 20 minutes.
- Halfway through cook time, give the basket a good shake or turn all the veggies with a wooden spoon. This will help makes sure the veggies are evenly cooked.
Air Frying Tip
There are so many air fryers out there now that it’s important to follow the directions for your specific model. If it says to always spray the basket, then do so with a proper oil like avocado oil spay. Or if you find it works better to spray it, then go for it!
Recipe Tip
Keep a close eye on the veggies during the last two to three minutes of cook time. Each air fryer is a little bit different, so cook time may be just a tiny bit different.
Just peek inside near the end to make sure none of your veggies are burning.
Now guess what? Your air fried zucchini is all ready, and you get to eat! Enjoy for breakfast with jammy eggs, or at lunch with tuna salad, or at dinner with chicken, salmon, burgers, hot dogs, or pretty much anything!
Other Easy Zucchini Recipes
- Zucchini Shrimp Fra Diavolo
- Philly Cheesesteak Zucchini Boats - Keto
- Spiralized Zucchini and Pesto Egg Nests
- Italian Sausage Zucchini Rolls – GF, Low Carb
I'd love to hear about your experience making this recipe! Please leave a comment and rating below!
Air Fried Zucchini & Onion (No Breading)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 zucchini small-medium sized
- 1 red onion
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
Video
Instructions
- Preheat your Air Fryer to 400F. Meanwhile, wash and dice the zucchini and onions, as least twice the size of the holes in your air fryer basket.
- In a bowl, toss the vegetables, oil, and all the Italian seasonings together.
- Pour the vegetables mixture into the heated air fryer, then shake or spread the vegetables so they're evenly spaced out in the basket. Close and set the timer for 20 minutes.
- Halfway through cook time, open the air fryer and shake the basket or turn the vegetables with a spoon or spatula. Close and allow to finish cooking, then season to taste if needed and serve.
