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When I want a side dish that everyone in my family will actually eat, this air fryer zucchini is my go-to. Bright Italian seasoning, no breading, and barely any oil — it’s super tasty, and I can toss leftovers into a salad for lunch the next day.

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A plate of sautéed diced zucchini and red onion, seasoned with herbs, with a spoon on the side. Nearby are a bottle of olive oil, a bowl of pepper, and fresh basil leaves.

I use air fryer every single day, and this zucchini side dish is honestly one of the easiest and most satisfying things to come out of it.

Why This Recipe is a Favorite

The homemade Italian seasoning adds plenty of flavor, and the air fryer gets the edges slightly crispy, but without any breading involved.

Air fried zucchini tastes great with just about everything, from Hawaiian burgers, and Greek marinated chicken to pork chops and Italian salmon.

Free Air Fryer Cook Time Printable

Learn how to cook anything in your air fryer with our free cook time chart!

Even better, it takes just ten minutes of prep, then you pop it in the air fryer. Go set the table, and when you come back, dinner’s side dish is done!

What Readers Are Saying

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Yummy! 😋 It was Very Good! Didn’t change a thing. Pinned it !! Thank you for the recipe. 😊
–Trena

Chopped zucchini and red onion pieces being stirred with a wooden spoon in an air fryer basket.

Happy Kitchen Secrets

Here are my important mom-tested cooking tips for making this recipe! I’ve made this countless times to save you from a failed attempt.

Preheat your air fryer before adding the vegetables. High heat from the start is what gives you crispy edges instead of soft, mushy zucchini.
Dice your pieces at least twice the size of the holes in your air fryer basket. They shrink as they cook, and smaller pieces will fall right through.
Shake or stir halfway through so everything cooks evenly and nothing gets too dark on one side.
Keep an eye on it during the last 2-3 minutes. Every air fryer runs a little differently — just peek inside near the end to make sure nothing’s burning.

Ingredients

This one comes together with just a few fresh vegetables and pantry staples you probably already have.

Choose zucchini that are on the smaller side — small to medium size is best because large zucchini tends to have a lot of seeds. Yellow summer squash works great as a swap if you have it. Actually, you can use both if you want! I do that to grilled zucchini and squash!

Red onion caramelizes beautifully and adds a little sweetness, but yellow or white onion works too, and it’s totally fine to skip it if your family isn’t into onions.

For oil, olive oil or avocado oil are both great picks since they have a high smoke point and hold up well under the heat.

The seasoning is where all the flavor comes from — dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. If you use these a lot, it’s worth making a batch of homemade Italian seasoning to keep on hand. You can use 2 teaspoons in place of the individual spices.

Want to mix things up? A sprinkle of homemade everything bagel seasoning is a fun variation.

How to Make Air Fryer Zucchini

This is a summary of the steps. For the full instructions, see the recipe card! ⬇️

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Go ahead and let your air fryer preheat while you’re prepping the vegetables.

A glass bowl filled with chopped zucchini and red onion, next to a small bowl of olive oil and a dish containing mixed dried herbs, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

A glass bowl with chopped red onion and zucchini mixed with herbs, next to a small bowl containing olive oil on a white surface.

Wash and dice the zucchini, then peel and dice the red onion. Don’t stress about making them all the same size. Just be sure that the pieces are larger than the holes in the air fryer basket.

Toss everything into a large bowl — the vegetables, oil, and all the seasonings. Be sure to mix until everything’s nicely coated.

Air Frying Tip

Check your air fryer's manual when it comes to the basket. Some models recommend always spraying it before you cook. If yours does, avocado oil spray is a great option since it holds up well at high heat.

A glass bowl filled with chopped zucchini and red onion, seasoned with herbs, next to a small dish of olive oil.

Chopped zucchini and red onions are roasted and lightly browned in an air fryer basket.

Pour the seasoned veggies into the basket and spread them into a single layer. Close the basket and let the onion and zucchini air fry for a total of 20 minutes.

Halfway through the cook time, give the basket a shake, or stir everything around with a wooden spoon, then let it finish. Taste, season if needed, and dig in!

Wooden spoon scooping cooked zucchini and red onion pieces from an air fryer basket.

Reheating Leftovers

Got leftovers? Pop them back in the air fryer for a few minutes and they crisp right back up. This air fryer zucchini is great stirred into scrambled eggs or tucked into a wrap the next day.

Other Easy Zucchini Recipes

If you love summer squash, Zucchini Taco Boats are a fun weeknight dinner the kids can help put together, and Italian Zucchini Roll Ups make a great appetizer or easy lunch. Or, the next time you fire up your bbq, make some grilled zucchini and squash.

Planning to make this recipe?

After you make it, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how it went!