Lightly breaded and fried until golden brown, our fried zucchini sticks are guaranteed to bring smiles to your table.
Crispy and crunchy on the outside with sweet, tender, and juicy zucchini on the inside. Our fried zucchini sticks aren’t just a way to use up excess zucchini, they’re a delicious alternative to french fries.
Our fried zucchini sticks are deep-fried sealing in all of the natural juiciness of zucchini, while keeping the outside crispy and crunchy!
If you enjoy creating delicious vegetable dishes, make sure to try our roasted zucchini with parmesan, and crispy deep-fried cauliflower bites.
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Ingredients to make Fried Zucchini Sticks
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our fried zucchini sticks recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Can I use other seasonings?
Absolutely. You use any premade seasoning blend to make the recipe. Lemon pepper, cajun seasoning, jerk seasoning, and old bay are some of my favorites.
You can also add grated parmesan cheese to the flour mixture for added flavor, and add your favorite hot sauce to the buttermilk mixture for added zing.
We used all purpose flour for the recipe, but you can also use panko breadcrumbs, Italian breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs.
How to make Fried Zucchini Sticks
Add the all-purpose flour, table salt, and Italian seasoning into a container or shallow bowl.
Whisk to combine the dry ingredients. Set aside until needed.
Add the buttermilk, 1 teaspoon of table salt, black pepper, chili powder, and smoked paprika to a medium bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Rinse the zucchini in cold water and slice them into (approximately) 3-inch x ½ inch sticks.*You can peel the zucchini if you prefer, but the skins have beneficial nutrients.
Place the zucchini sticks into the buttermilk mixture. Make sure all pieces are submerged in the buttermilk mixture.
Cover them with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and let them sit unrefrigerated for 15-30 minutes.
Use tongs to remove the zucchini sticks from the buttermilk mixture, allowing any excess of the buttermilk mixture to drip off.
Dredge your zucchini pieces in the seasoned flour.
Coat all the sides in the flour mixture.
Repeat the process until they are all breaded.
Add 2-3 inches of vegetable oil into a large skillet, or Dutch oven over high heat and heat until a temperature of 375 degrees F. has been reached. Carefully add the breaded zucchini in a single layer to the hot oil and cook for 8-9 minutes until golden brown. Use the tongs to move the sticks to get all the sides.*Don’t overcrowd the pan so the oil doesn’t lose temperature. Otherwise, the sticks will be greasy.
Remove them from the hot oil with tongs or a slotted spoon, and place them on a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil..
Serve these delicious fried zucchini sticks with bleu cheese dressing, buttermilk ranch dressing, buffalo sauce, a side of marinara sauce, or any of your favorite dipping sauces.
Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container (or well covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil) for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Recipe FAQ’s
How do I keep my zucchini sticks from getting salty? Having properly preheated frying oil is key to making crispy, not greasy, zucchini sticks. The oil should be at 375 degrees F. before adding them to the pan. Overcrowding the pan will drop the temperature of the oil quickly, resulting in greasy sticks.Some recipes also call for adding baking powder to the flour mixture. What type of oil should I use for frying? Peanut oil, safflower oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil are best, due to their high smoke points. Can I bake zucchini sticks? Absolutley! Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the breaded zucchini sticks in a single layer on the baking sheet, then lightly spray them with cooking spray. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. Turn them over halfway through the process and lightly spray the tops with cooking spray.This method will also work in an airfryer.
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Fried Zucchini Sticks
Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark
Prep Time10 minutes minsCook Time10 minutes minsTotal Time20 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer, vegetableCuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 423kcal
Author: Chef Ryan Littley
Ingredients2 large zucchini1 cup buttermilk1 teaspoon table salt½ teaspoon black pepper½ teaspoon chili powder½ teaspoon smoked paprika or sweet paprika1 cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon table salt1 teaspoon Italian seasoningvegetable oil for frying
Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark
InstructionsAdd the all-purpose flour, table salt, and Italian seasoning into a container or shallow bowl. Whisk to combine the dry ingredients.Add the buttermilk, 1 teaspoon of table salt, black pepper, chili powder, and smoked paprika to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.Rinse the zucchini in cold water and slice them into (approximately) 3 inch x ½ inch sticks.*You can peel the zucchini if you prefer, but the skins have beneficial nutrients.Place the zucchini sticks into the buttermilk mixture making sure all pieces are submerged into the buttermilk mixture.Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil andlet them sit unrefrigerated for 15-30 minutes.Use tongs to remove the zucchini sticks from the buttermilk mixture, allowing any excess of the buttermilk mixture to drip off.Dredge your zucchini sticks in the seasoned flour, coating them completely.Add 2-3 inches of vegetable oil into a deep skillet, or Dutch oven over high heat and heat until a temperature of 375 degrees F. has been reached.Carefully add the zucchini sticks to the hot oil and cook for 8-9 minutes until golden brown. Use the tongs to move the sticks to get all the sides.*Don’t overcrowd the pan so the oil doesn’t lose temperature. Otherwise, the sticks will be greasy..Remove them from the hot oil, and place them on a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.Serve with buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, bleu cheese dressing, or any of your favorite dipping sauces.
NutritionCalories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 1.244mg | Potassium: 556mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 629IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg
