Crispy Keto Fried Zucchini Recipe – Easy and Low Carb

This recipe for Keto Fried Zucchini is easy to make and super crispy and delicious!! After all, who doesn’t like Fried Zucchini? It’s the perfect low carb appetizer.

Fried Zucchini has always been one of my favorites. Now we have learned how to make Keto Fried Zucchini and it’s pretty terrific.

Making Fried Zucchini is so easy, very delicious and is still one of my favorites. I love it when you make something for your friends that’s low carb and they can’t tell the difference! That’s when you know that you’ve done a good job coming up with a good recipe.

It’s even crispy like the real thing! Perfect for eating alone or dip it in your favorite homemade or store-bought tomato sauce. It makes a good snack or appetizer or side dish.

What is Fried Zucchini?

Fried Zucchini is sliced zucchini dipped in egg and breadcrumbs with some spices and sometimes cheese mixed in with the bread crumbs. Then after it’s coated you fry it in oil to come up with that great fried flavor and that’s it…simple.  It makes a great appetizer and is easy to prepare.

Is Zucchini Healthy For You?

Zucchini like most vegetables are certainly healthy for you. They are full of vitamins and nutrients. It’s high in vitamin C and is also high in antioxidants which can help lower your blood pressure and as a result protect your arteries.

Zucchini is super low in calories, 1 cup has 19 calories, and has high water content. You can grill it or bake it or fry it or saute it….and the list goes on.

Its skin is soft and is considered a summer squash versus other squashes with a hard outer skin which is considered winter squash for instance like butternut squash.

Fyi, you can also eat the blossom. Yes, that’s right. If you grow zucchini in your garden, you may notice the blossom that comes out first before the squash does. If you lived in Italy, like some of my family members you would see them on your table as an appetizer, fried and delicious.

What’s nice if you are on a low carb diet is that you can replace pasta with what are called zoodles, which is zucchini cut into spirals with a mandolin or a spiral slicer. It’s amazing because you can top your zucchini zoodles with your favorite meat sauce for a delicious alternative to spaghetti.

Even though when we hear the word zucchini we think of the long green squash. In case you want to know, there is another version of zucchini. Its the same shape but it’s yellow, not green, which differs from what’s called “yellow” squash. Yellow zucchini or golden zucchini as it is called has a straight shape whereas yellow squash has a curved or tapered neck.

How Many Calories are in Fried Zucchini?

The calories in fried zucchini vary depending on the size of your zucchini and the thickness of your cuts. 

When using regular flour it can range from 300-600 calories per cup, which makes it quite high.

However, when using almond flour it ranges from 150-250 per cup. Plus as a result, the carb content will be so much lower with the almond flour Fried Zucchini rather than using regular flour.

Is Fried Zucchini Keto?

Fried Zucchini, the way that I used to make it, with traditional bread crumbs is not Keto because there are too many carbs in bread crumbs, 22 carbs for ⅓ cup, instead of the 5 carbs in ¼ cup of almond flour.

By making this substitution this recipe comes out to only 1.4 NET Carb per serving.

What Ingredients Do You Need for Low Carb Fried Zucchini?

Zucchini – You can’t have Fried Zucchini without zucchini. Zucchini is a low carb and healthy vegetable, and tastes great this way!

Pork Rinds – These small amazing treats add protein and substance to your outer coating without any carbs.

Parmesan Cheese – Used to help bind the coating together and also adds flavor and protein.

Eggs – Helps keep your breading on your fried foods.

Almond Flour -Totally just ground almonds, which give you some protein, fiber, and very low carbs.

Salt -Add just a little to help enhance the flavors.

Pepper –Helps add just a little kick to your zucchini.

Garlic Powder -Who doesn’t love what garlic does, it adds a nice flavor to a lot of foods.

Italian Seasoning – It also adds some other flavors to your Fried Zucchini, like oregano, basil, and thyme. It could also include rosemary, sage, and marjoram.

Can I Use Yellow Squash Instead of Zucchini?

If you want, you can substitute zucchini for yellow squash when making fried zucchini. Besides the color difference it’s a little bit sweeter but still tastes great.

When using yellow squash, follow the same steps we are going to show you here in the recipe as you would do for zucchini and it will come out fantastic.

Almond Flour vs. Coconut Flour for Frying

Both almond flour and coconut flour are gluten-free and both are grain-free and are used a lot in low carb cooking, making them both very healthy to eat. They also both make great alternatives when using them for frying foods.

There are a couple of differences between almond flour and coconut flour, however…

They each have their own different flavors living up to their names….almond flour tastes like almonds and coconut flour tastes like coconut. The almond flour is a little more crumbly, nutty and crunchy, whereas the coconut flour is a little softer and has a more mild taste and also absorbs more water than almond flour.

If someone has an allergy to nuts then, of course, using almond flour would be out of the question. If cost is a big factor then you may want to use coconut flour instead of almond flour because it is cheaper to use. When you use coconut flour you need to lessen the amount used because the portion of coconut flour is a lot less than almond flour.

Is this Recipe Deep-fried?

When you are just frying something, normally the oil that you are using to fry in is shallow, the food item is not totally submerged in the oil. The bottom of the item is in the oil but the top of the item is still exposed to the air on the top and the sides.

When you deep fry something, the food item is completely submerged in the oil, which means that the top and sides are not exposed to the air. When you deep fry things they are crisp on the outside but remain juicy on the inside. 

One reason that deep frying is better than frying is because it’s quicker. Frying takes longer because the whole item is not submersed into oil, only part of it is. Whereas deep-frying completely covers the food in hot oil.

On the other hand, with pan-frying, less oil is absorbed into the food as opposed to deep frying.

To recap, both ways require the heat of the oil to cook your food, but the main difference is the amount of oil used in frying. We prefer to deep fry our zucchini but no matter which way that you do it, there is no difference in taste.

Shopping for Zucchini

When you go shopping for your zucchini, pick out the zucchini which is firm, not soft, and also without bruises or cuts in the outer skin.

For best results, buy zucchini that is not too large, instead buy small and medium which are sweeter and good for fried zucchini. The large ones are tougher on the outside and have bigger seeds, whereas the smaller ones are more tender and have smaller seeds.

Are Large Zucchini Good to Eat?

Large zucchini are good to eat but not for this recipe because I think the outer skin is too hard and the seeds are too big. We grow them in our garden and sometimes they get away from us and after a couple of sunny days and some rain, they grow like crazy. So let me tell you what you can do with the large ones…..

Large zucchini are good if you want to stuff them. You can cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the middle flesh and seeds and fill with the stuffing of your choice.

Make sure that you do not let your zucchini get too big because even though you are going to stuff it, you don’t want it too big or the skin will be too hard and no matter how much you cook it, it will only soften so much.

Preparing Fried Zucchini

Before cooking our zucchini, there are a few steps we need to take to prepare it.

The first thing you want to do to prepare your Fried Zucchini before cooking it is to just wash it off in the sink and then dry off any excess water. You do not want to leave it wet or you won’t have as crispy fried zucchini.

Now you are ready to slice your zucchini and you can slice it any way that you want to. Some people prefer zucchini fries, some people prefer round.

Do you Peel Zucchini Before Frying It?

When you make fried zucchini you do not want to peel it because you need the outer skin to stay on the zucchini. The peel actually acts as stability for the zucchini when frying it.  If you took the skin off you would have a mushy mess and you would not have solid pieces to coat and fry. 

Not only that, but many of the nutrients are in the skin so you really should keep it on.

How Thin to Slice the Zucchini?

You should cut your zucchini thin but not too thin because you want it to be able to hold it’s shape and the breading on it. Sometimes I like it cooked different ways like thinly sliced in rings, and then, of course, there are zucchini fries that are cut lengthwise to resemble french fries. 

If you have a mandolin slicer try cutting them paper-thin and baking then on a cookie sheet covered in a piece of parchment paper that is brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. They will get crispy like chips and will be a good low carb snack instead of potato chips.

At the end of the day, any way that you want to slice your zucchini it will be ok to coat and fry, or even bake if you prefer.

How to Make Keto Fried Zucchini 

Fried Zucchini is a real favorite of a lot of people.  It’s popular at parties, and at restaurants as a snack or an appetizer and we are going to show you how easy it is to make at home, but without all the carbs!

The first thing to do is to rinse off your zucchini and dry it off with a paper towel.

Get a large cutting board and a knife and slice your zucchini in the shape and thickness that you would like to. For this recipe, we are going to make it into round, thin slices.

Put your pork rinds in a food processor and grind up in preparation for mixing with flour mixture.

Next thing is to beat your eggs so that you can get it ready for dipping your zucchini.

Get your flour mixture ready by mixing almond flour, parmesan cheese, pork rinds, and spices together, making sure it’s all well blended together.

Now it’s time to coat your zucchini.

Dip the slices in the eggs and coat them well.

Next, dip them in the almond flour, cheese, pork rinds and spices mixture. and flour mixture.

Repeat these two steps twice to assure that the breading will stay on your zucchini better.

Do the same to all zucchini slices and then put them on a plate while waiting to fry them.

Heat your oil to 350-400 degrees and make sure it’s enough oil to cover over the zucchini slices because they will cook faster and that way both sides will be cooking at the same time so you won’t have to flip them. 

When you fry them do so without crowding them in the pan so that they cook evenly. If they are crowded half will be crispy and the other half not so much.

Drain on paper towels so that the excess oil/moisture will drain out of them and you will have crispier zucchini.

Enjoy while hot with your favorite sauce or all by itself.

Best Tips for Keto Fried Zucchini

Besides the main instructions, we have some tips to share with you so that if you have never made Low Carb/Keto Fried Zucchini before, it will be easier for you to make it come out delicious.

• Make sure that your zucchini is dry. If it’s wet the egg will not stick to the zucchini, it will run right off.  If they are wet make sure to dry them off with a paper towel to make sure that the egg will stick to it.
• If you cook them in the oven flip them halfway through cooking to make sure both sides get crispy.
• Make sure to double coat the zucchini if you are making it fried so that the bread crumbs will stick better. 
• Preheat your oil, to 350-400 degrees, first before frying to get more crispy zucchini otherwise, it will be soggy.  

• If you are going to fry your zucchini decide if you want to fry it or deep fry it and then make sure there is the correct amount of oil for the method you choose. 
• No matter which way that you decide to make your zucchini, fried, baked or air-fried, make sure not to crowd them or they won’t crisp as well.
• By draining your Fried Zucchini on paper towels, as they drain they will become crispier.
• One other tip that is helpful is using 3 bowls instead of 2, 1 for the egg and 2 for the breadcrumbs. That way it will keep your breading dryer and you won’t have to throw some of them out because they have gotten too wet.
• Another way to achieve this is when doing the prep work use one hand for the egg and the other hand for the breadcrumbs. 

How Do You Get Almond Flour to Stick to Vegetables?

The best way that we have found to make our breading stick to our zucchini is to double egg it and double flour it. Doing it that way with 2 layers of coating, it tends to stick much better.

Even if a little falls off into the oil during the frying process, then there will still be breading on there and hence it will be crispy.

How to Make Fried Zucchini Crispier?

Putting the parmesan in the batter helps to make your Fried Zucchini crispier. You could also just use parmesan without also using the almond flour which would make it crispy and also those with nut allergies would be able to eat them that way. 

Also, make sure to preheat your oil so that your oil is hot and ready to go because if it’s not then the zucchini will just sit in the oil getting soggy. If the oil is hot then your Fried Zucchini will crisp right up.

When you drain the squash on paper towels it will get more crispy as the oil drains off.

If you bake your zucchini in your oven and your Fried Zucchini does not come out as crispy as you would like it to then put on your broiler and broil it the rest of the way until it reaches your desired amount of crispy.

Different Variations on This Recipe

Your Fried Zucchini will taste good if you bake it or if you fry it. Both ways are good.

You could use the almond flour without the parmesan and that way a person who can’t eat dairy will still be able to make these Low Carb Fried Zucchini. 

You could also do the opposite, if you can’t eat nuts then leave out the almond flour and just use the parmesan cheese and fry or bake your zucchini.  

You may be wondering if you can use coconut flour as a nut-free substitute instead of the almond flour.  We’ve found that if you substitute almond flour with coconut flour it may make your zucchini taste too much like coconut. We don’t recommend this method but feel free to try it if you like.

If you can’t eat egg yolks you could just use egg whites to coat your zucchini.  This doesn’t change how your Keto Fried Zucchini comes out, it’s just that some people don’t like egg yolks or they don’t want to eat too many egg yolks.

If you can’t eat pork rinds or don’t like pork rinds then you can leave them out. Just replace the volume with an equal amount with extra almond flour and cheese.  If you take out a cup of pork rinds then replace the volume with a combined cup of almond flour and cheese.

You can add different spices to your coating along with the ones already in the recipe or substituting those for some other ones would be ok too.

For instance, if you like things spicy then add cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper. Or you could also add cajun seasoning, chili powder or taco seasoning….and the list goes on.

Can I Make Fried Zucchini Without the Breading/Flour?

You may wonder what would happen if you didn’t use almond flour to coat your zucchini, essentially using no breading at all. No, flour or breading is not necessary for fried zucchini.  

You can skip the flour and just use parmesan cheese which is great for making your zucchini to become crispy. You could also add ground up pork rinds into your cheese to give it assistance in crisping up because if you are going to take away the almond flour then you need something else to coat your pieces of zucchini. 

Can I Make Fried Zucchini in an Air Fryer?

If you don’t want to fry your zucchini the traditional way there are still options for getting that same crispy fried zucchini taste you are looking for.  One way of doing this is by making it in an air fryer.

Using an air fryer will do a good job, just make sure not to overlap your zucchini pieces or they will not get enough airflow to crisp up the zucchini pieces because you want them to be light, crispy and full of flavor.

Zucchini fries cooked in an air fryer cook fast and are delicious and nutritious and are a great low carb alternative to traditional french fries, so everyone can eat them. A nice staple food that you can eat often on Keto/low carb diets. So you can enjoy them guilt-free.

One thing that’s good when you use an air-fryer is that you don’t have to stand over it while it’s frying like frying on the stove. The air-fryer does the job for you.

Can I Make Fried Zucchini in the Oven?

Another alternative to frying zucchini is making it the oven instead. If you bake them properly according to the instructions they will come out really crispy, just like pan-fried or air fried. 

Bake them in a fairly hot oven, at 400-425 degrees for about 10-15 min and that will help crisp them. By using the pork rinds along with the parmesan it will help to give you a fried texture. If it’s not crispy enough then just put the broiler on them for a few minutes and they will crisp up. Make sure though to place them single layer on a cookie sheet for best results.

In my opinion, there’s not a right and wrong way to cook your Keto/Low Carb Zucchini. Try each way and pick your favorite. Maybe sometimes you want to fry, or bake or air fry.

Other Diets This Recipe Is Good For

Gluten-free – There is no gluten in these Fried Zucchini because we do not use regular flour, we use almond flour.

Sugar-free – There is no sugar or sugar cane or corn syrup or any other sugar-like ingredients.

How to Serve Low Carb Fried Zucchini

First of all, you can serve your Keto Low Carb Fried Zucchini anytime. Sometimes I just get the craving to eat it so I pick up zucchini and go home and make it. It can be an appetizer or a side dish or if you throw some tomato sauce and cheese on there you will have a yummy fried zucchini parmesan dish!

You would normally serve fried zucchini as an appetizer, and it’s no different with the Keto kind. Serve it along with other apps like Mozzarella Sticks, Chicken Poppers, Stuffed Mushrooms.

Eating burgers with Low Carb Zucchini is a favorite of mine since french fries are not low carb. I think low carb baby back ribs are great with them too…. Put our link in for ribs

Dipping Sauces – When it’s ready to serve there are a number of good sauces that you can dip it in if you so choose…

Good old fashioned marinara sauce is always my favorite and the favorite of many others. This is a great combination and perfect if you are trying to go Italian-style with them.

You can make yourself some garlic sauce with mayo, garlic, cayenne, and salt.

Another sauce could be one made with mayo and ketchup, vinegar and garlic powder.

Make up some avocado/cilantro sauce with sour cream, avocado, garlic, and cilantro.

Can I Make Low Carb Fried Zucchini Ahead?

Sometimes you don’t have time to make your food exactly at the time you are going to serve it, so thankfully you can even make Keto fried zucchini ahead of time if you want.

You can bread them and put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before cooking them whichever way you choose to use. Just remember, if you cook them ahead of time they won’t be quite as crispy as they would be if you ate them immediately after cooking them, but they’ll still be tasty.

There is however one good thing to frying your zucchini ahead of time. If you choose to cook it ahead of time, your guests will not walk into a house that smells like fried food.

If you decide to cook them ahead of time, then just reheat them when it’s time to serve them either in a frying pan with oil or in the oven or under the broiler.

How to Store Fried Zucchini

If your house is anything like my house there are usually not any leftovers. But if by chance there are any, you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container layered with paper towels for up to a week.

It probably won’t matter though, because knowing there are leftovers in the refrigerator, I guarantee that you will want to eat them the next day. 

How to Reheat It

Once you are ready to take your Fried Zucchini out of the refrigerator, the best way to reheat them up is either once again frying them up to make them crispy again, or you could put them in the oven or broiler to reheat them. Just be careful not to burn them or dry them out.

Just keep your eye on them and just a few minutes will be sufficient because don’t forget they are small and there’s not much to them.

If you are in a hurry and just want them heated up but not necessarily crispy, then just pop them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds and enjoy.

Can You Freeze Fried Zucchini?

If you have extra Fried Zucchini, then lay them out flat single layer on a tray covered with parchment paper and place the whole tray into the freezer. Once they are frozen then transfer them into a freezer bag or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and freeze for 3-4 months.

When you are ready to eat them do not thaw them out. Place them right from the freezer onto a tray and right into the oven, just like you would do if you bought frozen foods in the store.

More Keto Appetizer Recipes

If you’re in the mood for some other Low Carb Appetizers then try our:

• Keto Onion Rings
• Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Low Carb Mozzarella Sticks
• Pepperoni Pizza Dip

They all are Keto-friendly and low carb, and will be a hit at your next party!

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