These healthy baked zucchini fries have an addictively crispy “junk food” taste! The kid-friendly recipe is perfect for a healthy snack or side dish.
Do you count calories?
These crispy baked zucchini fries have just 35 calories per serving!
Even if you ate the entire recipe in a single serving—which would be quite a lot of fries!—it’s still under 200 calories.
I used to think counting calories was a ridiculous waste of time and energy. Going by calories alone, a white rice cake would be a better snack choice for someone on a diet than a highly nutritious banana spread with a little peanut butter.
However, in the years of writing this blog, I’ve met quite a few people who swear by counting calories, who say it’s the only thing that’s worked for them and that it offers a sense of routine and control, helping them lose unnecessary weight or make healthier choices.
While I still don’t personally count calories, I now at least respect the practice and concede that it might be the best option out there to help some people turn their lives around for the better.
If you don’t count calories and think the idea of counting calories is a complete waste of time? You’ll just fall in love with the crispy “junk food like” taste of these crispy baked fries.
It’s one thing on which calorie counters and carb-o-holics can agree:
These zucchini fries are almost impossible to stop eating!
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Dip them in ranch, marinara sauce, or even my Healthy Ketchup Recipe.
I initially worried about trying these without the egg wash called for in most breaded recipes. But making egg-free and vegan zucchini fries turned out to be really simple and just as good as any egg-based breaded recipe I’ve ever tried.
I brought the zucchini fries to a Memorial Day barbecue… people were quite surprised I came with something other than dessert ;).
Leftover zucchini? Make this Chocolate Zucchini Bread!
Baked Zucchini Fries
Ingredients
- 2-3 small zucchini, sliced into fries
- 1/4 cup flour (white, whole wheat, or chickpea flour work)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup milk of choice
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (I toasted Ezekiel bread and processed it in a food processor. You can use gf bread.) (40g)
Instructions
- Zucchini fries recipe: Preheat oven to 420F. Lightly grease a cooling rack, place it on a baking tray, and set aside. Set up an assembly line: flour and spices in one bowl, milk in another, and breadcrumbs in a third. Dip each zucchini stick in the flour, then the milk, then the breadcrumbs. Place on the cooling rack. Bake 20 minutes, or until desired crispiness is reached. View Nutrition Facts
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I love doing this with zucchini! I like your twist on it and hope to try it for sure this summer. Thanks Katie!! xx
Another delicious recipe. These are awesome!
Counting calories isn’t evil; it’s also not the only consideration. When I’m maintaining a healthy weight, of course I don’t count calories. But they do help when it comes to portion control. Sadly, in order to lose or maintain weight, a lot of people DO have to count calories. In addition to how much protein/fat/carbs they’re eating. It’s when people become too restrictive and obsessive that it’s a problem.
These look amazing!
I just made these tonight–YUM!! What a great recipe, Katie, thanks! I used nutritional yeast instead of breadcrumbs and they came out amazingly tasty. Cheezy, crispy, and gluten free, too! My 3 year old couldn’t get enough of them.
I’ve been nervous to try making baked fries without an egg wash for the same reason. But if it worked for you, it’s definitely worth trying! Do you think crushed cornflakes would work in place of the bread crumbs? (I have a box I’m trying to get rid of!)
Are you sure this recipe is under 200 calories? I just looked up calories in a cup of breadcrumbs, and it’s 460.
Regardless, I will probably make these! Wondering if bread crumbs made from cauliflower bread would work?
Oh yes I believe in calorie counting but not if you’re only eating empty calories. I lost 15 lbs counting calories. It really made me more aware of how my choices affect me, for example I didn’t mind eating a whole thing of french fries by myself and a shake but then I came to realize that those are waaaaaaay too much calories for the little nutritional benefit that they offer. Now that I’m vegan and have done a pretty good job at maintaining my ideal weight, I don’t calorie count anymore but I always suggest it to those that want to lose weight or maintain it. I won’t feel bad about eating these zucchini fries though 🙂
Made these tonight – swapped out the breadcrumbs for quinoa flakes…oh my god. My little brother “hates” vegetables but loooved these.
Five stars.
I agree that counting calories does not equal health. i Used to be a slave to counting calories, now I focus on getting enough macro and micro nutrients like healthy fats good quality protein and lots of vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies. Having said that if someone is starting a weight-loss regimen or wants to lose weight counting calories and keeping a food diary is absolutely critical. As someone else pointed out many people have no idea how many calories they are consuming or how small true portion sizes really are. using this to track your diet at the beginning can mean long-term weight loss success And a healthier lifestyle