Get ready to turn plain old zucchini into something fabulous! Even my picky 4-year-old, who has never voluntarily eaten zucchini in her life, couldn’t get enough of these “chips” tonight. I was across the table trying to hold in my excitement (and shock) as she was busy chowing down. This might just be the perfect way to introduce zucchini to a child that’s never had it before, and it could even work on those picky husbands too! After your child gets a good “first impression” of this veggie he/she might be willing to try it other ways as well. And don’t feel like you need to go “light” on the olive oil when you are making this recipe. Some unrefined natural fats can be a good addition to your diet. For more info on oils check out our post entitled “Mini-Pledge Week 10: No Refined Oils.
Zucchini Chips
Ingredients
- 2 zucchinis (medium-sized)
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat breadcrumbs (I found 100% whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs with a short list of ingredients at Earth Fare or you could make them yourself)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (grated (plus more for garnish))
- olive oil
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Thinly slice zucchini into 1/8” round pieces.
- Beat eggs in a shallow bowl.
- Using a small food processor (or a mortar and pestle) process the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, and a couple dashes of salt & pepper together until fine. Put the breadcrumb mixture in a shallow bowl.
- Pour a thin layer of olive oil in the bottom of a medium to large sauté pan and turn the heat to medium. Let it heat up while you start preparing the zucchini.
- Make an assembly line in the following order: raw zucchini slices, beaten egg, breadcrumb mixture, and empty plate.
- With one hand (which will be your “wet” hand) coat a few of the zucchini slices with the egg and shake off the excess. Drop those pieces on top of the breadcrumb mixture and using your other “dry” hand coat them with breadcrumbs. Shake off the excess breadcrumbs and transfer the coated zucchini slices to the clean plate.
- As soon as you have enough zucchini slices breaded to make a single layer across the bottom of the pan, slide them in the oil to start cooking.
- Meanwhile, start coating the next batch of zucchini, but check the stove after 2 or 3 minutes to see if the bottom of the zucchini is turning golden brown. Once they are brown flip them over and add more olive oil if necessary to keep the bottom of the breaded zucchini “wet.” Once both sides are golden brown transfer them to a paper towel lined plate and keep warm.
- Repeat process until all the zucchini are cooked. Arrange them on a serving platter, garnish with Parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Facts
I have read that cooking olive at your average temperature (especially to fry)turns the goodness of olive oil into trans fat and using Red palm Oil is an excellent substitute to use as a cooking oil. Any thoughts?
Hi Natasha. Lisa does not use olive oil for high temperature cooking but does use red palm oil especially when popping corn. :) Here is more guidance from Lisa on oils: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/. ~Amy
You know you can also bake these so you dont have to cook in the oil just give a mist of olive oil. I actually do this same thing with eggplant and bake to make somer really yummy eggplant marinara. You dont have the problem of your bread crumbs falling off and I seem to get a more even browning/cooking. Just a thought for those who like me loose all the bredding when trying to pan saute/fry
I’ve heard that it is bad to fry with olive oil and that you should only use olive oil as an ingredient for uncooked items such as salad dressings.
DMath and others, I also have read that cooking olive oil makes it bad even rancid. However, after much research: ALL oil turn bad when heated at or near smoking temperature. Pan frying food in a wee bit of olive oil is actually GOOD for us. Olive oil and coconut oil are the best for cooking and pan frying in minor amounts of oil, the healthiest oils (and avocados) per the tons of research I found. Olive oil is known for good levels of Omega-3. Yes some still say “never cook olive oil” and “coconut oil is solid so never use it”. Canola is touted as good, but is so highly processed, ugg! Google is a terrific research tool, just watch for websites that you feel are trustworthy, and check out many. Then make your own decisions. About this recipe, zucchini and eggplant really soak up the oil, so calories will be HIGH! But oh so YUMMY!
Such a major misconception about oil being unhealthy. Unfortunately healthy fats are often very lacking in children’s diets. Pan frying in olive oil is a great way to get the healthy fats into their diets!! Great recipe.
I wonder if this would come out tasty and gluten free with almond meal instead of bread-crumbs…
Great idea Amber! I was just thinking…. darn I need to sub, no gluten or cheese! Even cooking them like potato chips might be wonderful.
Hi Amber. If you try this with almond meal, please share your results! ~Amy
Is there a way to bake v. fry these? How long and at what temperature?
Hi Laura. I have tried a very similar recipe with eggplant that I have baked. I sprayed my cookie sheet with coconut oil and baked them at 400* turning them midway through. I can’t remember how long I baked them but I imagine it was about 20 minutes. They did not get as crispy as they do in the pan fry method. ~Amy
Well duh, when you fry anything in oil of course a child will eat it. Not exactly healthy.
Thank you! Got tons of zucchini in my house right now. I’ll be making these today. Yum!
Is there an ingredient I could sub for the parm? Lactose sensitive.
You can omit the cheese, and just use breadcrumbs. It is tasty both ways! I also bake them instead of pan frying. I put a drizzle of olive oil on the bottom of the sheet pan, put my zucchini chips on top and drizzle with oil again. I have a large family, and this way I do not end up standing at the stove and frying while every one else eats.
Love this idea. My mom use to make something like this when we were kids (I’m sure they were deep fried in stead of light pan frying) but I remember dipping them in Marinara sauce. I think that would be tasty to have some homemade sauce to dip in (plus it adds another veggie to the meal or snack).
I think they were fresh organic eggs, but maybe I did not leave them in the egg mixture long enough. Would that have done it? Thanks!
Hi again Jeanine. It is difficult to say with all the variables in cooking. I made a similar recipe with eggplant the other night and found that it helped to process my breadcrumbs, grated cheese, and seasoning pretty thoroughly. ~Amy
Loved making these but a lot of my breaking came off. I am a new cook. Any idea what I did wrong? Thanks!
Hi Jeanine. I find using really fresh eggs, something about the consistency, works best. Could that have been it? Also, was the pan heated to a good sizzle when you placed the zucchini? ~Amy
Anyone have any ideas how to make this without eggs but still be yummy? My son has an egg allergy and it’s very hard since they are called in so many recipes!
Coat them chips in milk instead. We have dairy and egg allergies in the house so I use a Flax milk and it works great!
I make these all the time but I never use egg. I toss the zucchini in a bit of olive oil then toss it in the breadcrumb/parm mix and bake and they are delish! I’ve never tried it with the eggs so I can’t compaire but they are still awesome :)
This is the exact same method (and recipe) my grandma taught me for cooking eggplant or zucchini to make a parmigiana. Just layer the slices with (homemade) tomato sauce and mozzarella and parmigiana cheeses in a pan, and then bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
Hi, I made the recipe. OMG I had to stop myself from eating it all!! I loved it, very tasty! I have a question. Do you know the calories, fat content?
Thank you!
Hi Ginette. We do not track the nutritional information, but, you can calculate it using one of the calorie trackers available online. Jill
Gluten-free ideas: instead of breadcrumbs, try either GF breadcrumbs, organically-made potato chips (not non-processed, but still pretty healthy), GF flour mix, cornmeal, or almond flour for those on SCD. Omitting cheese altgoether will make it CF.
Made a baked version of these tonight. Skipped the eggs and used milk instead. My 5 and 3 year olds gobbled them up! I have never gotten them to eat zucchini before so this was a great introduction.
Tried something just like this recently and my 6 yr old would not even touch them, sigh…
Made these tonight! Yummy! Thank you for a recipe I need to use up these zucchinis from my CSA share :)
Made this off your recipe, but a larger batch. ;) They didn’t even have time to cool down before we had eaten them. The parm really gives it a nice undertone. Thanks for the recipe! XD
Yummy! We *love* fried zucchini around here too. :) My new favourite cooking oil is unrefined virgin organic coconut…sooooo yummy and it doesn’t burn as easily as olive oil does. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Blessings,
Camille
Fried zucchini is also yummy with a squeeze of lemon instead of cheese. My sister loves it with both lemon and cheese! My Italian grandmother always made big batches of the stuff during Aug. & Sept. with my grandfather’s annual bumper crop of zucchini. She also made fried eggplant, fried cauliflower (parboil whole head, cool, and cut into florets before dipping in egg), and fried artichoke hearts (thaw and thoroughly pat dry frozen hearts). My cousins, my siblings, and I devoured them as soon as they were cool enough to pop into our mouths. Makes me hungry just thinking about it!
Yum! I am going to try these. We recently planted a garden at my school and I have been one of the teachers overseeing it during the summer. As a result, I have a plethora of zucchini in my fridge that I need to do something with soon. This is it!
I used to hate zucchini as a child because we only had it cooked one way. I enjoy it now, and these look delicious and kid-friendly. They should be easy enough to adapt to be dairy free (remove the cheese), egg free (maybe I’ll use rice milk for dipping) and gluten free (I could substitute gf breadcrumbs or use a cornmeal coating). I’ll definitely be trying some variation on this recipe.
Jenna
I would love to know how your variations come out.
Love the idea of whole wheat panko on these…and what a great appetizer to bring to a bbq!
I struggle with my kids eating certain vegetables and this looks like an awesome recipe. Off to the farmer’s market tomorrow and I will be getting zucchini for this recipe. My husband and I decided that several times a week, we will introduce a new vegetable (one the kids don’t eat) prepared a new way. Here’s one and we will find some other goodies at the market as well. Thanks.
Good for you and don’t ever give up on them! Sometimes kids have to try new things dozens and dozens of times before they warm up to it.
this recipe looks great! would it be ok for me to share in my co-op’s reader? we’re doing an eat local challenge from september through october, and want to share as many recipes that would utilize local ingredients as possible… this would be a huge hit, i’m sure! of course, i’d credit your fabulous blog!
You can definitely share…thanks for helping to spread the word!
Sounds good! I love just snacking on raw zucchini circles, but my son wants nothing to do with it. Bet he’d eat these!
I’ve never seen whole wheat panko! I will have to look for that in my local stores. Great post!
I found some at whole foods
These sound great! Our youngest son loves hibachi-style zucchini, but our oldest turns up his nose at most veggies. Maybe this will convince him to try it out.
We use Ian’s whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs. They are delicious!
Yum! I looove zucchini.
MMM those look so yummy!!! I recently read that olive oil is toxic when heated too hot or used for frying. So I did more research and everything I read says that’s true. So you should use grapeseed, coconut, safflower, sunflower, etc. for frying or sauteing at high heat. Here’s a good resource for which cooking oils to use. http://www.examiner.com/vegetarian-food-in-detroit/cooking-with-olive-oil-at-high-heat-can-be-toxic
I use safflower and I love it! It’s light and doesn’t add any flavor to what you’re frying.
I’ve heard that as well about olive oil, and I am not sure if you noticed this recipe calls for medium heat (not high heat). Some of the other oils you mentioned like grapeseed are unfortunately refined oils that we try to avoid. Here’s the link to our post about oils: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/
I didn’t know that about grapeseed oil, that’s disappointing. Great post about refined oils. thanks!
I know this is an old post, but it is possible to find unrefined grapeseed oil. Its a bit pricey, but can be done if you really want it.
I finally found 100% whole wheat panko as well. I used it when I made crab cakes last Thursday and no one noticed. Win!
According to Americas test kitchen (cook’s illustrated episode), you can make your own panko by grating bread on the course side of a box grater. I’m guessing the bread might need to be a little dry/stale. I have yet to try it, as the recipes I make call for fresh breadcrumbs, which I make in my food processor.
Baked (not fried) zucchini ? Try this
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/oven_fried_zucchini.html Yum! My non-zuke eaters love it!
When it comes to things like this via REAL food: zucchini chips, homemade chicken nuggets, “french fries”, I’ll spend a Sunday afternoon prepping, lightly deep frying (just a little oil in the pan so the crumbs stick), and then freeze. On a night I feel like ‘cheating’, I’ll come home and bake up some of these goodies rather than visit a drive thru. I’m always thankful and it’s usually around 20 minutes to reheat! Recently, I made corn fritters and they were deeeeee-lish when pulled from the freezer.
Thank you so much for posting this. I was just wondering today how to make homemade chicken fingers, ect. ahead and freeze.
Not sure if you saw it yet, but I also have a chicken finger/nugget recipe: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/10/14/recipe-homemade-chicken-nuggets/
These can be frozen after they are cooked, and it is such a convenient dinner once they are made!
We make something similar but we broil them, and we do not include cheese – instead we add middle eastern spices and mix olive oil in the breadcrumb mixture.
What are the baking instructions? How long, and at what temperature?
We do this with summer squash, but I bake them! They come out like yummy chips and my daughter devours them. We’re going to do this with zucchini this summer, now. :) I’ll still bake them to avoid the extra oil. Thanks for the idea!! I don’t know why I didn’t think of trying it with zucchini!LOL
I love fried zucchini, and haven’t had it in sooooo long! Going to make this tomorrow! Eating ” real food” has been such a challenge, but we all feel so much better!
We do something similar but call them zucchini fries. I bake them and my kids LOVE them. They also LOVE to help me assemble, though it gets a bit messy :). I’ll have to try these with all my zucchini and squash that I’m growing in my garden.
Can I get the recipe for your zucchini fries? Thanks!