Healthy Baked Zucchini Fries – Low Carb and GF!

These tasty baked zucchini fries are a fun and healthy way to eat your veggies and satisfy your fry cravings. They are perfect as a side dish or as a snack, they are healthy, low-carb, gluten-free, easy to make, and totally delicious. Pair them with a clean ranch dip and they’ll disappear from the plate in a matter of minutes!

Oh my goodness, I have a good one to share with you today!

This baked zucchini fries recipe came about after a lot of discussion, planning, and hard work.  NOT.  This recipe was like perfection from the very beginning.

I mean, c’mon…it’s baked. zucchini. fries. HEALTHY baked zucchini fries!

Dustin has probably told me like a bazillion times how much he LOVED fried zucchini growing up – I guess he’d get it at restaurants as a side all the time.  Apparently, it was a thing out in Dallas, where he grew up.

Me?  Never even dreamed about such a thing.  Guess it didn’t make its way out to California…

Then, I made these parmesan baked zucchini spears.  And I saw the light.

BTW – you gotta try these zucchini spears if you have not done so already.  They’re like OMG yummy.

Zucchini fries needed to be in our future BUT in a healthier way than deep frying battered zucchini in greasy oil. So I’ve made healthy zucchini fries!

You may have also noticed these tasty zucchini fries all nestled up nice and cozy with a delicious-looking white dip in these photos. This is not by accident, let me tell you.  Nope.

And, if you’re like me, you might be thinking… Lacey, is that RANCH?!?  OMG please tell me that’s a delicious and healthy ranch dip for these fries!!! 

Yes, my friends, that is a clean ranch dip.

Let’s make these baked zucchini fries NOW, shall we?

HOW TO MAKE BAKED ZUCCHINI FRIES AT HOME

So. Some advice on baked zucchini fries.

• Look for zucchini that is small to medium in size. The more similar the zucchini is to each other to start, the easier it will be to bake evenly (READ: get evenly crispy).
• You could always cut down a larger zucchini to make it work and cook evenly with the other smaller zucchini, but then that would be wasteful on some perfectly good zucchini.

I have more tips for you later, but first here are the steps for how to make zucchini fries:

1. combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl;
2. in a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs;
3. cut zucchini into zucchini french fries;
4. dip the zucchini fries into the egg mixture and coat well;
5. then roll the zucchini fries through the flour mixture and toss to coat;
6. bake until golden brown;

ENJOY!

WHY IS ZUCCHINI GOOD FOR YOU?

Is zucchini good for you? Of course it is! Now, let’s share the zucchini love!

Zucchini is versatile – you can make zoodles to replace pasta, add it to bread, you can stuff zucchini for a yummy main dish (gotta try my Stuffed Zucchini, BTW), you can add zucchini to salads or soups, and, obviously, you can make baked zucchini sticks. There are so many zucchini recipes you could try. Like so so so many.

But zucchini is not only versatile, it’s also nutritious and healthy. Zucchini is…

• 0 fat (yes, ZERO);
• low-carb;
• high in fiber;
• high in water;
• rich in B vitamins and contains vitamin C and vitamin K;
• contains minerals – sodium and potassium.

Curious what the health benefits of zucchini are? SO glad you asked!  Here they are (spoiler: there’s a lot of them!):

• improve digestion;
• support heart health;
• slow down aging;
• boost energy and reduce fatigue;
• lower blood sugar levels;
• improve eye health;
• help with weight loss;
• protect against inflammation.

MAKING GLUTEN-FREE ZUCCHINI FRIES

I told you that, today, will be making low-carb zucchini fries that are also gluten-free zucchini fries. How is that possible with this zucchini fries recipe? Simple!  By making zucchini fries without breadcrumbs or all-purpose flour.

Hmmm… sounds good, but still not sure how is it possible?

Well, let me introduce you to zucchini fries with almond flour and garbanzo flour! Why use breadcrumbs to make zucchini fries when you can make low carb zucchini fries instead, am I right?

BAKING VS FRYING

I’m quite sure I don’t have to tell you that baking is better than frying. If you want to eat healthy, the baking vs frying debate will always be won by baking. There’s no doubt about it.

Frying adds a considerable amount of fat to foods. While in baking you use little to no fat. And, frankly, baking gives your food with more flavor than frying. And tenderness. Which is good and appreciated in certain foods. Not when it comes to zucchini fries though! Because we want them to be crispy zucchini fries.

HOW TO MAKE ZUCCHINI FRIES CRISPY IN THE OVEN

But, won’t they not be crispy if they’re not fried, Lacey? You may be thinking.

I did at first, too.

Then, I realized I can make my own crispy “batter” using clean ingredients. Woot! So they will be crispy zucchini fries!

The thing that’s so great about these fries is the flavorful crunch, thanks to a blend of almond meal and garbanzo bean flour. It’s like the perfect clean eating breading substitute.

How to bake zucchini fries to make them crispy:

I use an oven-safe cooling rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet to make these zucchini fries – I do this because it helps get all the nooks and crannies nice and crispy. If you don’t happen to have a cooling rack, that’s okay, too – just place directly on the parchment paper.

HOW LONG DO HEALTHY ZUCCHINI FRIES LAST?

I’ve now made these baked zucchini fries many times (for testing, photos, a video shoot, for snacks, and as a side dish) and they have not made it to the fridge once.  No leftovers up in here!

They’re sooooo good.

BUT, if you want to store some of these wonderful baked zucchini fries for later, make a big batch and place them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  They won’t be quite as crispy when you reheat them, but they’ll still be flavorful.

3 MORE HEALTHY VEGGIE SNACKS

I hope these healthy zucchini fries made you fall in love with healthy zucchini recipes. Because zucchini recipes are so simple and easy. Below are three more healthy alternatives to French fries. Who needs French fries when you have so many options that are not only delicious, but also good for you?  Winner winner!

PARMESAN BAKED SQUASH AND ZUCCHINI SPEARS

This is the third time in this post I mention these Parmesan Baked Squash And Zucchini Spears. You know what that means? They are amazeballs and you have to try them!

I mean seriously, what’s not to like about them? They are crispy, healthy, and clean. And after this zucchini fries recipe, you know that baked zucchini makes everybody love healthy veggie snacks. Get the recipe.

OVEN BAKED ASPARAGUS FRIES

Should I continue with the healthy fries ideas? I think I should because who doesn’t love fries, right? Enter Oven Baked Asparagus Fries.

So yummy, so easy to make so healthy and so much better than French fries. These asparagus fries make healthy veggie snacks too! Get the recipe.

BAKED CARROT FRIES + HOMEMADE KETCHUP WITHOUT SUGAR!

And my last healthy fries recipe for today – Baked Carrot Fries + Homemade Ketchup Without Sugar!

Carrot fries are also awesome! And the homemade ketchup is just the perfect healthy dip for them. Get the recipe.

Healthy Baked Zucchini Fries – Low Carb and GF!

Baked Zucchini Fries

These tasty baked zucchini fries are a fun and healthy way to eat your veggies.  Enjoy them as a healthy alternative to french fries!

• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup garbanzo flour ((AKA chickpea flour))
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 medium zucchini, (evenly sized)
• 2 large eggs, (beaten)
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, (chopped)
• clean ranch dip, (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Layer a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, followed by a cooling rack and then brush a little olive oil over the rack. This will keep the fries from sticking. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine almond meal, garbanzo flour, parmesan cheese, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, and then set aside.
5. To cut the zucchini into fries, it’s best to use smaller, evenly sized zucchini so they resemble fries and also so they cook evenly. Slice off both ends and then slice the entire zucchini in half lengthwise. Then slice each half lengthwise to create flat planks. Slice these into long fries and then set aside.
6. Dip the zucchini slices into the egg mixture, coating well, and then allow any excess to drip off.
7. Dredge next into the garbanzo flour mixture, and toss to coat evenly.
8. Pace the coated zucchini slices onto prepared baking sheet and then place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
9. To serve, I like to top it with finely chopped parsley and dip it into my super yummy clean ranch dressing dip.

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from Merah Hati Cintaku http://bit.ly/2V4mZ1E
via MerahHatiCintaku.blogspot.com