Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

These Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries are an allergen-friendly alternative to regular zucchini fries but just as addictive! They are cheesy, crunchy, and the perfect homemade side dish or appetizer. This recipe is both gluten-free and vegan, meaning even more can take part in the deliciousness. 

It's sliced zucchini coated with gluten-free sourdough breadcrumbs and baked in the oven until crispy. Serve these with an egg-free aioli or your other favorite dipping sauces.

Homemade Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs

You can buy gluten-free breadcrumbs in-store or you can make them at home which turns out much more flavorful. In this recipe, we're using Bread SRSLY's vegan, gluten-free sourdough bread which adds a tangy bite to the fries. You can use the recipe below or this one here. 

Rice Flour As A Binder 

Instead of an egg wash, we're using rice flour between the zucchini and the breadcrumbs. The rice flour is a fine, more starchy gluten-free flour than others which clings onto the moist zucchini. Since we're using gluten-free sourdough breadcrumbs, we want a more neutral flavor like rice flour as the binder.

Make Vegan Recipes Cheesy With This Ingredient

Nutritional yeast is a common vegan replacement for parmesan. It adds that umami, cheesy flavor that goes perfectly with this baked zucchini fry recipe. 

NUTRITION INFORMATION

With nutritional yeast:

Calories: 152 kcal
Protein: 3.5 g
Carbohydrates: 22 g
Fiber: 2.5 g
Fat: 5.3 g

Total Time: 40 minutes + 20 minutes to prepare breadcrumbs
Serves: 2-3
Gluten-Free, Vegan

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs with Bread SRSLY's Classic Sourdough (recipe below) 
• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon rice flour
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Optional: 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, for making cheesy fries

DIRECTIONS

For breadcrumbs:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Tear up into 2-inch pieces any stale bread you have on hand. If the bread still feels a bit moist, spread the pieces out evenly on a baking sheet. Put the pieces in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes, or until the bread feels dry to the touch.
2. Toss the bread pieces with olive oil in a mixing bowl. Add one teaspoon of olive oil for every cup of bread. Working in batches, fill your food processor with bread pieces until the container is just over halfway full. Blend until the pieces turn to crumbs.

For fries:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Slice zucchini into 3” strips and lightly coat with olive oil. Combine rice flour, garlic, salt, pepper, and optional nutritional yeast with breadcrumbs and roll zucchini strips in the breadcrumb mixture to coat.
2. Transfer coated zucchini to a prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately with an egg-free aioli or other dipping sauces.