Do you have an abundance of zucchini but aren’t sure how to use it? Making fried zucchini is an excellent way to make use of this versatile garden vegetable. Some people call them zucchini fries. This recipe calls for the zucchini to be cut into chunks, which I explain below. To make fried zucchini even better, try making one of these recipes for fried zucchini dipping sauce. The ingredients are simple, and in some cases, you can just use a sauce that’s ready made straight off of the grocery shelf. Ready to learn how to make fried zucchini and learn some awesome recipes for fried zucchini dipping sauce? You’re in the right place. Read on!
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My Fried Zucchini Backstory
Like many home gardeners, I found myself with much more zucchini than I had planned on. The problem? My boys were not huge zucchini fans. What could I make with zucchini that they would actually like? I had tried many ways to use the zucchini, including making chocolate chip zucchini bread, but I needed something that would use a larger quantity of zucchini. I found a recipe called Giant Toes that tried to make eating zucchini fun for kids. I never tried to shape the zucchini pieces into toes, but you could. For Halloween, you could call these fried gems Mummy Toes. Whatever you call them, they are delicious. I changed the recipe to use less oil, and I added some fun dipping sauce recipes to go along with the basic fried zucchini recipe. See what you think!
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Equipment Needed for Fried Zucchini
Depending upon the size of the zucchini, the outer skin may be tender (on smaller zucchini), or a bit tough (if your zucchini is large). If you decide to peel the zucchini, you will need a vegetable peeler. You will also need a cutting board, two mixing bowls, a small saucepan, a slotted spoon, paper towels, and a dish to place the fried zucchini on for serving.
For the sauces, all you need is a small bowl and a spoon for stirring. You may wish to set out a variety of small bowls with a variety of dipping sauces. I like to use small glass bowls. If you are worried about people double-dipping their fried zucchini, you could give each person their own bowl of dipping sauce or sauces.
Ingredients for Fried Zucchini
To make the basic fried zucchini, you need only a few simple ingredients. Instead of frying the zucchini in a large skillet, which takes a lot of oil, I like to fry the zucchini in a small saucepan with one inch of oil. Since I can only coat the zucchini with the egg and flour in small batches anyway, this method works well. Here are the ingredients you will need.
4 small, 2 medium, or 1 large zucchini
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (for sprinkling on the zucchini pieces before frying)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 to 1 cup of canola oil (enough to fill a small saucepan with about 1 inch of the oil)
Directions for Fried Zucchini
Peel zucchini, if desired. Cut zucchini lengthwise into 4 to 8 pieces, depending upon the size of your zucchini. Slice each long piece into 2-inch pieces. If you are making these into toe shapes, you can round the corners a bit. Pat the slices dry and sprinkle salt on the zucchini pieces to draw out the moisture before dipping in the egg mixture.
In one medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the flour and seasoning salt. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the two eggs. Set aside. Place a couple of paper towels on a plate or in a bowl.
Heat oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Place a few (5-7) zucchini pieces in the bowl with the beaten eggs and stir to coat. Using a fork, transfer the egg-covered zucchini into the flour mixture and toss with a different fork to coat. Place the zucchini pieces in the hot oil and fry for about 3 minutes. While the zucchini is frying, place more zucchini pieces in egg, then flour, to get ready for frying.
Remove the fried zucchini from the saucepan with a slotted spoon. Place on the paper towel on the plate or bowl. Repeat the coating and frying process until all of the zucchini is fried and on the plate or in the bowl. Serve the fried zucchini with dipping sauces or enjoy all on their own.
What is a Good Dipping Sauce for Fried Zucchini?
Fried zucchini can be paired with a variety of delicious dipping sauces to enhance their flavor. Feel free to experiment with the sauces listed below and adjust the ingredients to your taste preferences. Ultimately, the best dipping sauce for your fried zucchini will depend on your personal flavor preferences, so don’t be afraid to get creative and try different combinations. These sauces work well as dip for zucchini chips, zucchini sticks, or any other type of fried zucchini.
Dipping Sauces for Fried Zucchini
Some of these recipes for fried zucchini dipping sauce may be made from scratch. Other dips for zucchini fries may be purchased at the store and garnished with your own special ingredients, if you wish. You may also serve the purchase sauces plain. If you are having trouble getting kids to eat zucchini, having a selection of tasty fried zucchini dipping sauces may be your answer. Read on to choose the best dipping sauce for zucchini (this includes easy cheesy zucchini fritters as well) from the following fried zucchini dipping sauce recipes.
BBQ Campfire Sauce
This dip for zucchini fries could not be easier to make. Just take equal parts barbecue sauce and mayonnaise and mix together in a bowl. For example, combine 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and you have enough sauce to serve 4 people.
Fry Sauce
This fry sauce for dipping fried zucchini is very similar to the recipe for BBQ Campfire Sauce above. The only difference is that you use ketchup instead of barbecue sauce. Combine 2 tablespoons of ketchup with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise for enough to serve 4. We also like to use this sauce when we go camping and have some fried or grilled fish fillets to eat.
Tzatziki Sauce
To make a simple, traditional Greek tzatziki sauce, also known as cucumber dip for fried zucchini, just combine the following ingredients:
1/2 cup grated cucumber (press the shreds into a paper towel to absorb extra moisture)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried)
3 slices of preserved lemon to garnish (optional)
This recipe makes about a cup and a half of zucchini dipping sauce, so you might have some left over for another meal. Tzatziki is also delicious with pita bread or served as a dipping sauce for fresh veggies.
Avocado Crema
Avocado crema is a creamy, smooth sauce that can be used for dipping or as a salad dressing. This cool, refreshing sauce is also great on top of your favorite spicy dish. It makes a fabulous dipping sauce for fried zucchini. Here’s what you will need:
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 garlic clove
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This recipe makes about 1 and 1/2 cups of zucchini dipping sauce. If it’s too thick, you can add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Creamy Onion Dip
Combine 1 16-ounce container of sour cream with 1 envelope of onion soup mix. Blend ingredients together. You can even mix this dipping sauce directly in the sour cream container if you are camping and trying not to use too many dishes.
Dill Dip
Similar to the onion dip, this dill dip recipe may be mixed directly in a sour cream container. Here are the simple ingredients:
1 16 ounce container sour cream
2 tablespoons dried dill weed
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Combine all ingredients together. Serve right away, or chill until you are ready to serve. This cool, creamy dip makes the perfect dipping sauce for fried zucchini.
Seafood Dip
A favorite dip around our house, this easy shrimp and crab dip makes about 5 cups of dipping sauce. In order to have the right consistency for dipping fried zucchini, I would definitely add the water, which is an optional ingredient. If you have leftover dip, it’s also great with pita chips and fresh veggies.
Honey Mustard Sauce
You can buy honey mustard sauce as a dressing in the grocery store, or you can make your own by combining these simple ingredients for an easy fried zucchini dipping sauce recipe:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Mix all ingredients together. Makes about 3/4 cup of fried zucchini dipping sauce.
Ranch Dressing
You can’t go wrong with serving ranch dressing as a dipping sauce for fried zucchini. Some of the most popular store brands in a bottle include Hidden Valley, Kraft, and Wishbone. If you would like, you can also buy an envelope of dry ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 16 ounce container of sour cream. To make a more healthy dipping sauce for zucchini fries, you can always substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Similar to the sweet Thai chili sauce, you could make your own sweet and sour sauce, but you may not have some of the ingredients on hand, like rice vinegar. You could easily pick up a bottle of sweet and sour sauce at the store. One that is widely available is made by Kraft.
Thai Chili Sauce
Looking for a spicy dipping sauce for zucchini fries or fried zucchini pieces? The ingredients in our favorite sweet Thai chili sauce would be rather difficult to use to create a homemade version. We like to pick up the large bottle at Costco, and the brand name is Thai Kitchen. I addition to being a tasty dipping sauce for fried zucchini, this sauce is also fabulous when added to scrambled eggs.
Thousand Island Dressing with Bacon
This has become our favorite dressing to use when making easy taco salad. It would also make an excellent dipping sauce for fried zucchini. Just pick up a bottle at the store (Kraft is the brand we use) and enjoy. Instant zucchini fries dipping sauce!
Fried Zucchini with Dipping Sauces
Equipment
- 1 vegetable peeler optional
- 1 cutting board
- 1 cutting knife
- 2 mixing bowls
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 slotted spoon
- 2-3 paper towels
- 1 serving dish
- 1-4 small glass bowls for serving the dip
Ingredients
- 1-4 zucchini 1 large, 2 medium, or 4 small
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt for sprinkling on the zucchini pieces before frying
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¾-1 cup canola oil enough to fill a small saucepan with about 1 inch of the oil
Instructions
- Peel zucchini, if desired, then cut zucchini lengthwise into 4 to 8 pieces, depending upon the size of your zucchini. Slice each long piece into 2-inch pieces. If you are making these into toe shapes, you can round the corners a bit.
- Pat the slices dry and sprinkle salt on the zucchini pieces to draw out the moisture before dipping in the egg mixture.
- In one medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the flour and seasoning salt. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the two eggs. Set aside.
- Place a couple of paper towels on a plate or in a bowl.
- Heat oil in the saucepan over medium heat.
- Place a few (5-7) zucchini pieces in the bowl with the beaten eggs and stir to coat.
- Using a fork, transfer the egg-covered zucchini into the flour mixture and toss with a different fork to coat.
- Place the zucchini pieces in the hot oil and fry for about 2-3 minutes.
- While the zucchini is frying, place more zucchini pieces in egg, then flour, to get ready for frying.
- Remove the fried zucchini from the saucepan with a slotted spoon. Place on the paper towel on the plate or bowl.
- Repeat the coating and frying process until all of the zucchini is fried and on the plate or in the bowl.
- Serve the fried zucchini with dipping sauces or enjoy all on their own.
Notes
BBQ Campfire Sauce:
This sauce could not be easier to make. Just take equal parts barbecue sauce and mayonnaise and mix together in a bowl. For example, combine 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce with 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and you have enough sauce to serve 4 people.Fry Sauce:
This fry sauce for dipping fried zucchini is very similar to the recipe for BBQ Campfire Sauce above. The only difference is that you use ketchup instead of barbecue sauce. Combine 2 tablespoons of ketchup with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise for enough to serve 4. We also like to use this sauce when we go camping and have some fried or grilled fish fillets to eat.Tzatziki Sauce:
To make a simple, traditional Greek tzatziki sauce, just combine the following ingredients: 1/2 cup grated cucumber (press the shreds into a paper towel to absorb extra moisture) 1 cup Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried) 3 slices of preserved lemon to garnish (optional) This recipe makes about a cup and a half of zucchini dipping sauce, so you might have some left over for another meal. Tzatziki is also delicious with pita bread or served as a dipping sauce for fresh veggies.Avocado Crema:
Avocado crema is a creamy, smooth sauce that can be used for dipping or as a salad dressing. This cool, refreshing sauce is also great on top of your favorite spicy dish. It makes a fabulous dipping sauce for fried zucchini. Here’s what you will need: 2 avocados, peeled and pitted 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste) 3 tablespoons lime juice 1 garlic clove Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This recipe makes about 1 and 1/2 cups of zucchini dipping sauce. If it’s too thick, you can add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.Creamy Onion Dip:
Combine 1 16-ounce container of sour cream with 1 envelope of onion soup mix. Blend ingredients together. You can even mix this dipping sauce directly in the sour cream container if you are camping and trying not to use too many dishes.Dill Dip:
Similar to the onion dip, this dill dip recipe may be mixed directly in a sour cream container. Here are the simple ingredients: 1 16 ounce container sour cream 2 tablespoons dried dill weed 2 tablespoons dried minced onion 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or granulated garlic) 1/8 teaspoon salt Combine all ingredients together. Serve right away, or chill until you are ready to serve. This cool, creamy dip makes the perfect dipping sauce for fried zucchini.Seafood Dip:
A favorite dip around our house, this easy shrimp and crab dip makes about 5 cups of dipping sauce. In order to have the right consistency for dipping fried zucchini, I would definitely add the water, which is an optional ingredient. If you have leftover dip, it’s also great with pita chips and fresh veggies. 1 10.75 ounce can cream of mushroom soup 1 envelope unflavored gelatin (I bought mine in a multipack at Winco.) 1 cup water (optional) 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese (or Neufchatel), softened to room temperature 1 cup mayonnaise 1 6-ounce can of crab meat, drained 1 6-ounce can of shrimp, drained (or 1 cup frozen salad shrimp, thawed) 1 cup celery, chopped (optional) 2 or 3 green onions, chopped (reserve a few for sprinkling on top of the dip after it is finished) 1 or 2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemons (optional) n a 2-quart saucepan, combine cream of mushroom soup, gelatin, and water, if using. Stir to dissolve the gelatin. Heat on medium heat on the stovetop just until gelatin is dissolved completely and the mixture starts to bubble slightly.Turn the stove off. Keep the saucepan on the stove, and stir in the cream cheese. The remaining heat from the stove will help the cream cheese to melt. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Remove the mixture from the stovetop. I like to reserve a few of the green onions for sprinkling on top of the dip to add color. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. You will need a bowl large enough to hold about 5 cups of dip, if you include the optional ingredients. The dip will thicken after chilling. Garnish with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of chopped, preserved lemons, if desired.Honey Mustard Sauce:
You can buy honey mustard sauce as a dressing in the grocery store, or you can make your own by combining these simple ingredients for an easy fried zucchini dipping sauce recipe: 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon white vinegar Mix all ingredients together. Makes about 3/4 cup of fried zucchini dipping sauce.
Common Fried Zucchini Questions
Why is my fried zucchini soggy?
How do you keep zucchini chips from getting soggy? Whether you are making fried zucchini chips or fried zucchini “toes”, be sure to pat the slices or pieces dry after cutting. Should you salt zucchini before frying? Yes. Sprinkling some salt on each slice before dipping in the egg helps draw out the moisture.
How many calories are in fried zucchini?
Is fried zucchini good for you? This recipe for fried zucchini contains 88 calories per 1 cup serving. That’s before you add any of these fried zucchini dipping sauces, of course.
Favorite Things to Serve With Fried Zucchini
As I was writing this post, I was thinking about all of the different items people serve with fried zucchini. What are some of your favorite fried zucchini companions? I think my favorites are Greek lemon chicken orzo soup and a nice berry mandarin tossed salad. For dessert, how about some chilled pea pickin’ cake? I’d enjoy learning about your favorite fried zucchini partners as well. If you like making homemade sauces, try this easy broccoli cheese sauce for baked potatoes.
Get Organized with This Lemon-Themed Planner
Love to use lemons and lemon juice in recipes, like many of these fried zucchini dipping sauces? If you are a fan of all things related to lemons, check out this lemony undated monthly planner. Since it’s undated, you can download and print it again and again, year after year. Get lemon-themed inspiration every day when you organize and plan in this eye-catching printable.
Get the lemon-themed planner!
More Food Inspiration
It’s always nice to have a plan when it comes to parties and meals. If you’re looking for a way to get more organized with your meal or party-planning efforts, I’ve got something for you. Free, editable meal planners! The templates can be used over and over, as often as you need them. You can make as many duplicates as you like, and you’ll be able to save old meal plans for future reference. I hope it simplifies things for you.
Get my digital, editable, printable templates!
If you would like even more recipe ideas, consider following my Easy Recipes board on Pinterest. Have a fabulous day, and have a good time making these recipes for fried zucchini and the sauces as well.
Lisa Mitchell is a wife, mom, and school librarian who likes to create and share recipes, often using fresh ingredients from her family’s small Pacific Northwest farm. To get more easy recipes, click on over to the Food page.
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Love these recipes for fried zucchini dipping sauce! Didn’t know there are so many varieties… Thanks for sharing!
You are most welcome! I love fried foods, so these fried zucchini dipping sauces are perfect for me.
Oh yum. This looks incredible. I will have to try out the recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
You are welcome! I hope you get to try it.
I love fried zucchini and these are wonderful choices for dipping sauces. I’m definitely going to try the campfire BBQ sauce, it looks delicious.
Great! I’m so glad you like fried zucchini and the dipping sauces as well.
Thank you for sharing these fried zucchini dipping sauce recipes. They are easy and delicious. I love learning new ways to use zucchini!
So do I, and this is one of my favorite ways to make good use of a bountiful zucchini harvest.