Zucchini Bites

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These baked zucchini bites are simple and delish, crispy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside, perfect for using up your summer zucchini.

Serve them as an appetizer or side dish. You can never stop at just one!

A few crispy zucchini bites on a white plate in a white background.

When zucchini season rolls in, these scrumptious zucchini bites are always a fan favorite in my house. They’re easy to whip up, economical, and perfect for sharing when I have guests over.

We love to serve them with sriracha aioli sauce or mint yogurt sauce for dipping, but they are also incredibly delicious on their own.

They’re baked, not deep fried, and they have the perfect amount of yumminess without being heavy at all.

All you need are fresh zucchini, parmesan, herbs, and a touch of garlic for flavor, along with eggs and breadcrumbs to bind all the ingredients together.

And if you happen to have even more zucchini on hand, you can easily double or triple the recipe to make more.

Seriously, if you’ve never had zucchini bites before, you are in for a real treat. So grab the ingredients and throw these babies together.

Bake them up and enjoy!

List of the ingredients

  • Zucchini
  • Egg
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Parsley
  • Garlic
  • Salt & pepper
The ingredients to make these zucchini bites are arranged over a white background.

How to make zucchini bites

(Note: this is a quick description, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)

  • Shred the zucchini on a box grater or in a food processor.
  • Combine the zucchini with salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.
  • Squeeze out the excess moisture (important step!)
Two images showing a bowl with grated zucchini and a tea towel with zucchini.
  • Return the zucchini to the bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
  • Mix to combine, form the mini balls, and bake until golden and crispy.
Two images showing a bowl full of zucchini bite ingredients and a baking sheet with zucchini bites before baking.
Close-up of zucchini bites on a white plate served with aioli sauce.

Recipe notes

Ingredients & substitutions

Zucchini (or courgettes for my UK readers): alternatively, a mix of yellow squash and zucchini would also work.

Egg: It’s used as a binder.

Breadcrumbs: To hold the ingredients together and absorb moisture.

Parmesan: Don’t skip the parmesan; it adds texture and wonderful savory flavor. Pecorino cheese works just as well as Parmesan.

Garlic: I hold back a bit on the garlic here, using a small garlic clove, as its flavour can be pretty dominant for these zucchini bites.

Fresh parsley: Yes, fresh parsley and zucchini make the perfect combo that works great in this recipe. However, you can use fresh basil or dill as a substitute for parsley.

Salt & pepper: to make the final flavor pop.

Top view of a white plate full of zucchini bites served with aioli sauce.

Tis for delicious zucchini bites!

  • Let them rest with some salt to draw out the water (don’t skip the salt).
  • Squeeze out the moisture! I would recommend using a tea towel to squeeze out as much liquid as possible, rather than just using your hands. This step is crucial for achieving crispy bites.

How to store them

They keep well for 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge, but are crispy only on the first day. You can reheat them in a microwave or in a skillet with a touch of olive oil to make them slightly crispy again. However, we love the leftovers despite being soft, as they are still flavorful.

Close-up of a zucchini bite dipped into aioli sauce.

More zucchini recipes…

I have a few delicious recipes great for using up fresh zucchini, from this simple pasta to this version with zucchini and tomatoes, as well as pasta salad, crispy pizza, and desserts like this chocolate zucchini bread.

More appetizers for you!

If you love Italian appetizers, check out this fantastic collection of 40+ recipes that features caprese skewers, marinated mozzarella, pinzimonio, garlic crostini, bruschetta dip, and more!

Below are more appetizers and finger food to inspire you:

If you make these zucchini bites or have any questions, please let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! x

Baked Zucchini Bites

These baked zucchini bites are simple and delish, crispy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside, perfect to use up your summer zucchini. 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Zucchini bites
Servings: 18
Calories: 33kcal
Author: Katia

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450 grams) zucchini, coarsely grated *
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 medium-sized egg
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated
  • ⅓ cup (30 grams) parmesan cheese, grated
  • ½ cup (50-60 grams) breadcrumbs
  • 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • ½ scant teaspoon fine salt*
  • teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk.
  • Transfer the zucchini to a bowl, add the salt, toss to combine and let it sit for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 400˚F/200℃. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat it with olive oil. Set aside.
  • Wring most of liquid out of the zucchini with your hands, place it in a clean tea towel, roll it up and twist to wring out the moisture.
  • Add zucchini to a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients, mix to combine, shape about a tablespoon of the mixture into small balls, and place on the baking sheet.
  • Bake for about 15-18 minutes until golden and crispy. Serve them possibly fresh from the oven with a fresh zippy dip. Enjoy!

Notes

Zucchini: for the recipe you need approximatively 2 medium-sized zucchini that once they’re grated and squeezed they are between 1 2/3- 2 cups.
Salt: you might need more salt if you skip the parmesan or if you use a different grated cheese.
Nutrition facts: the nutrition values are for one portion only and are based on an online nutrition calculator.  It’s an estimate only and it should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please see my disclosure policies. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 139IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 0.4mg

4 Comments

  1. Can these be frozen before or after baking?

    1. I Linda, it’s fine if you freeze them after baking, not before. x

  2. Can we have the ingredients in grams, please? Cup weight is different for every ingredient and a total pain in the neck to convert them all. Only the USA uses cups, the rest of the world uses grams. Thanks.

    1. You’re right, George. I usually write both cups and grams in my recipes (but here I’ve done it only for zucchini). I’ll add grams also for the other ingredients, of course!

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