Air Fryer Zucchini (with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts)

This Air Fryer Zucchini is easy and delicious, and if you have zucchini you’ll want to make this over and over! We marinated strips of zucchini, cooked it in the Air Fryer, and topped it with crumbled Gorgonzola and pine nuts. See the post for lots of other delicious options to add flavor to air-fried zucchini.

PIN the Air Fryer Zucchini recipe to try it later!

This new recipe for Air Fryer Zucchini uses some of the same techniques as my popular recipe for Grilled Zucchini. So if you don’t have an Air Fryer you could serve grilled zucchini with the delicious combination of crumbled Gorgonzola and pine nuts you see in this recipe.

I’m not sure why it took me so long to try cooking zucchini in the air fryer! But after I decided to try it, I tested the recipe with my niece Kara to make sure it would work for you. First, we cut up the zucchini and marinated it on the countertop for a few hours in a mixture of oil and vinegar dressing, Spike Seasoning, Italian Seasoning, and garlic powder.

Then we drained the zucchini and cooked in the pre-heated Air Fryer; see tips below for the timing in the air fryer. And we swooned over this flavorful zucchini sprinkled with crumbled Gorgonzola and pine nuts. But if you don’t have those toppings or they aren’t in the budget, see below for other ideas.

Serve the air-fried zucchini hot and enjoy! And if you’re one of those lucky people who has a surplus of zucchini right now, I bet you’ll love this extra easy but delicious way to serve it, that’s even good enough to serve to dinner guests!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• zucchini
• Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link)
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or other all-purpose seasoning blend
• Italian Seasoning (affiliate link)
• Garlic Powder (affiliate link)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• crumbled Gorgonzola (optional)
• pine nuts (optional)

What size zucchini did we use for this recipe?

You need to consider the size of your Air Fryer basket to determine how large of zucchini to use and how big to cut the zucchini. We used two medium-sized zucchini that were about 10 inches long.

Do you have to marinate the zucchini?

I think zucchini needs flavor enhancing ingredients to really be a wow, and marinating the zucchini before it’s cooked adds a lot of flavor. I recommend marinating the strips of zucchini at least 1-2 hours, or as long as you can. And if you want to cut up the zucchini before work and let it marinate all day, that will also work well.

How to judge cooking time for Zucchini in the Air Fryer:

Every Air Fryer model will be slightly different on the cooking time! For the Cuisinart Convection Air Fryer Toaster Oven (affiliate link) I’m so fond of, we cooked this 10 minutes in a preheated Air Fryer. But I am going to give a range of 8-10 minutes for the cooking time, and I highly recommend you start checking at about 6 minutes, and then check it often once the zucchini starts to get a bit browned.

What if you don’t have Gorgonzola Cheese or Pine Nuts to top the zucchini?

I used crumbled Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts from Costco for this recipe; but I know those are pricey ingredients at the regular grocery store. Here are some other idea to top the Air Fryer Zucchini:

• Use slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, or chopped cashews instead of pine nuts.
• This would be delicious drizzled with Brown Butter and topped with nuts.
• Use Feta cheese, goat cheese, or coarsely grated ParmesanT instead of Gorgonzola cheese.
• Top the zucchini with small dollops of Basil Pesto.
• Top zucchini with Tomato-Avocado Salsa or Avocado Salsa.
• Drizzle air-fried zucchini with Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette.
• This would also be delicious with Basil Vinaigrette.
• Top zucchini with Green Tomato Salsa with Avocado or Tomatillo Salsa.
• Drizzle zucchini with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli.
• Top zucchini with Easy Creamy Avocado Sauce.

How low in carbs is the Air Fryer Zucchini?

This Air Fryer Zucchini with the toppings we used has only 3.2 net carbs per serving with 4 grams of protein.

How to make Air Fryer Zucchini (with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts):

1. Cut both ends off the zucchini and discard ends. Cut zucchini in half crosswise. Then cut each zucchini half into four lengthwise pieces.
2. Mix together Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link), Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or other all-purpose seasoning blend, Italian Seasoning (affiliate link), and Garlic Powder (affiliate link) for the marinade.
3. Put zucchini strips and marinade into Ziploc Bag. Seal bag, and make sure all the zucchini is coated with marinade. Let zucchini marinate on the countertop for 1-2 hours minimum. 
4. When you’re ready to cook, drain zucchini in a colander, catching the marinade and discarding it.
5. Preheat the Air Fryer to 400F/200C if your brand of Air Fryer needs it. I use the Cuisinart Convection Air Fryer Toaster Oven (affiliate link). It  doesn’t require preheating, but for this recipe, we did heat the Air Fryer to 400F (without the basket in.)
6. We lined the Air Fryer basket with Air Fryer Parchment Paper (affiliate link). 
7. Arrange zucchini in rows in the Air Fryer basket, leaving some space between each piece.
8. Cook zucchini 8-10 minutes, or until it’s starting to get tender and the top is getting brown. (I would start to check after 6 minutes, and check regularly once it starts to get brown.)
9. When it’s done, put zucchini on a serving platter, and season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
10. Sprinkle zucchini with crumbled Gorgonzola and pine nuts.
11. Serve the zucchini hot and enjoy!

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This extra-flavorful zucchini cooked in the Air Fryer would be delicious with any of these main dishes:

• Chicken Cutlets with Mustard Sauce
• Grilled Cod with Garlic, Basil, and Lemon
• Paprika Chicken
• Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs
• Maple Glazed Salmon

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Yield: 4 servings

Air Fryer Zucchini (with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts)

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Air Fryer Zucchini (with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts) is an absolute treat to make during zucchini season. See the list in NOTES if Gorgonzola and/or pine nuts are not in the budget for you.

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini (see notes)
• 1/4 cup Newman's Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (or other low-sugar vinaigrette)
• 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (see notes)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 3 T crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 2 T pine nuts

Instructions

1. Cut both ends off the zucchini and discard ends.
2. Cut each zucchini in half crosswise.
3. Then cut each zucchini piece into four lengthwise pieces.
4. Mix together Newman's Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link), Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or other all-purpose seasoning blend, Italian Seasoning (affiliate link), and Garlic Powder (affiliate link) to make the marinade.
5. Put zucchini strips and marinade into a Ziploc Bag. Seal bag, and turn it over a few times until all the zucchini is coated.
6. Let zucchini marinate on the countertop for 1-2 hours minimum. If you have time to marinate it longer (even all day while you're at work), that will add even more flavor.
7. When you're ready to cook, drain zucchini in a colander, catching the marinade and discarding it.
8. If your Air Fryer needs it, preheat the Air Fryer to 400F/200C, following instructions for your brand of Air Fryer. I use the Cuisinart Convection Air Fryer Toaster Oven (affiliate link) which doesn't require preheating. However, for this recipe, we did heat the Air Fryer to 400F (without the basket in.)
9. We lined the Air Fryer basket with Air Fryer Parchment Paper (affiliate link). That's optional, but it makes the basket easier to clean.
10. Arrange the zucchini in rows in the Air Fryer basket, leaving some space between each piece of zucchini.
11. Cook zucchini 8-10 minutes, or until it's starting to get tender and the top is getting browned. (Every Air Fryer cooks slightly differently. I would start to check after 6 minutes, and check regularly once it starts to get brown.
12. Put the cooked zucchini on a serving platter, and season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
13. Sprinkle zucchini with crumbled Gorgonzola and pine nuts.
14. Serve the zucchini hot and enjoy!

Notes

We used zucchini that were about 10 inches long, but consider the size of your air fryer basket when you choose the zucchini.

I use garlic powder because I worry that fresh minced garlic might burn in the Air Fryer.

Most of the marinade is discarded and not eaten, so that is taken into consideration when calculating fat and calories for this recipe.

I know both Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts are pricey ingredients (which is why I only buy them at Costco.) Here are other options for topping this delicious zucchini:

• Use slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, or chopped cashews instead of pine nuts.
• This would be delicious drizzled with Brown Butter and topped with nuts.
• Use Feta cheese, goat cheese, or coarsely grated ParmesanT instead of Gorgonzola cheese.
• Top the zucchini with small dollops of Basil Pesto.
• Top zucchini with Tomato-Avocado Salsa or Avocado Salsa.
• Drizzle air-fried zucchini with Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette.
• This would also be delicious with Basil Vinaigrette.
• Top zucchini with Green Tomato Salsa with Avocado or Tomatillo Salsa.
• Drizzle zucchini with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli.
• Top zucchini with Easy Creamy Avocado Sauce.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 145Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 2.5gCholesterol 5mgSodium 179mgCarbohydrates 6.2gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The Air Fryer Zucchini is a perfect side dish for low-carb or Keto diets. The Gorgonzola and pine nuts combination might be a slight splurge on fat for the original South Beach Diet, but you could use another topping that’s lower in fat.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Air Fryer Recipes to see more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.