This savory air fryer zucchini and squash is incredibly easy to make in just 15 minutes. It is full of incredible flavor and makes a great side dish!
This air fried squash is one of my favorite easy vegan side dish recipes. Even though I traditionally think of summer recipes when I think of squash, both zucchini and yellow squash are typically found in the grocery stores year round.
You can serve this as a side dish or toss it in your favorite salad or power bowl! It's a great choice for your next cookout or summer feast as well.
This recipe is delicious when served with my Spicy Vegan Chicken Sandwich and my Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwich.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: This entire dish comes together in just 15 minutes from start to finish and is considered an easy, low maintenance recipe.
- Vegan & gluten-free: There isn't any gluten and aren't any animal products in this recipe.
- Low in calories: This low-calorie side dish recipe is just 24 calories per serving.
- Air Fryer Recipe: No need to preheat your oven or light up your grill, the only equipment you'll need is any air fryer.
Ingredient Notes
Squash: I used a combination of zucchini and yellow squash.
Olive Oil: I always prefer to use a high quality extra virgin olive oil when cooking. This will give you a better overall flavor.
Garlic: Using freshly minced garlic rather than pre-minced, jarred garlic will give your squash the best possible flavor.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
Make it spicy: You can spice things up by adding half a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes when mixing all of your ingredients together.
Add fresh herbs: If you're looking for more fresh flavor in this recipe you can add a teaspoon for fresh thyme or rosemary.
Use garlic powder: No need to worry if you don't have fresh garlic on hand, you can use ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of a fresh clove.
Swap out the olive oil: You can swap avocado for the olive oil if you prefer. It's a great choice because it has a high heat tolerance and neutral flavor.
Add onions: If you're looking for more flavor you can add thick slices of red onion to the squash when mixing everything together.
Step by Step Instructions
Image 1: Start by preparing all of the ingredients. I always like to wash my produce with water and baking soda and allowing them to soak for about 10 minutes. After soaking, drain the water and rinse the produce off really well.
Image 2: Next you'll cut both squashes into thick half moon slices that are uniform in size and shape. Freshly mince the garlic and toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
Image 3: Preheat the air fryer for a minute or two then pause it, remove the basket, add the squash to the basket and start cooking.
Image 4: Pause the air fryer half way through cooking, remove the basket and give the squash a gentle toss. This will ensure that everything gets cooked evenly.
Expert Tips
- Make thick slices: When making these air fryer zucchini and yellow squash pieces I like to make them a bit thicker. No matter what size the squash pieces are they will dry up a bit in the air fryer so I opted for slightly larger than usual slices.
- Make uniform slices: Whenever you're roasting or frying veggies it's important to make slices that are uniform in size. This will help to make sure that everything is cooking to the same level and will prevent having pieces that are overcooked or undercooked.
- Preheat the air fryer: I almost always preheat my air fryer for a minute or two to ensure I make the most of my cooking time and everything cooks properly the same way you would with an oven.
- Don't overcrowd: I like to make a single layer in the air fryer basket so that everything has enough heat circulating around it to cook well.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you should leave the outer skin on the squash before cooking it. Not only are there nutrients in the outer skin but the inside of a squash can be fragile and keeping the skin on helps to keep everything together.
Yes for two reasons. The first reason is that adding salt will give your roasted squash a great flavor. The second reason is that it will help draw water/moisture out of the squash while cooking so you don't end up with soggy squash.
You can absolutely add more vegetables to your air fryer squash! Some veggies I would recommend are red onion, bell peppers, and asparagus.
How to Serve Air Fried Squash
There are so many delicious ways to enjoy this air fryer roasted zucchini and yellow squash. Some of my favorite ways to incorporate it into meals are below:
- On its own: You can enjoy this delicious vegetable medley on its own. It already has some seasoning on it but you can always dip it in your favorite BBQ sauce too!
- In a salad: If you're looking for a new way to make your salads more exciting you can add some of this squash to it.
- In a power bowl: Add a scoop to your favorite power bowl or Buddha bowl.
- Add it to risotto: Its delicious in a nice creamy risotto dish. Add a scoop or two at the end of the risotto cooking for a veggie-filled and flavorful recipe.
More Plant-Based Side Dishes You'll Love
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Air Fryer Squash
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 Zucchini squash
- 1 Yellow squash
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove Minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Start by preheating your air fryer at 400 degrees. While it heats up, wash the squash and prep the ingredients according to the ingredient list. I typically like to slice the pieces of squash so they are either ¼ of an inch or ½ an inch thick. Just make sure they are uniform in size so they cook evenly.
- Toss the two squashes, olive oil, salt, and garlic together in a bowl until well coated. Then pause the air fryer and transfer the squash into the air fryer basket forming a single layer.
- Cook the squash at 400 degrees for a total of 12 minutes, pausing the air fryer and tossing the squash half way through cooking.
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