🌱 Vegan Crispy Zucchini & Oatmeal Sticks
✨ Why this works
- The zucchini keeps the inside tender.
- The oatmeal coating becomes crispy when baked or air-fried.
- Entirely plant-based, kid-friendly, and customizable.
🥒 Ingredients (2–3 servings)
For the sticks
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 1 cup rolled oats (or quick oats)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast (optional but adds flavor)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (or chickpea flour for GF)
- ½ cup plant-based milk (unsweetened)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (helps crispiness)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½–1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- Black pepper, to taste
Optional add-ins
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds or hemp seeds
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Hot paprika or chili flakes
🔪 Instructions
1. Preheat
- Oven: 425°F (220°C)
- Or air fryer: 390°F (200°C)
2. Prepare the zucchini
- Cut the zucchini into sticks (like thick fries).
- Pat dry to remove excess moisture.
3. Make the oat coating
- Pulse rolled oats in a blender/processor 3–5 times until coarse crumbs (NOT flour).
- Mix oats with nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Make the batter
- In a bowl, whisk flour + plant milk + cornstarch until smooth and slightly thick (like pancake batter).
5. Coat the sticks
- Dip each zucchini stick into the wet batter.
- Roll in the oat mixture to fully coat.
- Place on a lined baking sheet or air fryer basket.
6. Bake / Air-fry
- Bake: 20–25 min, flipping halfway, until golden and crisp.
- Air fry: 10–14 min, shaking halfway.
7. Let them rest
- Allow 3–5 minutes after cooking to crisp further.
🍋 Serving ideas
- Vegan garlic aioli
- Lemon tahini dip
- Marinara sauce
- Spicy sriracha mayo (vegan)
💡 Tips & Variations
- Gluten-free: Use chickpea flour, GF oats.
- Extra crispy: Spray lightly with oil before baking.
- Cheesy flavor: Add more nutritional yeast.
- Low-oil: Skip oil completely—oat coats crisp well on their own.
If you’d like, I can also provide:
👉 a gluten-free version
👉 a kid-friendly mild seasoning version
👉 or high-protein variations using tofu or chickpea batter!
