Air Fryer Zucchini Flowers are a fun appetizer to make in the spring and summer months when zucchini is in season! They are surprisingly easy to make and have a light and bright flavor.
Zucchini blossoms keep growing in my garden. And it seems like such a waste to... waste them. So I've been loving making these air fryer zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, basil, and lemon zest. So light and flavorful. I feel like I can pretend I'm in Italy, eating these.
Of course, don't worry. I'm not taking all the zucchini blossoms from my garden. I know it's important to leave some for actual zucchini to grow! But as I gather some here and there, I'll be making this dish over and over again.
Ingredients
- Zucchini flowers - found in local stores, farmer's markets, or your backyard garden! These are also called zucchini blossoms, or squash flowers, or squash blossoms.
- Ricotta - I like whole milk ricotta, but skim works fine too!
- Fresh basil - Fresh basil gives so much flavor to these stuffed zucchini flowers.
- Lemon zest - Lemon always adds a bit of brightness.
- Salt and pepper - The seasoning powerhouses.
- Egg white - You'll use the egg white to bind the flour to the zucchini blossom.
- Flour - Flour adds a slight bit of batter to the zucchini blossom, aiding in the crispy factor.
- Olive oil spray - This helps everything crisp up in the air fryer!
How to make air fryer zucchini blossoms
The first step is prepping the zucchini flowers. Very gently remove the inner part with the pollen, and then rinse the flower gently. At this point, you can also remove the outer green parts of the stem that are hugging the blossom, or do that step later.
To a bowl, add your ricotta, chopped basil, and lemon zest. Add a sprinkling of salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Delicious.
Add the ricotta mixture to the blossoms and twist the tops lightly to close. If you can, you may be able to add the ricotta mixture with a small spoon. However, if you have a zucchini flower that is more closed, you may need a piping bag. (Note: you may have leftover ricotta).
Lightly dip each flower in egg white, and then gently coat with a light layer of flour.
Add in a single layer to your air fryer basket and cook for 12 minutes at 380 F, flipping halfway through.
Remove from your air fryer and enjoy! Serve as is, with your favorite marinara, or with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top.
Where do you find zucchini flowers?
Zucchini flowers can be hard to find. They are seasonal, usually found in late spring to early summer. In some places, you might even be able to find them in late summer.
They start popping up in my garden in April, since I'm in Texas and it gets pretty hot down here. However, some places you might not be able to locate them until May or June.
Zucchini flowers are usually not easily found in grocery stores, as they have a short shelf life (unless it is a local specialty grocer). You can find them at farmer's markets or in your own backyard if you have a zucchini plant!
The best time to pick them is mid-morning when the flowers are open. this means you can wash, prep, and stuff them a bit easier than if the blossoms are closed.
Equipment needed
For this recipe, you will need an air fryer.
You can also use air fryer parchment paper to line your air fryer. I like to do this for some dishes to keep my air fryer cleaner!
If you are using zucchini flowers that are more closed than open, a piping bag can be useful to pipe in the ricotta mixture.
For zesting a lemon, I love my microplane zester! If you don't have a zester, get one! I use mine for grating Parmesan cheese and zesting lemons and limes. Sometimes I also use it for grating ginger.
Recipe tips
- Be gentle when washing the zucchini flowers. It's very easy to tear the blossoms.
- If you can, get opened zucchini flowers which are easier to add the ricotta to, otherwise you may need a piping bag.
- Be gentle the whole time handling your zucchini blossoms. These are delicate!
- For best results, use only a light coating of flour.
- For slightly crispier tops, leave the very tips without breading. This will allow for a nicer presentation.
- All air fryers cook differently. You may need to add more or less time depending on your air fryer.
- This recipe can be easily double or tripled.
Customization ideas
You could also add some other fresh herbs to the ricotta mixture like parsley or oregano for different flavors.
For a bit of spice, you could add some red pepper flakes or mix in some harissa into the ricotta.
For a slightly creamier filling, add some mozzarella to the ricotta mixture.
For a sharper cheese flavor, add freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the ricotta mixture.
Air Fryer Zucchini Blossoms
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Zucchini (or squash) flowers
- ½ cup ricotta
- 2 teaspoons fresh basil chopped
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- salt
- pepper
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Take your zucchini flowers and gently remove the inner parts and any outer green parts. Rinse gently under water.
- Add your ricotta, chopped basil, lemon zest, and a touch of salt and pepper to a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
- Take each zucchini flower and place a small amount of ricotta filling in the center, pressing the leaves back together to seal, and slightly twisting the top to seal.
- Add your egg white (slightly beaten) to one bowl and flour to a separate bowl.
- Dip each zucchini flower in the egg white, then gently in the flour, gently shaking off any excess.
- Lightly spray each zucchini flower wth olive oil spray, then place in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 380 degrees F for 12 minutes, flipping halfway and lightly spraying the other side with oil when flipping.
- Remove from air fryer and enjoy. Serve with marinara, a squeeze of lemon juice, or any other way you prefer.
Notes
- Be gentle when washing the zucchini flowers. It's very easy to tear the blossoms.
- If you can, get opened zucchini flowers which are easier to add the ricotta to,
- otherwise you may need a piping bag.
- Be gentle the whole time handling your zucchini blossoms. These are delicate!
- For best results, use only a light coating of flour.
- For slightly crispier tops, leave the very tips without breading. This will allow for a nicer presentation.
- All air fryers cook differently. You may need to add more or less time depending on your air fryer.
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
Fran
Made exactly as instructed and it was delicious. No sauce needed at end. A great appetizer.