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Baked Zucchini Fries with Garlic Sauce (Gluten-Free, Lectin-Free)

March 11, 2021 (Last Updated: October 27, 2023)
Baked Zucchini Fries with Garlic Sauce

Does zucchini have lectins? Yes, zucchini have lectins, but they can easily be removed, by peeling the skin and removing the seeds. Use this method to make the most delicious baked zucchini fries that are lectin-free and gluten-free. Serve with a garlic sauce for the perfect summer food.

How to ‘delectinize’ zucchini

Zucchini are everywhere; they are affordable and low-carb and a great addition to many meals. But zucchini, contrary to what many people think, are fruits, not vegetables.

They are high in lectins, carbohydrate-binding proteins that can be found in skins, seeds, rinds, and leaves of most plants, and can be problematic for people who are more sensitive to lectins.

Usually, high sensitivity to lectins comes with a leaky gut, so if your gut is in good shape and you don’t notice any problems when eating foods high in lectins, you can occasionally have zucchini. Just delectinize them first!

It’s actually very easy to remove lectins from zucchini: you peel them with a vegetable peeler and scoop the seeds out with the help of a teaspoon. Use the white flesh.

While breaded zucchini are usually made with sliced zucchini, we will work with sticks, which in my opinion, is a better way to portion them. This way, we eliminate the soggy and soft middle part made of seeds.

Check out this printable Lectin-Free Foods Shopping List (PDF).

Two zucchini

What is green garlic?

Green garlic, also called spring garlic, is immature garlic. It looks similar to scallions (spring onions), but the leaves are flat, and the white part has a pink tint. It has a strong garlic flavor, with more herby notes.

If you can’t find green garlic, use garlic cloves instead. For this recipe, use about five medium garlic cloves.

To make the garlic sauce, just blend the ingredients.

Ingredients to make lectin-free bakes zucchini fries

  • 2 medium-sized zucchini
  • salt & pepper to season the zucchini sticks
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 spring garlic, finely sliced, for serving

FOR THE DRY BREADING MIX:

  • 3 tablespoons cassava flour
  • 3 tablespoons tigernut flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika

FOR THE WET BREADING MIX:

  • 3 pastured eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper

FOR THE GARLIC SAUCE:

  • 3 spring garlic sticks (the very young ones, if they are bigger, use less), chopped OR use about 5 garlic cloves if you can’t find spring garlic
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup hemp milk (you can use other compliant milk but not coconut)
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or more, to taste)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Note: If you eat dairy and you want some extra umami flavor, feel free to add some grated parmesan cheese (real Parmigiano Reggiano) to the dry breading mix. You can also use different herb and spice mixes, like Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning.

How to make baked zucchini fries with garlic sauce

  • Preheat the oven to 400F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Peel and cut the zucchini, lengthwise, in half. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds (see photos of the process above). You will have 4 zucchini boats. Cut each boat in half and each piece into 4 sticks. You should get 32 sticks/fries. Season them with salt and pepper and put them on the side. If you need to dry them, use a paper towel.
  • Add the dry mix to a plate, beat the eggs in a bowl, and prepare the baking sheet.
  • Coat all the sticks with the dry mix. Then, one by one, dip them into the whisked egg, then coat them with another layer of the dry mix and arrange them all on the baking sheet (Better you use two forks for this process as it will clump a lot on your hands, but either way it will work).
  • Drizzle the sticks with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil (about one tablespoon, don’t worry if not all are covered) and insert them in the oven and set the timer to 15 minutes.
  • Make the garlic sauce: add the chopped garlic, olive oil, hemp milk, and apple cider vinegar to a blender. Blend until smooth; add salt and pepper to taste.
  • In a small bowl, mix one or two tablespoons of olive oil with two tablespoons of garlic sauce. Prepare a brush.
  • When the 15 minutes are up, take the baking sheet out and brush each stick with some of the sauce and olive oil mixture, on all sides. Insert them back into the oven and bake for 5-7 more minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don’t burn. They will be golden brown.
  • When done, add them to a serving plate, garnish with one finely sliced spring garlic, drizzle some garlic sauce and enjoy. You can also use the sauce for dipping.

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If you are not a fan of garlic, you can use our carrot tops dressing as a dipping sauce.

How to serve lectin-free baked zucchini fries

When ready, add the baked zucchini fries to a serving platter, drizzle with more garlic sauce, and garnish with more spring garlic.

Use the garlic sauce as a dipping sauce as a main or a side dish. These crispy zucchini fries are a healthier version of french fries!

And if you want to go the ‘traditional way’, then try this easy homemade sugar-free ketchup.

The finished baked zucchini fries on a plate and ready to be served

I hope you enjoy this gluten-free and lectin-free baked zucchini fries recipe!

*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.

Lectin-Free Baked Zucchini Fries with Spring Garlic Sauce

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (5 votes, average: 4.60 out of 5)
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By Claudia Curici, Health Coach Serves: 4
Prep Time: 35 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Does zucchini have lectins? Yes, zucchini have lectins, but they can easily be removed, by peeling the skin and removing the seeds. Use this method to make the most delicious baked zucchini fries that are lectin-free and gluten-free. Serve with a garlic sauce for the perfect summer food.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium-sized zucchini
  • salt & pepper to season the zucchini sticks
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 spring garlic, finely sliced, for serving
  • FOR THE DRY BREADING MIX:
  • 3 tablespoons cassava flour
  • 3 tablespoons tigernut flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • FOR THE WET BREADING MIX:
  • 3 pastured eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • FOR THE GARLIC SAUCE:
  • 3 spring garlic sticks (the very young ones, if they are bigger use less), chopped OR about 5 garlic cloves if you can't find spring garlic
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup hemp milk (you can use other compliant milk but not coconut)
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or more, to taste)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 400F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2

Peel the zucchini, section them, lengthwise, in half. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds (see photos of the process above). You will have 4 zucchini boats. Cut each boat in half and each piece into 4 sticks. You should get 32 sticks/fries. Season them with salt and pepper and put them on the side.

3

Add the dry mix to a plate, beat the eggs in a bowl and prepare the baking sheet.

4

Coat all the sticks with the dry mix. Then, one by one dip them into the egg mixture, then coat them with another layer of the dry mix and arrange them all on the baking sheet (Better you use two forks for this process as it will clump a lot on your hands, but either way it will work).

5

Drizzle the sticks with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil (about one tablespoon, don't worry if not all are covered) and insert them in the oven and set the timer to 15 minutes.

6

Make the garlic sauce: add the chopped garlic, olive oil, hemp milk and apple cider vinegar to a blender. Blend until smooth, add salt and pepper to taste.

7

In a small bowl, mix one or two tablespoons olive oil with two tablespoons of garlic sauce. Prepare a brush.

8

When the 15 minutes are up, take the baking sheet out and brush each stick with some of the sauce and olive oil mixture, on all sides. Insert them back into the oven and bake for 5-7 more minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don't burn.

9

When done, add them to a serving plate, garnish with one finely sliced spring garlic, drizzle some garlic sauce and enjoy. You can also use the sauce for dipping.

Notes

If you eat dairy and you want some extra umami flavor, feel free to add some grated parmesan cheese (real Parmigiano Reggiano) to the dry breading mix. You can also use different herb and spice mixes.

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4 Comments

  • Reply
    Rose
    February 12, 2023 at 2:10 pm

    This might sound like a silly question but when it asks for 1 spring garlic,does that mean 1 clove? 🙂

    • Reply
      Claudia
      February 12, 2023 at 2:19 pm

      Hi Rose, no, it’s not silly. Spring garlic here refers to the green garlic (that grows in spring), that you see in the pictures. If you don’t have spring garlic, use one or two garlic cloves instead. xx

  • Reply
    susan
    June 29, 2021 at 11:38 am

    You note this as also vegan, however it calls for an egg. Maybe you should change your text to vegetarian instead.

    • Reply
      Claudia
      June 29, 2021 at 11:44 am

      True, thank you for catching that, Susan. xx

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