Vegan Breaded Zucchini Recipe (Baked)
Do you often find yourself struggling to make breaded zucchini, or other breaded vegetables, without using egg to keep the breadcrumbs attached? What if I told you there was a way to do it with just one ingredient- an ingredient that’s very likely already sitting in your fridge? Read on! This vegan breaded zucchini recipe makes simple, flavorful bites of zucchini- soft and tender on the inside, with that super important crispy coating on the outside.
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How to Bread Vegetables without Egg
There are lots of suggested ways to bread vegetables without eggs, and I’ve tried a lot of them. From soymilk to aquafaba, vegetable oil to water, most of them kind of work, but none of them have been great. My breadcrumbs always had a very lose and tenuous coating on my vegetables. But this time I found an alternative to egg that really sticks- just use a thin layer of mustard! Simple, and it actually adds to the flavor of the vegetables. Of course, if mustard isn’t a flavor you want in your dish, this isn’t the route for you, but I would say that most vegetables will only be improved with a little mustard holding your breadcrumbs.
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How Prolific are Zucchinis?
Have you ever grown your own zucchini? If you have, you’ll know that zucchini are a gardener friendly crop, that rely on you having a hearty appetite and thrive through all sorts of conditions. Fussy they are not, and they really don’t need a lot from you to get going. Zucchinis will flower in several places on one plant, and also produce their fruit cyclically, meaning that once you pick a zucchini, a new one will often sprout up in the old ones place. That means from July to September (depending where you live), even a single zucchini plant can supply you with a constant supply of squash. Just a single plant can produce more than 10 lbs! Ideally, you should pick your zucchini when it’s around 8 inches long, but zucchini will keep on growing much larger if you let them (although they’ll get tougher and less pleasant to eat). The longest zucchini on record actually grew over 8 feet long in the garden of one Canadian farmer, who grew his super-sized gourd with plenty of water and no extra fertilizer.
Making Vegan Breaded Zucchini
If you have a little time on your hands, this breaded zucchini recipe is a piece of cake to put together. They work best in a hot oven, and are flipped once mid-cooking. Wash your zucchinis and slice them into pieces about 1/4 inch thick to start off- I suppose you could try other shapes too, but this is my go to. Next mix up your breadcrumbs with the spices. My recipe definitely makes too many breadcrumbs, because I like to have leftovers. That way, the next time I make this zucchini I have my breadcrumbs pre-spiced! If you’re sure you’re not planning on making this again though, you might want to cut the breadcrumb recipe in half. Next it’s time for the magic “egg” substitute- mustard! Not only is it going to add a lovely mustard flavor to the zucchini, but it acts as the glue keeping the breadcrumbs attached to the zucchini. Just brush on a thin layer, and then dunk your squash right into the seasoned crumbs. Bake them for about half an hour, and presto! They’re done.
Vegan Breaded Zucchini Recipe (Baked)
Ingredients
- Two medium-sized zucchini or summer squash
- 1-2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease a baking sheet (or two, depending on the size of your zucchini and baking sheets), and set aside.
- Prepare your breadcrumb mixture by combining the breadcrumbs with all the spices. This will make more than you need, so save the remaining breadcrumbs for another batch of zucchini later in the week! Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl, and place the mustard in a second bowl.
- Cut your zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Brush a thin layer of the mustard on each side of the zucchini slice, and then dip it in the breadcrumbs firmly, so both sides are coated in the breadcrumbs. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining zucchini. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip, drizzle with a little more olive oil, and bake for another 15 minutes. When you’re done, the outsides should be crispy and then insides soft.
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