The crispy vegetable sticks in the air fryer are delicious, easy to make, and will seem like they’re fried but much lighter and healthier. To make them crisp, simply coat them in a batter of flour and water, then bread them with breadcrumbs. To cook, only a simple spray of olive oil is needed, thus avoiding the classic frying. As you will see, this recipe is truly very easy to make, and it’s perfect as a quick dinner or a last-minute lunch.
These flavorful vegetables will appeal to everyone, even the little ones. They’ll be so tasty that everyone will want seconds! You can choose to cook them in the air fryer or in the oven by increasing the cooking times.
Also check out these vegetable-based recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2-3 people
- Cooking methods: Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 small eggplant
- 1 round zucchini
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cups cold water
- to taste breadcrumbs
- to taste salt
- to taste hot paprika
- to taste extra virgin olive oil (spray)
Tools
- Air Fryer
Steps
First, cut the vegetables into sticks about 4 inches long, including one eggplant, one zucchini, and one bell pepper.
Prepare the batter: in a bowl, pour the sifted all-purpose flour, the cold water, and a pinch of salt. Stir until you have a smooth and homogeneous batter.
Add the vegetables and mix them well with the batter. In another bowl, pour the breadcrumbs, a pinch of salt, and paprika (optional). Coat each piece of vegetable completely.
Transfer the breaded vegetables into the basket of the air fryer, or into the rotating one if using an oven-type fryer, and spray evenly with olive oil.
Cook at 392°F for 20 minutes, turning them during cooking. You can also cook them in the oven at 356°F for about 30-35 minutes.
Serve hot or cold: they are great either way. Enjoy your meal!
Prepare the batter: in a bowl, pour the sifted all-purpose flour, the cold water, and a pinch of salt. Stir until you have a smooth and homogeneous batter.
Add the vegetables and mix them well with the batter. In another bowl, pour the breadcrumbs, a pinch of salt, and paprika (optional). Coat each piece of vegetable completely.
Transfer the breaded vegetables into the basket of the air fryer, or into the rotating one if using an oven-type fryer, and spray evenly with olive oil.
Cook at 392°F for 20 minutes, turning them during cooking. You can also cook them in the oven at 356°F for about 30-35 minutes.
Serve hot or cold: they are great either way. Enjoy your meal!
Tips for you
✔ You can choose the vegetables you prefer. If you use potatoes, I suggest parboiling them for a few minutes because they cook differently than other vegetables.
✔ For this recipe, it is necessary to cook the eggplant cordon bleu directly in the basket of the air fryer without trays or parchment paper: this way they will cook thanks to the air that circulates from below to above, allowing for ideal air frying. Trays or parchment paper in this case would be an obstacle as they would block the air circulating inside the air fryer.
✔ The oil spray I used can be found in supermarkets. I recommend one of these because their spray is really misting and controlled, besides being really great. You can find some by clicking here. Alternatively, you can buy the spray bottle that you can fill yourself with the oil of your choice. I leave you the link of a great sprayer here.
✔ I recommend using the BBQ mesh to place directly in the non-stick basket of your air fryer: the mesh protects the non-stick surface of the basket (which will remain like new) and allows food to cook evenly, letting air circulate 360 degrees. You can find it on Amazon by clicking here.
✔ For this recipe, I used the SEVERIN 11 LITERS air fryer that you can find on Amazon here: link
Don’t miss the latest recipe of the 👉eggplant and provolone rustic in the air fryer: very tasty, easy to make, with a filling reminiscent of eggplant parmesan!
Follow me on my Instagram page to always be updated: 👉@friggitrice_ad_aria
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