Air fryer stuffed zucchini boats are a great low carb recipe in the air fryer. Flavorful and satisfying, the air fried stuffed zucchini filling is sausage, but you can use what ever filling you want.

Air Fryer Stuffed Zucchini in basket

Air Fryer Stuffed Zucchini Recipe

We absolutely love eating stuffed zucchini boats. But air frying stuffed zucchini is so much easier and doesn’t heat up the house. When you’re loving your traditional oven baked zucchini boats, try them in the air fryer. It’s a game changer! Also, you can use what ever stuffing you want. Best of all, this recipe is easy to make low carb and keto friendly. Just sub the breadcrumbs for your favorite low-carb breading (crushed pork rinds, almond flour, etc). So you can eat an extra half and not feel as guilty!

Air Fryer Stuffed Zucchini on plate

How to Cook Air Fryer Stuffed Zucchini – Tips

  • First of all, can you also use yellow summer squash? Yes you can use Summer Squash instead of zucchini.
  • Choose a smaller, tender zucchini. The larger they are, the older and tougher they cook. You want something smaller that can cook quick.
  • Make sure to scoop out all the seeds when hollowing out the zucchini. The more hollow it is, the more filling you can add into the cavity.
  • You might need to cook in several batches depending on the size of your air fryer
  • Want a lot of meat filling? Then Pre-cooking the filling ensures that the sausage or any meat is fully cooked. If you’re not adding a lot of filling then the raw meat should be cooked when the zucchini is cooked.
  • Add some crushed garlic if you want more flavor. You can even use about 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
  • If you want really soft zucchini, then you can pre-cook the zucchini first in the air fryer. Spray it with oil, then salt and pepper. Air fry for about 5 minutes on 360. After that, allow the zucchini to cool completely then stuffed it and air fry for the remainder until the cheese is melted and filling is hot all the way through.

What filling to stuff for air frying zucchini boats?

  • Vegetarian options are: black beans with a little sauce and cheese, or use lentils, pinto beans.
  • Vegan options are using tofu, beans, lentils or chopped vegetables but with no cheese.
  • Pescatarian options are using chopped shrimp, or fish like salmon and tilapia
  • Different ground meats: Your can use ground turkey, ground chicken or ground beef.
Air Fryer Stuffed Zucchini on plate

Air Fryer Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Sausage

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
You can use ground turkey, chicken or beef. The possibilities are endless. For low-carb/keto, replace the breadcrumbs with any low-carb breading of choice (crushed pork rinds, almond flour, etc – and use a low-carb marinara sauce if serving with a sauce).
Want a lot of meat filling? Then Pre-cooking the filling ensures that the sausage or any meat is fully cooked. If you're not adding a lot of filling then the raw meat should be cooked when the zucchini is cooked.
If you like your zucchini extra soft, you can air fry just the cored out zucchini for about 5 minutes before adding the sausage and other fillings.
4.88 from 8 votes

{click on stars to rate}

PRINT RECIPE Review Save to Pinterest

Ingredients

  • 2 medium zucchini , halved and cored
  • 1/2 lb. (227 g) uncooked sausage meat
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup (57 g) grated cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) fresh chopped parsley
  • oil spray , for coating

OPTIONAL:

  • serve with your favorite tomato sauce or marinara sauce

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Halve and core the zucchini.
    Zucchini halved and cored out
  • Lay zucchini cut-side down and spray skin side with oil spray.
    Zucchini halves skin side up and sprayed with oil
  • Flip the zucchini and stuff the center with sausage. Top with breadcrumbs and cheese. Spray tops with oil spray.
    Zucchini stuffed with sausage and breadcrumbs, cheese in a bowl
  • Lay zucchini in air fryer making sure the zucchini doesn’t tip over (see note below).
    Stuffed zucchini in air fryer basket
  • Air Fry at 360°F for 10-14 minutes or until sausage is cooked all the way through. Serve with sauce if you want. Top with parsley. It’s delicious either way!
    Finished air fried stuffed zucchini boats

Notes

Zucchini can often tip over if you’re using a large basket air fryer or oven style air fryer. Create an aluminum foil ring around zucchini base so it doesn’t roll over.

If your air fryer is preheated or if you are cooking multiple batches, you may need to reduce timing by a few minutes (unless preheating is called for in the recipe).

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 611mg, Potassium: 436mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 515IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 175mg, Iron: 2mg
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 285

Can you freeze leftover zucchini boats?

Sure, you can easily freeze these. Store them in airtight containers like glass or plastic containers and put them in the freezer. You can even freeze them in ziplock bags. When you’re ready to eat them again, let them thaw in the fridge for a day. Then you can warm them up in the microwave for a quick and easy meal prep dinner.

More Easy Air Fryer Recipes