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Home » Appetizers

Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites

July 27, 2017 by Morgan 69 Comments

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Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites. These are easy to make, super flavorful, and baked so they're much healthier than fritters! Serve 'em as snacks, appetizers, or even a side dish! | hostthetoast.com

Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites. These are easy to make, super flavorful, and baked so they're much healthier than fritters! Serve 'em as snacks, appetizers, or even a side dish! | hostthetoast.com

Have you ever seen three grown men get excited over zucchini? Because I have to say that was definitely a new experience for me. 

Don't get me wrong-- there's a lot to love about these Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites. They're tender inside and crispy outside, kind of like what you'd expect out of a great tater tot. They've got a ton of cheddar cheese mixed in for that ooey-gooey factor. They've got garlic powder, fresh dill, and green onion to make 'em even tastier. And all of that zucchini? It's mild in flavor so it doesn't overpower any of the other ingredients (as evidenced by the aforementioned grown men being excited by these things), but makes the bites tender and, of course, loaded with vegetables.

We could even say that the zucchini makes them healthy, right?

Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites. These are easy to make, super flavorful, and baked so they're much healthier than fritters! Serve 'em as snacks, appetizers, or even a side dish! | hostthetoast.com\

Speaking of healthiness, did I mention that these Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites are baked? Usually I fry my zucchini up in the form of fritters, but this is my new favorite way-- it's just as tasty, much less messy, and ultra-dippable when they're in those little bite-sized bits.

In fact, I think it might have been the whole serving them with ranch for dipping thing that piqued the guys' interest.

That and the fact that these things smell AWESOME as they bake. Imagine the aroma of cheesy garlic bread in the oven, but with the knowledge that what you're cooking up is actually not all that bad for you. That's basically what you get here,.. and the bites taste even better than they smell.

Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites. These are easy to make, super flavorful, and baked so they're much healthier than fritters! Serve 'em as snacks, appetizers, or even a side dish! | hostthetoast.com

So much so that when the mini-crowd we've amassed for watching Game of Thrones showed up to our place on Sunday, they actually devoured these. You know, it was kind of like Ramsay Bolton's dogs. Or a swarm of wights. The point is that they ate them so quickly that George R.R. Martin would be awestruck by the scene. 

Ok, I promise I'm done with the Game of Thrones references now. Stay with me here.

Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites. These are easy to make, super flavorful, and baked so they're much healthier than fritters! Serve 'em as snacks, appetizers, or even a side dish! | hostthetoast.com

Whether you make these as a snack like I did, or as an appetizer, or even as a side dish, I would be willing to bet that they are just as huge as a hit in your house as they were in mine. If you've got a garden full of zucchini to use up, this is one seriously delicious way to do it. And if you've got picky eaters in your house that you're struggling to get greens into, look no further than these Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites. You just can't go wrong with these.

I've got three guys willing to testify to that.

Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites. These are easy to make, super flavorful, and baked so they're much healthier than fritters! Serve 'em as snacks, appetizers, or even a side dish! | hostthetoast.com

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Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bites


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 21 reviews

  • Author: Morgan
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 30 bites 1x
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Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 cups shredded and patted dry zucchini (from about 2 medium-sized zucchini)
  • 1 ¼ cup plain panko bread crumbs
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup finely chopped green onion
  • 2 tablespoons chopped dill
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Ranch, for serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the zucchini, panko bread crumbs, cheddar cheese, egg, green onion, dill, and seasonings until well-combined.
  3. One tablespoon at a time, press the zucchini mixture into small balls. Place onto the baking sheet and repeat until all of the zucchini mixture has been used up.
  4. Bake until browned and crisp, about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
  5. Serve warm with ranch, for dipping, if desired.
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins

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Comments

  1. Janet says

    July 29, 2017 at 4:14 am

    In step two of the directions, I think you forgot to add the zucchini to that mixture. Just checking.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      July 29, 2017 at 4:05 pm

      Oh man how did I miss that? Haha. Thank you, I fixed it now!

      Reply
    • Jeff says

      September 02, 2024 at 8:06 pm

      When you do the zucchini bites, do you take out the seats?

      Reply
  2. Kristen says

    August 01, 2017 at 12:27 pm

    I would love to make a huge batch of these and freeze some. Do you think this would work? Maybe just bake them longer if frozen?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      August 01, 2017 at 5:14 pm

      Yes, I think they'd work great if frozen and reheated. Bake the same amount of time initially, and reheat at 350 degrees and you should be good!

      Reply
      • Alex says

        February 03, 2018 at 1:41 pm

        Can I make these tonight and put them in the fridge and reheat them tomorrow?? Trying to make for super bowl!

        Reply
        • Morgan says

          February 03, 2018 at 2:38 pm

          Yes that should be fine, Alex!

          Reply
    • Mesuzanne Caracci says

      July 01, 2024 at 12:12 pm

      Batch a little dry added 12 eggs total

      Reply
  3. Jennifer says

    August 26, 2017 at 4:36 pm

    Can I prepare these the night before I plan on baking them

    Reply
  4. Pauline Carroll says

    September 06, 2017 at 6:05 pm

    My entire family loved these! I didn't have any dill but they were still delicious! I'll certainly be making them often now!

    Reply
  5. Élisabeth says

    September 10, 2017 at 5:20 pm

    I just did this recipe. It's good! I did it to my boyfriend and his friends but if they don't come home soon I'm afraid I'm gonna eat it all!

    Reply
  6. Steph says

    September 13, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    Do you think mozzarella would work instead of cheddar? I have a bag in the fridge and the idea is rather tempting!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      September 13, 2017 at 11:12 pm

      I think mozzarella would be good, though it doesn't usually have as much flavor as cheddar. =) I still say go for it.

      Reply
  7. Vanessa says

    October 11, 2017 at 8:54 pm

    how many carbs?

    Reply
  8. Lisa says

    November 10, 2017 at 8:39 pm

    Can I prepare this the night before I bake them? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Rachel S. says

      February 05, 2018 at 7:13 am

      Don't know about overnight but I made the batter in the morning and put the bowl in the fridge, then baked them in the evening, and they came out great! Be sure to wring out a good amount of water from the shredded zucchini before mixing since the zuke makes the batter a bit wet which only gets worse as it sits. My guests were also loving these and some said they didn't even need the ranch.

      Reply
  9. Ashley says

    November 12, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    Do I peel the zucchini first ?

    Reply
  10. Michael says

    February 09, 2018 at 2:20 pm

    These were incredible!! I made them for the super bowl and I think they were my favorite part of our spread. I thought the dill might overpower but it was really the perfect accent!

    Reply
  11. Meg says

    March 13, 2018 at 9:30 pm

    I couldn't get them to form. What did I do wrong? They were delicious though!

    Reply
  12. Amber says

    March 19, 2018 at 5:20 pm

    I had good hopes but didn’t think they turned out so great. Followed the recipe, but mine didn’t want to stay in shape. I ended up flattening them into disks like potato pancakes. Mine didn’t come out as crispy looking, and it made me think that maybe the shown pictures were of deep fried zuccini bites instead of baked? I couldn’t get mine as perfectly rounded as those shown in recipe pics. They were edible but not sure I’d make again

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      March 19, 2018 at 7:54 pm

      Sorry to hear that, Amber! No, these were baked, I promise! It sounds to me like the zucchini might have been too wet. You have to really pat it quite dry or the mixture is too wet to hold together and crisp up. Could that have been the issue?

      Reply
  13. Lynne says

    May 28, 2018 at 9:42 am

    What would be a great sauce for these please. I don't think I can get ranch here.
    The balls look great to by the way.
    Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Debbi says

      November 13, 2022 at 3:49 pm

      I feel like you can do any kind of dip you would like! Maybe the closest would be a sour cream or may based..like a garlic herb or sour cream and onion

      Reply
      • Debbi says

        November 13, 2022 at 3:49 pm

        That would be MAYO. (keyboard does not like me today)

        Reply
  14. natalie says

    June 07, 2018 at 4:54 pm

    what can i use instead of pamko

    Reply
    • Enkida says

      August 01, 2018 at 1:19 am

      Crushed pretzels (the cracker kind, not the fresh bready kind), though you may have to reduce the salt in the recipe if you do that.

      Reply
      • Tricia says

        July 17, 2019 at 6:00 pm

        I used a mixture of Doritos and Cooler Ranch Doritos that I pulsed in the Ninja since I didn't have panko. I figured the cheddar and ranch flavors would be fine, since both are part of it anyways! I'm going to comment after they are finished to let everyone know the outcome!

        Reply
  15. Shannenn says

    July 04, 2018 at 1:19 pm

    My husband and I both absolutely love these. Will definitely be making them again! Shared them with friends and they wanted the recipe. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  16. Laurie says

    July 04, 2018 at 3:48 pm

    I made these today, making sure to pat the zucchini dry. They turned out delicious! The only thing I would do next time is to make them for a couple of minutes less. Ovens can vary so that’s what would work best for mine.

    Reply
  17. Swati says

    July 14, 2018 at 1:01 am

    I thought these would be dry, being baked instead of fried, but they came out great, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I added red onion to mine as I didn't have green onion and oregano instead of dill. Very tasty, will definitely make again.

    Reply
  18. Pat says

    July 24, 2018 at 2:41 pm

    I just finished making these and they definitely aren’t balls. I followed the recipe exactly. They flattened out like little pancakes. They are very tasty. I would definitely make again but feel something more is needed as a binder....flour??

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      July 24, 2018 at 3:26 pm

      They should flatten out a bit, you don't want them to stay in ball shape. However if they are too thin, perhaps the zucchini was a little too liquidy still?

      Reply
    • Marlene says

      December 16, 2018 at 6:36 pm

      Actually mine didn’t flatten at all and I wanted them too. I may have been overly zealous in my removal of liquid!. So I just patted them down a bit with a metal spatula when I turned them at the halfway point and they were great. Next time I will put 1/2 of the salt but that is not a criticism of the recipe, just my personal taste. They’re delicious. Thank you!!

      Reply
  19. Kathy Arena says

    July 30, 2018 at 7:58 am

    Made these last night and thought there was way too much Panko. 1 1/2C is a lot. Tasted more Panko than anything else. They did hold their shape but I used a small ice cream scoop and I made a Lemon Garlic Aioli as a dipping sauce. Will cut Panko down next time

    Reply
  20. Lori says

    August 09, 2018 at 7:33 pm

    We loved these. Had a bumper crop of zucchini this summer and have been searching outside the box for recipes. I think they are just perfect the way they are. Sure, a different cheese could be substituted if desired, but I wouldn’t change the amount of anything in the recipe. I will say it did not make the amount of bites the recipe says but that’s because I must have made bites that were double in size! Didn’t matter! It was all good! Word to the wise, I didn’t use parchment paper, I just sprayed the pan with Pam. Half of the balls stuck. Next time I will use the parchment paper! Thanks for an awesome recipe!

    Reply
  21. Gits says

    August 10, 2018 at 6:07 am

    Hi! What can I use instead of eggs? Would it taste the same with cornflour and if yes, how much to put?
    Thanks

    Reply
  22. Vanessa says

    August 15, 2018 at 2:32 pm

    Thanks for sharing! Do you think I could prep them ahead of time then cook?

    Reply
    • Brooke says

      February 03, 2019 at 7:41 pm

      I've made half ahead: zucchini, onions, and seasoning. Later add the cheese and panko with eggs and it will turn out perfectly (added benefit of more liquid pooling out of the veggies while you wait with it in the fridge). PS: I found whole wheat panko and it's delicious, tastes exactly the same as regular in this recipe. I've made it 5 times!

      Reply
  23. lori says

    August 29, 2018 at 10:54 am

    These look so good but I'm wondering how I could make them keto/low carb. Would crushed pork rinds work to replace the panko or would you suggest almond or coconut flour?

    Reply
    • cm says

      September 15, 2018 at 4:07 pm

      I don't aim for keto, just keeping lower carb , but I used 1/2 cup panko, 1/2 cup almond flour and 1 tbsp of coconut flour, then threw in an extra egg as insurance for holding them together. Haven't made the original recipe as written so cannot compare texture, but my batch is tasty and the outside did bake up crispy. Made 24 "bites" which calc'd out in myfitnesspal at 34 calories with 2g each carbs, fat, protein. Next time around, I may leave out the extra egg and increase the cheese some instead.

      I've never had pork rinds - have you used them in other recipes where they act as sort of a binder? If so, I'd expect them to act similarly here.

      Reply
  24. Michelle says

    September 08, 2018 at 7:05 pm

    Just made. Should have squeezed zucchinis better. Not ball shaped but very good. Made a yogurt pesto dip. Paired awesome. Great recipe

    Reply
  25. Ashleigh says

    September 28, 2018 at 5:09 pm

    My family loves these! But my zucchini supply is starting to run low; do you think I could use spaghetti squash?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      September 28, 2018 at 6:44 pm

      That's a great idea! I think it would work. I'm going to try it ASAP-- if you get to it before I do, please let me know how it goes.

      Reply
  26. Sharon Z says

    October 01, 2018 at 6:37 pm

    Made these tonight and I must say they were delicious! I used a very mature cheddar which gave it a little extra kick, but followed the recipe exactly. You definitely need to squeeze out all the water from the zucchini. They held their shape and were so tasty they didn’t really need any dip.

    Reply
  27. Beth says

    October 27, 2018 at 3:06 am

    Would it be ok to make these up and freeze the balls raw and then defrost and bake later? I want to make some ahead for a big party so I dont have to do it at the last minute except for baking.

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      December 07, 2018 at 10:01 am

      I actually cooked them half way, cooled them and froze them. When we had our party I pulled them out and stuck them in the oven frozen at 350 for 15+/- minutes. They were perfect.

      Reply
  28. Brian says

    November 03, 2018 at 11:07 am

    Made these for game day and were delicious

    Will be making them again

    Reply
  29. Christine Simpson says

    February 23, 2019 at 2:10 pm

    These were amazing! I found a GREAT recipe for our next party. I live fried pickles and these did the trick! Totally unexpected, a very welcome surprise!

    Reply
  30. Tricia says

    July 17, 2019 at 6:44 pm

    Made them tonight with substitutions since I was missing some things... Used regular and cooler Ranch Doritos I pulsed up in place of panko... Red onion instead of green. Turned out AWESOME! Posted to Instagram 🙂

    Reply
  31. Barbara Nieroda says

    July 20, 2019 at 8:08 am

    I altered: It was too hot to bake so I fried them outside. I used oregano instead of dill, and only mixed in 1 cup of panko. Best if the balls are 1 inch round. Then I rolled in some panko to coat.
    Served with Marinara sauce. Yum

    Reply
  32. Bonnie says

    August 24, 2019 at 7:16 pm

    Took these to a party today (and I doubled the recipe). They were a huge hit! I will definitely make them again. I made a dipping sauce using more garlic dill and chives. They even looked really nice on the platter!

    Reply
  33. Mary says

    September 15, 2019 at 10:06 am

    I have made these numerous times & my family loves them! They r much better eaten warm!

    Reply
  34. Nicole W says

    July 13, 2020 at 8:33 pm

    oh my gosh. What a delight!
    Would definitely half the recipe - too good to stop eating!
    Mine was pretty spicy - so i would half the salt, use less panko as i need get more veggies and less carbs. But seriously this was amazing! Thank you so very much!!
    Def would be a great party food. If only we could have parties!

    Reply
    • Gilou Cowan says

      August 31, 2020 at 1:47 am

      I made this for my family and I used a non dairy cheese. I have to say that these were the best of all appetizers that I make! And they are so healthy!

      Reply
  35. Sasha says

    February 06, 2021 at 10:15 pm

    What is the nutritional info?

    Reply
  36. Susan says

    June 10, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    Excellent snack... It was a huge hit and everyone wanted the recipe.

    Reply
  37. renee says

    June 13, 2021 at 6:06 pm

    Has anyone tried using parmesan?

    Reply
  38. Faith says

    July 01, 2021 at 10:42 am

    Could you make these gluten free?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      July 01, 2021 at 11:18 am

      Yes! Gluten free panko breadcrumbs will work fine here.

      Reply
  39. Suzanne says

    July 29, 2021 at 4:32 pm

    This looks so good! What a fun way to use up a bunch of zucchini at once!

    Reply
  40. VAnessa says

    July 29, 2021 at 4:35 pm

    Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make them?

    Reply
  41. Roni Van Gulick says

    August 12, 2021 at 10:02 pm

    Made these tonight and they were fantastic! I had trouble getting them to stay in ball shapes so I added an extra egg. Worked great! I smashed the balls slightly so they were more disc shaped to crisp them up more. Also, I didn’t have fresh dill so I used 1 tsp dried dill. Will definitely make them again!

    Reply
  42. Eliel Kon says

    July 18, 2022 at 2:49 am

    Hi Morgan,
    As a non american, can you please explain what is "ranch dip" ?
    Loved the recipe and going to try it.
    Leaving my wife's email, something is wrong with mine, so if you can post the mail to me; Eliel.
    Thank you very much.

    Reply
  43. Sue C says

    August 14, 2022 at 9:07 pm

    These zucchini bites were excellent! What makes them so great is the dill! I used fresh dill but I certainly would use dried dill weed if I didn’t have fresh. Instead of panko I used crushed cheeze-it crackers.Fantastic way to use up all the zucchini!

    Reply
  44. Debbi says

    November 13, 2022 at 3:52 pm

    These are yummy! I think one time I used dry biscuit mix instead of panko due to what I had on hand!

    Reply
  45. Ashley says

    September 10, 2023 at 3:50 pm

    Do you think I could cook these in the air fryer instead? I'm kind of obsessed with it right now lol

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      September 12, 2023 at 11:50 am

      I haven't tried them in the air fryer myself, but they absolutely should work out! Just make sure to check on them as they cook as timing can slightly differ between the air fryer and conventional oven.

      Reply
  46. Emily says

    July 21, 2024 at 9:31 pm

    I made these as the recipue says and the dill and salt is all I really taste. They were really dry also. So I'm going to try these again, with less salt and maybe not squeeze out the zucchini so much.

    Reply
  47. Laurie says

    September 21, 2024 at 7:47 pm

    I did not have any dill but added a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. They were a hit as a side dish! Definitely a repeat

    Reply

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MEET MORGAN

Morgan is a full-time food blogger, pizza-related sleep talker, and self-described hobby hoarder.
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