Name: Air fryer zucchini with smoked paprika
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 31 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh zucchini chunks, skin on; measure after cutting, or weigh the raw trimmed amount (250 g); 2 tsp olive oil (9 g); ½ tsp smoked paprika; ¼ tsp plain garlic powder; ⅛ tsp fine salt; ⅛ tsp ground black pepper

This air fryer zucchini is a small vegetable side with garlic and smoked paprika. Keep the skin on and cut short chunks so the pieces can sit in one uncrowded layer. The original batch makes two side portions. Check the basket during cooking and stop when the centers are tender and some cut faces have browned.

Measure after trimming

Start with the raw, prepared weight. Trim the ends, quarter the zucchini lengthwise and cut across into roughly 1-inch pieces. Measure after cutting. USDA’s raw-food dataset lists 124 g for a cup of chopped zucchini; the two cups here are an approximate way to measure 250 g. Piece shape and packing change how much fits in a cup.

The nutrition reference includes the skin. Peeling or weighing the cooked vegetables would give a different basis for comparison. FoodSafety.gov recommends washing produce under running water before cutting and drying it with a clean towel. Do not use soap or produce washes. A dry surface also helps the measured oil coat the pieces.

Give each load room

Ninja’s AF100 cooking chart lists 500 g of quartered zucchini cut into 2.5 cm pieces at 200°C for 15–18 minutes. Its times are guides. This recipe uses a smaller 250 g load and starts checks at eight minutes, then keeps checking until the centers are tender. Smaller loads can finish sooner.

Keep pieces in one layer with no overlap. If the basket is too small, divide them between loads. Doubling the ingredients means more cooking loads, and the extra time belongs in the dinner plan. A larger appliance’s litre capacity alone does not describe the usable flat space on its crisper plate.

Count the oil with the vegetables

Zucchini loses water during cooking, so the finished food can weigh less than its raw ingredients. The portion here is half the cooked batch, made from 125 g of raw trimmed zucchini. It is not a promise of a particular cooked weight or bowl volume.

Measure the two teaspoons of olive oil. The estimate counts all of it, including any that remains in the bowl or basket. Extra oil changes both energy and cost. Use plain garlic powder and smoked paprika; a salted seasoning blend changes the sodium calculation as well as the flavour.

Plan the rest of the meal

These are vegetable side portions. A tofu and white bean skillet is one option for the rest of dinner; its ingredients, cost and nutrition are separate. Our guide to protein portions explains why a vegetable side and a main meal have different roles.

For saved portions, use shallow containers and refrigerate promptly instead of waiting for everything to become cold on the counter. Illinois Extension’s leftover guidance recommends using refrigerated leftovers within three to four days and reheating to 165°F. This card uses three days. Reheat only what you need and follow the temperature checks in the card; the food-storage guide covers planning usable portions.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow covered containers, within 2 hours (1 hour above 32°C / 90°F), at 4°C / 40°F or below. Use within 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed, covered in the microwave; stir and check several pieces for 74°C / 165°F throughout. Refrigerated zucchini may soften.

Substitutions

For a plainer side, omit the paprika and garlic powder; the default estimates include both.
Use plain garlic powder. Garlic salt or salted seasoning blends need a separate adjustment to the added salt.

Cooking notes

Timing allows one load of about 250 g plus 3 minutes of preheating. If that amount cannot fit without overlap, use more loads. Allow about 18 minutes for each additional load; check every load rather than stacking pieces.
Serving controls keep the original times and temperatures fixed. More servings need extra loads; smaller loads may cook sooner.
Cups are approximate for chopped raw zucchini; the recipe uses 250 g. Nutrition and ingredient costs use all measured oil. Small-quantity weights are paprika 1.15 g, garlic powder 0.8 g, salt 0.75 g and pepper 0.3 g for the original two servings.

Ingredient	USD	CAD
fresh zucchini, skin on, quartered lengthwise then cut across into 1-inch / 2.5 cm pieces; raw trimmed weight	$0.78	$2.32
olive oil	$0.11	$0.11
smoked paprika	$0.04	$0.06
plain garlic powder	$0.01	$0.01
fine salt	$0.00	$0.00
ground black pepper	$0.01	$0.01
Recipe total	$0.96	$2.50
Per serving	$0.48	$1.25

Air fryer zucchini with smoked paprika

Measure after trimming

Give each load room

Count the oil with the vegetables

Plan the rest of the meal