Yellow squash, cut into chunks, dipped in a blend of buttermilk and hot sauce and dredged in seasoned flour, sprayed with oil and air fried.
Air Fryer Squash Nuggets
I love summer squash and it can be prepared all kinds of ways - in a salad, stuffed, in a gratin, stir fried, smothered with onions, creamed, in a dressing, in a casserole and on the grill, among others.
And, I absolutely love deep fried squash y'all.
I mean deep fried foods are just so darned tasty - especially that good ole southern fried chicken!
Just a quick reminder.... as always, full recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, are a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll past the step-by-step pictures below.
Air fryers may not be able to quite match that crunchiness you get from deep frying, but it does a very good job, especially if you're using a quality oil sprayer. (#ad) I've tried a few and the EVO sprayer is my personal favorite dispensing only 1/4 teaspoon of oil per pull and you get a nice coverages with the spray so you can be fairly generous.
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Although you may certainly prepare yellow squash in an air fryer without a dredge, we're going Southern-style with these, so there's a dip in a hot sauce enhanced buttermilk mixture before dredging them into a nicely seasoned flour.
Here's what you'll need to make my Air Fryer Squash Nuggets:
4 yellow squash, zucchini or other summer squash, unpeeled
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tablespoon hot sauce
1-1/2 to 2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning, or to taste, optional
Here's how to make it!
Whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce.
While squash is usually prepped with slices, I like the chunkier cuts for these in the air fryer. Cut squash into chunks.
Add to buttermilk as you chop.
Let rest in mixture for 20 minutes and give them a toss occasionally.
When ready to cook, preheat air fryer to 400 degree F.
Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and garlic powder. Spray air fryer basket or trays with oil. As noted, I like the EVO oil sprayer (#ad).
Use a slotted spoon to scoop out squash, allowing excess to drip off and dredge each piece of cut squash into the flour and set aside on a plate.
Lightly spray squash with oil sprayer and transfer to the air fryer basket or trays, sprayed side down.
Use tongs to turn over.
Spray top side of squash.
Disclaimer: Just like ovens, individual air fryer brands differ in wattage and how they cook; monitor any air fryer recipe the first time you make it to adjust time as needed. Total time will also depend on type and size of ingredients used.
Air fry for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown, shaking basket halfway or swapping trays for oven style, and give another spritz of spray, if needed.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle straight out of the fryer with a bit more salt if desired.
For more of my favorite air fryer recipes, check out the collection on my Pinterest page!
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