Air Fryer Zucchini Pizza Boats (Low Carb, 20 Minutes)

Air Fryer Zucchini Pizza Boats give you everything you love about pizza — warm sauce, bubbly mozzarella, and crispy pepperoni — piled into tender zucchini halves instead of a carb-heavy crust. They cook in about 10 minutes in the air fryer, making them one of the fastest low-carb dinners I make all summer.

If your garden (or your neighbor’s) is burying you in zucchini right now, this recipe is going straight into your rotation. It’s the kind of meal that gets picky eaters to happily eat vegetables, because let’s be honest — anything covered in pizza toppings gets eaten.

I’ve cooked zucchini just about every way you can in the air fryer, from crispy zucchini fries to zucchini tots and even zucchini noodles, and these pizza boats are the one my family requests most.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• All the pizza flavor, none of the crust: Each boat has just a few grams of carbs, so it fits keto and low-carb eating plans without feeling like a compromise.
• Ready in 20 minutes: About 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes in the air fryer — faster than delivery.
• Endlessly customizable: Treat each zucchini half like a personal pizza. Everyone in the family can top their own.
• Uses up summer zucchini: A delicious answer to the mid-summer zucchini pile-up.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Zucchini: Choose fresh, firm, medium-sized zucchini. Large zucchini are harder to fit in the air fryer basket and have tougher, seedier flesh that takes longer to cook.
• Pizza sauce: Store-bought works, but this comes together in minutes with my homemade pizza sauce — it’s thicker than jarred marinara, which keeps the boats from getting watery.
• Mozzarella cheese: Shred it yourself if you can; it melts smoother than pre-shredded.
• Pepperoni: Mini pepperoni fit the boats perfectly, or quarter regular slices.
• Italian seasoning and garlic powder: For that classic pizzeria flavor.
• Parmesan cheese: A sprinkle over the top adds a salty, savory finish.
• Fresh basil (optional): For garnish after air frying.

How to Make Air Fryer Zucchini Pizza Boats

Step 1 — Prep the zucchini: Wash and dry each zucchini, then slice in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the center of each half, leaving about a quarter-inch border so the boats hold their shape. Sprinkle lightly with salt, let them sit 5 minutes to draw out excess moisture, then pat dry. (Don’t skip this — it’s the difference between crisp-tender boats and soggy ones.) 

Step 2 — Pre-cook the boats: Place the hollowed zucchini cut-side up in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry at 350 degrees F for 4 to 5 minutes to soften the zucchini slightly.

Step 3 — Add the toppings: Spoon pizza sauce into each boat, sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder, then layer on the mozzarella and pepperoni.

Step 4 — Air fry and serve: Return the boats to the air fryer and cook at 350 degrees F for 5 to 6 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the pepperoni edges are crisp. Finish with grated Parmesan and fresh basil, and serve hot.

Tips for the Best Zucchini Pizza Boats

• Don’t overcrowd the basket. Air needs to circulate around each boat, so work in batches if needed.
• Go easy on the sauce. A thin layer keeps the boats from turning watery; you can always serve extra sauce on the side for dipping.
• Pat the zucchini dry. Salting and drying the boats before topping is the single best defense against sogginess.
• Watch the last two minutes. Air fryers vary — pull the boats as soon as the cheese is golden and bubbling.
• Add fresh toppings after cooking. Basil, arugula, or a drizzle of hot honey should go on once the boats come out of the air fryer.

Topping Variations

Treat these like personal pizzas and swap toppings to match whatever pizza night usually looks like at your house:

• Supreme: Diced bell pepper, red onion, sliced black olives, and cooked Italian sausage.
• Margherita: Sliced fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and plenty of basil.
• Buffalo chicken: Skip the pizza sauce and toss shredded chicken with melted butter and buffalo sauce — my copycat McDonald’s buffalo sauce is perfect here — then top with blue cheese crumbles and a drizzle of ranch after air frying.
• Taco: Seasoned ground beef, cheddar cheese, and your favorite taco toppings.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Pop them back in the air fryer at 320 degrees F for 3 to 4 minutes to re-crisp the tops. The microwave works in a pinch but softens the zucchini.
• Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing these — zucchini turns mushy once thawed.

What to Serve With Zucchini Pizza Boats

These are light enough that a side rounds them out nicely. A bowl of air fryer tomato soup turns them into a cozy pizza-and-soup dinner, and a batch of cool ranch zucchini chips doubles down on the zucchini theme for a fun appetizer spread.

If you’re feeding a crowd on pizza night, make these alongside homemade air fryer pizza rolls or 3-ingredient pizza puffs so the low-carb eaters and the carb-loving kids are both covered. And when you have leftover pizza sauce, a 2-ingredient air fryer pizza is the easiest way to use it up.can consider using for this recipe. 

FAQs

Do I need to pre-cook the zucchini before adding toppings? A short 4-to-5-minute pre-cook softens the zucchini so it finishes at the same time as the cheese. Skip it and you’ll end up with melted cheese over crunchy, undercooked zucchini.

How do I keep zucchini pizza boats from getting soggy? Three things: salt and pat the hollowed boats dry before topping, use a thick pizza sauce rather than thin marinara, and don’t over-sauce. A thin layer is all you need.

Can I make these ahead of time? Yes — hollow out the boats and prep your toppings up to a day ahead, storing them separately in the refrigerator. Assemble and air fry just before serving.

Are zucchini pizza boats keto-friendly? Yes. With no crust, each boat has only a few grams of carbs. Just check your pizza sauce label — some jarred sauces add sugar.

Can I make these in the oven instead? Absolutely. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 to 18 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is melted and golden.

What else can I make with extra zucchini? When the garden won’t quit, I turn the surplus into air fryer zucchini bread or a batch of zucchini brownies — nobody ever guesses there’s a vegetable in them.

More Easy Air Fryer Zucchini Recipes

• Air Fryer Zucchini Brownies
• Air Fryer Zucchini Pie

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