24 Ways to Preserve Zucchini & Best Recipes
24 best ways to preserve zucchini & easy recipes to ferment, pickle, freeze, can, dry, grill, & make zucchini bread, chips, pizza, salad etc!
Zucchini plants are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Every summer we, and almost every gardener we know, are overloaded with zucchini. Besides sharing with friends and neighbors, what do we do with all the zucchinis in the vegetable garden?
Actually there are many great ways to preserve zucchini, and many delicious recipes that use up lots of zucchini. We will look at everything from freezing, fermenting, canning and drying zucchini, to best recipes on how to make zucchini pickles, chips, salad, stir fry, zucchini bread, roasted or grilled zucchini, and more!
For more garden to table ideas, try this easy potato, egg and arugula salad, and this vegetarian spring roll with homemade Thai peanut sauce.
*Some resources in article are affiliate links. Full disclosure here.
The first group of ideas are fermented zucchini pickles, which preserves zucchini through fermentation in salt brine, and refrigerated zucchini pickles, which use vinegar to preserve zucchinis.
Fermented zucchini pickles
It’s much easier to ferment vegetables in airlock fermentation jars like these. Garlic, ginger, turmeric and onion flavor these fermented zucchini pickles to sour, zingy perfection. Sliced thin into rounds makes them fit perfectly on sandwiches and burgers. Via Fermented Food Lab
How to ferment zucchini pickles
Fermented vegetables are preserved using an age-old process that not only boosts the food’s shelf life and nutritional value, and adds healthful probiotics. These lacto fermented zucchini pickles made in airlock fermentation jars will keep for months in the refrigerator. Via Learning and Yearning
Korean Zucchini Pickles
With a simple Spiral Vegetable Slicer or a tabletop Spiralizer that turns veggies into healthy spaghetti instantly such as “zoodles”, you can make this delicious Korean zucchini pickle with bell peppers, onions, carrots. in a spicy marinade.
Refrigerated zucchini pickles
These refrigerator zucchini pickles require no-heat nor canning! Make them in just 10 minutes with your garden bounty. Via Iowa Girl Eats
Other great ways to preserve zucchini are freezing, canning and drying / dehydrating.
How to freeze zucchini
There are many ways to freeze zucchini: in cubes, slices, shredded, and as zucchini noodles. Frozen zucchinis are great in soups, stews, sauces, casseroles and for baking. It’s a simple and easy way to preserve this delicious summer vegetable for fall and winter cooking. Via Urban Farmie
Can you freeze raw zucchini without blanching it?
While some vegetables benefit from blanching first before freezing, zucchini can be frozen raw without affecting its flavor when used in cooking later. Via Wholefully
Canning zucchini
Here‘s an article and a best selling book on canning zucchini using water bath and pressure canners, and safety tips for canning low-acid vegetables like zucchinis.
Canned zucchini relish preserve
When faced with a huge amount of zucchini squash from her garden, Patty made a zucchini dill relish that preserves the delicious taste of summer. Recipe here.
How to make sun dried zucchini
When Christina was a little girl, she would go to Italy in the summer, and there would be bamboo stalks with circles of zucchini hanging on them, drying in the hot, Italian sunshine in her mother’s village. Via Christina’s Cucina
How to dry zucchini in the oven
You can slice the zucchini into 1/8th inch slices, and dry them in the oven at 175 F or lower. The higher the temperature, the more it cooks vs dries out the zucchini, but if you don’t have a dehydrator, this is a good method. Via Diane’s Food Blog
How to dry zucchini in a dehydrator
Darcy at the Purposeful Pantry will show you how to dehydrate zucchini in eight ways such as chips, cubes, shreds, jerky and zucchini flour.
Best zucchini recipes
When we talk about zucchini recipes, the first thing comes to mind is usually zucchini bread. However, a loaf of zucchini bread only uses 1 to 2 cups of zucchini, while there are many delicious recipes that use way more zucchini.
Zucchini kimchi recipe
Kimchi is Korea’s national dish. It is a fermented vegetable condiment, mainly using Napa cabbage, and here using zucchini, combined with a variety of seasonings such as red pepper powder, garlic, ginger etc. Recipe in video tutorial below-
Chinese stir fry style sautéed zucchini
Simple but full of flavor, this Spicy Asian Zucchini is a wonderful, healthy vegetarian dish that’s ready in under 10 minutes. Recipe via To Simply Inspire
Thai Zucchini noodle salad
Re-create a favorite classic Thai green papaya salad with zucchini noodles. It’s easy to make using a simple Spiral Vegetable Slicer or a tabletop Spiralizer, and tastes fantastic! Via Hannah’s cookbook and her blog BitterSweet.
Zucchini and squash blossom pizza
Rosetta, cookbook author of My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy’s Undiscovered South , shares this photo of an incredible zucchini pizza, perfect way to use baby zucchini and squash blossoms from the summer garden!
Cooking with Zucchinis
Let’s look at many ways to cook zucchinis: in the oven, on the grill, and in the air fryer.
How to grill zucchini
The secret to the healthiest and tastiest grilled zucchini? Don’t put any oil on the veggies before grilling them. Via The Plant Based School
Preserve grilled zucchini in oil
Preserving vegetables in oil is an age old tradition. You can use this method for tomatoes, lemons, roast bell peppers, grilled zucchini, and more. Not only does the oil keep the food fresh it also takes on the flavors of the food itself and any herbs and spices you have added, so you end up with delicious preserved veggies and a super tasty oil that can be used on salads or to cook with. Via Larder Love
Air fryer zucchini chips
These zucchini chips are made from fresh zucchini, with very little oil thanks to the air fryer, they’re actually quite healthy. Via Diethood
Air fryer zucchini fries
These air fryer zucchini fries are crispy, flavorful and a healthier alternative to regular fries. Enjoy them as a low carb, keto snack for a summer BBQ, potluck or game day party. Via Life Made Sweeter
Oven baked stuffed zucchini
These oven roasted stuffed zucchini boats are a simple, fresh, and delicious way to use lots of summer zucchini and squash. The shells are loaded with bright, lemony filling that includes the scooped zucchini flesh. Larger zucchini = more space for filling. Via Love and Lemons
Banana zucchini bread recipe
The marriage of everyone’s favorite banana bread and zucchini bread results in a moist and flavorful creation: zucchini banana bread. Via Just A Taste
How to make zucchini butter
When shredded and cooked down, a lot of fresh zucchini becomes a delicious versatile spread. Try this zucchini butter on homemade no-knead bread toast, stirred into pasta, or spread over grilled fish or chicken.
Zucchini omelette recipe
This eggless vegan zucchini omlette, made in 15 minutes with chickpea flour, is just as good as a traditional frittata. Via The Plant Based School
Enjoy all the zucchini! See you soon!
Thirty-five plus years ago, when I lived in NH, the local newspaper had zucchini recipe contests. The first place winner won 1# of zucchini, the second place winner, 3#; and the 3rd place winner, #5! Here in Maine, we lock our car doors in August so neighbors can’t fill our back seats with zucchini (just kidding). My winter plowman once left a 50# onion bag of zucchinis on my front stairs. I wanted to ask “What did I ever do to you?” But he knew I kept them cool in the cellar to make Z bread and Chocolate Z cake for the holidays. I still make him a CZ Cake every Christmas!