When zucchini season hits, it tends to arrive in full force. One day you have a few slender green squash in your garden or fridge, and the next you’re wondering how to use them all before they lose their freshness. That’s where these 11 easy zucchini recipes come in—simple, flavorful, and versatile dishes that help you turn your zucchini bounty into something delicious for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even dessert.
Zucchini is a true kitchen multitasker. Its mild flavor means it can slip seamlessly into both savory and sweet recipes, while its high moisture content keeps dishes tender and satisfying. Plus, it’s packed with nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, making it a wholesome ingredient for everyday cooking.
For a light and refreshing start, try zucchini salads. Shave raw zucchini into thin ribbons and toss with lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan, and fresh herbs for a crisp, no-cook side dish. It’s the perfect way to highlight the vegetable’s natural sweetness.
In the mood for something warm and comforting? Zucchini fritters are a great choice. Grated zucchini mixed with eggs, breadcrumbs, and a bit of seasoning creates golden, crispy patties that pair beautifully with sour cream or a yogurt dip. You can also stir shredded zucchini into quick breads or muffins for a moist, flavorful treat that sneaks in a serving of vegetables.
For main dishes, zucchini is incredibly flexible. You can spiralize it into “zoodles” and serve with your favorite pasta sauce for a low-carb, gluten-free alternative. Sauté sliced zucchini with garlic, olive oil, and cherry tomatoes for a simple weeknight side that takes just minutes. Or stuff halved zucchini boats with a hearty filling of ground meat, cheese, and spices for a complete, satisfying meal.
Zucchini also shines in baked dishes. A cheesy zucchini gratin makes an excellent side for roasted meats, while a zucchini lasagna—where zucchini slices replace pasta sheets—offers a lighter twist on the Italian classic. For a summery pizza upgrade, add thinly sliced zucchini on top before baking for extra color and flavor.
And yes—zucchini works wonders in desserts too. Zucchini brownies or chocolate zucchini cake deliver a rich, fudgy texture while staying incredibly moist, all without overpowering the sweet flavors you love. It’s the ultimate garden-to-dessert transformation.
These recipes don’t just help you use up extra zucchini—they also encourage creativity in the kitchen. You can mix and match flavor profiles, swap in your favorite herbs and cheeses, or pair zucchini with seasonal ingredients like corn, peppers, and fresh tomatoes.
With these 11 easy zucchini recipes, you’ll never look at an overflowing harvest as a problem again. Instead, you’ll have a wealth of delicious, nourishing options to enjoy throughout the season—whether you’re cooking for yourself, your family, or a summer gathering.
Grilled Bacon, Egg and Cheese Zucchini Boats
Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, these zucchini boats are filled with eggs, two kinds of cheese, garlic and fresh chives. Grilling them over indirect heat adds a smoky flavor to the eggs and keeps them from drying out. At the end, the boats are wrapped in salty bacon, making them utterly irresistible.
Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
We all have the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, but does yours have vegetables and oats? This delicious cookie has it all — zucchini, oats, whole wheat flour, you name it. Toasted pecans and dark chocolate chips add just enough buttery crunch and sweet melt to put it over the top. Ditch your plain jane cookie and try this one that has a little of everything!
Zucchini Rollatini
Consider these zucchini rollatini a noodle-free alternative to lasagna or stuffed shells, with the added benefit of a green vegetable. Simply wrap thin slices of zucchini around a three-cheese filling packed with fresh herbs, nestle them in a garlicky tomato sauce, top with more cheese and bake until hot and bubbly.
Zucchini-Feta Fritters with Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Traditional Greek kolokithokeftedes (zucchini meatballs) are the inspiration for these vegetable fritters. We pack ours with grated zucchini, tangy feta and bright mint, then shallow-fry them for a super crisp exterior to complement the rich and creamy texture inside. A final dunk in the cucumber-yogurt dipping sauce makes the perfect bite.
Zucchini Fry Nachos
Why should tortilla chips have all the fun? Turn the humble zucchini into crunchy disks and then dress them up with all the fixings.
Spiralized Zucchini Gratin
Look no further for a creamy zucchini dish you’ll want to eat all summer long. Making the perfect zucchini gratin can be a challenge because of zucchini’s high water content (no one wants a watery, broken cheese sauce). So, after many iterations, we landed on this foolproof recipe that’s decadent from the melty Havarti cheese, yet lemony and bright from the crispy breadcrumb topping (we love added textural appeal). Bonus: it’s cooked entirely in one skillet, making for quick assembly and easy cleanup.
Zucchini Muffins
Stir golden raisins into the batter for little bursts of sweetness throughout the moist muffins.
Zucchini Jam
Use your summer zucchini surplus to make a jam like you’ve never had before. Bright and zesty from the addition of lemon and ginger, this condiment lives somewhere between jam and chutney, leaving it open to so many uses. We like it on a charcuterie or cheese board, with crackers and cream cheese, alongside roast meats, as a sandwich spread or mixed into pimento cheese. The small amount of turmeric doesn’t leave a taste but adds a boost of sunny color.
Zucchini Scarpaccia
This Italian zucchini tart from the region of Tuscany gets its name from the word scarpa (shoe), perhaps referring to the tart’s resemblance to the soles of well-worn shoes. While zucchini scarpaccia is traditionally made with zucchini, onion and sometimes zucchini flowers in season, the tart is also a great way to use up other summer vegetables. In this version, we’ve added red bell pepper and fresh corn to the mix, but feel free to experiment with other ingredients. The vegetables are salted and left to sit for 1 to 2 hours to draw out the moisture, helping to keep the tart from getting soggy; if you have time, let the vegetables sit overnight in the refrigerator for even better results. This tart makes a great snack, hors d’oeuvres or light meal with a salad.
Fried Zucchini
Zucchini strips get breaded with a panko and Parmesan cheese mixture before they’re fried until crisp for the ultimate Italian appetizer.
Fudgy Zucchini Brownies
These delectable chocolaty brownies are veggie-packed versions of Food Network’s The Best Fudgy Brownies. We switch in zucchini for the cream and half of the butter and used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. The result: a super-moist, fudgy treat with less fat than the original. We can’t think of a more perfect way to use up extra summer produce.
