137 Ways to Cook With the Zucchini You Grow in Your Garden

by Erin Marissa Russell

Looking for appealing new ways to cook and serve all the zucchini you’ve grown in your garden? You’re not alone. Zucchini plants are so notorious for producing piles of homegrown produce that the zucchini is the stereotypical crop that all those gardeners in jokes are constantly foisting off on friends and neighbors.

But there’s no reason to get bored eating all the zucchini your garden rewards you with for your hard work keeping plants hydrated in times of drought or making sure your zucchini plants stay free of disease. We’ve curated this selection of recipes to inspire you to cook with all that homegrown zucchini in whole new ways.

Kick things off with these zesty zucchini appetizers, snacks, and small plates.

Zucchini has a versatile flavor that’s bright in salads, creamy in a saute or spread, and can even be crispy baked as chips or grated thinly, shaped into fritters, and fried. This knack for adapting to any dish makes zucchini a great choice for starting off a meal as part of the first course, whether you’re dining casual or aiming for something more upscale. You might choose to begin your meal with a classically composed salad starring zucchini, skewers of charred zucchini cooked on the grill, or even chips with a zucchini dip or salsa. Take a look below—the possibilities are endless.

Martha Stewart’s Creamy Zucchini and Ricotta Spread

Giada de Laurentiis’ Marinated Zucchini and Summer Squash on Food Network

A Spicy Perspective’s Baked Zucchini Chips

Yay! For Food’s Zucchini Cream Cheese Mini Stuffed Peppers

Taste of Home’s Zucchini Patties with Dill Dip

Ruled.Me’s Twice Baked Potato Style Zucchini

Cookie and Kate’s Stacked Tomato, Summer Vegetable, and Grilled Bread Salad

Tasting Page’s Edamame Tossed Zoodles with Honey Walnut Vinaigrette

Food and Wine’s Grilled Zucchini Kabobs with Zucchini Dip

Genius Kitchen’s Zucchini Slaw

Valerie’s Kitchen’s Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles

TheKitchn’s Zucchini, Mint, and Yogurt Spread

Recipe Girl’s Fresh Corn, Zucchini, and Tomato Salad

Life Currents’ Zucchini Jam

Taste of Home’s Zucchini Tomato Salsa

Foodlets’ Cheesy Zucchini Bites

Darcy Lenz’s Spiralized Summer Vegetable Salad on MyRecipes

Damn Delicious’ Parmesan Zucchini and Corn

Six Sisters Stuff’s Cheesy Zucchini Sticks

AllRecipes’ Balsamic Grilled Zucchini

Merle O’Neal’s Zucchini Tots on Tasty.co

Vikalinka’s Warm Zucchini Salad

The Spruce Eats’ Zucchini Baba Ganoush

Bobby Flay’s Grilled Zucchini Salad with Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette on Food Network

New York TImes’ Zucchini Carapaccio

Gimme Delicious’ The Best Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries

Cooking Light’s Zucchini Butter

Genius Kitchen’s Zucchini Crudo

AllRecipes’ Baked Zucchini Chips

Feasting at Home’s Zucchini Hummus

Simmer zucchini from the garden in silky soups for a comforting, healthy meal.

Zucchini’s smooth, velvety texture when it’s simmered in a liquid makes it a natural choice for starring in veggie-stuffed soups. But don’t feel limited to your usual icebox-cleaning vegetable soup approach. Take your inspiration from cultures around the world and innovative flavor pairings that will make soup your family’s new favorite way to eat their veggies. Too hot to stand over a soup pot stirring or let it bubble on the burner all day? Check out the last two recipes for chilled soups that are perfect for the dog days of summer.

Eating Well’s Tortellini and Zucchini Soup

TheKitchn’s Sausage and Zucchini Soup

New York Times’ Puréed Zucchini Soup with Curry

Happy Hearted Kitchen’s Zucchini, Almond, and Mint Soup with Lemony Lentils on Food52

101 Cookbooks’ Thai Zucchini Soup

Taste of Home’s Italian Zucchini Soup

Simply Recipes’ Spicy Zucchini Soup

Primavera Kitchen’s Zucchini Summer Soup

Mexican Food Journal’s Carrot and Zucchini Soup

Once Upon a Chef’s Creamy Zucchini, Walnut, and Dill Soup

Snixy Kitchen’s Zucchini Noodle Egg Drop Soup

Silvia Merler’s Zucchini Soup with Feta and Fresh Dill on Food52

A Cedar Spoon’s Thai Coconut Zoodle Soup

Food and Wine’s Silky Zucchini Soup

Skinny Taste’s Cream of Zucchini Soup

Killing Thyme’s Zucchini Gazpacho

Gourmande in the Kitchen’s Chilled Zucchini Basil Soup

Let homegrown veggies take the spotlight with tasty main dishes that put zucchini front and center.

These main courses will help you make use of your bumper crop of zucchini without simply serving a pile of roasted veggies. Some of the recipes in this section take their inspiration from vegan and vegetarian mainstays, such as stuffed zucchini or falafel. Never fear, though—we’ve included plenty of carnivorous options for meatlovers that will put a dent in your stockpile of zucchini, too. Feature your homegrown zucchini and get dinner sorted out at the same time by choosing your favorite of the zucchini main dish recipes we’ve rounded up here.

Kitchen Treaty’s White Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Skinny Taste’s Chicken Zoodle “Lo Mein” for Two

Healthy Little Vittles’ Baked Falafel with Zucchini and Mint

Eating Richly’s Zucchini Beef Skillet (A One-Pot Paleo Dinner)

An Italian in My Kitchen’s Easy Cheesy Zucchini Parmigiano

Cookie and Kate’s Summer Squash Tacos with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce

The Recipe Critic’s Best Ever Zucchini Crust Pizza

Gimme Delicious’ Quick Zucchini Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce and Chicken

Little Broken’s Sheet Pan Zucchini Chicken Enchiladas

The Seasoned Mom’s Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Casserole

Vegweb’s Stuffed Zucchini

Tasteaholics’ Baked Zucchini Dumplings

TheKitchn’s Greek Pasta with Lamb, Zucchini, and Feta

Genius Kitchen’s Bell Pepper-Zucchini Fajitas

Skinny Taste’s Zucchini Pizza Bites

White on Rice Couple’s Zucchini Pad Thai Noodles “Zoodles”

Kahnita Wilkerson’s Low-Carb Zucchini “Ravioli” on Tasty.co

Real Simple’s Zucchini Parmesan Frittata

Dinner at the Zoo’s Zucchini Gratin

Betty Crocker’s Impossibly Easy Zucchini Pie

Live Eat Learn’s Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Avocado Pesto

Rachael Ray’s Zucchini Chili on Food Network

Kirbie Cravings’ Zucchini Noodles Mac and Cheese

Food Network Magazine’s Skillet Eggs with Squash

Two Peas and Their Pod’s Grilled Ratatouille Pasta Salad

AllRecipes’ Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas

Taste of Home’s Zucchini Lasagna

Brit + Co’s No-Cook Veggie Pasta

Skinny Taste’s Zucchini Pork Dumplings

Slender Kitchen’s Thai Red Curry Pork with Zucchini Noodles

TheKitchn’s Eight-Ball Zucchini with Eggs Baked Inside

Vegweb’s Zucchini Garbanzo Tacos with Caramelized Onions

Put your chef’s hat on for these fancy-feeling zucchini recipes.

The preparations in this section are sure to impress your dinner guests. Don’t be intimidated if you’re a beginning chef, though (or just a person who prefers quick, breezy recipes). These ways to cook zucchini feel fancy because they look beautiful on the plate, call on gourmet ingredients, use uncommon techniques, or simply appear to take more effort than they actually require. Ready to impress your dinner guests? Peruse the showstopping zucchini recipes we’ve collected below.

Julia Child’s Zucchini Tian on Food52

Dishing Out Health’s Blistered Tomato and Zucchini Tartines with Whipped Feta

Fine Cooking’s Zucchini Tart with Lemon Thyme and Goat Cheese

Michael Symon’s Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Dill on Cooking Channel

From a Chef’s Kitchen’s Four Cheese Strata with Zucchini and Tomatoes

New York Times’ Dudhi Kofta Curry (Indian Squash Dumplings)

Smitten Kitchen’s Zucchini and Ricotta Galette

Inspiralized’s Zucchini Spaghetti with Parsley, Tuna, and Lemon

Epicurious’ Zucchini, Bacon, and Gruyère Quiche

Half Baked Harvest’s Roasted Zucchini Burgers with Garlic Whipped Feta

FoodieCrush’s Heirloom Tomato, Zucchini, Caramelized Onion, and Feta Galette

Ellie Krieger’s Grilled Zucchini Rolls with Herbs and Cheese on Cooking Channel

Fine Cooking’s Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Pizza

An Italian in My Kitchen’s Creamy Italian Zucchini Risotto

Neighbor Food Blog’s Honey Garlic Shrimp and Zucchini Foil Packets

Once Upon a Chef’s Ratatouille

Damn Delicious’ Zucchini Parmesan Foil Packets

Savory Online’s Zucchini Carrot Puff Pastry Roses

Closet Cooking’s Zucchini Ricotta Gnocchi

Add zucchini to breads, muffins, and other savory pastries for an unexpected dose of homegrown veggies.

The last place your diners will expect to find zucchini from the garden is in their dinner rolls, cornbread, and other savory pastries. You’ll find ideas here for including zucchini in breads and pastries that we doubt you’ve considered yet—from scones to pancakes to biscuits and more.

Home Cooking Adventure’s Zucchini Pancakes (Hobakjeon)

Mel’s Kitchen Cafe’s Fluffy Zucchini Cornbread

Cooking on the Weekends’ Chipotle Bacon Zucchini Cake

Manu’s Menu’s Zucchini and Blue Cheese Savory Pastries

The Real Food Dietitians’ Savory Zucchini Fritters

Taste of Home’s Zucchini Dinner Rolls

Food52’s Savory Zucchini Cake

Gather for Bread’s Zucchini Parmesan Buttermilk Biscuits

Umami Girl’s Savory Zucchini Cake

The Forked Spoon’s Cheesy Zucchini Bread (Quick Bread)

Kitchen Confidante’s Savory Zucchini Scones with Feta and Thyme

Two Peas and Their Pod’s Three Cheese Zucchini Drop Biscuits

Whole Foods Market’s Fresh Corn and Zucchini Cakes

Sweeten things up with creative zucchini-based desserts.

We’re willing to bet just about all of our readers have had at least one warm slice of homemade zucchini bread (cooked by a grandma, if you’re lucky). However, traditional zucchini bread is by no means the end-all and be-all of zucchini-centric sweet treats. If you can dream it, you can add zucchini to it. Take a look at the recipes listed here to see what we mean.

Spend With Pennies’ Lemon Zucchini Cupcakes

Elise Bauer’s Grandma’s Zucchini Cake on Simply Recipes

A Classic Twist’s Orange Zucchini Bread

Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt’s Peanut Butter Zucchini Squares

The Chunky Chef’s Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Zucchini

Nana Marmelade’s Double Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Pecans

AllRecipes’ Zucchini Oatmeal Waffles

The Kitchen Paper’s Coconut Zucchini Bread

The Recipe Critic’s Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Savoring the Thyme’s Zucchini Banana Muffins

Tasty Kitchen’s Pineapple Zucchini Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chelsea’s Messy Apron’s Cream Cheese Swirled Zucchini Bread

Genius Kitchen’s Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies

King Arthur Flour’s Zucchini Brownies

Sugar Spun Run’s Zucchini Roll

AllRecipes’ Pumpkin Zucchini Bread/Cake

The Recipe Critic’s Zucchini Oat Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting

Tartine’s Zucchini and Orange Marmalade Tea Cake

Betty Crocker’s Zucchini Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Averie Cooks’ Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Carpé Season’s Chocolate Coconut Zucchini Bread with Coconut Crumble Topping

Taste of Home’s Zucchini Cobbler

Genius Kitchen’s Soft Zucchini Spice Cookies

Six Sisters Stuff’s Carrot and Zucchini Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

The Charmed Kitchen’s Zucchini Bread Pudding

See? There’s simply no reason to let boredom get the best of you when it comes to using all the bounty your garden has to offer, especially when the crop in question is as adaptable and tasty as zucchini. Gardeners come back to this delicious vegetable over and over because it’s a surefire hit in the kitchen—and in the garden, since zucchini is easy enough for everyone to grow. We’re sure you’ve found plenty of new ideas for serving the zucchini you’ll grow this season in the recipes collected in this article.