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Pickled zucchini is an easy way to preserve this vegetable! These zucchini pickles are irresistibly tangy, great for sandwiches, cheese boards, and more.
Why we love this recipe
When life gives you zucchini…make zucchini pickles! (Isn’t that the saying?) There are so many great zucchini recipes for using this green vegetable, from lasagna to brownies.
But one of the easiest ways to use it is pickled zucchini! This recipe a tangy, salty sweet condiment that’s great on sandwiches, spreads, or to dress up cheese boards. Of course, we like to snack on them right out of the jar.
What is quick pickling?
This pickled zucchini recipe makes quick pickles, also known as refrigerator pickles, so there’s no special canning equipment required! Quick pickles are marinated in a mixture of vinegar, salt, sugar, and water and cured in the refrigerator. They’re not shelf stable like canned pickles; instead, you can store quick pickles refrigerated, where they can last for up to 1 month.
Ingredients for pickled zucchini
Pickled zucchini is great for when you have extra zucchini on hand and aren’t sure how to use it. This recipe works for just one small 8-ounce zucchini, so you can double, triple or quadruple the ingredients based on what you have on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Zucchini: Slice the zucchini as thin as possible for the best pickles.
- Yellow or white onion: You can use either here; the onion has a nice contrast to the zucchini. If you prefer, you can omit it and use all zucchini.
- White vinegar: In our opinion, white vinegar has the best straightforward flavor for a pickled red onion. Another option is apple cider vinegar, but we prefer
- Granulated sugar: Sugar is essential to any pickle recipe to make the tangy flavor. This pickled zucchini has a bit more sugar than our traditional pickle recipe, so it has a nice sweet undertone.
- Peppercorns: Peppercorns add seasoning to the pickle brine. You can omit if desired.
- Dried dill seed and dried mustard seed: Dill seed infuses that signature “pickle flavor.” Mustard seed adds more nuance in flavor.
- Kosher salt: Salt is the other essential ingredient for pickles, which seasons the vegetables and inhibits the growth of bacteria.
Dill seed versus dill weed
Dill seed is essential for the flavor of these zucchini pickles: you can find it in the spice aisle at your local grocery. Don’t confuse this with the similar dried dill weed! Use dill weed here and you won’t be able to detect a dill flavor at all. Here’s why:
- Dill seeds are small, brown flat seeds of the dill plant that are used in canning. The seeds infuse a very strong dill flavor into preserved foods, but they’re not often used in cooking.
- Dried dill weed is the dried green leaves and stems of the plant. This spice is often used in cooking (it’s what gives ranch dressing it’s signature flavor). It’s not ideal for canning because it has a very mild flavor that doesn’t penetrate the jar.
How to make pickled zucchini: basic steps
Pickled zucchini is very simple to make: it takes just 20 minutes to assemble the jar. Once it’s done, refrigerate for 24 hours for the best flavor and texture. The hardest part of this recipe is the waiting! Here are the basic steps (or jump right to the recipe):
- Slice the zucchini, onion and garlic: Thinly slice each vegetable.
- Bring the brine ingredients to a boil: Place the white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns, dill seed, and mustard seed in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Pour in the jar and wait until it cools (about 1 hour).
- Refrigerate 24 hours. This helps to infuse the flavor into the zucchini pickles and soften their texture.
Want to make more than 1 pint? It’s easy to double or triple this recipe. Head to the recipe below and press the 2x or 3x buttons next to the word Ingredients.
Ways to serve zucchini pickles
You can snack on pickled zucchini right out of the jar, but there are many other ways to enjoy it! We love them on sandwiches,
- As a side or condiment at picnics or cookouts
- Serve on sandwiches or wraps
- Add to tuna salad or egg salad
- Add to green salads, like a Chopped Salad
- Add to bowl meals like power bowls or Mediterranean bowls
- Use them as a garnish for tacos
- Throw in a pasta salad like Antipasto Salad or Easy Tortellini Salad
- Add to a cheese plate or antipasto platter
More zucchini recipes
There are many creative ways to use zucchini, from savory to sweet! Here are a few more zucchini recipes to try:
- Bake up Zucchini Bread, Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Snickerdoodle Zucchini Bread, or Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Blend up a Zucchini Smoothie
- Make a pan of Zucchini Brownies, or mix up Zucchini Muffins or Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Make a dinner of Zucchini Fritters, Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Zucchini Lasagna, or Zucchini Pasta
Dietary notes
This pickled zucchini recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Easy Pickled Zucchini
Pickled zucchini is an easy way to preserve this vegetable! These zucchini pickles are irresistibly tangy, great for sandwiches, cheese boards, and more.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 pint jar 1x
- Category: Pickles
- Method: Pickled
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 small zucchini, about 8 ounces, sliced ⅛-inch thick
- 1/4 small yellow onion, sliced ⅛-inch thick
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black or pink peppercorns
- ½ tablespoon dried dill seed*
- ½ teaspoon mustard seed
Instructions
- Wash a wide-mouth pint mason jar and and its lid in hot soapy water. Then rinse and let air dry.
- Add the sliced zucchini, onion and garlic into the jar, squeezing them in as tightly as possible.
- In a small saucepan, combine the white vinegar, water, sugar, kosher salt, peppercorns, dill seed, and mustard seed. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and salt (this will take only a few minutes).
- Once boiling, pour the brine into the jar. Tap the jar on the counter to release any air bubbles. Discard any remaining brine.
- Screw on the lid tightly and allow to cool to room temperature (about 1 hour). Then refrigerate for 24 hours. Keeps up to 1 month refrigerated.
Notes
*Dill seeds are small, brown flat seeds of the dill plant that are used in canning. Don’t use dried dill weed, which is the dried green leaves of the plant.
Let us know if you have any questions!