Quick Take

Started a garden this spring and now seeing the fruits of your labor, but not quite sure what to do with all that zucchini you grew? No worries! The best thing about planting zucchini is that there are endless possibilities to go along with the seemingly endless harvest. But to keep things manageable, we’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite zucchini vegan recipes you can make at home this summer and fall.

On this page

Why Do I Grow So Much Zucchini?

Zucchini Vegan Recipes: For Your Sweet Tooth

Zucchini Vegan Recipes: Summer Starters

Zucchini Vegan Recipes: The Main Event

Key Takeaways

Why Do I Grow So Much Zucchini?

Whether this is your first year with a backyard garden or you’re on the fast track to homesteading, chances are your zucchini is coming in hot. So what is it about this summer squash that makes it so prolific?

Well, zucchini is pretty laid back. It’s one of the easiest plants to grow in your garden because it can grow in most types of soil and doesn’t require much maintenance. They also flower more than a lot of the other common garden staples (like eggplant or peppers, for example) and the flowering is important to its fruit producing quality. It also has cyclical harvesting, which essentially means that the more your harvest, the more zucchini you’ll see in your garden.

Zucchini is so well known for its rampant fertility, it even has a National Day designated by Pennsylvanian Tom Roy as August 8th: National Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day!

So yeah, it's not just you...

OK, but what do you do with all this fresh zucchini? We’ve got a few ideas for using it up in these dog days of summer.

10 Delicious Vegan Recipes to Use Up All That Zucchini You Grew 

Zucchini Vegan Recipes: For Your Sweet Tooth

1. Oil-Free Zucchini Bread 

Image and recipe from EatPlant-Based

Zucchini is famous for adding texture, moistness, and added nutrition to baked goods. Plus, it’s got a mild flavor so it doesn’t overpower your treat. Zucchini bread is a classic way to use this bumper crop and for good reason -- it’s easy to make and delicious to eat. We love this oil-free and vegan recipe for healthy zucchini bread from EatPlant-Based. 

2. Chocolate Zucchini Muffins 

Image and recipe from EatPlant-Based

Another baked good from EatPlant-Based, this time in muffin form! These chocolate zucchini muffins are oil-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, and dairy-free -- and yet still totally delicious (we swear!). Oh, and this zucchini vegan recipe freezes beautifully so double your batch and stock up to have a quick and healthy grab-and-go breakfast. 

3. Zucchini Bread Oatmeal 

Love zucchini bread but don’t have the time to bake? Meet your new favorite quick plant-based breakfast: zucchini bread oatmeal. We love this vegan recipe from Oh She Glows because it takes just 8 minutes to make and uses up a whole zucchini in the process. 

Zucchini Vegan Recipes: Summer Starters

4. Vegan Buffalo Zucchini Fritters  

Image and recipe from Monkey And Me Kitchen Adventures

There are so many reasons to love this oil-free zucchini vegan recipe from the mother-daughter duo over at Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures. First, it’s delightfully crispy, even without the oil. Second, it’s got the perfect amount of Buffalo bite. Third, it lets you really enjoy the spoils of your summer garden as it calls not just for zucchini, but carrots, too! And finally, it pairs really well with MamaSezz Ranch Dressing and we’re A-ok any excuse to eat more dairy-free Ranch.  

5. Oil-Free Baked Zucchini Fries

Image and recipe from Simple Vegan Blog

Yep, you can make zucchini into fries! Gluten-free and made with just 5 ingredients, these oil-free baked zucchini fries from Simple Vegan Blog are the ultimate savory side dish or a fun appetizer. 

6. Zucchini Corn and Avocado Salsa 

Image and recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod 

You can’t grow a ton of zucchini and NOT make a summer salsa. It’s just not done, OK? And it doesn’t get any easier, or more refreshing, than this zucchini, corn, and avocado salsa dish from Two Peas & Their Pod. Pair with oil-free tortilla chips or use as the ultimate summer topping for your favorite vegan burger.  

Zucchini Vegan Recipes: the Main Event

7. Raw Vegan Pesto Zoodles 

There’s nothing worse than toiling over a hot stove in the dog day’s of summer, and luckily this vegan zucchini noodles recipe ensures you don’t have to. Creamy, refreshing, and surprisingly filling, these raw vegan pesto zoodles from our very own Chef Caroline is the perfect summer meal to enjoy out on the deck. 

8. Zesty Vegan Zoodle Salad With Dijon Mustard Dressings

Another refreshing vegan zucchini noodles recipe, enjoy these zesty dijon zoodles on the side or bulk it up with some hearty and delicious MamaSezz Garlic Ginger Protein Strips to make it the star of your plate. 

9. Vegan Chili Zucchini Boats

Another classic way to use up all that zucchini: make zucchini boats! And this vegan rendition has just three ingredients making it a super easy and hearty family-friendly meal. 

Ingredients 

2 medium zucchini

1 cup MamaSezz Millie’s Chili

½ cup MamaSezz Mama’s Mac Sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Meanwhile, trim the ends off the zucchini and cut in half lengthwise then scoop out the pulp (save the pulp!)

3. In a skillet, heat up MamaSezz Millie’s Chili with the pulp over medium heat until mixture is heated through (about 3 minutes).

4. Spoon the chili mixture into the zucchini boats.

5. Line a baking dish with parchment paper and place chili-stuffed boats into the dish then bake in preheated over at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.

6. Top each boat with MamaSezz Mama’s Mac Sauce and salt and pepper to taste. 

10. Vegan Broccoli and Zucchini Bake 

It’s no secret we love to give comfort food a healthy spin here at MamaSezz, so this “cheezy” vegan broccoli and zucchini bake from our Chef Caroline is a team favorite. It’s filled with greens and fiber, making it an immunity-boosting casserole you can feel good about. 

Key Takeaways

• The low-maintenance zucchini can be grown in most soil types with little upkeep, often resulting in a bumper crop for backyard gardeners and homesteaders alike.
• Another reason you keep seeing so many zucchini in your garden: it produces more the more you harvest!
• You don’t have to let all your delicious and fresh garden-grown zucchini go to waste! There are so many healthy zucchini vegan recipes out there from classic zucchini bread to zucchini noodles recipes to vegan casseroles.

 

Updated 8/5/21

 

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By Ali Brown

Ali is a mom, wife, and nutrition and lifestyle writer and editor. She has her Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.