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A young man gasps at a massive farm grown organic zucchini with a green shirt to match.  Horizontal with copy space.
RyanJLane/istockphoto

Even the greenest green thumbs have overlooked a ready-to-pick zucchini during harvest and come back the next day to find a Hulk-sized zuke glaring at them from beneath the large leaves. But before you decide there’s no way to use such a gigantic veggie, check out these easy zucchini recipes. There’s hope after all, we promise.

Zucchini Crisp

A spoonful of apple crisp (or apple crumble), freshly baked from the oven.
viennetta/istockphoto

If you’re a fan of apple crisp, this recipe apparently tastes the same. You’ll need to take all the seeds out of the zucchini (and the overgrown zukes are typically extraordinarily seedy), but with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, this stuff sounds scrumptious.

Recipe: Down Redbud Drive

Chewy Butterscotch Zucchini Blondies

Horizontal image of a stack of blondies with white chocolate chips on a black surface
TD Dolci/istockphoto

Ooey gooey butterscotch blondies are a decadent, indulgent brownie-like treat with a brown, sugary, buttery flavor. The added zucchini in this recipe promises an even moister blondie and we definitely are not mad at that one bit.

Recipe: Creations by Kara

Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins

Close up view of muffin with zucchini, carrots, apple and cinnamon on gray wooden background. Sweet vegetables homemade muffins. Toddler-friendly recipe idea. Copy space. Shallow DOF
Fascinadora/istockphoto

Apple cinnamon is a timeless flavor combination that bodes well for muffins. And because no one likes a dry muffin, the zucchini in this recipe promises the perfect amount of moisture for a truly tasty treat. It’s also a cheap and easy breakfast to start the day right.

Recipe: Mile High Mitts

Zucchini Brownies

Coffe cup and brownies on table
Quanthem/istockphoto

Brownies should be fudgy, full of flavor, just a touch flaky on top, and plenty moist inside. Zucchini is the ideal ingredient to bring that moisture and add more texture. 

Recipe: I Am Baker

Related: 12 Bizarre Dessert Combinations That Work

Lemon Zucchini Bread

Glazed lemon pound cake loaf with poppy seed and lemon zest on a cooling rack
ASIFE/istockphoto

With a punch of lemon zest, this cake-like bread uses fresh lemon juice and zest, shredded zucchini for moisture, and buttermilk. The powdered sugar and lemon juice glaze is the perfect topping for this flavorful loaf.

Recipe: Together as Family

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Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot and courgette cake with nuts and raisin, with yogurt frosting
manyakotic/istockphoto

Cinnamon, nutmeg, zucchini, walnuts, and other baking staples join forces to create this decadent cake, which is made all the richer with tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting.

Recipe: Small Town Woman

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

High resolution digital capture of a freshly baked chocolate loaf cake with three slices cut to reveal internal texture, sitting on a piece of wax paper on a slate slab, and surrounded by implements and ingredients used in its preparation.
TheCrimsonMonkey/istockphoto

This cake-like bread definitely brings the sweet with cocoa powder and chocolate chips all in one loaf, but the shredded zucchini brings both balance and moisture to the mix.

Recipe: Let’s Dish

Mexican Zucchini Boats

Zucchini stuffed with minced meat and vegetables, baked in oven, close-up
Drbouz/istockphoto

While overgrown zucchini does lend itself perfectly to baked goods, it’s also ideal for zucchini boats. Slice the zukes in half lengthwise and hollow out the middle. Fill ’em up with toppings and bake them for a delicious, low-carb dinner. 

Recipe: Cooktoria

Related: Delicious and Inexpensive Mexican Dishes

Zucchini Lasagna

Protein rich Lasagna Vegan Italian food plant based recipe Mediterranean diet with ingredients as Lasagna pasta, onion, mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper, spinach, vegan marinara sauce, tomatoes, firm tofu, chick peas, vegan cheese
MEDITERRANEAN/istockphoto

Looking for a gluten-free lasagna option? Zucchini is the perfect pasta imposter in this dish. 

Recipe: Low Carb Nomad

Grilled Zucchini Pizza Slices

Grilled squash circles with tomato and pesto sauce, cheese, corn, olive and bacon on white table.
Anna Shkuratova/istockphoto

Next time you’re faced with enormous zucchini, try cutting it into slices and grilling it, then dressing it up with pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings. You can also use pizza toppings in your zucchini boats for a similar vibe.

Recipe: Kalyn’s Kitchen

Giant Zucchini Parmesan

baked parmesan zucchini crisps with cream sauce. the toning. selective focus
nata_vkusidey/istockphoto

Eggplant parmesan, who? If you’ve got a giant zuke, transform it into zucchini parmesan by coating it in breadcrumbs, air-frying, then topping it with a parm-mozzarella-ricotta mixture and tomato sauce before baking. 

Recipe: Skinny Taste

Zucchini Cheddar Cheese Herb Beer Bread

Freshly baked Zucchini Bread topped with shredded cheddar and softened butter.
amberleeknight/istockphoto

Not all zucchini breads have to be sweet. This loaf follows the savory route with a punch of flavor from cheddar cheese, chives, and zucchini.

Recipe: Serena Bakes

Looking for more garden fresh recipes? All We Are Saying Is ‘Give Peas a Chance’

Baked Zucchini Donuts with Vanilla Glaze

Glazed donuts background image. Macro with shallow dof.
styxclick/istockphoto

Greek yogurt and zucchini work together to make these donuts extra-luscious. The maple syrup, vanilla, and glaze used atop these bad boys brings a nice sweet balance, too. 

Recipe: Satori Design for Living

Meet the Writer

Rachel is a Michigan-based writer who has dabbled in a variety of subject matter throughout her career. As a mom of multiple young children, she tries to maintain a sustainable lifestyle for her family. She grows vegetables in her garden, gets her meat in bulk from local farmers, and cans fruits and vegetables with friends. Her kids have plenty of hand-me-downs in their closets, but her husband jokes that before long, they might need to invest in a new driveway thanks to the frequent visits from delivery trucks dropping off online purchases (she can’t pass up a good deal, after all). You can reach her at [email protected].