These vegan zucchini recipes are great if you would like to make a healthy dinner or lunch. You can make your zucchini stuffed, grilled, into casserole, patties or meatballs. A filling, veggie-packed meal will provide you with plenty nutrition and fiber. Most of these recipes are kid-friendly, too!
To find more tasty recipes, see our vegan Summer recipes, vegan BBQ recipes, vegan eggplant recipes, and vegan 4th of July recipes roundups.
Vegan Zucchini Recipes
1. Vegan Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Sauce
Calling all carb-avoiders and raw vegans! With just 10 minutes and seven ingredients, you can make a healthy plate of zucchini noodles with luscious avocado sauce.
2. Vegan Zucchini ‘Meatballs’
Pasta and meatballs go hand in hand but what if you’re a vegan? Try these “meatballs” made with zucchini, oats, beans and spices. Add your favorite pasta with some red sauce and dinner’s ready.
3. Grilled Zucchini Hummus Wrap
This zucchini wrap seems deceptively simple but the flavors are off the chart. Zucchini, red onions, cherry tomatoes, kale and hummus in a grilled tortilla. A perfect light lunch.
4. Flourless Vegan Zucchini Bread Pancakes
It’s high time someone took zucchini bread to the next level and made zucchini bread pancakes. Vegan, gluten and sugar-free, start your day with a mouthwatering stack.
5. Crispy Sesame Tofu with Zucchini Noodles
This recipe has meal preppers written all over it. Crispy tofu, zucchini noodles with a punchy sesame sauce can all be made in advance and ready to go when you want something healthy to eat.
6. Vegan Zucchini Corn Fritters
Be still my vegan heart. While everyone else eats crab cakes and salmon patties, you can dine on some scrumptious zucchini corn fritters. Add a lightly dressed side salad and they’re a meal.
7. Tomato, Pasta & Zucchini Soup
Need an easy weeknight meal that won’t break the bank? This tomato, pasta and zucchini soup makes four servings of warm and comforting flavor that will leave some extra dough in the old wallet.
8. Perfect Grilled Vegan Zucchini
Everyone should have several fail safe vegetable sides in their culinary arsenal. Perfectly grilled zucchini is an example — it is fast, easy and will liven up any lackluster main course.
9. Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Oh, so you’re fawning over carrot cake but you’re not too sure about zucchini cake? Give this moist, chocolaty, decadent cake a try and you’ll never look back.
10. Alfredo Zoodles
What do you serve when there’s one vegan, one keto person and one paleo person coming for dinner? Alfredo Zoodles! These zucchini noodles are a no-carb wonder, especially when bathed in a rich Alfredo sauce.
11. Quinoa Baked Vegan Zucchini Chips
It’s snack time and you’re looking for something crunchy. You’ve got to try these quinoa baked zucchini chips. Crunchy, salty and satisfying. Don’t forget about that dipping sauce!
12. Enchilada Zucchini Boats
Who needs the extra calories of tortillas when you can use zucchinis as enchilada boats? Stuffed with spicy black beans, enchilada sauce and topped with vegan cheese.
13. Vegan Zucchini Lasagna
What can’t the humble zucchini do? Now it has stepped up and replaced the noodles in lasagna, creating a healthy and delicious spin on a classic dish that the whole family will love.
14. Zucchini Noodle Cashew Stir Fry
The flavors in this Asian-inspired zucchini noodle stir-fry are amazing. A sweet and tangy sauce with just a little heat makes this dish feel like cheat day when it’s really just an eat day.
15. Vegan Zucchini Quinoa Roll Up
What’s better than a summertime no-bake lunch? These wraps combine quinoa and hummus, a few herbs and veggies all wrapped up in a slice of zucchini. Eat all you want, they’re healthy!
16. Vegan Zucchini Risotto
Risotto — a vegan’s joy. This version adds a little grated zucchini to the party, making it rich in nutrients as well as in taste. If you’re dairy-free, this recipe has got you covered.
17. Flax & Walnut Zucchini Muffins
For those days when you want something sweet for breakfast but not too sweet, try a zucchini muffin! Light and nutritious — they’re the perfect bite to start the day.
18. Grilled Zucchini Ribbons
Talk about cool! Skewer some zucchini ribbons and slather them with a sriracha marinade. Then throw them on the grill and wait for the magic.
19. Vegan Zucchini Tater Tots
How do you get the little ones to eat more veggies? Here’s a solution — offer them a plate of zucchini tater tots. So fun to eat and shhh…they’ve got zucchini in them!
20. Zucchini Brownies
Hey man, try one of these brownies — they’ll make you feel so good. They’ve got a little greenery in them, if you know what I mean. Hey, I meant zucchini. What did *you* mean?
21. “Cheesy” Zucchini Roll Ups
If you could pop a lasagna in your mouth in one bite, wouldn’t you do it? Here are zucchini slices stuffed with a cheesy vegan ricotta and drizzled with a zingy red sauce. Yum.
22. Ramen Soup w/ Zucchini Noodles
Finally, you can enjoy the umami of ramen without a carb overload. Regular noodles step out and zucchini noodles step in and you won’t even miss a delicious beat.
23. Chocolate Zucchini Smoothie Bowl
You probably knew that adding zucchini to your smoothies increases their fiber and minerals. But did you know that zucchini also makes them extra creamy? It’s true!
24. Very Green Pasta Salad
When they said it’s not easy being green, they sure weren’t thinking of this pasta salad. It’s got all things green — pesto, herbs and zucchini — and it’s incredibly easy to make.
25. Baked Zucchini Fries
Pining for some fries? The miraculous zucchini has got you covered. These baked, not fried wonders are gluten-free, low-carb and vegan. They’ll go perfectly with any main course or just as a snack.
26. Creamy Zucchini Soup
Maybe it’s just me, but when I imagine zucchini in a soup I think of a chunky vegetable soup. In this recipe, it’s all about the creamy and all about the zucchini.
27. Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Get ready for some muffins that people will be talking about. And get this…there’s no oil! Ripe bananas and zucchini provide all the moisture that these delicious chocolate muffins will ever need.
28. “Cheesy” Zoodles
If you’re trying to cut down on the carbs, listen up. These “cheesy” zucchini noodles will fulfill that pasta craving and more. They’re low-carb and high-protein while being totally delicious.
29. Blueberry Zucchini Bread
I’m sitting here ashamed that it has never occurred to me to put blueberries in zucchini bread. Of course it would be awesome! Of course people would love it. Forgive me, everyone.
30. Oil-free Zucchini Pesto
Oil-free and cheese-free pesto? How can it be? Here’s how — zucchini, pine nuts and lemon juice provide the moisture and nutritional yeast creates that cheesy bite.
32. Grilled Zucchini Corn and Noodle Salad
This pasta salad screams summertime. It’s has freshness coming at you from very angle — the cilantro pesto, the sweet corn, the tangy tomatoes and the chunks of zucchini. Get me a plate!
33. Curry & Zucchini Noodles
With a spiralizer and a blender, you can do pretty much anything. Take this vegan curry dish — it’s spiralized zucchini noodles with a blended curry cream sauce. Did someone say yum?
34. Zucchini Date Bread
If you’re looking for a gift for your gluten-free friend, give them a loaf of this zucchini date bread. One bite and they’ll seriously taste that homemade love.
35. Soft Zucchini Tortilla
Sure, you can fill your tacos with vegetables but is that really enough? How about making a vegan, paleo and keto tortilla that’s also loaded with zucchini? This recipe shows you how!
36. Zucchini Pizza Crust
For cutting carbs, cauliflower pizza crusts are all the rage. Let’s give some love to zucchini, who is more than willing to step up to bat and perform it’s own low-carb pizza crust duty.
37. Zucchini Cheese (Nut free)
This is rare in the vegan world, folks — it’s a nut-free vegan cheese! It’s here and it’s made with (dramatic pause) zucchini! It’s even aged like real cheese! Will wonders never cease?
What are your favorite vegan zucchini recipes?
Leave a comment below!
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet potatoes (chopped)
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas (165 g)
- 1-2 small zucchini (chopped)
- 1/2 red onion (diced)
- 1 jalapeno (sliced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Wash and gently scrub the sweet potatoes and use a knife to remove any soft spots orthickened areas of skin. Chop into ½”- ¾”/12-18mm cubes.*
- Wash zucchini and cut into similar sized cubes.
- Peel and mince the garlic and dice the onion.
- Cut off the stem of the jalapeno and slice in half lengthwise. For less spice, remove some of the seeds. Thinly slice the halves crosswise.
- In a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan, heat the olive oil over medium.
- Once hot, add the chopped sweet potatoes. Cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to turn the cubes and prevent burning. Cook until beginning to soften and the sides are lightly browned.
- Remove from the pan into a bowl. If you are worried about the sweet potato cooking all the waythrough, cover the bowl with a lid or a plate to keep the heat in while preparing the rest of the vegetables.
- There should till be a bit of oil in the pan. If not add, 1 tbsp/15ml olive oil.
- Return pan to medium heat, adding onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is starting to brown and soften.
- Add the chickpeas, oregano, cumin, and paprika. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add back the sweet potatoes and the salt. Stir to evenly distribute everything.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Video
FAQ
Nope. You’ll get the most flavorful, nutrient-dense punch for your money when you bake your zucchinis with the peels still intact. You just want to make sure that you wash the skins of the fruit thoroughly before cooking them to rid them of any dirt or pesticides that may have settled on them.
You can blame this phenomenon on zucchini’s high water content. Baking your zukes for too long encourages the water within to seep out, resulting in soppy, soggy veggies for dinner.
Just as you can get stressed, so, too, can the vegetables you buy in the store or that you take from your garden. In zucchini’s case, a build-up of a chemical compound found in zucchini, called cucurbitacins, is to blame. When growing conditions are right, or wrong as the case may be, your zukes produce more of this, making them taste bitter.
If you’re looking for the proverbial “everyman” vegetable, zucchini certainly qualifies. It tastes great with nearly every vegetable. Think tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, green beans, peas, other types of squash, peppers of nearly every sort, and more, and you have the right idea.
Nice round-up, there are so many delicious looking recipes included here (a few of which I’ve tried!). Thanks for including my soup recipe! Zucchini is one of my favorite veggies because it’s so versatile.
Thank you, Nicole. 🙂 I know I have all of my dinners figured out for the Summer! 😀
Thank you for this list of deliciousness. I LOVE zucchini and it’s always fun to try a new recipe.
I love this roundup of vegan zucchini recipes! They’re all so delicious and healthy, too!
Zucchini is my absolute favorite veggie, thank you for all this inspiration! I prefer to buy it in season though, so I’ll have to wait a bit.
Do you usually peel zucchini?