How to Freeze Zucchini [EASY]

Can You Freeze Zucchini?

If you grew even one plant of Zucchini, you probably have so much that you don’t know what to do with it all! Your neighbors and family can only enjoy so much, right? 🙂

If you’ve never tried freezing zucchini, I’ve got good news for you! One of the best ways to preserve Zucchini is to freeze it! It’s SUPER quick and easy to freeze and has many different uses. That means you can enjoy your zucchini all year long!

The Two Best Ways to Freeze Zucchini:

• If you freeze zucchini slices or chunks, you can use it later for for egg omelettes, soups, stir fry or kababs.
• If you freeze shredded zucchini the right way, you can use it for Zucchini  Bread, lasagna, egg dishes and more! (We have a LOT of Zucchini recipes, if you need some inspiration! My favorites is this Zucchini Pizza Crust  and AMAZING chocolate Zucchini brownies!

 Freezing Sliced Zucchini in 7 Steps

1.  Fill a large stockpot three quarters of the way full with water and heat to a  boil on the stove top.

You can do large amounts at once or just a few! Make sure that your pot is big enough to fit everything you are wanting to put in though!

2.  Wash the fresh zucchini with water to remove any dirt. Dry the zucchini and place on a cutting board.

This is super important! I am sure you know this, but be sure to always wash your veggies before eating! You never know what kinds of chemicals could be on them.

3. Slice the stem and the end of the zucchini off and throw away or add to your compost pile.  Slice the remaining zucchini into 1/4 – 1/2-inch pieces for  freezing.

4.  Prepare a large bowl with ice water to cool the zucchini after it is blanched in the boiling water.

I just filled my bowl with cold tap water and about 20 ice cubes. It is important to do this before putting the zucchini in the hot water so that the water has enough time to get extra chilly!

5.  Put the zucchini slices in the boiling water for up to three minutes to blanch. 

Start timing once the water has returned to a boil. Blanching the zucchini stops enzyme production,  this helps the zucchini maintain its taste and color when frozen.

6.  Remove the zucchini from the boiling water and quickly put it into the ice water.  

Keep the zucchini in the cold water for three minutes (add ice if necessary). Strain off the water and allow it to drain for five minutes to remove excess water.

7.  Put the zucchini into freezer bags or vacuum seal bags for storage.

Remove as much air from the bag before sealing it. This helps keep  ice crystals from forming on your zucchini.  Seal the bag and label with the contents and date you froze the zucchini, so you can identify it in the freezer later!

Freezing Grated Zucchini:

1.  Wash and cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and remove the seeds (I usually use my large zucchinis to shred and save the smaller ones for slicing.)

First, remove the seeds just with a spoon! It is so easy to scoop out the seed layer! You’ll be done in seconds.

2.  Use a hand grater, food processor or Kitchen Aid grating attachment to shred the zucchini. 

Grating zucchini with the skin on preserves its crunch when frozen. You can use a hand grater. It really doesn’t take much time! In fact, I was done in less than 3 minutes with an entire, huge zucchini!

You may also want to steam or blanch grated zucchini before freezing (see above). It will last longer in the freezer (6 months as opposed to 2-3 months), but if you’re in a pinch for time, it’s not a huge deal if you don’t want to mess with blanching your zucchini for freezing.

Freezing Shredded Zucchini Hack!

When measuring the shredded zucchini into a freezer bag, measure it according to what most of my recipes call for (for example: Zucchini Bread – 2 cups). Grated zucchini can be added to quick breads, egg dishes, lasagna and many other recipes.

How to Drain Zucchini:

It’s important to squeeze out any excess liquid from your zucchini before you place it in the freezer bag. This is as simple as placing the shredded zucchini on a towel. Twist the sides (like a taffy candy wrapper) and then start wringing it out. A muslin towel works best, but a regular terry cloth towel will work as well!

That’s It!

Follow those quick and easy steps and you will have all your excess zucchini frozen in NO time at all! Good luck!

Check out our most popular Zucchini recipes.

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How to Freeze Zucchini [EASY]

Do you have a ton of excess zucchini? Well, don't throw it away! Prep it and freeze it so that it is ready to use in any recipe!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Tips

Cuisine: American

Calories:

Cost: $5

Equipment

• Ziploc freezer bags

Materials

• Zucchini - as much as you'd like!
• Gallon sized ziploc freezer bags

Instructions

Freezing Sliced Zucchini

• Fill a large stockpot three quarters of the way full with water and heat to a  boil on the stove top.
• Wash the fresh zucchini and slice the stem and the end of the zucchini off. Then slice the remaining zucchini into 1/4 - 1/2-inch pieces for freezing.
• Prepare a large bowl with ice water to cool the zucchini after it is blanched in the boiling water.
• Put zucchini slices in the boiling water for up to three minutes to blanch.
• Remove zucchini from boiling water and quickly place in ice water and have it remain there for 3 minutes (add ice if necessary).
• Strain off water and allow to drain for five minutes to remove excess water.
• Place zucchini slices into freezer bags or vacuum seal bags for storage.

Freezing Shredded Zucchini

• Wash and cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and remove the seeds by scooping them out with a spoon.
• Use a hand grater, food processor or Kitchen Aid grating attachment to shred the zucchini. 
• Consider blanching grated zucchini before freezing (see above).
• Measure the shredded zucchini into a freezer bag. 
• TIP: measure it according to what your recipes call for (for example: Zucchini Bread - 2 cups).