zucchini is popular squash which is eaten across the world in raw and cooked form, some people also eat it with outer skin as its filled nutrition and some peel it off. you can make breads, curries, chili, salads, pickles etc. with zucchini. some times you don’t have zucchini but want to add in your recipe that’s when substitute for zucchini helps to make the dishes and get the recipe prepared.
it is low in calories and does not cause digestion issues which makes it easy to integrate in all kinds of diet regime like weight loss diet, healthy diet, fitness diet, keto diet etc. you can buy it easily from your local supermarket and cook by boiling it, or roasting, frying fritters out of it or baking it or eating it salads in raw form.
Freezing of zucchini is also very easy for long term storage so you can buy and store in your freezer when its in season that’s from may to October to eat all year round when you cant get from local grocery markets.
If you making stuffed recipes like pies, tortillas, tacos, rolls, casseroles then you can make use of egg plant and sweet potatoes to fill them if you don’t have zucchini in your fridge at the moment.
zucchini substitutes and alternatives
cucumber
cucumber and zucchini comes similar physical properties. cucumber works great as a zucchini replacement in cold salads and cold dishes as its tasty and juicy and good taste which is better than bland taste of zucchini but if you are planning to use it in some cooked dish then go with some other alternative as it might not give you good flavor. you can also make tasty cucumber pickles.
squash
squash is also a great substitute for zucchini as it comes from same family. squash takes almost 2-3 times to cook when compared to your traditional zucchini. you need to peel the squash to get the inner pulp and squash ready for cooking. their are many varieties of squash to cook in place of zucchini like pumpkin, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, Hubbard squash etc.
carrot
Carrot can be great alternative for zucchini inspite of not many things common in between them. you can grate, chop and cook carrots in same way as that of zucchini. carrot works as a great alternative of zucchini in salads, soups, bread, pies etc. for great flavor. the ideal replacement ration would 1:2 i.e. 2 carrots for each zucchini. carrots are also little hard so it might take some time to bake and cook in oven and stove.
egg plant
Egg plant is also a good alternative for zucchini but it is not popular. you can make it if you want a different flavor from the recipe when using egg plant in absence of zucchini. egg plant lasagna taste great and flavor is similar to zucchini lasagna. since the eggplant release less juice in recipe the end product of various recipes like lasagna and other paste dishes would be better after baking in oven when compared to zucchini.
It comes with vitamin A and c which helps improve your body immune system and metabolism and prevents cell damage. it also contains high quantity of natural polyphenols in its plant which better processing of your sugar intake which helps in maintaining your diabetes issues.
parsley
you can add parsley in dishes to give them a different flavor. it is not a perfect alternative for zucchini but can work to make your delicious parsley fries, roasted parsley chicken etc. when zucchini is not an option to choose. you can also add it to oven baked dishes like pasta, lasagna, potato wedges etc. many people also use it in their soups to give a distinct flavor to it.
apple
apple can also be used as an replacement for zucchini to make salad bowls, cakes, muffins, pies, bread etc. the ideal substitution ration would be 1:2, for every one zucchini replace it with 2 medium size apples. yellow apples would be good choice for replacement due to their balanced taste profile unlike red ones which are quite sweet and green ones which can sour.
you can also add spices in your recipe to make it more tasty and flavorful. most of the time it would be required to grate the apples or dice them in small pieces to make the recipes correctly. while suing the apples if you don’t like its outer peel then you can remove it but if you like then add directly without peeling to get the benefits of peel also in your apple dessert dishes. apple chips and cider vinegar can also be made from quality apples for health benefits.
beetroot
beetroot is also a great replacement for zucchini as it is power packed vegetable which is red in color and mostly used in salads and similar raw dishes in different parts of the word. it is filled with lot of iron content so many people also use for making veggies burger patties, hot dogs, dressings for yogurt dishes etc. you can replace 2-3 beetroots for every one zucchini.
if you are suing grated zucchini for making veggies patties then make sure you take most of the water out from it by pressing it or leaving it aside in bowl for sometime but if since beetroot is less juicy you can skip this step or just press one time to reduce water content from it before making your red juicy vegetable patty with grated beetroots.
celery
Celery is popular green vegetable used to make different healthy recipes and dishes. it can be used as zucchini alternative in many dishes like soups, salad bowls etc. cooking time for celery will be more by few minutes. you can add celery leaves in the soups for cooking and eat its step as a side or in salad bowl. try it once when you don’t have zucchini in your favorite recipes to know if it works for you as the perfect zucchini alternative or not.
Sweet potato
Sweet potato is a good replacement for zucchini as it has sweet and bland flavor which can be changed to different taste by adding different spices in the dishes. just zucchini noodles which are great to eat you can also make use of spiralizer to make noodles of sweet potatoes after boiling and making it tender to get long and tasty noodles to enjoy with tasty broth and herbs. add some sauce in it and it is ready to eat or you can also eat spiced chunks of sweet potatoes after its being cooked to enjoy with your family and friends.
sweet potato helps to improve your eye health and gives power to your immune system for better working to keep the body unwanted infection and disease free. due to its rich fiber content it also keeps your digestive system working fine for long time. studies have also found that it contains anti inflammatory properties also. some people also report to get better blood sugar levels overall after consuming sweet potato.
some of the popular dishes that can be made using sweet potatoes include spicy hummus with sandwiches, burger patties, sweet potato nachos with cheese etc.
If you are wondering what’s the best way to cook sweet potatoes to get most of its nutritional benefits then boiling seems to be the best method when compared with other options like roasting and baking or frying as it helps to retain the maximum nutrients like beta carotene in it for you to get absorbed easily by the body when boiled for limited amount for like about 10-20 minutes.
Green pepper
Green peppers can also be used as zucchini dishes in same dishes like oven baked dishes, grilled etc. as taste is unique and good. you can add many spices in your dishes to get zucchini like flavor. barbeque and roasted dishes works great with green peppers when you don’t have zucchini to roast and make the salad.
Roasted green peppers can be used for making tasty dishes like sandwiches filling, pasta platters, salad bowls, pizza toppings, can be used as paella addition or used in quesadillas if you like the flavor. i personally like to use while making cottage cheese dishes, tofu dishes and different kinds of rice platters, what’s your choice of dish for using green peppers let me know in comments below.
Green peppers are little bit mild than other types of peppers with their hotness ranging up to 1000 SHU which makes them little bit hot than bell peppers but overall mild/moderate. you can also enjoy with tomato sauce of other types of sauces as per your choice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use asparagus to substitute zucchini?
yes asparagus seems to be a good alternative for using instead zucchini when you are making baked dishes, salad bowls, stir fried platter or roasting it to serve with grilled items for delicious afternoon meal with friends and family.
what are zucchini nutrition values?
zucchini is power packed green vegetable with lot of nutrients in it. i have shared a simple chart with zucchini nutrition data and facts for you to enhance your knowledge about zucchini nutritional values in our diet.
What are benefits of zucchini?
As we all know the zucchini has lot of fibers so it helps with weight loss as after eating it you feel full soon and doesn’t carve for unhealthy fat rich foods which can add unwanted calories in your body. It also lowers your cholesterol and improves your digestive health.
some people has also reported improved in eye sight and eye issues for consumption of zucchini for few weeks in medium quantities.
It provides moisture in hair skin and helps to maintain its strength. it also helps to grow the collagen in the tissues which are connecting the hair to body around the hairs on our head and body.
Conclusion
Hope you like my collection of zucchini alternatives to make use of them in absence of zucchini for preparing delicious recipes and dishes.
let me know which one of the substitute for zucchini would you use most often in your recipes and does it taste good in comments section below.
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