Easy Zucchini Pickles (No Canning)

Zucchini pickles are a no-cook refrigerator pickle (quick pickles) made with fresh zucchini spears, garlic, dill, and a simple vinegar brine. Because zucchini has a spongy texture that absorbs brine faster than cucumber, these zucchini pickles have a crisp texture and a mild flavor that goes all the way through. With no stove or water bath canning required, making a jar takes about as long as slicing the squash, stirring up the brine, and grabbing a few Mason jars.

Zucchini pickles are what I make when the zucchini plants in my garden get ahead of me, which happens almost every summer without fail. One or two overgrown zucchini turns a garden harvest into a full jar of pickles.

How to Make Zucchini Quick Pickles

Prep: Make the pickling spice if you’re using homemade, and rinse your jars in hot water. You don’t need to sterilize them, just clean.

1. Slice the zucchini into spears and peel the garlic.
2. Layer the zucchini, garlic, and fresh dill into mason jars.
3. Add the salt, pickling spice, and red pepper flakes if using.
4. Combine vinegar and water, pour over the zucchini, cover, and shake gently to mix.
5. Refrigerate at least one day before eating.

One small zucchini fills a pint jar nicely, so a medium zucchini would fill up about two pint mason jars or a one-quart jar.

Tip: Cut the zucchini into evenly sized spears so they pickle at the same rate, and make sure they’re fully submerged in the brine before refrigerating.

Make It Your Way

Once you’ve made this brine, you don’t need a new pickle recipe. Change the vegetable, the herb, or the heat level and you’ve got a different pickle every time.

• Vegetable: Zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, sweet onions, cauliflower, carrots, and green beans all pickle well in this same brine.
• Herb: Fresh dill is the classic choice, but cilantro, basil, or oregano all work if that’s what’s on hand.
• Heat and sweetness: A few slices of jalapeño or a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat. Pepper and garlic is the classic combination for zucchini pickles, so double up on both if that’s the flavor you’re after. A half teaspoon of honey or maple syrup for a sweeter pickle. Combine both, and you’ve got sweet and spicy pickles.
• Global twist: A few slices of fresh ginger, a quarter teaspoon of soy sauce, and a quarter teaspoon of honey turns this into an Asian-style quick pickle.
• Finish: Double the garlic and dill for a classic garlic dill pickle, or cut the zucchini into ribbons instead of spears for a different bite.

I usually make a double batch, one jar plain with just dill and garlic, and one with the jalapeño and honey. Between the two, they get through most of a week of sandwiches and burgers before I need to think about zucchini again.

Zucchini isn’t the only garden vegetable that piles up faster than you can use it. If you find yourself with a kitchen counter full of summer produce and no plan for dinner, check out my Summer Harvest Dinner Builder .

Why use Zucchini for Pickles?

People pickle zucchini usually to use up a big garden harvest, and it works well because zucchini holds its texture in brine and soaks up dill, garlic, and vinegar flavor almost better than a cucumber pickle would. There are a few reasons zucchini works: plants produce squash faster than most households can eat it, so pickling is a practical way to use the overflow. It’s also a natural backup when cucumber plants fail. Also, zucchini holds up slightly better in the jar than cucumber and the slices shrink less during brining.

How to Store Zucchini Dill Pickles

Store your quick pickles in the refrigerator for up to one month. Freezing is not recommended due to the water content of the zucchini.

How to Serve Them

Serve these anywhere you’d use a regular pickle. We eat them with grilled onion burgers, turkey burgers, and grilled cheese. Chopped small, they’re good stirred into potato salad, layered on a charcuterie board, or tossed into a grain bowl.

Check out more of our plant-based recipes here!

Sign Up for Easy Recipes Straight in Your In-Box!