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You are here: Home / Recipes by Category / Entrees/Main Dishes / Instant Pot Zucchini Recipe Round Up

Instant Pot Zucchini Recipe Round Up

July 22, 2021

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Instant Pot zucchini recipe round up

Zucchini Recipe Round-Up – Instant Pot style!  Here are 15+ recipes to make sure not one single zucchini goes to waste.  Plus, a bonus tip at the end of the post on what to do with zucchini when you just don't want to eat it anymore.


Instant Pot zucchini recipe round up

Are you drowning in zucchini yet?  My zucchini plants are just beginning to produce, and I can't wait to start harvesting!

To celebrate zucchini season, I've gathered recipes from my blog, my cookbook, and other blogs I follow and trust so you can make the most out of this extremely versatile vegetable.

Make sure you get to the bottom of this post where I reveal why I keep a supply of frozen zucchini in my freezer at all times.

Here we go!

Instant Pot Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Cake – TIDBITS

Moist, dark chocolate cake that you can serve for breakfast and feel REALLY good about it!  Drizzle it with peanut butter or almond butter and sprinkle it with just a dash of flaky sea salt – YUM!

chocolate zucchini cake in a white dish with chocolate chips on top

Instant Pot Zucchini Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Yogurt Sauce – TIDBITS

Well hello there beautiful, healthy loaf of bread that I made in the pressure cooker and now like a million times better than the oven version.  This has been my go-to oven recipe for years and I couldn't resist trying it out in the Instant Pot.  It freezes great as well!

round zucchini bread on a cutting board

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili – TIDBITS

This beauty is thickened with zucchini and is a favorite in my home.  Anytime my kids can top their soup with chips and cheese, it's a winner.

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili is healthy, creamy (without cream), delicious, and easy to throw together

Instant Pot Creamy Asparagus Soup – TIDBITS

Zucchini works so great as a thickening agent in creamy soups!  There is no need to add calories to this asparagus soup with heavy cream – zucchini will do the work.  This veggie-loaded asparagus soup is loved by all in my home, especially when served in a Whole Grain Bread Bowl.

Green asparagus soup with yogurt, bacon, and a lemon slice in a white bowl

Instant Pot Broccoli Zucchini Cheddar Soup – TIDBITS

I absolutely love the addition of zucchini in this Broccoli Cheese soup.  Pureed zucchini adds such a smooth, creamy texture without extra calories.  This is a regular at my house all winter.

Broccoli Cheddar soup in a bowl with cheddar cheese on top

Clean Eating Instant Pot Summer Soup – Pinch of Yum

This will also make good use of garden/farmer market corn on the cob.  Lots of veggies, fast, and EASY, just as summer cooking should be.

zucchini soup in a bowl with a spoon

Instant Pot Chicken Pesto and Vegetables – 365 Days of Slow Cooking

This is the one-pot meal of my dreams!  Chicken and veggies get tossed about in a basil pesto sauce to make your Instant Pot (and me) sing!

cheesy vegetables in a pot

Instant Pot Creamy Zucchini Spinach Soup – TIDBITS

I could happily replace every grilled cheese and tomato soup night with this green bowl of goodness instead.  This is a recipe from my cookbook, Master the Electric Pressure Cooker, and is one of the few green things my kids will devour.  I talk about the soup more in this incredible recipe for Instant Pot Whole Wheat Crusty Bread.

Instant Pot Whole Wheat Crusty Bread is full of seeds and whole grains and the perfect side to a great bowl of soup

Instant Pot Zucchini Lasagna – Ginger Casa

Zucchini instead of pasta?  I have yet to try this but it's covered in tomato sauce and cheese so it doesn't seem like a whole lot can go wrong here, right?

cheesy zucchini lasagna in a white pan

Instant Pot Zucchini Pesto Sauce – TIDBITS

This recipe is also one of my shining stars from Master the Electric Pressure Cooker cookbook and I make double batches of it so I can have it in the freezer at all times.  I tossed it with a bowl of pasta one night and my daughter shocked me by saying, “Why don't you make this more often instead of mac and cheese.”  I cried happy tears . . . in the bathroom . . . so they didn't think I was weird.

cheesy toast with green zucchini sauce over top

Instant Pot Marinara Sauce over Zoodles – TIDBITS

I am suddenly a HUGE fan of Zoodles.  I never thought I'd say it, but I'll eat a big pile of zoodles over pasta any day with a giant scoop of this tomato sauce.

Bowl of spaghetti with fresh basil

Instant Pot Zucchini Bolognese – Nom Nom Paleo

A bolognese made with zucchini?!  Then served over Zoodles?  What the?  Genius!

Zucchini noodles in a white bowl

Instant Pot Zucchini Bread – Ministry of Curry

This recipe comes from one of my new favorite blogs and I can't wait to try this bread out with a whole-grain spin.  Be sure and check out all her amazing Indian recipes for the Instant Pot.  She's a genius!

round zucchini bread with walnuts

 

Pressure Cooker Carrot Cake Oatmeal – Pressure Cooking Today

Before you have the chance to think I really messed up here, let me explain.  No, there is no zucchini in this recipe, but at some point, my kids stopped eating this family favorite oatmeal because of the carrot factor.  Now I swap the orange out for green zucchini, and it suddenly gets a thumbs up all around the dining table.

carrot cake steel cut oats in a bowl

Instant Pot Breakfast Peach Cobbler – TIDBITS

One more recipe from Master the Electric Pressure Cooker you simply must try!  One of these zucchini breakfast cakes served piping hot in a bowl of cold milk is peace, love, and joy all in one.  I oftentimes swap out the peaches for whatever berries I have lying around and it is equally amazing.

Instant Pot Peach Cobbler in a bowl of milk

Pressure Cooker Zucchini Basil Soup – My Food Story

This zucchini soup has similar notes to the one I mentioned above with the addition of spice, sour cream, and lime juice.  This could be magical!

green spinach soup in a white bowl with cheese on top

Instant Pot Mexican Style Poblano Zucchini – Two Sleevers

Yes!  Mexican flavors meet zucchini.  The world is right again.

Pot of zucchini and onions

Instant Pot Thai Curry Zucchini Soup – My Life Cookbook

If Thai is in the title, you've already got me.  I can't wait to load this up with steamed veggies and chicken!

2 white bowls with zucchini soup

Now that you feel much more prepared to handle the masses of zucchini taking up space on your countertop, here's some extra TIDBITS of information I've learned about using zucchini.

Zucchini FAQ

How to store zucchini

Freshly picked or storebought needs to be stored in the refrigerator in an open plastic bag.  Zucchini will keep this way for about a week.  Be sure not to cut it until you're ready to use it.

Do you need to peel zucchini? 

No, you do not need to peel your zucchini.  Nature just saved you an extra step in your cooking.  However, when my kids were younger, I did peel it when I used it in baked goods.  This resulted in them devouring zucchini bread (or pancakes, muffins, etc) without the fear of green poison entering their bodies.

Substitute yellow squash for green

Yep, it totally works and it's actually kind of pretty.  I don't notice a difference in the flavor or texture at all.

Best method for shredding zucchini

I LOVE letting my food processor handle this for me!  I can shred crazy amounts of zucchini at a time and throw it all in a produce bag (see next note) to use throughout the week.  The food processor results in a consistent, fine shred that mixes into baked goods so smoothly.  No food processor?  Add it to your Christmas want list and then bust out the standard grater and work those arm muscles!

shredded zucchini on a white plate

How to strain zucchini

My favorite way to strain zucchini is in these Reusable Produce Bags.  I grate several zucchinis at a time and then store them in these bags.  They make it so easy to squeeze, squeeze, SQUEEZE all that extra liquid out.  If I don't use all the zucchini, I place the produce bag inside a ziplock bag and place it in the fridge for a few days.

Nut milk bags could also be used in the same way, but the mesh on the produce bags is bigger so the liquid drains more easily.  A lint-free towel will work as well, but won't store like the produce bags will.

How to freeze zucchini

To freeze shredded zucchini, squeeze as much liquid out as you can, add 1 – 2 cups of zucchini to freezer safe ziptop bags, flatten bags, label them, and place them in the freezer.  When you're ready to use them, thaw them out and squeeze out any extra liquid.

Here's my favorite way to freeze zucchini:  Chop it up, spread it out on a sheet pan covered with non-stick foil, freeze it, bag it up, and throw handfuls into all of my smoothies.

This is my new favorite way to add creaminess and bulk to an otherwise thin and small smoothie, without adding extra calories and sugar.  Seriously, 6 bags of frozen zucchini will go fast when you discover how magical this is.

I enjoy a Chocolate Cherry Smoothie nearly every day and I've started swapping out half the frozen banana called for with frozen zucchini.  It's genius!

Zucchini frozen this way is also perfect for recipes that will be blended like the soups and chili above.

Check out this article on How to Freeze Zucchini for tips on how to freeze zucchini when you want to use it in slices or cubes.

This concludes our session of Zucchini 101 by Marci TIDBITS

If you have more tips, let me have it!

What are your favorite zucchini recipes?  Share them all!  No need to stick with just pressure cooking recipes either.  My other appliances need some zucchini love as well.

Enjoy!

Marci at Tidbits
Marci

Welcome! I’m Marci, wife to my motorcycle dream man and mother of 3. I have a passion for creating and cooking delicious masterpieces in my kitchen and am ecstatic to share my discoveries on TIDBITS! I like my food tasty, wholesome, memorable, and always, ALWAYS followed by dark, salty chocolate.

I love to see what you're cooking from my blog! Show me your creations on Instagram using hashtag #MARCITIDBITS
For more TIDBITS food talk, join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube

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Comments

  1. Sharon says

    July 25, 2021

    I love the idea of zucchini noodles but when we make them no matter what we do there’s just so much water on them makes for a watery sauce and it turns us off! What can we do to make the noodles drier

    Reply
    • Marci says

      July 29, 2021

      Sharon, I know what you’re talking about! This is the way I always do it that works out great for me. It probably makes a difference to use a small zucchini that doesn’t have a lot of seeds.

      Reply
  2. Frauke says

    July 18, 2020

    I have made stuffed grey zucchini, which are short and squat in the instant pot a few days ago.
    They are about 6″ long and more oblong than green zucchini. I hollowed them out with a melon baller to about 1/4″ rim, then chopped the zucchini flesh, added one mashed hot Italian sausage, Italian breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, garlic salt and onion powder, and a little water. Cooked in the Instant Pot on a trivet on High Pressure for 8 minutes with a 10 min NPR. Then I added grated Mozzarella and more Parmesan and roasted them in the Air Fryer until the cheese melted and formed a nice brown crust. Used the meat thermometer to make sure that the stuffing was fully cooked (we survived!). My at first very skeptical husband liked it a lot! (Anything with hot Italian sausage, LOL!)

    Reply
    • Marci says

      July 18, 2020

      Frauke, that sounds amazing! Thank you so so much for the recipe!

      Reply
  3. Brandy says

    May 14, 2020

    Did you ever figure out a zucchini boat instant pot recipe? My kids love zucchini boats and my oven is out of commission at the moment, so I’d love to do a instant pot or an air fryer version while we are in quarantine.

    Reply
    • Marci says

      May 14, 2020

      Brandy, I haven’t yet! But I’m thinking I would do 1 layer, then top with a second layer (turned the opposite direction so they can sit on top). I’ll bet 2 -3 minutes would be plenty to cook the zucchini through. Let me know if you try it before I get to it!

      Reply
  4. Turisno_Squaw says

    August 9, 2019

    Not only are these recipes great for dinner, these are some of my favorite Instant Pot lunches:  Chicken Tortilla Soup, Quinoa Taco Casserole, Chicken Marsala, Cauliflower Cheeseburger Mac , Butternut Squash Soup

    Reply
  5. Sheila says

    July 18, 2019

    I have a question. I looked at the Zucchini Pesto recipe in my Tidbits Master the Electric Pressure Cooker cookbook and calls for 5 medium zucchini. Locally the zucchini is about 5″ round by 1 1/2′ long. My question is what do you consider a medium sized zucchini? Or better yet, how many cups would that be? 😉

    Reply
    • Marci says

      July 19, 2019

      Sheila, It can vary and still be fine, But about 8-9 inches long and 4-5 inches around. I’ll try and measure it in cups the next time I make it!

      Reply
      • Sheila says

        July 19, 2019

        Thank you for answering. It is much appreciated.

  6. Barbara says

    August 8, 2018

    So many great ideas. Thanks for including my recipe – what a fun way to change it up.

    Reply
    • Marci says

      August 8, 2018

      Barbara, it works great and it uses up my plethora of zucchini. Such a great recipe!

      Reply

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