How To Cut Zucchini 6 Ways With Step By Step Photos

How to Trim Zucchini?

The key to proper zucchini meal prep is ensuring your veggies are clean, unblemished, and fresh before slicing them. In just two simple steps, you can transform this summer vegetable into dozens of low-carb meals, from a hearty stew to a savory stir-fry.

Do You Peel Zucchini Before Slicing?

It’s completely up to your preference when deciding whether or not to peel your zucchini before cutting. I personally like to keep the skin on before chopping. The skin is soft, thin, and perfectly edible—especially when the squash is in season. Plus, the skin often contains the highest concentrations of antioxidants and potassium, which may account for its ability to help bring down blood sugar and insulin levels. However, if you prefer, you can peel the zucchini skin. To do so, hold your trimmed zucchini firmly in one hand and use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Be sure to rotate the zucchini as you work your way around its surface until all of the skin is peeled.

How to Cut Round Zucchini?

Zucchini rounds make the perfect cut for many of my favorite preparation methods. Add olive oil to your frying pan and sautee panko-crusted veggie coins for a savory sautéed zucchini side, or fire up the grill and prepare yourself for smoky and tender vegetable kabobs. No matter how you cook it, zucchini makes the perfect summer vegetable to serve on the side of a main dish. However, remember that the ideal thickness of your rounds will depend on your recipe. For instance, cutting zucchini thickly is best when making kabobs, as the veggies will better withstand the grill’s high heat and the kabob skewer. However, sautéed zucchini works best with thinner slices to ensure thorough cooking.

How to Cut Zucchini Rounds? Use a sharp knife to chop the veggie perpendicular to its length. Beginning at one end of the squash, slice round pieces in your desired thickness.

How to Cut Zucchini into Half-Moons? Slice the zucchini down its middle: Halve the zucchini, cutting lengthwise down its body. Cut half moons: Lay the zucchini halves on their long edges next to one another. Arrange them perpendicularly to your knife, and chop half-moon cuts in your preferred thickness from one end of the zucchini to the other.

How to Cut Zucchini Spears?

If you’ve ever wondered how to cut zucchini fries or what shape to cut your zucchini for optimal grilling, this guide to slicing spears is just what you need. This shape is sturdy enough to take the heat of grilling and roasting, and it makes an irresistible side when coated in a panko-parmesan mixture and baked or air-fried. Again, don’t be afraid to cut your spears to your desired length. For instance, if we are making roasted zucchini spears, we cut each zucchini in half, then cut each half into three equal slices—a great way to get firm, long strips of squash. However, you may prefer to chop the zucchini spears into smaller lengths should you prefer a more snack-friendly recipe such as zucchini fries.

How to Dice Zucchini?

Cubed zucchini—also known as diced zucchini and chopped zucchini—is a must-have for dozens of tasty recipes. Because of the bite-size pieces that result from this cutting method, it’s perfect for vegetable soups or stews—my favorite being a creamy, vegan-friendly Zucchini Soup! You can make the ultimate healthy side dish in minutes with just a handful of ingredients.

How to Cut Zucchini into Matchsticks?

There’s no need to stress when you want how to cut zucchini for stir fry. This matchstick cutting method—also known as a julienne cut—results in beautiful, thin strips of zucchini that make the ideal addition to dozens of stir-fry recipes.

How to Thinly Slice Zucchini

Slicing zucchini thin is a perfect way to get exquisitely fine veggie strips, sheets, or ribbons. The delicate, tender slices of thinly sliced zucchini are great for baked squash dishes. This cutting method is especially convenient when you need to slice zucchini for lasagna recipes with gooey cheese and a robust pasta sauce like my Zucchini Lasagna and Zucchini Lasagna rolls. They also make a great addition to delectably light salads, like my Zucchini Kale Salad. I recommend using a sharp vegetable peeler when making these thin slices—ideally, a Y peeler if you have one. However, a sharp knife would also work to make zucchini ribbons, though getting uniform slices might be more difficult. You can also slice your zucchini with a mandoline slicer to produce similarly thin, equal strips of vegetables. However, keep in mind that unless you have a protective glove (affiliate link), it may be difficult to get your veggies to stick to the blades while performing the slicing motion. Still, this easy kitchen tool is incredibly helpful when you have gloves on hand—even without a mandoline guard!