How to Freeze Zucchini

The zucchini in my garden is going CRAZY! The picture below is probably only about 1/8 of what my garden has produced….so far. I’ve tried a few different recipes, but two people and a three year old can only eat so much zucchini (and I’ve even given a lot away to family), so I thought I’d freeze some for later use.

I did some reading online and this is what I’ve come up with on how to freeze zucchini two different ways. First way is in chunks and the second way is shredded.

How to Freeze Zucchini in Chunks

Start by washing your zucchini and cutting off both ends.

Then, depending on how big your zucchini are, you’ll need to at least quarter them.

Next slice them into bite-sized pieces.

While cutting up the zucchini, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Once the water is boiling, put in a few handfuls of zucchini. Let it boil for 1 minute. (You’re just blanching the zucchini to help keep it from getting mushy when freezing it.)

After the minute is up, place the zucchini into either a large bowl of cold water or in my case a sink of cold water. You want to stop the cooking process.

Since I was doing so many zucchini, one side of my sink worked the best.

I filled it up with cold water and after adding a few more batches of zucchini, I just drained it and refilled it with more cold water.

After the zucchini has completely cooled, drain the water completely. Then place the zucchini on parchment paper lined metal pans. Next place the pans in the freezer until completely frozen. This will take a few hours at least.