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Turn your surplus of summer zucchini into mock applesauce with minimal ingredients that you probably already have on hand!
Are you getting to the point in the summer where you’re starting to have a little too much zucchini on hand? If you’re not there yet, you might be soon.
If you’re a gardener, maybe you’ve already dropped off a bag (or two) at a neighbor’s house, or maybe you’ve been the recipient of a bag or two from a neighbor who gardens. Or maybe you heard the doorbell ring early one random evening only to get to the front door and find a gigantic bag of zucchini looking up at you, which might as well have sprouted legs and walked there itself because there wasn’t a trace of anyone in sight. (True story.)
There are definitely worse things than fly-by-night zucchini drive-bys though.
What To Do With All That Zucchini
One of my favorite things to make when zucchini season rolls around is Middle Eastern stuffed zucchini (kousa mahshi). Another is zucchini fritters (ejjet kousa), yuuum. I also love what I call zucchini coins (essentially crispy baked or fried zucchini slices) because my mom made them all the time growing up (here’s my keto crispy zucchini slices recipe). And zucchini bread is my absolute favorite of all the quick breads! All in all, I love zucchini.
But I’m always looking for new zucchini ideas, and one day applesauce one came to me after I had made kousa mahshi for dinner and was wondering what to do with all the zucchini pulp from the hollowed out zucchini.
Although this doesn’t taste exactly like applesauce, the taste is quite similar thanks to the sweetener, warm spices, and tart lemon juice, and the consistency is spot-on. I think you might even be able to fool certain family members if there are those who claim not to like zucchini!
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Zucchini – Peeled, chopped, and processed in a food processor to form a chunky paste with a texture similar to applesauce.
- Honey – Or maple syrup, sugar, or keto sweetener.
- Fresh lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice is a key ingredient in mock applesauce made with zucchini. It adds the tart flavor that’s present in regular applesauce.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg – These warm spices play a big role in the flavor here. I go heavy on the cinnamon, but you can start with half the amount if you don’t want it so heavily spiced.
- Salt – Just a tiny bit of salt enhances the flavor.
Instructions
- Prep and let it sit. The night before you want to make this (or up to 3 days in advance), add the peeled, chopped zucchini to a food processor and process until it forms a chunky paste with a texture similar to applesauce (see the photo above). Cover the zucchini and store it in the fridge for at least 8 to 12 hours (or up to 3 days) until you’re ready to make the “applesauce” so the juices seep out.
- Cook. The next day, transfer the zucchini (with the liquid that has seeped out) and all other ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn heat down to low and simmer (uncovered) until the zucchini is tender and the juices are mostly evaporated, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Enjoy. Serve how you like your applesauce – hot, warm, or cold.
Storage
Cool to room temperature, and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips For Success
- I developed this recipe to use 1 medium zucchini (about 200 grams) because it’s easy to scale up based on any number of zucchini you want to use.
- If you scale up, cut back on the cinnamon level a bit to start. For example, if you’re using 4 medium-sized zucchinis (about 800 grams), I would recommend starting with a slightly scant 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon instead of 4 teaspoons. (Spices do not always scale in a linear way, and you can always add more if you like.)
- One medium-sized zucchini yields about 1 cup of chunky raw paste (after processing in the food processor), and about 3/4 cup of cooked zucchini applesauce. It’s a nice size for a single serving.
- The sweetener completely customizable here. You can use granulated white sugar or brown sugar. Or make it low carb and keto-friendly with keto granulated sugar, keto brown sugar, or keto maple syrup. Go for honey or maple syrup for a paleo version. Agave nectar, maple syrup, or sugar are all good options if you want to keep it vegan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Well, yes, friends. In this recipe, we’re transforming something that tastes green and earthy into something that simulates fruit. The main vehicle for this taste transformation is a slight sweetness and warm spices. The good thing is you can use any kind of sweetener you like (even keto sugar replacements work well here).
Yes! I’m happy to report that you can bake with zucchini applesauce (using it as a replacement for unsweetened applesauce), and you don’t even need to cook it down first. And you can leave out the sweetener and spices.
To start, peel and chop the zucchini, and then process it in the food processor as directed. You don’t have to let it sit overnight, and you don’t have to cook it. At this point, it’s ready to use in any baking recipe that calls for unsweetened applesauce!
More Recipes For Zucchini Lovers
- Parmesan Baked Zucchini Fries – Crispy and delicious, and perfect instead of French fries.
- Zucchini Rollatini (Roll-Ups) – A lovely main course, these have a savory cheese filling and marinara sauce.
- Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad – Featuring an easy sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, pine, nuts, and feta cheese, this salad is great with anything you grill up or on its own as a light meal (add some beans or shredded chicken to bump up the protein!).
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Cinnamon-Spiced Zucchini “Applesauce” Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 200 grams zucchini (peeled, chopped, and processed in a food processor to form a chunky paste; 200 grams is about 1 medium zucchini and will yield around 1 cup of chunky paste; see Notes)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup, sugar, etc.; more or less to taste)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/16 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
- 1/16 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Prep the zucchini and let it sit. The night before you want to make this (or up to 3 days in advance), add the peeled, chopped zucchini to a food processor and process until it forms a chunky paste with a texture similar to applesauce (see the photo in the post above). Cover the zucchini and store it in the fridge for at least 8 to 12 hours (or up to 3 days) until you’re ready to make the “applesauce” so the juices seep out.
- Cook. The next day, transfer the zucchini (with the liquid that has seeped out) and all other ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn heat down to low and simmer (uncovered) until the zucchini is tender and the juices are mostly evaporated, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Enjoy. Serve how you like your applesauce – hot, warm, or cold.
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 3/4 cup of zucchini “applesauce” (1 serving).
- Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated using honey as the sweetener, but you can swap that out for any sweetener (granulated or liquid) that you like.
- Storage: Cool to room temperature, and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on August 7, 2013 and updated on August 19, 2026.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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I have just had several zucchini delivered in my organic veg box and I am so intrigued by this recipe. What a wonderful idea!
I love your answer to “do I have to add sweetener and spices too” ;-)
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
April, Thank you so much, sweet friend! I hope you enjoy this if you give it a try. :)
Hi! Could you waterbath can this?
Sam, I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work with a little bit of tweaking: increasing the acid (either in the form of more lemon juice or adding citric acid) so it’s safe for canning, and possibly increasing the sweetener to taste to compensate for the increased acid. If you experiment with it, please let me know how it goes!
This was AMAZING! I didn’t think ahead, so I peeled and grated the zucchini and squeezed the water out with my hands. I thin put the pulp into the blender. Came out perfectly. Not watery at all!
I liked this recipe. My sauce ended up too thin (didn’t take time to drain it overnight.)Now I’m cooking it down to make zucchini butter, will can it. So glad I found your recipe!
This sounds wonderful! I’m definitely going to try this. I am wondering if this could be preserved like I do my regular applesauce? Thanks
Alicia, Thanks so much, I’m happy you want to try this recipe! It’s delicious and a fun use for zucchini. The pressure canning method may work to preserve it, but I can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried it. I did freeze some of this and found that it fared well (I just thawed it at room temperature when I was ready to use it). Please let me know how it goes if you decide to can it!
I’ve mixed chopped zucchini and apples to make APPLE CRISP. (well sort of anyways) I make sure to remove the seeds from zucchini so the kids and picky eaters won’t know. Add enough cinnamon to disguise it.
this is quite clever, and i can see how it’d work–i once made an ‘apple’ pie with zucchini and only the really shrewd eaters realized it. :)
Brilliant! And I love your plaid spoon. :)
This looks exactly like applesauce, I’m impressed!
What a neat idea! I’m a fan of throwing zucchini in smoothies, so this is right up my alley! I am loving everyone’s creative ways at getting more vegetables in our diets. Thanks for sharing!
I love this idea! I gotta try this next time I go out to the garden to pick zucchini since there’s a ton every time I go out!
Sounds wonderful!
Yummy, a nice way to have Zucchini.
I’m totally testing this out sweetened with Stevia!
What an interesting way to use up Zucchini Faith!! so creative :)
This is soooo unique! Love this idea!
I used to have these gigantic zucchini as I was a weekend gardner — zucchinis grew madly when I was gone during the week. I hated the idea of tossing them but eating them regularly was out.. the skin was tough and the interior had lost its tender texture.
I would bake it like a pumpkin (split in half) and puree it.
Then I made zucchini pie just like pumpkin or added it to minestrone. It worked well and I no longer felt bad about throwing them away.