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Zucchini is a staple in our garden every year because the plants produce heavily. However, zucchini can get huge quickly, seemingly overnight. It’s sometimes a gardener’s joke – one zucchini plant will feed your family. Two will feed your neighborhood. Three or more? Better start a farm stand because you’re feeding the whole city!
Every year, we have one bed dedicated to zucchini that our plants grow well in and have space to spread out. I try to check the plant daily to harvest them when they are around 6-8 inches long. To me, that’s when they taste the best. When they grow longer than 10-12 inches, they become seedy, their skin can become tough, and the inner flesh becomes spongy. I don’t like wasting them, so this year, I found a great way to put the oversized zucchini to use – zucchini flour! You can replace 1/3 of the flour in a recipe with zucchini flour. For example, if your recipe calls for 3 cups of flour, you can use 1 cup of zucchini flour and 2 cups of flour.
Below, I go over two methods I tried when making zucchini flour. I am working on posts about how to use them and ultimately which method I prefer. I would like to start by noting that for me, 25 lbs of zucchini yielded around 4 cups of flour (when freeze drying), so you’ll need a lot of zucchini but it’s a great way to use up the inedible ones throughout the growing season. This way you can bake with it over the winter months.
Dehydrated Zucchini Flour
The first method is using a dehydrator. I quartered the zucchini to fit in my mandolin and sliced them about 1/4 inch thick. Consistency is key, so they dry evenly. Next, I laid them flat on the trays without overlapping. Six trays took about 8 hours at 135° to fully dry. This is the dehydrator I use. You should also be able to use your oven if the temperature goes low enough.
Test the zucchini slices. They should crumble in your fingers. If they bend or seem rubbery, they aren’t completely dehydrated and need more time. Once fully dehydrated, blend them into powder. I use a Ninja Nurtri-Blender, but any blender should do. Once blended, let the powder settle before opening the lid, or you’ll get a green cloud to the face!
Using this method, I was only able to make about 1/2 cup of flour at a time, but you may be able to pack them in closer than I did. *See below for proper storage tips.
Freeze Dried Zucchini Flour
Freeze-dried zucchini is pretty easy to prep, and you can pack the trays to yield more flour. I started by roughly chopping the zucchini and then running it through a food processor. I even left the seeds in the really big zucchini.
Once finely minced, I packed the trays to the top and froze them. It took my freeze dryer 24-27 hours to complete the process. Make sure the zucchini is dried through. One tip you can use is to make sure the bottom of the trays are warm throughout.
Once freeze-dried, blend the zucchini into flour using a blender. I had to do my mine in batches. This season, I freeze dried three batches (5 trays each) and ended up with about 10 cups of zucchini flour. *See storage tips below.
How to Store Zucchini Flour
For Both Freeze-Dried & Dehydrated Zucchini Flour:
- Airtight containers are non-negotiable! Use mason jars with tight lids, vacuum-sealed bags, or mylar bags
- Add an oxygen absorber (and optionally a silica gel pack for moisture control)
- Keep in a cool, dark place like a pantry or cupboard
- Label with date to track freshness
Freeze-Dried Zucchini Flour:
- Super shelf-stable if sealed properly
- Stored in mylar with oxygen absorbers, it can last 10-20+ years
- Once opened, use it within 6-12 months, keeping the jar tightly sealed between uses
Dehydrated Zucchini Flour:
- Shorter shelf life since it retains a bit more moisture
- In mylar with oxygen absorbers, it usually lasts 1-2 years
- Once opened, it is best to use within 3-6 months to avoid clumping or flavor loss
Pro tip: If you’ll be opening your containers often, keep a small jar for daily use and store the rest sealed away. That way, you’re not exposing your whole batch to air and humidity each time. For some freeze-dried foods, I’ll store a batch in a pint or quart jar and the rest in mylar bags. That way, if the batch in the jar goes bad, my whole supply isn’t wasted.