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This post has been a long time coming – the ultimate guide to zoodles! It has everything you need to know about how to make zucchini noodles and the perfect basic zucchini noodles recipe. I did a ton of research and testing to make this happen, and am so excited to finally share it with you.
What Are Zucchini Noodles?
First, what are zucchini noodles? They are simply zucchini that has been spiralized and cooked. Some people call them zoodles.
If you’re low carb, you’re probably familiar with zoodles by now. (But if you’re new, don’t miss my guide on how to start a low carb diet or keto diet plan!)
By spiralized, I mean cut into thin strips, forming long spiral strands. This turns them into a noodle shape, and you can expand on the basic zucchini noodle recipe to make your favorite pasta low carb!
Methods for How To Make Zucchini Noodles
There are a million zucchini noodles recipes out there, but first, you need to know how to make them. I’ll go over each tool you an use, so you can decide which one you like best!
Types of Spiralizers for Zoodles
There are 4 basic tools to choose from when making zucchini noodles:
- Counter Top Spiralizer – By far my favorite! This method is super fast and makes zoodles that have uniform thickness. This counter top spiralizer has the highest quality I’ve seen, and unlike others the bottom suction stays put.
- Handheld Spiralizer – A good option to save space in the kitchen. It’s small, but requires more effort and the zucchini noodles tend to come out thinner. Here’s a good hand-held spiralizer to try.
- Julienne Peeler – The solution to avoid buying a separate tool, but can be tedious and time consuming. Also, the zoodles usually turn out to be much shorter. This julienne peeler works well and swivels.
- Knife – This is basically just cutting the zucchini into thin strips. Definitely the most basic way, but also time consuming and it’s hard to get thin enough noodles.
Let’s start with the easiest, most popular way – how to make zucchini noodles with a spiralizer (the counter top style)…
How To Make Zucchini Noodles With a Spiralizer
The process for how to make zucchini noodles with a spiralizer is very easy:
- Cut off the ends of the zucchini and hold it horizontally.
- Secure the counter top spiralizer on the counter using the suction cup(s) on the bottom. (More on this below!)
- Insert the zucchini. Skewer one end onto the side of the spiralizer that has the handle, then poke the other end into the side that has the blade.
- Crank the handle repeatedly, continuously pushing the zucchini toward the blade and watch the zoodles come out the other side.
Tips For Zucchini Noodles With a Spiralizer
Here are my favorite tips for using a spiralizer:
- Get a spiralizer that has a *strong* suction cup on the bottom. It will save your sanity. I’ve tried several with the small suction cups at the bottom, and they move around at least some of the time. Super annoying. This spiralizer has a giant suction cup on the bottom, and a lever to make it stay in place – I love it!
- Make sure the zucchini is centered on the spiralizer. That way, you’ll end up with more of the “best” zucchini noodles, which are the ones that include the edges and skin. The middle ones tend to be a little more mushy. Also, this will avoid the super-short pieces that you sometimes get when the zucchini isn’t centered. You can always re-position it as you go along.
- Choose zucchini with a smaller diameter when possible. Some people prefer larger zucchini because it’s easier to spiralize them into zoodles, but I prefer small ones. Again, you’ll get more noodles that include the skin. These are more sturdy and release less water than the center ones.
- Spiralize the zucchini raw, before cooking. Do not peel it. You probably know both of these things if you’ve made zoodles before, but mentioning it in case you haven’t.
- Cut the spiralized zucchini before cooking. Otherwise, they will be too long. The easiest way is to use kitchen shears.
- What to do with the core? Toss it in a stir fry. You probably don’t want it together with the beautiful zoodles you just made, but you can save the cores and use them again in a “leftovers” stir fry.
How To Make Zucchini Noodles Without a Spiralizer
In case you can’t tell yet, I’m a huge fan of this counter top spiralizer (and am not affiliated with it in any way). But, if it’s not in your budget or you don’t have the kitchen space, you can try a hand-held spiralizer, a julienne peeler, or even a knife.
Here is how to make zuchini noodles with a hand-held spiralizer:
- Cut off the ends of the zucchini. Same as above.
- Insert one end of the zucchini into the spiralizer. If you’d like you can use the separate piece that comes with the hand-held spiralizer for the other end of the zucchini. I’ve found it’s not always required, but can help toward the end.
- Twist the zucchini with one hand while holding the spiralizer steady with the other.
To use a julienne peeler for making zoodles, simply run it across the zucchini length-wise, creating strands. This method works, but the zoodles sometimes come out uneven and it can be harder to make super long ones.
To make zucchini noodles with a knife, you’ll just have to cut long strips as thinly as you can. This can be a challenge, and takes a long time. I don’t recommend this method.
How To Cook Zucchini Noodles
Learning how to make zoodles is one thing, but I think the part that really makes a difference is the cooking method. No matter what zucchini noodles recipe you want to make, there are two methods for cooking them that stand out.
I want to show you how to cook zucchini noodles so that they are perfectly al dente, and best of all, dry! Yes, you can avoid watery zoodles.
Below is a summary of my favorite methods for cooking zucchini noodles, complete with pros and cons, and after that I’ll tell you even more about making sure your zoodles are not watery.
How To Pan Fry Zucchini Noodles
The most common method for cooking zucchini noodles is to pan fry them. If you do it right, they can be nice and dry, like the picture above!
But, before you dump them right into a pan after spiralizing, we need to get some of the moisture out. Do not just pan fry them right away, because they will definitely be watery! I’ve heard about some people throwing them right into the pan, and I’ve tested this multiple times, each time with a watery zucchini soup on my plate.
So, don’t skip the step of getting the moisture out first!
To do this, place the zoodles in a colander over the sink and toss with salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes. The salt will bring out the water. After half an hour, squeeze the zoodles gently to release some additional water.
Important – do not keep squeezing them to get out every last drop. This will make them too mushy and lifeless. Just get most of it out and you’re good.
Finally, pan fry zucchini noodles (stir fry them) for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-high heat. It might take longer if you have a lot of zoodles.
Pros of Pan Frying Zucchini Noodles:
- This method creates dry zucchini noodles that are not watery.
- You don’t have to turn on your oven when it’s hot. It’s only a few minutes on the stove, so not much heat there either.
- The hands-on time is super short – only the time to make zoodles and stir fry. The time to drain is hands-off, so you can do something else, like make one of my low carb dinner recipes for the main dish.
- This is a good option if you zucchini noodles recipe requires cooking the sauce. You can do that first, set it aside, cook the zoodles, then mix together. Just don’t cook them together because your sauce likely needs to be cooked a lot longer than the zucchini.
Cons of Pan Frying Zoodles:
- Cooking zucchini noodles using this method can be just slightly on the mushy side.
- Because we squeeze out so much moisture, the result has a smaller volume of zoodles compared to the oven method.
How To Make Zucchini Noodles in the Oven (Preferred Method)
Surprisingly, the best method I’ve found for how to cook zucchini noodles is in the oven! And, I’m super excited about it, because it requires no draining and no squeezing, yet the zoodles still turn out super dry.
To begin, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the zoodles on a very large baking sheet, and toss them with sea salt.
Which pan to use? The bigger, the better! The reason is to make sure the zucchini is spread on the pan in a thin layer and not too crowded. Here is about how spread out they should be:
… And here they are afterward:
For pan choices, I love this hard-anodized oven-safe griddle pan or if you want to make more servings, this extra large sheet pan. If your non-stick surface isn’t great or you want easier cleanup, line your pan with parchment paper first.
Bake the zucchini for about 15 minutes, or until the noodles are done to your liking. Fifteen minutes in my oven was al dente! Feel free to do a bit longer if you want yours softer. Pat them dry with paper towels to remove any remaining moisture.
To serve zoodles from the oven, toss them with sauce and serve right away!
Pros of Cooking Zucchini Noodles in the Oven:
- This method also creates dry zucchini noodles that are not watery.
- No squeezing! This is the best part. Waiting for zoodles to drain and then squeezing them is kind of a pain.
- You don’t have to warm your sauce or cook it separately. Just tossing the zucchini with sauce after baking will heat the sauce and you can serve immediately.
- The result from cooking zucchini noodles in the oven has more volume than the above stovetop method.
- The total time is faster. You don’t have to wait half an hour for the zoodles to drain over the sink.
Cons of Cooking Zoodles in the Oven:
- The biggest disadvantage is you have to turn on your oven! I know this isn’t the most desirable in the summer when zucchini is in season.
- You need a huge pan to properly dry the zucchini noodles in the oven.
Visually, below is a comparison of the stovetop vs oven method. You can see the sauteed noodles have less volume and turn out just slightly more mushy, but both are dry. NO water on the plate!
How To Cook Zucchini Noodles - Comparison of the Best Ways:
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Other Methods for Cooking Zucchini Noodles
In my testing, the best way to cook zucchini noodles was in the oven, and the next best was pan fried zoodles. But just for completeness, I want to tell you about the other two methods some people use to cook them:
- Eat them raw – You can easily skip cooking altogether and turn your favorite pasta salad into a zucchini noodles recipe! You totally don’t have to cook them.
- Boiling or blanching zucchini noodles – The end result is usually watery. Not necessarily right away, but the zucchini oozes water easily and quickly becomes too wet on your plate. Only use this method if you are making soup.
- Zoodles in the microwave – This can work in a pinch, but it’s a lot harder to avoid making them watery. If you want to do it anyway, the best way is to follow the draining and squeezing method just like you would when pan frying (above), then microwave. You may still need to drain or pat additional moisture afterward. Once the zucchini is hot, you can add sauce after. Adding it before placing in the microwave would mean you can’t get rid of extra moisture at the end.
Tips To Avoid Watery Zucchini Noodles
I’ve touched on this a bit already, but the #1 thing you probably want to know is how to cook zucchini noodles that are not watery! So, I put together tons of tips for you:
Avoiding Watery Sauteed Zucchini Noodles on the Stove
If you want to know how to cook zucchini noodles on the stove, follow these tips to ensure they don’t end up watery:
- Pat zucchini noodles dry with paper towels after spiralizing them. In fact, this is a good idea as a starting point no matter how you’ll be cooking them afterward.
- Cook zoodles over medium-high heat. This will encourage evaporation and reduce the chance of water remaining.
- Do not cover the zucchini during cooking. This will trap the moisture.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if you have to, but make sure there’s lots of room. You want as much surface area of the zucchini noodles touching the pan as possible. Crowding the pan = wet zoodles!
- Do not add salt to the pan. This will make the zucchini release more water. You can use a salty sauce instead.
- Use a pan that conducts heat well. Again, high heat will cook the zoodles quickly instead of simmering them in their own moisture. Cast iron or hard anodized steel pans work great. I use this pan and love it!
- Don’t overcook the zoodles. You want them to be al dente! Usually this takes just 3 or 4 minutes. The longer you cook them, the more water will seep out and render watery zoodles.
- Consider residual heat. If you finish cooking them and leave them in the pan, they’ll continue to soften and release moisture.
The Easiest Way To Avoid Watery Zoodles
That was a long list! If you want an easier way that barely requires any tips at all, cooking zoodles in the oven is best. You only need a few tips to get that right, and you can do this for almost any zucchini noodles recipe:
- Use an extra large sheet pan. The oven method dries the noodles, and this only works if they are in a very thin layer.
- Pat the zoodles dry afterward. Don’t forget this step! The zucchini will be mostly dry when you take it out of the oven, but as a last step, lay two layers of paper towels over the entire pan and pat gently.
The Best Sauce for Zucchini Noodles
The sauce you put on zoodles makes a difference if you want to avoid a wet result.
Most sauce types will work to a degree, but it’s highly recommended to use a thick sauce if possible. The noodles will continue to seep water as they sit and will thin out the sauce too much if it’s already fairly watery. This tends to happen less with the oven method, though.
How To Store Zucchini Noodles
Do you want to meal prep zucchini noodles? Or just be able to handle leftovers? Surprisingly, you can! I did lots of testing on this as well, so you’ll know exactly when to cook them, when to add the sauce, how to store them, and how to revive them later if needed.
How To Make Zucchini Noodles For Meal Prep
The best way to make zucchini noodles for meal prep is to spiralize them in advance and keep them in the fridge uncooked. Then, when you’re ready to cook, pat them dry first.
Cooking zoodles ahead of time is also not recommended, but if you must, do not mix them with sauce until ready to serve. They will continue to release water after cooking, so pat them dry again before adding sauce and serving.
Can You Freeze Zucchini Noodles?
Do not freeze zoodles. Trust me, I’ve tried! If anyone finds a way to do it I’m happy to post an update here, but my attempts resulted in a watery mess and weird texture.
The Basic Zucchini Noodle Recipe
Now that you know all about ways to make zoodles and how to cook them so they aren’t watery, it’s time for a zucchini noodles recipe – it’s on the recipe card below!
I’m keeping this one super simple. Zoodles are totally delicious with simple grass-fed butter, sea salt and black pepper. Serve them with filet mignon for a romantic dinner or on a weeknight with crispy oven baked chicken thighs.
If you want to add your favorite sauce, go for it! My easy homemade alfredo sauce recipe and basil pesto sauce recipe are both amazing on zucchini noodles.
And don’t forget, you can always skip the cooking step altogether to make a raw zucchini noodle salad.
More Tutorials For Low Carb Basics
Now that you know how to make zucchini noodles, here are a few other basic recipes to master for a low carb lifestyle:
- The ultimate guide to perfect hard boiled eggs – the easy peel method for use in snacks and recipes!
- How to make cauliflower rice – Just like zoodles are the keto noodle replacement, similarly cauliflower is the low carb replacement for rice.
- Learn how to make avocado oil mayonnaise at home. (You just need 5 minutes!)
- Easy Instant Pot shredded chicken is one of the fastest ways to use chicken in casseroles, soups, and more.
- Fathead dough is the ultimate low carb dough – use it for keto pizza, keto bagels, and keto gnocchi and breadsticks found in my Easy Keto Cookbook!
How To Make Zucchini Noodles - The Best Guide to Making Zoodles!:
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RECIPE CARD
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Everything about how to make zucchini noodles! Includes an easy zucchini noodles recipe, how to avoid watery zoodles, spiralizer comparison, cooking methods, best way to store them, and more.
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Instructions
Get RECIPE TIPS in the post above, nutrition info + recipe notes below!
Click on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Prepare The Zoodles
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Make zucchini noodles with or without a spiralizer. (Check the post above for tips!)
How To Make Zucchini Noodles in the Oven
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Grease an extra large baking sheet. (Use parchment paper if it's not excellent non-stick.)
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Arrange the zucchini on the baking sheet in a thin layer, making sure not to crowd the pan. Sprinkle with sea salt lightly and toss.
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Bake for about 15 minutes, until al dente. (You can cook longer if you want them softer.)
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Pat the zoodles dry with a double layer of paper towels.
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Toss with melted butter, black pepper, and more sea salt to taste if needed.
How To Make Zucchini Noodles on the Stove
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Place zucchini noodles into a colander over the sink. Sprinkle with sea salt and toss. Let sit for 30 minutes to drain.
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After half an hour, squeeze the zoodles gently over the sink to release more water. No need to get out every last drop, but just the majority.
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Heat butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until al dente. (Cooking time may vary depending on how much zucchini you have and the size of your pan.) Season with black pepper and more sea salt to taste.
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Recipe Notes
- Check the post above for lots of tips on choosing a spiralizer (and how to use it), tips specific to each cooking method, how to avoid watery zucchini noodles, and storage or making them ahead of time.
Serving size: 1 cup
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Nutrition Information Per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. You can find individual ingredient carb counts we use in the Low Carb & Keto Food List. Net carb count excludes fiber, erythritol, and allulose, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. (Learn about net carbs here.) We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.
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68 Comments
Rachel
Oh. Holy. Gamechanger!!! Brand new spiralizer, only a month into my healthy diet lifestyle renovation, and apparently I’m a zoodles junkie! That was so gloriously delicious! I followed your recipe exactly with the addition of 3 ingredients to turn it into Zoodles Pomodoro. I sauteed 2 cloves of garlic. And 2 roma tomatoes, bith chupoed, in a bit of olive oil about 5 mins before the zoodles were to come out of the oven. Garlic was starting to clarifh, so the zoodles came out of the oven, get a quick pat down to remove water, 2 Tbsp of butter went into pan with more sea salt and pepper. Tossed zoodles in the sauce while sprinkling w 1/4 cup shaved parmesan. Less than one min in pan tossing noodles, plated, and it was phenomenal pomodoro! I’m stunned stupid, right now. I forsee at least a 2x a week zoodles habit. Thank you!!!
Jane
The very best advice on zoodles I’ve ever read. And therefore my zoodles were a complete success tonight!
JudytheBaker
I usually make Zoodles on the stove top, the way you show in your cookbook. This time, I decided to try the oven method. I noticed three things:
One. There’s more control by the stove top method.
2. I lost a lot more volume with the oven method. I had to add some cooked kale to have enough for dinner.
3. I had 20 ounces of zucchini purchased. After trimming the ends off zucchini , I lost 4 ounces. I woukd suggest buying 24 ounces.
I love having zoodles for dinner. , We had them with veggie meat, cheese, and sauce.
Judy the Baker
Oh, THANK YOU!!! I’ve been using your squeezing method in the cookbook. It isn’t good for someone with arthritis! This is a game changer!
I saw the recipe using the zoodles with meatballs. I had just made something similar with Beyond Meatballs. It was delicious!!!
I’s so excited. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
Linda
Excellent guide, which I’m trying this week. My zoodles have been watery to date, so I’m looking forward to using your excellent strategies to remove the swamp!
Sofy
I cooked a zoodles for about 4 min on the pan with ghee butter, after I squeezed zoodles with kitchen paper towels. Very tasty! I wish I cut more from the beginning 🙂 Thank you for your recipe! Definitely will try again
Doug
I tried the baking method. Set oven at 350 and timer for 15 minutes. At about 12 minutes I smelled them cooking. When I checked almost all of them where dried to the bottom of the pan and the rest were mushy.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Doug, Sounds like you have a hot spot in your oven. Try moving the rack further away from the heating element and rotating the pan midway during the cooking process.
Teena
Wow, I have a very limited of “liked” vegetables and this version of noodles can trick me into eating them any day. I topped with a store-bought cauliflower-alfredo sauce and it was delicious! Can’t wait to try these noodles in a spaghetti recipe. Very easy to make!
Kim B.
I’ve made these zoodles using the oven method several times now and they never disappoint!! Even my picky 9 year old likes them 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Kristie Gonzales
Too bland for me but I do love zucchini! Maybe I will bake them next time. I am used to zoodles in richer Sauces too.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Kristie, Sorry these didn’t suit your tastes. Zucchini noodles are a black canvas for any great sauce you prefer!
Mary
Can you put noodles on rack on cookie sheet for more water removal?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Mary, Yes that would work fine.
Mary
I will let you know how it works. Making them later today.
Amy
Thank you for this. I have tried zoodles with very little luck because they became watery so this helped me to see what I did wrong. I cannot wait to try again
Deborah-Miriam
Thanks for all the tips! I was very short on time, so opted for the pan method, but I didn’t have 30 mins to drain zoodles first. However, with your expert guidance I used the only outermost layers of two large zucchinis instead of trying to julienne every last drop of one, so I eliminated the softer/wetter core. (I saved the cores for stir fry another time as you suggest.) Then because you emphasized it so much, I used paper towels to pat-pat-pat the strands thoroughly to eliminate as much moisture as possible. I stir fried it in three batches, since, again, you emphasized that piling them up makes them steam and get mushy. Doing all these things resulted in the best zoodles I’ve made yet! I’m eager to try to oven method when I have more time. PS – Can’t eat marinara sauce because of allergies, so I used the last of the vegan pesto I froze last August. Delish!
Peter Ratcliffe
Thanks so much! We recently installed a gas range with an air fryer built into the oven (and we LOVE it!) so I was wondering, have you ever tried zoodles in an air fryer? What would you suggest as parameters for trying it? I wouldn’t want them to shrink up or turn brown…
Thanks so much Maya! You’re a godsend! I’m in week 3 and feel fantastic!
Kind regards,
Peter Ratcliffe
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Peter, I think an air fryer would work, but they would cook through a lot faster. I would check on them about 7 minutes in to see where they are at. You don’t want them to start to brown or become crispy!
Sharon
I appreciate your thorough instructions for making zoodles. Even my husband will eat them now! After salting, and letting them sit and drain for 30 minutes, I put them in my salad spinner and spun out the rest of the moisture. That way,I didn’t have to do any squeezing before pan frying. I know this method reduces volume, but really, what’s the downside to eating more veggies? They were perfect with the shrimp scampi!
Thanks for all the great information and education!
Anthony Neofotistos
These were delicious! I used the oven method and they came out just perfect. Topped it off with some low carb pasta sauce and some sautéed chicken sausage. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Mary Kauffman
Thanks so much for the tip on baking the zucchini spirals. Wouldn’t have thought of that in a million years. That made our favorite pesto zucchini noodles perfect! Al dente but not limp and wet! And we get more volume of zucchini per serving which makes the meal more satisfying.
Jeanne Wise
Thank you so much for the oven instructions for Zoodles! I made them last night to use in Shrimp Scampi and they were just a breeze to make. LOVE that you don’t have to salt and drain them before cooking. They went right from my hand-held spiralizer to the baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) and into the oven for 12-15 minutes (ended up making 2 batches) and we really like them.
Anca
Hi Maya,
I really love your recipes and your creativity, thank you for sharing with us!
I would like to translate my top favorites and feature them on my cooking blog with a link back to the original recipe and the main image.
Only with your permission, if you agree. Thank you!
Greetings from Romania,
Anca
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Anca, Thank you so much! Currently my content only lives on my website, but you’re welcome to list the ingredients and link back to my site, just not the full recipe. Thanks for understanding!
janet hooper
Wow, the first time I made Zoodles. They came out perfect. I just followed your easy instructions. Thank you. I love your site.
Maureen Kelly
I am so happy that I found you! I have been on Keto for a while but you iron out all the iffy parts of recipes and all of your food is so tasty and I know these recipes will work just as you say they will. Finding out how to cook zoodles properly is a real life-saver. I’ve been trying to find a decent mashed potatoes substitute and really I haven’t, but maybe the recipes haven’t been the best. I’m still hoping to find one, as well as rice. One can only eat so much cauliflower without gagging hahaha. Thanks again for being such a kitchen life-saver.
Vicki L Blackmon
I haven’t tried this yet but wondering if anyone had tried to dry the zucchini zoodles in a food dehydrator, if so what were the results?
Metqa
Response to VICKI L BLACKMON: Yes, I have dried zucchini zoodles on a food dehydrator. The results were dry nests of noodles that were both sturdy and fragile at the same time. I was able to save them in a zipper pouch, at room temperature for a few weeks before I gave in and ate them(I’m sure they’d last longer) . When I went to eat them. I prepared them just like instant ramen by pouring boiling water over them and letting them rehydrate for 3-5 minutes. The texture was soft but also kinda chewy/crunchy but not in a bad way. they definitely had a “chew”. One dish I drained the noodles and had it with a meat sauce, another dish I ate them in a broth like ramen. It’s not the same as pasta but it was a nice filler for my small office meal options. I think this takes a lot of extra time and effort but my goal was not “quick meal prep” but “longterm storage options without electricity” . I know when Zucchini season comes, there will be a surplus and since freezing is not an option for zoodles, dehydration will work.
Another happy accident was when I tried to make zucchini crisps/chips. I cut long flat strips with my mandolin and dried them but they were too thick. One night when making tomato meat sauce I decided to shove a few of these long flat dry zucchini slices into my bowl. I’d intended to use them as scoops but I waited too long and they soaked up moisture from the sauce,…and made a really interesting flat noodle! Full of flavor, nice chew. I think this might be a okay spacer for lasagna!
Charmagne Pearson
I was planning on making Zoodles in a fry pan and at the last moment baked them in the oven. They turned out so much better! Thank you!
Rosie
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this wonderful post Maya! We only got our spirilizer this week (a Kenwood electrical one) I had so, so many questions and your wonderful post managed to answer them all (and quite a few I hadn’t even thought of!)
I used this new gadget for this first time this afternoon. I now have two large zucchini’s (or
courgette in the UK) worth of lovely spirals ready for dinner tonight 🙂 I’m going to cook them in the oven as you suggest and then stir through some lovely low fat cream cheese, I’ll serve this with a baked jacket potato tonight for dinner. Thank you so, so much for writing this, I’m off to pin to refer back to and hopefully so others will find it too. Hugs from a sunny UK x
ChefMom
My Son is a classicly trained Chef. He showed a way to get rid of the moisture in the zoodle and it works every time. After spiral cutting the zucchini into zoodles we place the zoodles in a shallow rectangular dish and evenly distribute the zoodles then we salt it lightly and let it sit for at least 30 minutes you can let it sit uncovered on the counter at room temperature or in the fridge. The salt will pull the moisture out of the zucchini. Afterwards drain off the liquid and patt dry with paper towel before cooking. Comes out great every time.
Karly
This guide is just amazing, it helped me so much when I was wanting to make zoodles! No more crappy noodles, thank you!
Wilhelmina
I love this easy recipe, so yummy!
Paulina
Excellent post. I wasn’t sure how to make these and I am impressed!
Rehan
Thank you so much for this article. Thank you for sharing this post and I will sharing to others.
Jennifer
I appreciate the advice.
Madeleine
I hate wet mushy zucchini but have started making zucchini noodles with peanut sauce despite my zucchini aversions. Found some peanut sauce in my freezer and was wondering if roasting the noodles would work. This was helpful. I spread the noodles on sheet pans after blotting with a paper towel and left them in my oven to dry all day (oven was off). I then roasted them in 400 degree convection oven setting for 10 minutes. Definitely nice and al dente without being soggy. They’re starting to ooze a little water after being refrigerated with peanut sauce but they don’t taste watered down. Will definitely use this method in the future. Thanks for the tips.
Aimee Shugarman
LOVE this easy zoodle recipe!!!
Larry
The baking idea sound awesome but by any chance do you use a convection oven? I would think that would help keep them drier.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Larry, Yes, a convection oven will work great. The baking time will probably be reduced.
Lorrie
I disagree with trimming both ends of the zucchini. Trim the leading edge, but leave the stem end intact. You get a touch more zoodles that way. Tossing stem in compost rather than usable flesh.
PS. I always eat the core as I finish dinner.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you for the feedback, Lorrie! Great idea about leaving the other side intact. You can definitely do that and you’re absolutely right you’ll get a tiny bit more zoodles this way.
Connie Kuramoto
I made an acceptable zuchini fettucini by running it through the food processor on a coasre grate setting. The zettuchini were short, but lovely. I fried them very quickly in a very hot pan, in bacon fat, and they were not watery, but they were very delicious. .
Maya | Wholesome Yum
That sounds delicious, Connie!
Elizabeth Shannon
I did the oven method, and my noodles were a dehydrated soggy mess. What do you think went wrong?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Elizabeth, Sorry you had issues with them. They shouldn’t be soggy – if they were, they were either over or under cooked. You do need to pat them dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. I have photos in the post above of the various steps and a video is coming soon, so hope that will help.
Renee
I can’t believe I’ve never made zucchini noodles before. Don’t know what I’ve been waiting for. Your tips are excellent. Since I purchased zucchini at the store today, I’ll be making zucchini noodles this weekend. Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Renee! Hope you love them!
Destiny
I’m wondering if it would be possible to dehydrate and store them for future use.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Destiny, I’ve never tried dehydrating them. What an interesting idea! Please let me know how it goes if you try that – I’d love to share that info with others, too.
Natalie
Looks so yummy! Everything is so easy with a spiralizer, I have considered buying one for a long time but never made it
– Natalie Ellis
Toni
Thank you so much for this great article. I just baked my first zoodles and ate them with butter, salt, pepper and parmesan. They were fantastic. I did try cutting the zucchini lengthwise about half way through but it wouldn’t stay on the spiralizer, so I just cut them with the shears like you do. All your recipes I have tried are easy to follow and taste amazing. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Yay, so glad to hear that, Toni! Sorry the cutting length-wise trick didn’t work – I assume you got that from the reader comments but I haven’t tried it myself yet. I’m so glad you like the recipes!
Terri
Wow! I love the baking method and also just using them raw. Super refreshing for classic summer pasta salad dishes. Great for pot-lucks this summer!!! Thanks for the great article!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Terri! I’m glad you liked them.
Jack
Love your recipes.
Have you determined if it is better to use the oven convection mode to help dry the zucchini noodles? Have been using the oven method but at 200F and plan to try the higher 350F setting per your recommendation.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Jack, That’s a great idea! It’s funny, I have a convention option on my oven but rarely use it because I’m so often testing for my general readers that might not have one. It should work and would be faster. You might need to decrease the oven temp by 25 degrees. I did test the 200 F temperature and found it worked also, but took much longer than 350 to be fully done.
Lee
Hi Maya,
I just learned this tip for spiralizing zucchini. Before spiralizing the zucchini, take a knife and cut the zucchini lengthwise about halfway through, then spiralize it. The cut stops the noodles from going on forever. It is a time saver!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Lee, Thank you for sharing! That’s an awesome idea. I was just using kitchen shears to cut the long strands.
LisaMc
Thanks Maya, great post. Have you ever tried doing zoodles in the air fryer?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Lisa! I haven’t tried that. If you try, let me know if it works!
Jan Johnson
This is very helpful – thank you! I bought a little hand zoodler a couple of years back, used it one time and put it away. I was just looking at zucchini today thinking I should try it again and then saw this blog post. So I am going to try it again and maybe they won’t be watery and mushy this time.!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
I’m so glad it’s helpful, Jan! Hope it goes well for you this time!
Mari
Thanks Maya! I love having my “pasta” dishes while staying on Keto, but until your post I didn’t know how to properly cook Zoodles (just sauteed) and my dishes were always watery. I’m cranking up the oven!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Mari! Hope you like the oven method!
Kate
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I love how you take low carb recipes and break them down step by step so that we can be successful (eg, mashed cauliflower, cauliflower pizza to name a few).
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Kate, I’m so glad to hear that, it means a lot that it’s helpful!