UPDATED 7/27/2026
Apparently, there’s an actual holiday called Sneak Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day, created for people who are “suffering” from an abundance of zucchini in their gardens.
Sadly, I have never had this problem. But I started thinking about all those people staring down bushels of zucchini and wondering what on earth to do with it all. And then I realized: what do people do when they have too much fruit? They make jam.
So here you go, zucchini-overloaded friends. I’m taking one for the team!
This Zucchini Jam is a cross between the sesame zucchini side dish you find at every Korean BBQ restaurant and a pan of deeply caramelized onions. It’s incredibly easy to make and is delicious spooned over just about anything: tucked into a rice bowl, piled on top of noodles, or served as a savory bed for Teriyaki Chicken.
This is caramelized, jammy goodness that makes everything better. So if you’d like to leave a mountain of zucchini on my porch, please do — I’ll happily turn it into this Zucchini Jam. But honestly, with so few ingredients and such a simple process, you might want to keep that zucchini for yourself.
So let’s make some jam!
Salting Zucchini
Zucchini can be both a little bland, and a lot watery. Salting it before cooking takes care of both of those issues. The salt starts to season it, and it also draws out the extra water so you don’t have a soupy mess.
Start by grating the zucchini into a colander set over a large bowl:
Add the salt:
Thoroughly toss the zucchini with the salt to ensure it’s evenly distributed.
The salt will immediately start drawing out water from the zucchini, so make sure the colander is over a bowl or in the sink. While the zucchini is draining, start on the chopping and sautéing of the onions. The zucchini should sit for about 30 minutes. Most of the liquid will be drained off in that time. If you don’t have time to let it sit, you can manually squeeze out the liquid after letting it sit for 10 minutes.
Sauté the onions until starting to brown:
Stir in the chopped garlic:
Add zucchini and loads of fresh ground pepper:
Drizzle in toasted sesame oil:
Cook the zucchini for 10 minutes or so, until jammy:
As the zucchini cooks down, it may become a bit sticky. Make sure to keep stirring up all those brown bits and mixing it into the jam. They add little explosions of flavor. Keep cooking it down: you’ll end up with about half the amount you started with and your zucchini will be super soft but the shreds still be visible, not a mush.
Zucchini Jam is so versatile, I know you will find a thousand ways to use it up. Dollop on top of fried eggs, add a spoonful to your ramen, or slather it on toast-show us what you come up with! Tag us @funkyasiankitchen. And when you make it, please take a moment to rate and leave a comment on the recipe below-we love hearing from you
Zucchini Jam
- Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus 30 minutes rest)
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: serves 4-6 1x
- Category: condiments
- Cuisine: Pan-Asian
Ingredients
- 2 lbs zucchini or a combination of zucchini and yellow squash
- ½ large onion
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini with a box grater into a colander. Add the salt and toss to evenly distribute the salt. Zucchini is very waterlogged and it will immediately start to exude liquid so let it drain in the sink. Let the zucchini drain for 25-30 minutes. (If you don’t have the time to let it sit, you can also squeeze out the water manually. After salting, let the zucchini sit for 10 minutes. Next, grab large handfuls and squeeze out the liquid. Then proceed with the recipe).
- Cut the onion into a fine dice and set aside.
- Heat a medium 10” pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and the onions. Stir fry the onions for 5-7 mins, stirring frequently. The onions should lightly caramelize but turn down the heat to medium if they brown too quickly.
- Then add the garlic and stir to combine. Next add the zucchini, season with fresh ground pepper, and continue to cook over medium high for 5 mins., stirring occasionally.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the sesame oil, and continue to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini looks melted and jam-like. It will shrink down quite a bit, and it will start sticking to the pan and caramelizing slightly. Just keep scraping the pan and mixing in all of the browned bits.
- Turn off the heat, and scoop the zucchini jam onto a serving plate. You can serve the jam hot, room temperature, or cold.
Notes
*Some easy ways to use out this jam:
-Eat as a veggie side dish to any entree
-Toast bread and spread with zucchini jam and some crumbled cheddar or feta cheese
-Use it as a topping for fried eggs
-Stir into noodles with some chopped cilantro or basil and a touch of oyster sauce
-Really endless ways…
*This zucchini jam keeps for several days in the fridge.
Keywords: zucchini, jam, summer, veggie sides
