This recipe for sweet heat zucchini pickles has the perfect mixture of sweet, tangy and a touch of heat. Pile them on top of a burger, heap them on a sandwich or just eat them straight out of the jar!
I most recently shared my recipe for Sweet Heat Squash Pickles with you all right here on the blog, and you guys were absolutely loving it! It got a fabulous response from many on Facebook, and I know that people are really on the hunt for recipes using up squash and zucchini. It’s growing faster than many people can pick it in our region, so I’ve made it my mission to share lots of summer squash and zucchini recipes with you.
Because the squash pickles were so popular, I wanted to make sure people knew that the same exact recipe can be used with zucchini. Both squash and zucchini are members of the cucurbit family, and they have a very similar taste and texture to each other. These zucchini pickles taste exactly like sweet pickles, and they’re a great way to use up zucchini in a fun and unusual way! 
I used my trusty Tupperware mandoline slicer to cut up the squash quickly. I wanted these to have the “crinkle cut” look. If you don’t have a mandoline on hand, no worries! Just slice carefully with a knife, making sure to cut each piece about 1/4 inch thick. I went a little smaller than that in my first batch and they were a bit too thin in my opinion.
Here are my top picks on Amazon for making these Sweet Heat Squash Pickles:
When adding peppers for heat in this recipe, you can go as hot or as mild as you’d like. I had two jalapeno peppers that had already turned red sitting on my counter, so I seeded them, diced them and threw them in. I wish I had added another pepper or two to this batch, because it could’ve used more heat in my opinion. Peppers can be so finicky, as you never really know how hot they’re going to be. I’d recommend starting out conservatively with the peppers if you’re sensitive to heat.
Here’s a free printable copy of the recipe if you’d like to give it a try!
Sweet Heat Zucchini Pickles
Ingredients
- 3 small zucchini cut into ¼ inch thick slices (about 3- 3 1/2 cups worth)
- ½ small sweet onion cut into thin slices
- 2-3 small jalapenos seeded and chopped (add more if you like more heat)
- 1 Tbs salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup white vinegar
- ¾ tsp mustard seeds
- ¾ tsp celery seeds
- ¼ tsp ground mustard
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine sliced zucchini, onion and peppers.
- Sprinkle salt over squash mixture and stir gently to coat
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, then drain off excess water
- In a large pot, combine sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, celery seeds and ground mustard.
- Bring mixture to a boil, making sure sugar is completely dissolved
- Pour in squash mixture and bring it back to a boil, then remove from heat.
- Ladle hot zucchini, onions and peppers into a sterilized quart canning jar.
- Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes, then seal.
- For best results, refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Notes
Using 2 jalapeno peppers gave off a very mild heat. If you want the heat to pop through, I recommend using more peppers - just make sure you seed them first!
Tried this recipe?
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These sweet heat zucchini pickles are amazing on top of hamburgers, sandwiches, or on a fork right out of the jar. I also think they’d be really good on field peas as a relish!
You can also make this same recipe using summer squash, too! Click here for the recipe for Sweet Heat Squash Pickles.
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out these other great recipes found right here on Southern Made Simple!
Sweet Heat Squash Pickles | Zucchini Fritters | Squash and Zucchini Stuffing Casserole | Cheesy Italian Zucchini Boats
And don’t forget: If you have more zucchini than you know what to do with, you can always freeze it!
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