Zucchini Relish – Water Bath or Quick Canned
This Zucchini Relish is a favorite of everyone who tries it. I get requests for it often, and it’s a great way to use up all of the zucchini in your garden!
If you have ever planted zucchini, you know that even if you harvest them every day, there are inevitably a couple that you miss, and they end up being 2 feet long!
This Zucchini Relish is a perfect way to use these larger zucchini because the seeds are removed before you shred the zucchini.
If you are planting zucchini for the first time, be forewarned: a couple of zucchini plants will be more than a four-person family can consume in a season!
So, whatever you do, do not plant that entire little packet of seeds! See my How to Start a Vegetable Garden Series to learn more about growing zucchini.
Ingredients you Need
- zucchini
- onions – white or yellow onions work well
- red bell pepper – substitute yellow, orange or green bell pepper but red is traditional.
- salt
- apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- sugar
- turmeric
- mustard – use either dry mustard or mustard seed
- celery seed
- black pepper
How to Make Zucchini Relish
Slice zucchini lengthwise. Remove seeds with the tip of a knife.
Cut it into smaller pieces that fit in the food processor. Add the zucchini to the food processor bowl.
Pulse until small chunks. Alternately, use the grater attachment and grate the zucchini pieces. Place zucchini in a large, non-reactive bowl.
Chop onion and red pepper in a food processor. Add it to the zucchini in a bowl.
Add salt to vegetables. Mix well.
Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight. Notice all of the water that’s separated from the vegetables.
In the morning, drain in a fine sieve or add a layer of cheesecloth to a colander. Rinse very well. Allow to drain. Add the spices, vinegar, and sugar for the relish. Cook the relish down until it is the correct consistency.
Using a canning funnel, ladle the hot relish into hot jars.
Sterilize jars. See this article for three ways to sterilize jars. UPDATE: according to the National Center for Food Preservation, jars that are processed longer than 10 minutes need not be sterilized. This can be water bath processed for more extended storage, or allow them to cool and then refrigerate the jars
To water bath can relish
Get the canner water hot. Wash the jars and lids. Add the clean jars to the canning pot to heat. Once the jars are filled, add them to the canning pot. Bring the water in the pot to a boil. Once the water is boiling, set the timer.
When the processing time is complete, remove the pot from the heat, carefully open the lid, and partially lift it off the top of the canning pot. Let it rest like that for 5 minutes.
Then, remove the lid and let the jars rest in the canning pot for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
After resting, remove the jars onto a kitchen towel placed on your counter and let them thoroughly cool for 12-24 hours, undisturbed. You may hear the lids pinging sometime in the next hour. This is music to a canner’s ears. It is due to the reaction of the lids being sealed to the jar.
Check the seals. Press down in the middle of the lid. If it flexes up or down, the jar is not sealed and should be refrigerated and used first.
Then, remove the bands. Gently pick up the jar by the lid to check the seal further. Again, if it is not sealed, use it first.
Label jars with contents and the date. Store in a cool, dark place for at least a year. Avoid areas with large temperature fluctuations.
Do not stack jars on top of each other. This can compromise the seals. If you run out of room on your shelf, use a sheet of cardboard or a thin piece of wood and place that on top of a row of jars. Then you can put jars on top of that. This will distribute the weight evenly.
Before using any canned goods, always inspect the packaging and the food itself. Make sure that it looks and smells as it should. If it doesn’t, it’s best to err on the side of caution and discard it.
- Ladle hot relish into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles with a bubble-removing tool or wooden chopstick.
- Wipe the rims of jars clean with a damp paper towel.
- Apply lids. Screw on the bands fingertip tight.
- Process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes. Turn off the canning pot. Allow jars to cool in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Carefully remove jars with a jar lifter to the counter.
- Allow them to cool 12-24 hours. Test lid for seal. (if the lid flexes up or down, the jar hasn’t been sealed and should be stored in the refrigerator.
What can Zucchini Relish be Used for?
- Topping for burgers, hot dogs, sausage and sandwiches.
- Add to salads, such as potato, macaroni, egg salad, chicken salad, or tuna.
- Thousand Island Dressing
- Add to deviled eggs.
- Add to mayonnaise or ketchup for a different condiment.
Other delicious zucchini recipes
- Zucchini & Cheese Bread
- Easy Spanish Rice with Zucchini
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Pickles
- Banana Zucchini Bread
- Minestrone
- Zucchini Fritters
Helpful Tools
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Zucchini Relish
Ingredients
For Brining
- 10 cups zucchini grated
- 3 cups onions grated
- 4 red bell peppers
- 5 tablespoons canning or pickling salt
For Relish
- 3 cups Sugar
- 3 cups apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
For Brining
- Remove the blossom and stem end from the zucchini. If the zucchini is large, cut it in half and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Then cut the halves into smaller pieces that fit into your food processor. Pulse the food processor until you have medium-fine chunks. We like a bit of texture, so not very fine, but no larger chunks either. (Think of the size of commercial relish pieces.) Do this in batches and place the chopped zucchini into a large non-reactive bowl.10 cups zucchini
- Peel and quarter the onions. Pulse them in the food processor. Add them to the bowl with the zucchini. Cut the stem end off of the peppers. Deseed them and pulse them in the food processor, too. Add them to the bowl.3 cups onions, 4 red bell peppers
- Mix grated vegetables in a large bowl. Add salt. Let sit on counter or in refrigerator overnight. See important notes below!5 tablespoons canning or pickling salt
For Relish
- Next morning, rinse the zucchini mixture well, with cold water, in a colander to remove some of the salt.
- Add to a large pot. Add remaining ingredients.3 cups Sugar, 3 cups apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon celery seed
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Low boil it for about 30 minutes, until it is relish consistency.
- Pack and seal in hot jars. Refrigerate for at least 6 months.
- For longer storage, and to make shelf stable, process pint jars in water bath canning pot for 20 minutes, adjusting for elevation.
Canning Instructions
- Once the relish is at a good consistency, heat jars and start your boiling-water canner.
- Pack hot finished relish into hot jars.
- Remove air bubbles.
- Wipe rims of jars with damp paper towel to remove debris.
- Center warmed lid on jar. Screw on band fingertip tight.
- Process jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. (See notes below for altitude adjustment.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
Nutrition
Originally published September 3, 2019. Last update March 15, 2025.
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we have some nightshade free people in our family. would carrots possibly be a good substitute? Or something else?
The only nightshades in this recipe is the bell peppers and the blackpepper. Just eliminate them.
When measuring zucchini is it 10cups packed or loose?
Pack it. Fresh or frozen. Let frozen drain for a long time!
This is a great recipe but I did find two areas of confusion for me. First suggestion is to replace the wording ‘salt’ with pickling salt. Secondly, add the piece of information that appears in the comments,directly in the recipe. Specifically the piece of straining with a cheese cloth. These changes would make the recipe easier to follow.
Thanks Sally! We’ll do that.
is 6 hours enough to let it sit in the fridge?
Lol. If can’t wait any longer. And sometimes we can’t. Thanks Annie.
Wonderful recipe!
Thanks Jelka!
I have been making this relish for 30? years since my mother tried to address the issue of my husband letting zucchini tuning into monsters in his garden. We finally retired last year and I actually entered it into our county fair. Blue Ribbon! So glad to see this getting into younger and younger hands. I have raised a generation of children in out big family that will not eat hot dog without this.
I’ve been making it for years as well. It’s one of our favorites!
made this recipe with my over abundant zucchini plants! turned out perfectly. I used apple cider vinegar and balances the flavours perfectly. I’m impressed. Great recipe, thank you.
Thank you Michelle. We’re so glad that you like it!
Hi. I have a lot of grated zucchini from last years garden in my freezer. Could I use it in your recipe? Thanks
You sure can Amanda. Just let it drain well before using it. Probably overnight would be best.
I cannot emphasize enough how much better this relish taste after sitting for 6 months. I convinced my kids to try this crazy relish and they loved it!!
This summer my zucchini are delicious so I will be making enough for family and as gifts for the holidays. Thinking to include the recipe and your site info with each gift.
This has become the only sweet relish we will eat, I did substitute a sugar free sweetener due to dietary restrictions.
Haha! The relishes are always better after they sit. We love this relish! We’re so glad that you like the recipe! Thanks for spreading the word about this delicious relish!
Do you have to use 3 cups of sugar? I made a zuc relish in the past and it was so sweet. I am looking for more of a savory relish not a sweet relish.
You could do a dill relish. We don’t have one live at the moment. You don’t have to use the whole 3 cups but this recipe is for sweet relish. Not dill.
This recipe is similar to the one my mom always made when I was growing up. I use it now and so does my daughter. The biggest difference is that we us 16 cups of grated zucchini and one cup white and one cup brown sugar. It is plenty sweet enough. I make a ranch dressing using my relish too.
Brown sugar would be a great substitution!
Well in my way to trying this recipe. Would one green pepper make a huge difference in finished relish? I’m short on the red.
No it shouldn’t. Red just gives it a nice color. Let me know how you like it Roberta.