Do You Peel Zucchini?

Here's a fun zucchini fact! The flesh of the zucchini is actually about 95% water. That means that essentially all of the nutrients and vitamins in this tasty green vegetable are found in the skin.

Additionally, because the flesh itself is actually so watery, zucchini runs the risk of falling to mush if it is cooked with the peel removed.

For these reasons, we recommend that you do not peel zucchinis before cooking them, whether roasting, frying, or otherwise. It's important to note, however, that sometimes zucchinis in the store are sold "waxed," with the skin completely covered in wax. This should definitely be washed off before cooking.

As with all fruits and vegetables, be sure to wash your zucchini thoroughly before cooking and eating. In addition to wax, zucchini skin can have pesticides on it if you haven't purchased organic. You'll want to wash all of that off.

Check out this video for one of our all-time favorite zucchini recipes (no peeling required!).

If the nutrition factor doesn't bother you, then you actually can peel zucchinis before turning them into bread, muffins, or cakes! After all, you're going to have to mash the vegetable into a dough anyway, so the mushiness certainly is not a problem.

The real question here is a matter of taste. Zucchini skin can be delicious in baked goods. However, if you're a person who's bothered by the texture of, say, carrot shreds in carrot cake, then you might want to peel beforehand. It's up to you.

If you do opt to peel, learning how to peel zucchini is incredibly simple.

First, cut about a half-inch off the ends of the zucchini, just like as if you were cutting up an onion.

Next, take a vegetable peeler and draw it down the length of the zucchini until all the green is gone. This is pretty much identical to peeling potatoes, apples, etc.. You should end up with plenty of long, green strips of zucchini peel. It's that simple!
 

Now that you've got a few tips on how to peel zucchini, check out our best easy zucchini recipes! Most recipes you come across will specify whether the zucchini should be peeled or not, 

1.   Skip the peeling step with this weeknight winner: Chicken Penne Casserole with Corn and Zucchini
2.   Try this cute way to serve zucchini: Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Cheese & Garlic
3.   You've heard of zucchini bread, but have you heard of zucchini chocolate cake? Try this one: Chocolate Zucchini Bundt
4.   Try this delicous twist on a classic zucchini recipe: Zucchini Banana Bars with Cinnamon Glaze
5.   Unpeeled zucchini holds up well to deep frying (and it tastes delicious). Try it here: Deep Fried Zucchini