Spicy Garlic Chinese Zucchini Recipe (Quick + Easy)

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This healthy Chinese Zucchini Recipe is refreshing, nutty, and spicy, and will leave you wanting more! You’ll love this as an easy side dish, or add your favorite protein to make it a main meal. This raw recipe can be eaten uncooked, giving you the optimum nutrition from each ingredient, or easily turned into a zucchini stir fry.

This post was originally published on March 26th, 2019, updated on Mar 8th, 2022 with new photos, and finally re-edited on April 13th, 2023.

❤️ Why you will love this recipe

• Healthy: It’s raw! Whole30, paleo, low carb, and keto compliant.
• Easy recipe: This is such an easy side recipe to throw together. All you have to do is cut the fresh zucchini into noodle shapes and strain out the excess moisture. Then mix it with the delicious nutty sauce and it’s ready! So simple!
• Quick side: It’s ready in just 35 minutes.
• The crunch of the courgettes is refreshing, but the spices and herbs add a complex flavor.
• Perfect for the whole family: This was my favorite zucchini recipe growing up – it’s so good! You can skip the hot spices if needed, and it’s naturally vegan-friendly. 

🗝️ Key Ingredients & Substitutions

• Zucchini: Known as courgettes if you’re in the UK, cut into noodle shapes (aka zoodles or courgetti spaghetti). My mum recently bought my electric spiralizer from Morrisons for £2.50 (!) in a sale, regularly a fiver. Worth it. Make sure you use firm zucchini when cutting it in a spiralizer. When the zucchini has a soft texture, it tends to not work very well in my experience.
• Salt: This key ingredient draws the moisture out of the zucchini so that it isn’t soupy. I’ve used sea salt and pink Himalayan salt. Any salt will work.
• Sesame oil: For a lovely nutty flavor and mouthfeel.
• Tahini: You can substitute another nut butter like peanut butter or almond butter to keep it Whole30 and paleo-friendly.
• Chili powder: Feel free to add more or less to suit the right amount of spiciness for you or your family. Red pepper flakes are a great substitute if you’d prefer.
• Fresh garlic: Finely chopped garlic cloves pack in a ton of flavor! As this is a raw recipe, the garlic has a bit of a bite to it. It’s so tasty! Garlic powder doesn’t have quite the same taste so I recommend using fresh garlic when possible.
• Chili oil: Just for a little extra heat. Omit it or swap it for extra sesame oil if needed.
• Coconut aminos: This ingredient is a great way to incorporate Asian flavors into any meal on a paleo or Whole30 diet. If you’re okay with soy sauce, you can swap it 1:1 with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. For dark soy sauce, use about 1/2 of the amount listed in the recipe card. I recommend adding a little extra honey if you use soy sauce.
• Honey (optional): Just for a little sweetness, but this is entirely optional. Substitute maple syrup to make this vegan.
• Green onions and sesame seeds (optional): Optional garnishes to finish off the recipe before serving.

🥣 How to make Chinese Zucchini

1. First, make your zoodles. You can use a spiralizer, or mandoline slicer, or just cut the zucchini into small noodle shapes or zucchini slices.

2. If you’re using a spiralizer, cut the zucchini noodles into shorter lengths (scissors work really well). This will make it easier to mix and eat later.

3. Toss zoodles with salt and place them in a colander (strainer) over the sink (or a pot or towel) for 30 mins.

4. Next, add all other ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix them together to form a simple sauce.

5. After the zoodles have sat for 30 mins, gently squeeze out extra moisture and add them to the sauce mixture.

6. Mix well to combine and serve.

7. Tip: I like to make it the night before and serve it cold straight from the fridge. The flavors intensify and it tastes amazing!

🫙 Storage Instructions

Store any leftover Asian zucchini noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

✨ Variations

• Sautéed Asian Zucchini: You can turn this into a zucchini stir-fry. Right before you add the noodles to the sauce, sauté them in a large skillet over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Mix the sauce in a small bowl and then add the sauce to the cooking pan. Mix it well with the stir-fried zucchini.
• How about trying a different vegetable? Sweet potato (will need to be sautéed), yellow squash, maybe cucumber? Let me know if you try these!
• If you’re not sticking to paleo or whole30, you can use peanut butter instead of tahini for this Chinese zucchini recipe. That’s what we used growing up =]

🪄 Recipe Notes & Tips

• Make it the day before: This is how I prefer it, just throw it together the night before, place it in the fridge, and allow time to work its magic.
• Be gentle when straining the zoodles: Definitely make sure you salt and strain the zoodles before adding them to the sauce, but don’t leave them too long or squeeze them too much – they’ll go mushy!
• The garlic is raw. Make sure your family is having dinner with you ; )
• Add more chili if you like the heat.
• If you refrigerate leftovers, the flavors will intensify overnight.
• I like to add some diced chicken breast to the dish for a quick and satisfying meal. Great for lunch!

🍽️ What to serve with this spicy Asian zucchini recipe

To make a complete meal, here are a few recipes I like to serve this with, along with a side of Sesame Broccoli:

• Chinese Braised Pork
• Air Fryer Pork Loin
• Apple and Sage Pork Tenderloin
• Plant-Based Stir Fry
• Chinese Tomato, Beef, and Egg Stir Fry
• Air Fryer Chicken Legs
• Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Thighs
• Air Fryer Steak Bites

❓ FAQs

😋 More side dishes you will love

• Crispy Rice Paper Dumplings
• Sesame Broccoli
• How to make Sauerkraut
• The Best Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
• Healthy Vegan Mashed Potatoes

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📖 Recipe