Zucchini Crisp

Zucchini Crisp – Just Like Apple Crisp, But with a Summer Twist

If you’ve ever found yourself drowning in zucchini during the summer months, this recipe is your golden ticket. Zucchini Crisp is everything you love about a classic apple crisp—warm, cinnamon-spiced, buttery, and topped with a crumbly oat topping—but with a clever swap: zucchini instead of apples. And you won’t be able to tell the difference. 

Sounds unusual? Don’t knock it until you try it. When sliced and cooked down with lemon juice, lime juice, cinnamon, and sugar, zucchini mimics the texture and flavor of baked apples so well that most people won’t even realize it’s not fruit!

So after you make your Super Simple Zucchini Bread and Zucchini Casserole try this sweet treat!

Why Make Zucchini Crisp?

• Use Up Garden Zucchini – This is a delicious solution for the late-summer zucchini overload. Especially for those sneaky ones that get too big to use other ways. 
• Surprisingly Apple-Like – The texture and flavor are spot-on thanks to simple pantry ingredients. You will be mind blown. 
• Crowd-Pleaser – Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream and watch it disappear.
• Easy to Make –Slice, simmer, season, and bake.

What You Need to Make This Crisp

For the Zucchini Filling:

• 8 cups peeled, seeded, and diced zucchini (cut about the size of canned pineapple chunks)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

For the Crust & Crumble Topping:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups Old fashioned oats
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1½ cups cold butter, cubed
• 1 tsp kosher salt

How to Make Zucchini Crisp

Step 1: Prepare the Zucchini Filling

1. In a large saucepan, combine zucchini and lemon and lime juice. Cook over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender and translucent.
2. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook for 1 more minute, then remove from heat and let sit.

Step 2: Make the Crust & Topping

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar.
2. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (like pea-sized pieces).
3. Stir in the oats, and salt.
4. Take ½ cup of the crumb mixture and stir it into the zucchini mixture to help thicken it. Let it sit for a few minutes. 

Step 3: Assemble the Crisp

1. Grease a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan (or a rimmed baking sheet).
2. Press half of the remaining crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan to form the crust.
3. Spread the zucchini mixture evenly over the crust.
4. Crumble the rest of the topping over the zucchini mixure.
5. Sprinkle the top with 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional), and bake!

Step 4: Bake

• Bake at 375°F for 35–40 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

Tips for Success

• Peel Your Zucchini – To really sell the “apple” feel, peel the zucchini first.
• Remove Seeds – Especially with larger zucchini, scooping out the seeds gives a better texture. You want it to resemble apples, and not be mushy. The seeds get mushy. 
• Don’t Skip the Lemon and Lime Juice – It adds that signature tartness apples naturally have. You can swap for all lemon juice, but the flavor is more pronounced when you use half lemon, half lime. 
• Add a Pinch of Nutmeg – For even more apple pie-like flavor, don’t skip the nutmeg and cinnamon.

How to Serve Zucchini Crisp

Just like traditional crisp, this dessert is best served warm, straight from the oven, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. It’s comforting, nostalgic, and a fun way to sneak in an extra veggie.

Make It Ahead

Zucchini Crisp can be assembled ahead of time and baked when you’re ready to serve. Leftovers reheat beautifully too! However, it is not very freezer friendly, as the texture will change some. 

Whether your garden is overflowing or you’re just looking for a fun twist on a classic dessert, this Zucchini Crisp delivers. It’s one of those hidden-gem recipes that surprises everyone—in the best way.

More Zucchini Recipes

• Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies
• Zucchini Brownies
• Beef Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Baked Zucchini Bites
• Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Zucchini Crisp

Got too much zucchini? Turn it into dessert! This Zucchini Crisp tastes shockingly like apple crisp, with tender spiced zucchini and a buttery crumble topping. It’s the perfect way to use up your summer harvest and surprise your friends and family with a delicious twist on a classic.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crisp, oat crumble, zucchini crisp, zucchini dessert

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 slices

Author: Rachael

Ingredients

For the Zucchini Filling:

• 8 cups zucchini peeled, seeded, and diced zucchini (cut about the size of canned pineapple tidbits)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

For the Crust & Crumble Topping:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups Old fashioned oats
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1½ cups cold butter cubed
• 1 tsp salt for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Prepare the Zucchini Filling

• In a large saucepan, combine zucchini, lime, and lemon juice. Cook over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender and translucent.
• Stir in sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook for 1 more minute, then remove from heat and let sit.

Make the Crust & Topping

• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar.
• Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (like pea-sized pieces).
• Stir in oats and salt
• Take ½ cup of the crumb mixture and stir it into the zucchini mixture to help thicken it. Let it sit for a couple minutes.

Assemble the Crisp

• Grease a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan (or a rimmed baking sheet).
• Press half of the remaining crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan to form the crust.
• Spread the zucchini mixture evenly over the crust.
• Crumble the rest of the topping over the zucchini.

Bake

• Bake at 375°F for 35–40 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
• Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.

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