Zucchini burgers are a delicious change from meat-based burgers. After all, you can never have too many zucchini recipes during the summer squash season.
Combine grated zucchini, diced bell pepper, Panko breadcrumbs, and a nice hit of Sriracha sauce. Top with some crispy grilled pancetta and garnish to your perfection.
A delicious zucchini burger recipe with simple ingredients. Great for summer BBQ cooking.
You can easily make these vegan burgers, just leave off the pancetta. Instead, top them with some pickled zucchini ribbons. Need a great side? How about this Mediterranean Couscous Salad? The perfect party salad.
Very soon we will be right in the heart of “zucchini season”. Do you grow your own in the garden? I am not a gardener, but I do visit the Farmers Market on a regular basis from June to October.
I have yet to try stuffed zucchini flowers. I need to hunt some zucchini blossoms down this year for sure.
Zucchini Burgers Are Easy To Make
Honestly, these burgers have very few ingredients:
- grated zucchini
- diced bell pepper
- Sriracha sauce (adds some nice spicy heat)
- Panko breadcrumbs
- salt and pepper
- pancetta (because bacon always makes things delicious)
With a little grating and dicing, you will be ready to cook these in no time. In fact, you can make them ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until ready to use.
The most important part of making this burger recipe is preparing the zucchini.
- Grate the zucchini (you do not need to peel it). You can use a box grater, food processor, or mandolin.
- Place a metal sieve (preferably over the sink) and sprinkle it with salt.
- Let it sit and drain for about 25 minutes.
- Rinse with cold water.
- Squeeze to remove excess moisture ( I like to roll it in a kitchen towel).
Now you are ready to make the patties. Place all the ingredients in a bowl (not the pancetta), mix, form and you are ready to cook. Full instructions are in the recipe card.
- You can always add more or less Sriracha, or even replace it with something else if you wish.
- Pancetta can be optional, but I highly recommend it. You can use regular bacon or even turkey bacon.
- If you don’t have Panko breadcrumbs, any kind of breadcrumbs will work.
- I like to chill them before cooking. It prevents them from falling apart.
Grated zucchini blends well with lots of great options too. Try adding ground turkey, black beans, quinoa, or even rice. Believe me, you will not run out of burger variations.
Cooking Zucchini Patties
We cooked these on the grill. BBQ season is upon us (thank goodness).
- Heat the grill to medium-high.
- Grill for about 5-6 minutes per side.
These do tend to stick to the grates, so I would suggest that you use a grill mat for the best results.
Alternatively, you and always cook these on the stovetop.
- Use a non-stick pan with a touch of oil.
- Heat to medium-high.
- Cook for about 5-6 minutes per side.
What To Do With All The Garden Fresh Zucchini
Courgette is the BRITISH name for this delicious squash. Did you know that? No wonder Jamie Oliver always refers to it as courgette. I’m not sure which name I like best.
You can use it in so many recipes, and I can find a way to incorporate into delicious meals from breakfast to dessert. YES, you can eat zucchini raw!
- Use it in soup. Zucchini gazpacho is perfect for a hot summer day. This is made in the blender in minutes.
- How about a zucchini noodle recipe for dinner tonight. This quick and easy stir fry is sure to please your family.
- Perfect used in salads (yup eat it raw). This Greek zoodle salad contains creamy goat cheese as the dressing. Love Caesar salad? Give this Zucchini Caesar a try!
- Of course, you can never go wrong with baking. These Nutella zucchini muffins contain chocolate chips.
- Use it in recipes like these Grilled chicken skewers.
Not into veggie burgers? Give this salmon burger recipe a try instead. In fact, check out this burger roundup for lots of great suggestions. Don’t forget flavoured mayo, the perfect condiment.
Zucchini Burger Patties
Ingredients
- 10 ounces grated zucchini (skin on)
- 3 ounces bell pepper (diced, any colour)
- 1 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 1 egg
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 3 ounces pancetta (optional)
Instructions
Make the Zucchini Patties:
- Grate the zucchini and place in a metal sieve. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and let drain for 25 minutes.Rinse with water to remove salt, and squeeze out excess liquid.
- Place drain zucchini in a mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Form into 2 balls, giving a squeeze to remove any remaining liquid.
- Form into 2 patties approximately ¾ inch thick and 4 inches in diameter.
- Place on wax paper. You can place these in the fridge until ready to use (even overnight).
Grill the Zucchini Burgers:
- Heat the grill to medium-high. Use a grill mat to cook the patties on for best results
- Grill burgers approximately 5-6 minutes per side.
- While burgers are cooking, you can grill your pancetta at the other end of the mat.
- Remove cooker burgers and place on buns. Top with pancetta. Garnish with your desired ingredients.
Pan Fry the Burgers:
- Heat a non-stick skillet with about 1 tbsp. of oil.
- Cook burgers about 5-6 minutes per side.
- Remove from heat. Place on buns and enjoy.
Danielle Wolter
i don’t grow my own zucchini, but my boyfriends parents do and we always have so much zucchini. This is a great way to use some of it I can’t wait to try these!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Yes, the gardeners are always giving away zucchini. This is a great recipe for it.
Jolina
I agree, you can never have enough zucchini recipes! They’re just so versatile. We’ve never tried zucchini burgers before though so thanks for the tips. Luckily we have a grill mat 🙂
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Hope you give this recipe a try. I know we will be eating a few (dozen) of these this summer.
Arlene Mobley
This looks like a delicious way to use up all that summer zucchini. I bet they would freeze well also.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
HAHHA….to be honest I have never tried to freeze them. They don’t last long here.
Denise
I am excited to try this! Especially in summer when we have zucchini coming out our ears. Love the use of sriracha and pancetta too!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Yes, so much zucchini and so many great recipes to use it too. ENJOY!
Jere Cassidy
Yeah, a new recipe for zucchini. This just has to be super good. I love all those flavors.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much. Hope you give this delicious recipe a try.
Veena Azmanov
Healthy and super delicious option to this amazing Burger. Love it for Dinner.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I can’t wait to make these on the grill…they are so good.
Noelle
Every part of this recipe is great, love zucchini and sriracha makes everything perfect!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
This is a fun and delicious recipe. The perfect way to use all that zucchini. Hope you give it a try.
Jacqueline Debono
Your zucchini burgers look scrumptious! Going to add them to my BBQ to make list! I’m also a big zucchini fan and some years grow my own. You definitely need to try zucchini flowers, so divine!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I am going to hunt some zucchini flowers down this summer for sure. Can’t wait to try them.
Chef Mireille
these zucchini burgers look so healthy and delicious. A great burger for the summer barbecue season!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
You can never have too many burger recipes. This is a fun twist for sure.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
My daughter would love to have this for dinner — especially with that crispy pancetta. This is a great lightened up burger — just in time for swimsuit season.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
These are super delicious, and zucchini is the star of the show. ENJOY!
jordin
Zucchini is all the rage right now and it’s time for me to hop on the trend, can’t wait for this to be my first recipe i try out! looks delicious
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
OMG you really got to give these burgers a try. You will be amazed at how delicious they really area.
Stine Mari
This zucchini burger looks AMAZING. When I read through this blog post I am truly looking forward to Summer and all things zucchini. You’ve got a lot of fantastic zucchini recipes.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much. I cannot wait for burger season, and all the zucchinis too.
Jenni LeBaron
I love the idea of these burgers as an alternative to traditional meat patties. We are trying to not be so reliant on meat being the focal point of dinner and also packing our meals with plenty of veggies, so these fit nicely. I love that they have aplenty of flavor and color packed in them.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
These are a great alternative to a traditional meat burger for sure. Also budget friendly.
Deryn
Yum, these sound fantastic. Have you ever tried making them without egg? I wonder if they’d hold together with a flax egg? The flavours sound great!
Homemade & Yummy
I have not tried without the egg….they come apart pretty easily. Your best bet is to make them an put them in the fridge to firm up before grilling.
Jyothi (Jo)
I love zucchini in so many ways. I can never say no to such amazing healthy burger. Sriracha and pancetta definitely makes a favorite addition here
Homemade & Yummy
These burgers are super delicious and a great way to use zucchini.