Sweet and Sour Zucchini Salad — Packed with big, bold flavors and tons of crunch! It’s a healthy, light, NO LETTUCE salad!
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Sweet and Sour Salad Recipe
Sometimes garbage salads are the best. They’re the salads I make when I have a produce drawer full of stuff and I throw it all together.
And sometimes all that stuff works so amazingly well together. That was this sweet and sour zucchini salad.
It’s naturally vegan, gluten-free, light, fresh, and healthy. Perfect summer food and helps with the abundance of zucchini many people have now. Not me, I have to buy mine.
It reminds me of salsa, but I’m calling it salad so there’s no shame in shoveling it down by the fork-full. Although every few bites, I piled it on tortilla chips because everything tastes better on crunchy corn chips. It would also make a great bruschetta topper.
There’s so much flavor, texture, and crunch in every bite and I couldn’t get enough of it.
Sweet-and-tangy, hot-and-sour, juicy, fresh, healthy. Loved it.
Sweet and Sour Zucchini Salad Ingredients
The salad makes use of just about anything you’d have in your produce drawer. Customize it with your favorites.
I used juicy pineapple and mango, which add a sweet element, lime juice adds sour, zucchini and corn add crunch, edamame adds chewiness and protein, cilantro adds extra flavor, and a jalapeño pepper and hot pepper jelly add heat.
There’s plenty of sneak-up-on you heat from the jalapeño pepper and hot pepper (homemade here or here).
When mixed with lime juice, the hot pepper jelly and lime turn into a great vinaigrette and gives the salad it’s bold, zippy flavor and sweet heat. It tasted better the second day after the flavors married!
How to Make Sweet and Sour Zucchini Salad
This is such a quick and easy salad to prepare! It’s almost like an Asian chopped salad, but there’s no lettuce involved.
Here’s an overview of how this texture-packed salad is made:
- Chop up all the veggies and fruits.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Toss very well to coat in the lime juice and hot pepper jelly.
- Serve immediately. Optionally, refrigerate salad for up to 24 hours before serving.
Make-Ahead Instructions
This is actually a wonderful salad to prepare in advance! The fruits and vegetables will release their juices and salad will be juicier, the flavors will have married, and overall the salad will taste even better on second day!
I recommend eating the Asian-inspired zucchini salad within 48 hours, but it will last up to 4 days in the fridge.
What to Serve with Sweet and Sour Zucchini Salad
We love eating this salad as is, but we often wind up scooping it up with homemade baked tortilla chips.
Because the salad is vegan, it pairs well with lots of Asian-inspired entrees, such as:
- Homemade Hunan Beef
- Chicken Egg Roll Bowls
- Honey Soy Chicken Thighs
- Copycat P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
- Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Fresh Spring Rolls
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Sweet and Sour Zucchini Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small zucchini, diced small (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 average/small de-seeded jalapeño pepper, diced finely (or keep the seeds for extra heat)
- ¾ cup diced pineapple, fresh, frozen, or canned
- ¾ cup diced mango, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup corn, fresh or frozen; I don’t cook or thaw it
- ½ cup cooked edamame
- ⅓ cup hot pepper jelly (homemade here] or [here
- juice from 1 very juicy lime, 3 to 4 tablespoons
- cilantro leaves from about 1/2 bunch of cilantro, torn or chopped (I used 1 whole bunch)
- pinch cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
- salt and pepper, optional and to taste
- chips or bread for serving, optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, toss very well to coat, and serve immediately.
- Optionally, refrigerate salad for up to 24 hours before serving. Fruits and vegetables will release their juices and salad will be juicier, but the flavors will have married and salad tastes better on second day.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Zucchini Recipes:
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Creamy Corn and Zucchini Salad — A healthy EASY salad that’s ready in 15 minutes and so flavorful!! Corn, zucchini, cilantro, queso fresco and more are tossed in a DELISH creamy lime sauce!!
Mexican Zucchini, Corn, and Peppers (Calabacitas) — An EASY Mexican-inspired recipe ready in 15 minutes with zucchini, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, and green chiles! HEALTHY, vegan, and naturally gluten-free! When there’s an abundance of summer produce, this recipe is PERFECT!
Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters — Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer’s most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.
Grilled Steak Kabobs — Juicy steak with sweet bell peppers, onions, zucchini, and pineapple for the PERFECT sweet-and-savory kabob!! You’ll want to fire up your grill for these! Fast, EASY, zero cleanup, and DELISH!!
Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats — Skip enchilada wraps and use zucchini instead!! Easy, healthier and there’s so much FLAVOR between juicy chicken drenched in enchilada sauce, corn, peppers, and CHEESE!!
Summer Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies — Fast, EASY, HEALTHY, and perfect for your seasonal summer zucchini, squash and tomatoes!! A DELISH one-pan meal with zero cleanup that’s great for lazy summer days or busy weeknights!!
I’m thinking this is the salad you were referring to a few weeks ago when I said I love cilantro! This is a “must make” for me–lots of good things going on in that bowl. I really like the variety and am so glad you decided to post this because it looks like just the kind of salad I love!
Yes this is the one, Paula! I loaded this up with tons more cilantro after I took the pics because I love it :) but it tends to make things look like a jungle on camera….haha! You would love this salad. From the pepper jelly kick to the cilantro, all the veggies, it’s a perfect fridge cleanout salad for just about anything. LMK if you try a version!
I’ve been so anxious to try this and I wanted to make it as written so I waited until it was time to restock the produce. This is a great salad (I knew we’d love it) and it certainly delivers on flavor and texture just as you described. I used the entire bunch of cilantro too–can’t get enough. Jon thought avocado would work well, so I’ll be making it again!
And if I had had any avocado, I’d have tossed it in and I know it would be great in here! Thanks for trying it, Paula, and that’s awesome that you waited til your produce was at the odds and ends time so that you could make it as written!
Love all of the flavors you have going on in this salad! So delicious!
Between our slushies and our corn salad, it’s like we’re on the same wavelength this week :) I love that you call this garbage salad, LOL. Anything but!! PINNED :)
We are totally on the same wavelength :) The funny thing is that I had this salad in my drafts for like…a month…but just posted it today. And in the last week, I think most blogs I visit have a zucchini+corn post up either currently or have had one in the past week! Tis the season!
Tis the season indeed!! My posts usually sit in drafts for a month, or scheduled out…and while waiting to post I see a similar recipe on a dozen blogs in the mean time!! Such is life :)
What a new creative way to use zucchini! You get points!!! The mango and spices—-yum.
Thanks, Carol!
Looks delicious! I love the idea of sweet and sour…thanks for sharing!
What a great idea to use pepper jelly as a dressing component with the lime juice…brillant..I have everything on hand to make this. The pictures are so colorful.
I love that you have everything on hand! I have a feeling we have pretty similar tastes!
This looks awesome and I love the flavor contrasts!
Such a great idea!! My husband will love this!
You could take that zucchini spiralizer you mentioned you bought and spiralize the zucchini rather than dice it! At least get your money’s worth out of it :)
This looks delicious! I find sometimes the best meals come from that mentality ” what do I need to use.” I called these Leftover Salads and so often each one is different, but they are all very satisfying.
I feel the same way! I call them garbage salads :) but should probably call them Leftover Salads like you!
Oh yum! This looks so bright and delicious!
Ha you got my problem done to a T. I always have a draw of mixed up single piece fruit and veg; and I am looking for new ways to use them. Since the weather has turn cold down under, I put all my veggies into a vegetable curry soup but I sure could use this salad right now!
I love corn in any form so your additions of mango and pineapple are only natural!
The crazy thing is that you could probably do something like this in a broth and do it warm and I’d love it just as much – even in the hot weather we’re having now. I happily eat soup in the summer :)
Looks delicious to me! I love the element of sweetness from the pineapple and mango. A light and fresh lunch for sure.
Have a marvelous week Averie!
I eat corn and zucchini basically every day of my life, and I would have NEVAH thought to do a sweet and sour version! Love the addition of pineapple and mango. Pass me a spoon and call this dinner! Pinning :)
That’s totally me: Pass me a spoon and call this dinner!
And thanks for pinning :)
What a delicious salad, Averie! I’m glad you chose to share it. I love the dressing that goes on this, especially with that hot pepper jelly!
Thanks and I loooove hot pepper jelly so much :)
Ooh, that does look yummy! I too, have to buy zucchini, but with recipes like this, it’s so worth it!
Glad to hear I’m not the only one!
This is great Averie! I love clean out the fridge salads, but this is definitely not one of those. It is the perfect way to use the summer produce and fruits. yum!