This zucchini relish recipe is a favorite around here. It’s good on burgers and hot dogs, but excellent for mixing into potato salad, tuna salad, or egg salad for an extra burst of flavor, too.
Got more zucchini than you know what to do with? Try our favorite chocolate zucchini bread, too!
When zucchini season is upon us, it’s often a challenge to figure out just what to do with all of that abundance. Zucchini — otherwise known as summer squash — is a crop that just keeps on giving.
When you’ve exhausted your repertoire of ways to eat it as part of your daily menu plan, consider preserving some of your extra zucchini for the winter with this easy zucchini relish. Home canning this relish makes it shelf stable so you can enjoy it all year long.
Add a spoonful to your next burger!
Related: Easy Canning Recipes for the Novice Home Canner
Nostalgic Zucchini Relish Recipe
Remember Del Monte hamburger relish? Talk about a blast from the past. This relish recipe, made from zucchini, tastes just like the Del Monte version. It’s sweet and somewhat tangy, but uses only wholesome ingredients that may very well have come out of your garden.
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It’s great on burgers, of course, but I use it to add extra flavor to things like egg salad, deviled eggs, potato salad, and even mixed into meatloaf.
Ready to DIY your pantry with more wholesome ingredients? Check out my new book from National Geographic! Attainable Sustainable Pantry is filled with delicious recipes for some of your favorite condiments, snacks, and toppings, along with an entire section on home food preservation. It’s the guide you need to start skipping packaged products and embrace homemade.We’re not the only ones who love this sweet zucchini relish recipe, though. Sarah over at Horseradish and Honey gave it a solid thumbs up over on Instagram.
Wholesome ingredients, some from your garden or farmers market.
Ingredients
Zucchini — This is the star of the recipe! Use fresh zucchini; if you’re using a large zucchini that got away from you, use a spoon to scoop out the spongy seed center.
Red bell peppers — The red pepper provides flavor as well as sweetness. Do not substitute with a green bell pepper; a yellow or orange pepper could work, but I haven’t tried it.
Onion — I typically use a yellow onion, but you can use any kind of bulb onion you have on hand — white, yellow, or red.
Salt — Salting the ingredients and allowing them to stand overnight pulls the moisture from the vegetables. You’ll rinse them and drain off much of the added salt before processing. Use canning salt, kosher salt, or sea salt — avoid salt that is iodized or treated with anti-caking agents.
Jalapeño pepper — Adding jalapeños to the relish gives a very mild spice and a lovely flavor. It won’t be too spicy for tender mouths, promise. (Like it hotter? Feel free to substitute more fiery hot peppers!)
Vinegar — You can use distilled white vinegar here, or apple cider vinegar. I’ve used both.
Sugar — Use your favorite brand of granulated cane sugar. I prefer organic.
Seasonings — The addition of turmeric powder, mustard seeds, black pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg round out the flavors.
Chop veggies by hand or use a food processor.
Making this recipe
Day 1: Chop the zucchini, onions, and peppers. You can chop by hand or use a food processor to pulse the vegetables into a fine dice. I like to aim for an 1/8″ dice, but if you like slightly larger chunks in your relish, that’s completely fine.
Combine the chopped vegetables and salt in a large bowl. Refrigerate overnight; this causes the vegetables to release some of their natural juices, preventing the relish from having too much liquid.
Drain and rinse salted vegetables before adding the remaining ingredients.
The next day: Drain and rinse the zucchini mixture and combine with the remaining ingredients in a large pot. Cook and simmer over medium high heat.
Combine all ingredients in a stock pot.
To preserve as a shelf stable pantry item, you’ll need to process the relish in a water bath canner. This isn’t difficult to do, but you will need some specialized canning equipment.
Fill half-pint or pint sized canning jars, leaving a quarter inch headspace.
Hot Water Bath Canning this Zucchini Relish
Canning this relish in a water bath canner makes it a shelf stable product that can last a year or so in the pantry.
A canning funnel makes it easy to fill jars.
Once the relish is ready, ladle it into canning jars while it’s still hot. You can use 1/2 pint or pint jars. I have a canning funnel for this purpose, that makes it easier to transfer hot products into the jars without a lot of mess.
Use a bubble remover or plastic knife to remove any visible air bubbles.
Use a damp cloth to wipe the rim of each jar; a little bit of food on the jar rim can prevent the lids from sealing properly. Set the lids in place and screw the bands on finger tight. Use a jar lifter to transfer jars into the gently boiling water. As stated above, the water in the pot should cover the jars by two inches. If necessary add more water to the canner.
Process jars for the recommended time. (See below.) When time is up, use the jar lifter to transfer jars to a flat surface that’s padded with a kitchen towel. Allow jars to cool completely. As they cool, you’ll begin to hear a canner’s favorite sound: That lovely little tink! that indicates a successful seal.
Storing Jars of Zucchini Relish
Once jars of relish are thoroughly cooled, check the seal on all of the jars. The lid should be concave and solid. If it flexes at all, it’s not sealed. (Place any jars that didn’t seal in the refrigerator and use them first. They are not shelf stable.)
Remove bands from cooled jars and rinse the jars. Store jars without the bands.
Remove the jars from the canner and cool; you’ll hear a little “tink!” as each seals. The lids should feel taut and somewhat concave. These are safe to store at room temperature. Any that don’t seal should be refrigerated and used first.
🍅 Safety First!
Canning is an excellent way to preserve food for the pantry, but there are some important safety considerations to keep in mind. The recipes on this site have been made following safe canning procedures by a certified Master Food Preserver.
- Know the difference between water bath canning and pressure canning. Low acid items must be pressure canned for safety.
- Altering ingredients may change the recipe’s pH, posing a safety issue.
- Use the proper jars and lids. Never reuse lids, with the exception of the Tattler or Harvest Right hard plastic lids that are intended for such a purpose.
- For more on canning equipment, please go here.
- Want to learn more? The National Center for Home Food Preservation is the go-to resource for safe canning information.
★ Did you make this zucchini relish? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! ★
Zucchini Relish Recipe
Equipment
- 3-4 pint jars
- 3-4 canning lids and rings
- canning funnel
- water bath canner with lid or deep pot
- jar tongs
- canning bubble popper/measurer optional but handy
Ingredients
- 4 cups zucchini chopped
- 2 cups onion finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 ½ cups vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Pinch nutmeg
Instructions
Recipe yields 3-4 pint jars.
Make the relish:
- If you have a food processor you can just toss roughly chopped zucchini, onions, and peppers into the bowl of the processor and pulse until they're a good size. I like mine in about 1/8 - 1/4" pieces. If you don't have a food processor, just chop them finely by hand.4 cups zucchini, 2 cups onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 jalapeno pepper
- Combine chopped zucchini, onion, peppers, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well. Chill overnight.1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- Place in a colander to drain; rinse thoroughly and drain again.
- Transfer to a large stock pot and add remaining ingredients; bring just to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. At this point, the relish is done. You can just put it in jars and then in the refrigerator to use right away or give as gifts.1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric, 2 teaspoons mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, Pinch nutmeg
- If you'd like your relish to be shelf stable, you'll need to process it.
Prepare for Canning
- Wash the jars you'll use, making sure each is clean and free of nicks in the rim, which could impede sealing.
- Wash the lids and rings in hot soapy water. (If you're using non-Ball brand lids, prepare as suggested by manufacturer.)
- Place empty jars in a canning pot or large stock pot with enough water to cover by an inch or two, cover pot, and set on high heat. It can take awhile for the water to heat, so get it started when you start heating the relish.
Canning the zucchini relish:
- Remove empty jars from canner, draining water back into pot.
- Ladle hot relish into pint or half-pint jars, leaving 1/2" head space. A canning funnel makes this easy.
- Use a bubble remover or plastic knife to remove any visible bubbles.
- Wipe jar rims to remove any relish that may have spilled. A clean rim is essential to a good seal.
- Set jar lids in place. Screw bands on finger tight.
- Use a jar lifter to lower jars into hot water in canning pot. Water should cover the top of the jars by two inches. The water will cool somewhat in reaction to the addition of the jars. Return the water to a simmer and set the timer.
- Process for 15 minutes 0-6,000 feet altitude; 20 minutes over 6,000 feet.
- Allow jars to cool overnight.
- Check for seal: the lids should feel solid and slightly indented. If they flex, that are not shelf stable and should be refrigerated and used first.
- Wash jars, remove rings, and store in a cool, dry place for a year.
Notes
- Recipe yields 3-4 pint jars.
- The red pepper provides flavor as well as sweetness. Do not substitute with a green bell pepper; a yellow or orange pepper could work, but I haven't tried it.
- This recipe tested at 3.0 pH, making it safe for water bath canning.
- Boiling lids or heating above 180°F as once recommended can damage the sealing compound.
If I leave out the jalapeños, can I still can it? Not everyone likes everything hot!!
Yes, it’s safe to leave them out or replace them with a mild pepper, such as a mild banana pepper.
This zucchini relish sounds absolutely delicious! I love the idea of adding a homemade twist to my burgers. Can’t wait to try it out this weekend! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I can’t wait to try this zucchini relish recipe! It sounds like the perfect way to add some zing to my burgers this summer. Thanks for sharing such a delicious idea!
Can you substitute honey for the sugar?
Yes, honey is a safe replacement for sugar in canning recipes. Honey is sweeter so you might need to use less than the called-for amount of sugar.
Oh my gosh! This was my first time making this and it won’t be my last. So tasty!
This has been my go to recipe for relish for the past 2 years. My family loves it. As soon as my zucchini from my garden comes in, I start making it. My personal preference is put on salmon and crab cakes but it is delicious no matter what you eat it with!
Yay! It’s one of my faves, too!
Hand chopped, slightly coarser than recommended, adds to the texture. 24 hours in the refrigerator and only drained the excessive moisture (my take on rinsing is that you rinse away all the taste). A winner! A few friends are going to get this for Christmas gifts. PS. It definately needs a bit of heat, a teaspoon of dried crushed chillies have never caused anybody any harm!
I’m glad you made it your own with success!
Is it possible to do half zucchini and half cucumber for the relish base?
You could try it and refrigerate it, but I’d hesitate to can it.
Hi Kim. I see many questioning the use of alternative sugars here, and I have a definitive answer to that as a result of extensive testing. We substitute local honey In many pickling recipes as our local honey producer is also diabetic. We use an electronic pH tester which shows the difference between sugar and honey in recipes is negligible. All of our relishes test out between 4.0 and 4.2 pH when using honey. I hope this helps.
Yes, honey is a safe replacement for sugar in canning recipes.
“Honey can be substituted for sugar in canned and frozen fruits. The flavor of honey is sweeter than
that of granulated sugar so it is advisable to use less honey than the amount of sugar specified in
the recipe. Be sure to use light, mild-flavored honey if you don’t want noticeable flavor changes in
your preserved product.” – https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/8836/sp50646preservingforspecialdiets.pdf
Can this be frozen in small containers?
I haven’t tried that, but as an alternative to canning, I think it would work ok!
The only pH strips I could find to work are for winemaking: (pH range fro 2.2-4.4) all others were in single digits 1-2-3-, etc, not 1.4, etc, or for higher ranges 5-9, etc.
IF I changed the recipe slightly, like using a non sugar substitute, or replacing one veg for another, AND used the strips to ensure the pH range was lower than 4.2, would that be ok?
If you are confident in the accuracy of your testing, it should be safe to use a sugar substitute. The sugar is there for flavor more than preservation, but *definitely test to make sure. I’ve not canned with sugar subs.
Delicious! I had a spare apple so I chopped it up and added it to the mix.
This will be my “go to” zucc relish from now on. Thank you.
Do be mindful that changes to a recipe can alter the pH; for safety purposes it’s recommended that you don’t. But I’m glad you like it!
How important is the dry mustard seed? Is there a sub for it, as I don’t have any.
The mustard seed will add flavor, you could try mustard powder or caraway seeds, although I can’t say for sure how it’ll turn out. Try looking in bulk spices for mustard seeds too, sometimes that’s a good place to find them!
You mention ph papers: What should the ph be to can safely?
I’m thinking of altering this for a diabetic safe ‘sugar’, but want to be sure it has the correct ph before canning. I need to correct ph in order to do so. Thank you
Thanks for pointing that out! The Hawaii Master Food Preservers suggest a pH of 4.2 or lower in the tropics. In other regions, the recommended pH is 4.6 or lower.
Hi, I’m from England. Here we don’t do ‘canning’. We make ‘chutney’, not relish. We just sterilize the jars and lids, add the hot chutney, put on the lids and store – for months, or weeks in the fridge once it’s opened. I’m curious – why do Americans call it ‘canning’ when it uses glass jars? And why do you consider the water bath necessary when it’s made with vinegar and sugar and is airtight? Thanks
The biggest difference, if I am understanding you corre3ctly, is that you are storing in the fridge. Our canning process, with the water bath and everything, creates a vacuum for a shelf stable finished product.
WOW! I made one batch and we ate it so fast. Now quadrupled the batch and have given heaps away. About to make another batch. (This is all in the same week!) So good. I didn’t have a capsicum so put in a few more red chilies. Yummy. I also used patty pan squash as that is what I had the most of at the moment. Holds up really nice in the relish. This recipe is a keeper!
I’m so glad – we love it!
Can I use green tomatoes, I don’t have zucchini?
It’s not a bad idea — I’m curious now! — but it’s not safe to change canning recipes like this without testing. You could use your green tomatoes to make this: https://www.attainable-sustainable.net/save-those-green-tomatoes-make-a-batch-of-chow-chow/
If the exact amount of ingredients is so important, could you provide grams rather than cups? I am certain that my 4 cups zucchini does not equal someone else’s 4 cups of zucchini.
I’ll add that to my list of things to do!
Hi DeeDee,
By now you probably figured it out but if not, it’s easy to Google measurement converters nowadays. I use them as needed. Cheers!
What is the refrigerated self life?
It will last for several months in the fridge.
Excellent recipe and fantastic way to use up zucchini, especially when cucumbers are done for the year. I followed your recipe exactly and actually doubled it. I’ll definitely make it again! Thank you for such a beautiful recipe!!
Glad you like it!
Have you ever made it without sugar?
I have not.
I’m making this tonight and I tripled it because I have so much zucchini… literally did everything exactly tripled, no mistakes (other than the fact that my food processor is so powerful it really pulverized the veggies into very tiny pieces, rather than chunks), and somehow now being at the “final stage” (boiling it) I’ve only ended up with 10 cups (5 pints) of relish mixture and Im super worried now that it’s going to be way too sweet and completely messed up. Any advice? I realize you wouldn’t see this right now, but I’d love to hear your feedback. I’m so baffled. Thanks!
That is so odd. I’m probably too late, but I’d definitely taste it before canning it. If you find it too sweet, you could add more veggies to counter the sweetness BUT at that point you’re so far away from the original recipe that I wouldn’t be comfortable suggesting that you can it. (Canning recipes really shouldn’t be fiddled with.)
This is so good on hotdogs and hamburgers, also good on brown beans. I have made three runs this summer.
OMG this is so good! I made a single batch last week and processed most of it and we had a little left over and we ate it up!
I just made a double batch! Thank you! This is so yummy!
I’m glad you love it!
For canning what is the shelf life?
12-18 months.
Love this recipe. This was my first adventure into canning. I’ve made two batches of the recipe, both with golden griller squash and green pepper. One batch was hand cut, small dice. The other I used a food processor on. Both turned out beautiful. The relish tastes delicious. The recipe was easy to understand for this canning newbie. Thank you for sharing!!
Are you using apple cider vinegar or white vinegar?
You can use either, the flavor will vary slightly.
Can I mix yellow squash with the zucchini?
Yes.
Hello, Kris. I’m going to be making this relish today. I wonder why you say to store the shelf stable version without rings? I’m going to be shipping a couple of the jars to family, and will need to put the rings on those jars.
Yes, definitely ship them with rings. If you keep the rings on, it’s harder to discern if the seal has been compromised.
Could you tell me how many pints of relish this recipe makes please. My kitchen space is very small and before I start any new recipes I like to know how much of everything I should get ready. It just makes things so much easier as I only have about 2 feet of counter space. I would like to can some to give away but I don’t want to set it all up 3 or 4 times if it only makes a couple of pints. Also can the recipe be doubled? thank you in advance
About 3 pints, and yes, it can be doubled!
Can this be made with less sugar?
I don’t suggest making changes to canning recipes, as it can alter the pH.
Just wondering if this recipe would work with monk fruit sweetener or erythritol sweetener. Looks sooo delicious
I don’t suggest making changes to canning recipes as it can alter the pH. You could certainly do it for fresh consumption, though.
Zucchini is my fav summer veg. Loved the relish as I realized I hadn’t seen burger relish in a store in quite a while. The smaller zucchini also make great pickles. I did dill as slices and spears. Hard water helps for crisp pickles. (reallly good as fried pickles too) thanks for the nostalgia factor, as a teen worked at drive in where we mixed bgr relish with mayo. Go Pats Drive in!! (sorry long gone via dozer)
Actually, zucchini is the long green squash; what is referred to as summer squash is the yellow one. Often with a ‘crooked’ neck, which is why those shapes are called crooked neck squash, but the straight yellow ones are called summer squash.
Actually Yellow Zucchini are a real thing…..not the same animal as Yellow Straight and Crooked Squash…..
I absolutely love the zucchini relish! It tastes amazing with Raclette. And with a lot of other things. Because of this recipe I started getting into hot water bath canning and I am totally addicted to it by now. Anyways, I learned that relishes should be canned for 30 minutes for them to have a really long shelf life.
I’m glad you like it!
I have never made any relish of any kind before, so when I was gifted some large zucchinis both yellow and green. I needed to do something besides shred and freeze for cakes. Since I have never eaten or used the yellow ones before and found the skins rather tough I made the relish. It is wonderful, thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Yay, I’m glad you liked it!
Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to have to try it out it looks great.
OK< am I that old? I DO remember Del Monte relish!!!
I thought it was still around, but then, I don’t shop the regular isles, and I don’t buy commercial stuff anymore.
Thanks for the recipe!
Both the zucchini and watermelon rind relishes sound great. I never would have thought of using either in a relish. I don’t eat hamburgers but I’d like to try ’em on a turkey or veggie burger.
I don’t remember Del Monte hamburger relish but this is a great use for zucchini. They are usually so prolific.
Thank you for the “this is not scary” line. I often look at recipes and photos and my eyes sort of glaze over. But this one does indeed look easy and delicious. If I could send you some of our zucchini, I would totally do it.
This does sound good, but I wouldn’t dare tell my family what is in it.. When I had a garden the zucchini was so prolific that my sons won’t even look at the stuff any more.
Why can’t you grow zucchini?
Maybe I should say: I haven’t yet figured out how to successfully grow zucchini! Cucurbits have so far eluded me, due to something called a pickleworm. Photographic evidence: https://on.fb.me/1eiqINU.
If you live in New England you are the only per who can’t grow zucchini. Lol That, or the critters love your garden! I made this relish with adjustments since I didn’t have turmeric, I used an Orange and Turmeric tea granulated I was gifted that was too strong to drink and no mustard seeds, so I used the some of my homemade mustard. It tastes delicious and I too remember Del Monte’s Hamburger Relish. It was the only one I would touch as a child. I only got 4 jelly jars although I followed the veggie directions. Perhaps I should measure after “fine” chopping?
I’ve never heard of the Del Monte relish! This sounds good though. Definitely an idea for using up zucchini!