Sautéed zucchini is a quick, easy, and healthy side dish. Thanks to a delicious garlic butter, this is one of our favorite zucchini recipes. You only need five minutes of cooking time, and it’s time to eat!

There are lots of ways to cook zucchini, but the quickest is to pan-fry or sauté it in a pan on the stove. By cooking zucchini this way, it develops a golden-brown exterior and a tender, slightly caramelized interior. This sautéed zucchini recipe takes only 10 to 15 minutes from start to finish, which is why it’s quickly become one of the most popular zucchini recipes on the blog.

I love sautéed zucchini as a side to our healthier main dishes like lemon dill baked salmon, easy turkey meatloaf, or these lemon baked chicken breasts. I’ve even tossed it into buttered noodles and loved it!

Key Ingredients

• Zucchini: I like medium zucchini best. Any larger and the middle turns a bit too mushy and squashy for me. When buying zucchini, look for them to be dark green and firm. I recommend the same for all my zucchini recipes like this roasted zucchini with feta or my stuffed zucchini boats!
• Butter: Adds a nutty flavor and helps the zucchini to brown. You can substitute it with olive oil.
• Garlic: I love the garlic butter in this zucchini recipe. It’s so delicious.
• Green onion, lemon juice, and parmesan: These are optional but make the zucchini extra delicious. I love stirring in sliced green onions, a splash of lemon juice, and some parmesan just before serving.

How to Make Sautéed Zucchini

Use a wide skillet when sautéing zucchini. This way, the zucchini can spread and brown instead of steaming on top of each other. (I use the same trick when cooking mushrooms.)

You’ll heat your skillet over medium-high heat, add some butter, and then, when it’s melted, toss in the garlic and zucchini. Spread them out in the skillet and let them brown in places. I don’t stir too much so that the zucchini has more chance to brown.

When you see some brown spots, stir and cook until the zucchini is tender. Then, season with salt, pepper, and optional ingredients like scallions, lemon juice, and parmesan. Adding the salt towards the end prevents the zucchini from turning mushy and soggy. ( I often use this trick when cooking zucchini, like when making these garlic basil zucchini noodles.)

Recipe Variations

Sautéed zucchini has lots of possible recipe variations. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Make it cheesy and stir in more grated parmesan or other cheese before serving. I love feta!
• We love the combination of garlic and butter, but you can use other spices. Try Italian seasoning, Za’atar spice blend, Cajun seasoning, or an Indian spice blend like curry or chili powder.
• Add extra crunch with toasted sliced almonds or buttery pine nuts.
• Stir in chopped tomatoes and cook until the zucchini is crisp-tender and the tomatoes collapse a little and release some of their juices.
• Stir in cooked or canned beans, such as white beans, chickpeas, and black beans.