What's The Difference Between Zucchini And Summer Squash?

Understandably, many people use the terms zucchini and summer squash interchangeably. Unlike the winter squash family, which is identifiable by thick, tough outer skin and a dense, usually orange or yellow inner flesh with large, hard seeds, summer squash are much lighter and delicate than their hardy winter cousins. Zucchini is a summer squash, but not all summer squash is zucchini. The summer squash family includes many more types of squash, which are technically considered fruit, than just zucchini. 

Zucchini is usually easily identifiable by its long, straight body with a dark green, soft outer skin and pale green, borderline white, spongy flesh with a minimal amount of soft seeds in the center. While most other summer squash are only available in warm summer months, zucchini is so popular that, with modern farming and transportation technology, it's usually easy to find in grocery stores throughout the year. Zucchini has a mild, delicate flavor that readily absorbs other flavors thanks to its porous flesh, making it a great option for a low-carb, gluten-free noodle replacement when spiralized, commonly known as zoodles. Although a nightshade and not a member of the squash family, eggplant bears a resemblance to zucchini in texture, making zucchini a great swap for eggplant in dishes like our zucchini parmesan Neapolitan casserole. 

The summer squash family boasts many types of shapes and varying hues of yellow and green. In addition to zucchini, summer squash includes crookneck, gold bar, chayote, tatume, zephyr, cousa, and the Italian heirloom tromboncino, which can grow to be much longer than most other summer squash. Meanwhile, pattypan squash almost resembles UFOs with their squat bodies and scalloped edges.

You're unlikely to see most of those varieties of summer squash at a regular supermarket, but they're common at farmers markets in the summertime or smaller, more niche grocery stores. Chayote, for example, is extremely common in Mexican and other Latin American cuisine and is easily found in Mexican grocery stores. 

Although it's not an actual summer squash, we feel obliged to mention squash blossoms, the delicate flower that sprouts from the squash plant itself, which are delicious when broiled on top of pizza or stuffed with fresh ricotta and pan-fried.

As with lots of summer produce, summer squash is ideal for grilling, where you can get a beautiful char on the outside while not overcooking the tender insides of the squash. Given their spongy flesh, the summer squash family is perfect for marinating, like this marinated grilled summer squash recipe.