Zucchini Vs Cucumber: What's The Difference, Anyway?

Eating more greens is a breezy way to boost the vitamins, minerals, and fiber in your diet. And while leafy options, such as kale, spinach, arugula, and chard, are awesome places to make a start, you shouldn't dismiss the benefits of other emerald-colored veggies that have a denser, heartier quality, such as zucchinis and cucumbers. From the outside, these culinary vegetables (which are botanically fruits) look pretty similar, so we'd forgive you for confusing them when rushing around the grocery store with the kids in tow. 

With matching cylindrical shapes and dark green skin, zucchini and cucumber are both members of the Cucurbitaceae – a family of plants that also includes watermelons, pumpkins, and cantaloupe, which, in the majority of cases, produce yellow or white flowers. You may already know about Italian fiori di zucca (aka cooked zucchini flowers) that can be stuffed and fried, but cucumber vines also produce edible flowers that are best eaten raw to showcase their delicate flavor.

While these verdant beauties are in the same plant family, they're definitely not identical; think of them as cousins, rather than twins. Both of these green gourds have unique characteristics that set them apart from each other if you take a closer look at their appearance, texture, and flavor. For example, zucchini has a thicker (sometimes bitter) skin and cream-colored, buttery-flavored flesh that's perfect for sautéing and baking. On the other hand, sweet and mild cucumber has a thinner, crisper texture, is packed full of water, and makes a wonderful raw ingredient in salads.

Zucchinis (also known as a courgettes) are a variety of summer squash native to Mexico and Mesoamerica. They are harvested early in the season before their skin has time to toughen up excessively and thicken, which means zucchinis don't need to be peeled before use, unlike butternut squash that can often benefit from the removal of its tough exterior. They also have a nubby stem that's thick and chunky at one end and smooth and rounded at the other (these peripheral bits are sliced off prior to cooking in the same way as you'd top and tail green beans). While the most common type of courgette sold at the supermarket is green, there are other varieties that are yellow, striped, or speckled. 

In fact, not all zucchini are long and cylindrical; some are stubby and short, whereas others are plump and round — almost like a mini grapefruit — and have a milder flavor. In some farmer's markets, you can find zucchini that still have their vibrant, edible yellow flowers attached as well as unusual patterns on their skin. However, you're likely more familiar with standard zucchini that look like dark green cukes. Zucchinis benefit from being sauteed or baked, like other popular types of squash. Boiling them turns them mushy and sloppy, so it's best to roast or fry them to maintain their buttery flavor and structural integrity — and avoid these common zucchini mistakes.

Much like a zucchini, a cucumber is a long, green, and firm vegetable that grows on a vine. Native to India but now grown across the world, this popular veggie contains a colossal 96% water, has a refreshing quality, and features a slightly sweet aroma and flavor. However, it's the characteristic crunch of these green gourds that make them such a fantastic addition to salads. While their dark green skin can be peeled, there's really no need to get rid of their tender exterior as it contains most of the vegetable's fiber and nutrient content. In fact, this is why you should leave cucumber skins on.

The seeds inside the pale green and watery flesh of a cucumber hold most of its moisture, which is why some people prefer to scoop them out. This move helps to retain the crisp coolness of this mild veggie and is the key to preventing soggy cucumber salad with too much liquid. Simply slice your cucumber lengthwise and run a small spoon along the flesh to collect the seeds and create a trough down the middle. Then, when you cut your cukes into slices, you'll create pretty little crescent shapes for your salad. Cucumbers can also be added to gazpacho, used as a stuffing for delicate English sandwiches, or lightly crushed and mixed with spices to make piquant smacked cukes or spicy Korean cucumber salad.

Run your fingers along a zucchini and you'll instantly feel that it has a thicker skin than a cucumber. It's almost gritty or prickly to the touch, yet has a firm and waxy quality. This is because zucchini have fuzzy hairs on their surface that protect them as they grow. Having said that, you don't need to peel fresh zucchini before cooking them as their skin is tender enough to soften quickly and doesn't require a lengthy roast (a good wash under cold water is a necessity, though, to dislodge any gritty bits on the surface).

Cucumbers, on the other hand, have a smoother texture (particularly if they're grown in greenhouses), but can have a ridged or slightly bumpy surface if grown outdoors. Their skin is generally much thinner than zucchini and it has a fresh, grassy coolness to its flavor, but some varieties — such as those used for pickling — can have a slightly thicker skin. This is actually a positive as it means the cukes, whether sliced into classic bread and butter pickles or chopped into spears, hold up well against the intensity of the vinegary pickling solution they're steeped in.

The freshest zucchini should be snappable rather than bendy and produce a cracking sound if it were to be broken in two. However, if your courgettes are older, they can become soft and develop a bitter flavor, which can be somewhat reduced if you peel off the dark green skin before sauteing them. Some people swear by sampling a slice of raw zucchini first to check if it's gone bitter before using it.

Homegrown zucchinis that are left to grow until they reach full maturity have more of a bitter flavor due to the presence of a compound called cucurbitacin that can increase depending on growing conditions (its unwelcome taste provides a defense against peckish wildlife). Their skin also becomes thicker and tougher with time, which is why they are typically harvested earlier. 

If you've grown your own zucchini and they have an acrid bite, consider slicing and salting them or placing them in a milk bath to draw out some of the bitter compounds. Unwanted bitterness is one of the reasons people avoid eating raw zucchini, though it's typically safe to do so. Cucumbers contain cucurbitacin, too, but grocery store varieties are specially cultivated in such a way to minimize its concentration, which means they're usually mild, refreshing, and pleasant to eat raw.

Yes, the freshest zucchini can be sliced raw and added to salads and salsas. However, in the majority of cases, this green (or yellow) gourd is cooked in dishes such as vegetarian lasagnas and this simple zucchini gratin. The heat softens the flesh and makes it taste sweeter, while the skin helps it to retain its shape and provide some texture. You can even cut zucchini into strips and bread them before deep frying to make crispy zucchini fries, or grate them and stir them through cake batter to boost the nutritional value of a basic bake. The length of zucchini also makes them well suited to turning into low-carb zucchini noodles.

Cucumbers, meanwhile, are best enjoyed in their natural state so they retain their crisp, bright quality. A common ingredient in a variety of garden salads, slices of cucumber are perfect for lending raw dishes a fresh aroma and interesting texture. Unlike leafy greens, such as baby spinach, cucumber batons are moist and refreshing, which makes them a fantastic addition to a platter of crudité to serve with a creamy dip — some of which, like classic tzatziki, even include cucumbers. 

As cucumbers contain a large amount of water, they're ideal for whizzing up in green smoothies — simply add less water to your blender and allow the natural moisture in your cucumbers to create a restoring elixir that you can sweeten with apple. Better yet, sprinkle some sugar over a batch of sliced cucumber to create an awesome summer snack that tastes like chunks of fresh watermelon. For more ways to use these green gourds, check out these 13 best zucchini recipes and 15 refreshing cucumber recipes.