My grilled zucchini gets charred on a cast iron grill pan and finished on a swooped tahini-yogurt sauce with za’atar, toasted pistachios, and mint. Vegetarian, gluten-free, 25 minutes, works indoors year-round.
This grilled zucchini recipe works on a grill or on a stove
A friend made this for me during a late August holiday in Sicily, when the zucchini was small and firm and barely watery. She grilled it simply and served it over a yogurt sauce I couldn’t stop eating. I made her show me the sauce twice.
The sauce is half Greek yogurt, half tahini. Tahini alone is rich but can go flat. Yogurt alone is tangy but thin. Together they balance — body from the tahini, brightness from the yogurt.
The part I worked out through testing: grate the garlic into the lemon juice first and let them sit two minutes before you build the sauce. The acid mellows the harsh sulfur compounds in raw garlic, so by the time the yogurt and tahini go in, the garlic has already softened. The flavor is there without the burn. It’s the step most recipes skip, and it’s why this sauce tastes so much better than similar ones made the usual way.
Ingredients worth discussing
Full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the recipe card.
Medium zucchini, 6 to 8 inches, firm and bright. Small zucchini overcooks fast on a hot grill pan; oversized late-summer zucchini is too watery to char properly. Medium holds its shape.
Tahini, well-stirred before measuring. The oil separates to the top in the jar — measure from an unstirred jar and you’ll get mostly oil or mostly paste. A butter knife through the jar takes 20 seconds.
Full-fat Greek yogurt. Low-fat thins the sauce. Labneh is an upgrade if you can find it at a Middle Eastern grocery.
Za’atar quality varies a lot by brand. If yours tastes flat, it’s probably old. I use this brand, but if you have a Middle Eastern grocery store near you, they usually also carry good quality za’atar (compared to mainstream supermarkets).
TIPS & TRICKS
Shruthi’s top tips
- Preheat the grill pan fully. The difference between charred and steamed zucchini is whether the pan was hot enough. Do the water-drop test – a drop should sizzle and evaporate instantly. Don’t shortcut this.
- Don’t move the zucchini until it releases. If it sticks when you try to flip, it’s not ready. Give it another 30 to 60 seconds and try again.
- The water in the sauce is adjustable. Start with 2 tablespoons. Too thick and it won’t swoop; too thin and it runs off the plate. Add more a teaspoon at a time until it holds a shape but pours easily.
How to make grilled zucchini
- Grate the garlic on a microplane into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and whisk. Let it sit for 2 minutes.
- Add the Greek yogurt, tahini, cold water, salt, and pepper to the garlic-lemon mixture. Whisk until completely smooth. The sauce should be pourable but thick enough to hold a shape — add more water if needed.
- Slice each zucchini lengthwise into planks. Brush both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium-high until hot, then grill the zucchini in batches until charred and tender, flipping once.
- Spread the sauce across a serving platter. Arrange the warm grilled zucchini on top, then finish with za’atar, pistachios, mint, olive oil, and flaky salt.
How to serve grilled zucchini
Serve with warm pita for scooping, or over farro or freekeh to turn this into a full meal.
This fits naturally into a mezze spread alongside eggplant hummus or hummus and falafel or my chickpea shawarma wraps, if you want to make a bigger spread.
If you have more zucchini to use up, the no-cook zucchini ribbon salad with whipped lemon ricotta is the cooler, lighter version of the same ingredient.
Variations
- Labneh upgrade: substitute ½ cup labneh for the Greek yogurt. Thicker and richer, holds a sharper shape on the platter.
- Pomegranate molasses finish: drizzle ½ teaspoon over the assembled platter for a sweet-tart counterpoint to the char.
- Outdoor grill: cook over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Broiler: arrange oiled zucchini on a foil-lined sheet pan, broil 4 inches from the heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Sauce keeps 3 days refrigerated.
Grilled zucchini is best the day it’s made but holds 2 days — reheat gently in a 300°F oven or serve at room temperature.
Grilled Zucchini with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce and Za’atar
Equipment
- 1 Cast iron grill pan (12-inch)
- 1 microplane or fine grater
Ingredients
For the tahini-yogurt sauce:
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 medium lemon, juiced
- ½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup tahini, well-stirred
- 2 tablespoons cold water, plus more as needed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the zucchini:
- 1½ pounds zucchini, 2–3 medium, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
For finishing:
- 2 teaspoons za’atar
- 2 tablespoons shelled pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, torn
- extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Grate the garlic on a microplane directly into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and whisk. Let sit 2 minutes.
- Add the Greek yogurt, tahini, 2 tablespoons cold water, salt, and black pepper. Whisk until completely smooth. Sauce should be pourable but thick enough to hold a shape — add more water 1 teaspoon at a time if needed. Set aside.
- Slice each zucchini lengthwise into ½-inch thick planks (3–4 per zucchini). Brush both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates instantly.
- Working in batches, lay zucchini planks in the pan. Press lightly with a spatula. Cook undisturbed 3 to 4 minutes until deep grill marks form and the planks release easily. Flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until tender. Repeat with remaining zucchini.
- Spread the sauce across a serving platter using the back of a spoon. Arrange warm zucchini on top.
- Sprinkle za’atar, scatter pistachios and torn mint, drizzle with olive oil, and finish with flaky salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Preheat the grill pan fully — 4 to 5 minutes over medium-high. A cold pan steams instead of chars.
- Don’t flip until the zucchini releases easily. If it sticks, give it another 30 to 60 seconds.
- Stir the tahini thoroughly before measuring — oil separates in the jar.
- Sauce keeps 3 days refrigerated. Zucchini is best day-of but holds 2 days; reheat gently in a 300°F oven or serve at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
