My no-cook zucchini ribbon salad is built on whipped lemon ricotta, topped with raw zucchini ribbons, torn basil and mint, and toasted pine nuts. Ten minutes, zero heat, vegetarian and gluten-free. I make this on the hottest days of summer when I want dinner without turning on the stove.
Why whipping the ricotta is worth the extra 90 seconds
When I lived in Italy I grew zucchini vertically in a container on the terrace. By late summer the plant kept producing small young ones, and this salad is what I made with them. Small firm zucchini, raw, on a base of ricotta whipped smooth enough to spread.
Most ribbon salads dollop ricotta in spoonfuls. Ninety seconds in the food processor with olive oil, lemon juice, zest, and salt turns it glossy and spreadable.
Whole-milk only. I tested low-fat twice and both times it stayed grainy and pulled water out of the zucchini.
And the mint and basil combo is the detail I’d fight for. Basil alone is one-note, mint alone leans Greek. Together, they give raw zucchini the lift it needs, same logic I use on my best caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes.
Ingredients worth noting
Full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the recipe card.
You’ll want young, small zucchini (6–8 inches, firm, thin skin, minimal seeds). Raw recipes don’t work with huge end-of-summer zucchini — they’re watery, bitter, and fibrous. If yours are huge, grill them or use them in my squash and zucchini casserole instead!
Use whole-milk ricotta, not low-fat! The fat is what lets the ricotta blend smooth. Galbani or BelGioioso is fine; fresh ricotta from an Italian deli is a splurge upgrade.
I always recommend a real lemon for both juice and zest. The zest is where most of the lemon flavor lives. My microplane is the one instrument I reach for the most in my kitchen and it’s so worth it, and I recently got this one that actually collects the zest and wow, it has been gamechanging.
Finally, you’ll want pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet 3–4 minutes until golden. They burn fast. Toasting is mandatory!
Shruthi’s Top TIps
The small things that change this salad
- Dress the ribbons just before serving. Salted zucchini releases water fast; dressed ribbons go watery within 10 minutes. Assemble right before eating.
- Shave toward the seeds and stop. The seedy core is too soft for ribbons. Four sides per zucchini, no core salvage.
- A Y-peeler is genuinely better than a standard peeler. Longer, more uniform ribbons.
- Tear herbs, don’t chop. Chopping bruises delicate summer herbs. Tear right before serving.
- Salt the ribbons in the bowl, not on the plate. A tiny pinch of kosher salt in the dressing bowl seasons every ribbon. Salt on the finished plate sits on top of the ricotta and slides off the zucchini.
- Build it on a wide flat plate, not a bowl. The ricotta is the canvas, the ribbons are the texture, and a bowl hides both. A shallow plate gives you swoops and height.
How to make a terrific zucchini ribbon salad
- Combine ricotta, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Blend 60–90 seconds, scraping the sides once, until completely smooth and mousse-like. Taste and adjust.
- Trim the zucchini and use a Y-peeler or mandoline to shave long ribbons, rotating as you go and stopping at the seedy core.
- Transfer the zucchini ribbons to a bowl and toss gently with olive oil, lemon juice, and kosher salt.
- Spread the whipped ricotta across a serving plate in swoops, then pile the zucchini ribbons loosely on top. Finish with the toasted pine nuts, basil, mint, flaky salt, black pepper, olive oil, and extra lemon zest. Serve immediately.
How to serve zucchini ribbon salad
This is a centerpiece for a no-cook summer lunch or a light side at a cookout. Serve with grilled or toasted crusty bread for scooping the ricotta, and a glass of cold white wine.
If you want a fuller spread, my zucchini soup with basil and garlic works alongside in a hot-and-cold contrast, or pair this with a simple pesto pasta using my pesto salad dressing thinned slightly.
Finish with the lightest herbs you have on hand, dried or fresh, and if you want to learn how to keep summer basil going through fall, see my guide on how to dry fresh basil leaves.
Variations
- Toasted almonds or walnuts instead of pine nuts — same toasting technique, fraction of the cost.
- With burrata. Skip the food processor; place a ball of burrata in the center, tear it open, drape ribbons around it.
Storage and reheating suggestions
This recipe doesn’t store well. The zucchini releases water quickly, and the herbs wilt fast. Make and serve. The whipped ricotta keeps for 2 days in the fridge, and the zucchini ribbons can be shaved 2 hours ahead as long as they stay undressed and covered.
More recipes to use up zucchini
Got a glut of zucchini? Make sure to check out these recipes to use them all up.
Zucchini Soup
Squash and Zucchini Casserole
Zucchini Ribbons with Whipped Lemon Ricotta
Equipment
- Vegetable peeler or mandoline
Ingredients
For the whipped lemon ricotta:
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated, plus more for finishing
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
For the zucchini ribbons:
- 1 pound zucchini, about 3–4 small firm zucchini
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For finishing:
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, torn
- flaky sea salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
- extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- lemon zest, extra
Instructions
- Combine the ricotta, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper in a food processor. Blend for 60–90 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides once, until the ricotta is completely smooth and mousse-like. Taste and adjust salt or lemon. Set aside.
- Trim the ends off the zucchini. Using a vegetable peeler (Y-shaped works best) or a mandoline, shave long ribbons from one side of each zucchini. Rotate after each pass and keep going until you reach the seedy core — discard the core or save for another use. You should have a generous pile of ribbons.
- Transfer the ribbons to a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Toss gently with your hands to coat every ribbon — don’t bruise them.
- Spread the whipped ricotta across a large serving plate or divide among individual plates, using the back of a spoon to create swoops and a shallow well in the center. Pile the zucchini ribbons loosely on top of the ricotta, letting some ricotta show at the edges.
- Scatter the toasted pine nuts, torn basil, and torn mint over the ribbons. Finish with flaky salt, freshly ground black pepper, a generous drizzle of olive oil, and extra lemon zest. Serve immediately.
Notes
- • Use small, firm zucchini with thin skin and few seeds. Large end-of-season zucchini are watery and bitter raw.
- Shave toward the seedy core and stop. The center is too soft for ribbons and falls apart easily.
- Dress the zucchini just before serving. Salted ribbons release water quickly and turn watery if they sit too long.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking often, until golden and fragrant. They burn fast.
- Whole-milk ricotta works best here. Low-fat ricotta stays grainy instead of smooth.
- The whipped ricotta keeps refrigerated for up to 2 days. Zucchini ribbons can be shaved 2 hours ahead and kept covered in the fridge.
- Best served with grilled or toasted crusty bread alongside — the ricotta wants something to sit on.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
