Zucchini pie is a riff on the classic Southern tomato pie, with a cheesy sweet onion base topped with thin rounds of zucchini, all baked up in a buttery crust. The effect is lovely and the flavor is pure summer.

zucchini pie celebrates summer’s bounty
Southern country cooking is straightforward, seasonal, and delicious. In summer it’s all about fried green tomatoes, cornmeal biscuits, barbecue, berry cobblers and of course, tomato pie. My zucchini pie is a nod to that traditionโฆIf you’re lucky enough to be overloaded with zucchini this summer, or if you picked up a few prized specimens at the farmer’s market, allow me to introduce you to this amazing zucchini tart. It puts gorgeous summer squash center stage, supported by a rich, onion-y and cheese-y base and topped with more cheese and fresh thyme. A savory zucchini pie is the perfect lunch, starter, or delicious vegetarian main course.
related: Vidalia Ritz Pie
what you’ll need to make zucchini pie
- zucchini ~ look for slender uniform zucchini so your slices will be more or less the same size.
- onion ~ very thinly sliced, I love to use a sweet onion like Vidalia. If you can’t find Vidalia, use a generic sweet onion, they’ll be right next to the regular onions in your produce section.
- mayonnaise makes for a super creamy, rich base. It kind of tastes like your favorite onion dip! Make your own homemade mayo, or use Duke’s for best southern flair.
- shredded sharp cheese ~ I used cheddar but any sharp cheese will work, and you can really customize this tart with different cheeses. Sharp or aged cheeses will give you the best flavor.
- salt and fresh cracked pepper ~ this is all the seasoning this simple pie needs.
- a single pie crust ~ you can make it from scratch, or use a readymade crust. I love my easy Food Processor Pie Crust.
layer up your savory zucchini pie
- Line a shallow pie plate or tart pan with pastry crust and pre-bake.
- Thinly slice the onions and lay them over the par baked crust.
- Blend the mayo and cheese and spread it over the onions.
- Top with overlapping, concentric circles of thinly sliced zucchini.
- Finish with a light brushing of olive oil, and another handful of cheddar cheese, and bake until bubbling and golden. You can run it under the broiler at the end to get more color, but be careful not to burn.
tips and faqs for zucchini pie
You can slice your zucchini with a sharp knife, but I love to use my mandoline slicer to make quick work of the job. The mandoline insures perfectly even slices at a precise thickness. It’s important to get the zucchini thin for this pie so it has a chance to cook through. Thin slices won’t become watery, either.
You can use golden zucchini for a pretty variation, but I wouldn’t use summer squash because it’s not uniform in shape and your slices will be different sizes. You might experiment with a mix of zucchini, golden zucchini, and slender eggplant. Remember, don’t peel your veggies, the colorful peels are pretty and delicious!
Yes, you can use a refrigerated crust, just it it into your tart pan. If you want to use a frozen crust, choose a shallow crust ~ a deep dish will be too deep for this pie.
Pre baking the crust helps keep it from getting too soggy after the filling goes on. Another trick is to sprinkle about a teaspoon of breadcrumbs (Panko crumbs work well) over the crust before adding the filling. The crumbs help absorb excess moisture for a sog-free zucchini pie.
Always start from the outside, and overlap the slices fairly tightly because they will shrink as they cook. Do a complete ring around the edge, then do another one, again overlapping slightly. The overlap insures you get complete coverage on your pie, even after baking.
what to serve with savory pies
This zucchini pie is super versatile, and can go from brunch to lunch, and dinner. I like to serve it with some sort of salad. A simple mixed green salad would be great, but if you want to take it up a notch, I’ve got lots of inspiration on the blog:
Zucchini Pie
Equipment
- 9 inch tart pan with removeable bottom
- mandoline slicer optional but handy, buy it here.
Ingredients
crust
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
filling
- 3 slender zucchini, sliced very thinly on a mandoline
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, sliced paper thin on a mandoline
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, Gouda, Gruyere, Parmesan, Asiago, or a mix
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise, I love Duke's
- 1 pinch black pepper
- fresh thyme leaves
garnish
- 2 Tbsp cheddar cheese
- 2 Tbsp Ritz cracker crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF.
for the crust
- Toss the flour with the sugar, cornstarch and salt and then drizzle in the melted butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Make sure all the flour gets moistened. Pat the crust into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press it up the sides of the pan. Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork. Bake for 12 minutes. Set aside.
for the filling
- Put a layer of onions on the bottom of the crust. Mix the cheese and mayo and spread it over the onions. Top with the zucchini, layering them in a spiral pattern.
- Sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Top with the cheese and the cracker crumbs.
- Tent loosely with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and browned. If necessary you can run it under the broiler at the end for more color.
- Serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh thyme.
Notes
- Use young slender zucchini and make sure you slice it very thinly.
- I went easy on the cheese because I wanted some of the zucchini to show in the photos, but you can add more if you like.
- Zucchini is by nature bland, so choose a sharp flavored cheese for the topping. Mozzarella is nice and melty, but it doesn’t have enough personality for this dish.
- You could prep this ahead of time and bake when ready.
Sue – do you have any problem with the onion and zucchini leaching too much moisture and making the crust soggy? That was one thought I had; the other was what a terrific looking pie! I will definitely give this a try. Thanks for all of your posts, I find your recipes easy to follow and absolutely delish!
There was no problem with this pie, Vicki. The zucchini is sliced super thinly, and the onions didn’t release much moisture.
This looks so gorgeous and I have tons of zucchini right now! Perfect timing!
So glad you had a good trip with your dad! Mountain Trout? So jealous ๐ This is a beautiful pie and I agree – simple, seasonal, fresh and delicious – that’s what it’s all about! Pinning and sharing.
Ooooh, what a neat pie! Terrific idea. We didn’t plant zucchini this year, but the local stuff is in all the stores, so I’ve been buying plenty of it. Gotta add this to the list of things to make! Thanks so much.
Looks like a perfect pie! So beautiful and festive!
This looks beautiful and so summery!!
What a great idea to use zucchini instead of tomatoes! I bet this would be tasty with zucchini AND tomatoes too.. Yum. I love summer veggies!
Love the pictures! You’re making me hungry. ๐ This is perfect for all those zucchini growing right now and I like that you are using a pat-in crust. That makes it so easy.
Making a traditional crust is so time consuming that it often prevents me from making otherwise easy recipes, I want to perfect the pat-in crust!
Lovely and such a great way to use the garden abundance of zucchini!
We always get a lot of courgettes (as we call zucchini in the UK) so am bookmarking this one for when they come into season!