Mom’s Creamed Zucchini

Every family has their secrets, and my mom’s Creamed Zucchini is a Denny family secret, with an ingredient you probably wouldn’t ever guess! It’s unusual, but everyone in my extended family loves this recipe! 

PIN Mom’s Creamed Zucchini to try it later!

Every family has their secrets, don’t they? My family is actually amazingly wholesome, but we do have this secret recipe for Mom’s Creamed Zucchini, using an ingredient that’s maybe slightly embarrassing for those of us who try to be healthy eaters. If you’re concerned with not using processed foods, you might turn up your nose at a creamed zucchini recipe featuring a humble ingredient like powdered coffee creamer. But if this idea weird to you, be open minded; everyone in my huge extended family loves this dish and everyone I’ve ever made this for has loved it! And it says a lot about the recipe that in a family where there are very few coffee drinkers, every one of my siblings has a bottle of Coffee-Mate in the cupboard just to make this recipe.

And although powdered coffee creamer could hardly be considered a health food, when you make this you’re eating mostly zucchini and the small amount of creamer that sticks to the squash. (And if you check the nutritional information, you may be surprised to see how little fat and carbs the coffee creamer actually contains.) This recipe is best when made with small zucchini that aren’t more than 10-12 inches long, and you must have fresh from the garden or farmer’s market zucchini for this to really taste great, but if you’ve got a surplus of zucchini give my mom’s creamed zucchini a try!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• diced zucchini, yellow squash, or scallop squash
• Coffee-Mate powdered coffee creamer, not fat free or low-fat (affiliate link)
• butter
• salt to taste
• fresh ground black pepper

How to Make Mom’s Creamed Zucchini:

Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. This time I had a mixture of zucchini, yellow straight-neck, and scallop squash.
2. Cut the squash up into medium-sized chunks (all close to the same size.)
3. Cook the squash in salted water for 8-10 minutes, or until it’s soft when pierced with a fork.  (Better to have it a little under-done than overdone at this point, because you’re cooking it more.)
4. Drain squash well in a colander placed in the sink.
5. After it’s pretty well drained, put the squash back into the pan you cooked it in. Add the butter and roughly mash the squash a few times with a potato masher. Stir in the coffee creamer until it liquifies; then simmer until most of the liquid is cooked off. 
6. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve.

More Recipes for Zucchini:

Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Zucchini Recipes ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
50 amazing Zucchini Recipes ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
The Top Ten Low-Carb Zucchini Recipes ~ Kalyns Kitchen

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Yield: 4 servings

Mom's Creamed Zucchini

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

My Mom’s Creamed Zucchini has a secret ingredient you probably wouldn’t ever guess! 

Ingredients

• 8 cups diced zucchini, yellow squash, or scallop squash (see notes)
• 1/4 cup Coffee-Mate powdered coffee creamer  (see notes)
• 4 T butter (more or less to taste)
• salt to taste (see notes)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cut ends off zucchini or squash and cut into 2-inch pieces, with skin on.
2. Put diced zucchini in large pan and cover with water with about 1/2 tsp. salt added.
3. Bring to a low boil and cook until zucchini is very fork-tender, but not mushy, about 8 minutes.
4. Drain zucchini in colander for 3-4 minutes, then put back in pan you cooked it in.
5. Add butter, then mash zucchini a few times with a potato masher (just enough to release water and break it into chunks, but not enough to get a completely mashed consistency).
6. Put in coffee creamer and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper, stir a few times, then turn heat back on and cook zucchini about 3 minutes more, until all coffee creamer is dissolved and dish is piping hot.
7. Serve immediately.

Notes

I like a mixture of zucchini, yellow summer squash, and scallop squash for this recipe. Use original Coffee-Mate, not low fat or fat free. Everyone in my family would use Vege-Sal (affiliate link) instead of salt for this recipe.

Recipe originally from my sister’s mother-in-law, but my mom is the one who introduced our entire family to this recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 172Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4.2gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 253mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 4.3gSugar: 7.2gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
If you make this with 1/4 stick of butter, this would be a “once in a while” treat for the original South Beach Diet. Admittedly, the Coffee Mate is not exactly a health food ingredient, but if you check the nutritional information, you may be surprised to see how little fat and carbs it actually contains so you could probably eat this for any low-carb diet plan.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You can also Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2006, and everyone in my family had been making it for years at that point. The photos were updated in 2015, and the recipe was updated with more information in 2021.

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