Zucchini Carpaccio

Zucchini Carpaccio is a raw zucchini salad with lemon, olive oil, basil, and goat cheese and this is a treat to make with small zucchini! And when it’s too hot to cook, you’ll love this for a simple low-carb dish.

PIN Zucchini Carpaccio to try it later!

Today I’m excited to be updating the photos for this recipe for Zucchini Carpaccio! This raw zucchini salad with lemon, basil, and goat cheese is a dish I’ve been completely infatuated with ever since I tried the idea of thinly slicing zucchini and then marinating it in a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice.

And when I made it again with Kara and took these greatly-improved photos, we both had two helpings, and then for dinner that night I polished off the rest of the leftovers. And I can’t wait to make it again, that’s how much I love it!

This is a recipe you should adjust to your own taste, and I love lemon, which is why I used lots of lemon juice and lemon zest in the dressing. However much lemon you prefer, still be generous with the amount of dressing to be sure the zucchini all gets marinated, and also add a generous amount of herbs.

And if you’ve never made a salad with raw zucchini, I’m thinking this might be a life-changing experience for you!

What is Carpaccio?

The name for this zucchini recipes comes from an Italian dish called Carpaccio, which is an interesting appetizer made of thinly-sliced raw beef drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• small fresh zucchini
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• lemon
• best quality extra virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• fresh basil or other fresh herbs 
• crumbled goat cheese, or other cheese

What other herbs could you use for Zucchini Carpaccio?

I loved the salad with fresh basil, but I think fresh mint, parsley, or dill would also taste great.

What other cheese can you use for Zucchini Carpaccio?

If you’re not a fan of goat cheese you could also use Feta, Ricotta, or Parmesan cheese for a slightly different version of the salad.

More Summer Salads with Raw Zucchini:

• Raw Summer Squash Salad with Arugula and Feta
• Scalloped Zucchini Salad from Sidewalk Shoes
• Raw Zucchini Salad with Bacon, Tomato, and Feta
• Spiralized Zucchini Salad from Spend with Pennies
• Zucchini Noodle Salad with Pesto and Chicken

How to Make Zucchini Carpaccio:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Remove all the zest from one lemon.
2. Then squeeze the lemon juice into a dish or measuring cup and add the lemon zest. Whisk extra virgin olive oil into the lemon zest and juice.
3. I used the 1.5 mm blade in my Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) to slice the washed and dried zucchini, but you can slice by hand. I had about 4 cups of thinly-sliced zucchini.
4. Make a layer of half the zucchini slices on the serving serving dish.
5. Then pour half the dressing over the zucchini and season with salt and pepper.
6. Add the other half of the zucchini slices.
7. Pour the rest of the dressing over the zucchini, season again with salt and pepper, and let it marinate on the counter about 30 minutes.
8. When you’re ready to serve, wash, dry, and chop the fresh herbs. I used my Herb Scissors (affiliate link) to make nice slices of basil.
9. Sprinkle the zucchini with a generous amount of crumbled goat cheese and chopped basil or whatever herb you prefer.
10. Devour, and figure out how to get more small zucchini so you can make it again soon!

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This fresh raw zucchini salad would be amazing with something like Grilled Cod with Garlic, Basil, and Lemon, Grilled Sausage and Peppers, Greek Pork Chops, or Kalyn’s Souvlaki for a low-carb meal.

More Recipes to Help You Use that Zucchini:

• The Top Ten Low-Carb Zucchini Recipes ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Slow Cooker Zucchini Recipes ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
• 50 Amazing Zucchini Recipes ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Instant Pot Zucchini Recipes ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
• Low-Carb and Keto Grilled Zucchini Recipes ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

Continue to Content

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Yield: 4 servings

Zucchini Carpaccio

Prep Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Use small fresh-from-the-garden zucchini to make this amazing Raw Zucchini Salad with lemon, basil, and goat cheese.

Ingredients

• 4 small zucchini, washed and thinly sliced
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 or 2 lemons (see notes)
• 1/4 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or other herbs (see notes)
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (see notes)

Instructions

1. Remove all the zest from one lemon. (This will be a generous amount of lemon zest, so if you don't love lemon as much as I do, you might prefer less.)
2. Then squeeze all the lemon juice into a dish or measuring cup and add the lemon zest. (If you don't have about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice I would use two lemons.)
3. Whisk extra virgin olive oil into the lemon zest and juice.
4. I used the 1.5 mm blade in my Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) to slice the washed and dried zucchini. You can slice by hand if you don't have a mandoline. I had about 4 cups of thinly-sliced zucchini.
5. Make a layer of half the zucchini slices on the serving serving dish.
6. Then pour half the dressing over the zucchini slices and season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. (I used sea salt.)
7. Add the other half of the zucchini slices over the first layer.
8. Pour the rest of the dressing over the zucchini slices, season again with salt and pepper, and let it marinate on the counter about 30 minutes, or at least while you make the rest of your dinner.
9. When you're ready to serve, chop the fresh herbs. I used my Herb Scissors (affiliate link) to make nice slices of basil.
10. Sprinkle the zucchini with a generous amount of crumbled goat cheese and chopped herbs.
11. I ate the leftovers later that day and it was still amazing after about 6 hours in the refrigerator, but I think this would get pretty watery if you refrigerated it for very long.

Notes

You will use all the lemon zest and juice, and if your lemon doesn't have that much juice I would use two lemons for this recipe. I used fresh basil for this salad, but other herbs such as mint, dill, or parsley can be used.

If you're not a fan of goat cheese you could also use Feta, Ricotta, or Parmesan cheese for a slightly different version of the salad.

This recipe was adapted from many zucchini carpaccio recipes I found online.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6.2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12.9gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 282mgCarbohydrates: 9.4gFiber: 3.2gSugar: 4.2gProtein: 8g

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:
Zucchini Carpaccio is a perfect salad for low-carb or Keto diets and everything about this salad is also good for all phases of the original South Beach Diet. Goat cheese is relatively high in fat, so South Beach Followers might want to use less cheese. A lot of the olive oil will be left on the plate, so there is less fat than the nutritional information shows, and for other low-carb diets, the extra fat is just a plus.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check Zucchini Recipes for more ideas for using up that garden zucchini! Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Zucchini Carpaccio was first posted in the summer of 2014. It was updated with better photos and more information about the recipe in the summer of 2021 and updated again with more information in 2023.

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