- Hands-ona few minutes for one meal’s worth, longer for a batch
- Choppinga little
- Freezer friendlyyes
Zucchini noodles are a good pasta stand-in, and they’re even better when they’re already in your freezer. This is a prep recipe: spiralise a big batch on a good day, blanch it, and freeze it in meal-sized portions for future-you.
Dinner then becomes tipping a portion into a hot sauce. If spiralising is beyond you today, Woolworths and Coles sell ready-to-steam packs, and Fine Fettle makes air-dried ones you rehydrate with the kettle.
The method is in the recipe card below.
Can I manage this today?
- Spoon level: More Spoons (the made-from-scratch version in the card)
- Hands-on time: depends on how much you make. It takes a few minutes to spiralise enough for a single meal, and a bigger freezer batch takes longer.
- Main effort: spiralising, then cleaning the spiraliser
- Chopping: a little. Trim the ends off each zucchini.
- Standing and attention: a few minutes at the bench to spiralise one meal’s worth, then 1 to 2 minutes at the stove to blanch if you’re freezing
- Thinking and sensory load: five stages (spiralise, blanch, cool, drain, pack) and one timer. Wet, slippery noodles and a bowl of ice water.
- Washing up: spiraliser, large pot, large bowl, colander and freezer containers
Quick spoon check
- No-spoons version: a 250 g ready-to-steam pack from Woolworths or Coles, or a Fine Fettle air-dried pack and the kettle
- Low-spoon version: spiralise just one meal’s worth, skip the blanching and freezing, and toss the noodles through a hot sauce just before serving
- As written: a freezer-stocking batch, in the card below
Leigh’s notes
I like the idea of zoodles far more than I like owning a spiraliser. Zucchini is cheap, mild and happy to take on whatever sauce you give it. The equipment is the problem.
So I did the sums. Fresh zucchini is about $7 a kilo. The ready-to-steam packs are $6 to $8 for 250 g, which works out to roughly $24 to $32 a kilo. A reasonable spiraliser is $15 to $50 depending on the brand, and it pays for itself after somewhere between half a kilo and 3 kg of zucchini, before you count the trimmed ends. If it lives in the cupboard, it never pays for itself.
A good day is for building stock. In summer, when zucchini is cheap, I spiralise a big batch, freeze it in portions and let future-me eat well on the bad days. On a flare day I’d rather not touch a spiraliser, so I buy them ready-made. Spiralising before my first coffee is a hard no.
What’s that ingredient?
Air-dried zucchini noodles (Fine Fettle). Spiralised zucchini that has been air-dried, so the pack keeps in the pantry. You rehydrate them with boiling water from the kettle (the steps are in the card). Woolworths has stocked them, and a pack is about $8 for a single serve. I think of them as a keep-one-in-the-cupboard option, not a weekly buy. Easiest swap: a ready-to-steam pack, or fresh zucchini and a spiraliser.
No Spoon Swaps
- Ready-to-steam or ready-meal style packs (Woolworths, Coles): 250 g, about 2 serves, around $6 to $8. No knife and no spiraliser. Trade-off: roughly 3.5 to 4.5 times the price per kilo of fresh zucchini, and stock varies by store.
- Fine Fettle air-dried noodles: about $8 for a single serve, and the only equipment is a kettle and a bowl. Trade-off: the dearest option per serve, so it’s an emergency-cupboard buy.
- Fresh zucchini and a spiraliser: about $7 a kilo for the zucchini and $15 to $50 for the spiraliser. Trade-off: the cheapest per serve, and the washing up.
- Skip the freezing: spiralise fresh and toss the noodles through a hot sauce just before serving. Trade-off: no portions waiting in the freezer, but one fewer pot, bowl and colander to wash.
Prices are approximate (October 2026) and vary by season and location.
Dietary swaps
- Keto and low carb: plain zoodles fit as they are. Check the label on ready-meal style packs, because sauces add carbs.
- Don’t want to spiralise at all: konjac noodles and heart of palm are the other low-effort, low carb options. The low carb pasta alternatives guide compares them.
- Vegan and vegetarian: plain zucchini is fine. Check the sauce on any ready-meal style pack.
Allergen notes
- Plain zoodles: no common allergens.
- Ready-meal style packs: may include a sauce, so read the ingredients and the allergen statement on your pack.
- Fine Fettle: the maker lists zucchini as the only ingredient. Check the label on your pack.
Equipment and easier alternatives
- Spiraliser: a reasonable one is $15 to $50, depending on the brand.
- Julienne peeler or mandoline: these give you wider strips, more like fettuccine or tagliatelle. A mandoline can also make zucchini sheets, which work as a lasagne sheet substitute.
- Freezer containers: I like Pyrex Simply Store containers because I can add the sauce straight into the dish and serve quickly. For single portions, I use zip lock bags.
- Kettle and a heatproof bowl: all the air-dried noodles need.
Storage, freezing and reheating
- Fridge: cooked zoodles: cool, then refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep at 5°C or below and eat within 3 days.
- Freezer: blanched, well-drained zoodles freeze for up to 3 months. Get the water out first, or they thaw into a puddle. Thaw in the fridge, use within 24 hours and don’t refreeze.
- Reheating: I mix the frozen zoodles straight through whatever hot sauce I’m cooking, which saves a step. Make sure the whole dish is steaming hot all the way through, and only reheat it once.
Serving ideas
- Toss them through hot, saucy mince just before serving, like Kerry’s Lamb Ragu.
- Stir thawed zoodles into a soup or stir-fry.
- On a no-spoons day, a steamed pack and a jar of pasta sauce is dinner. More of that thinking is in convenience ingredients are accessibility tools.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy ready-made zoodles?
Woolworths and Coles regularly have ready-to-steam and ready-meal style zucchini noodles in 250 g packs, which is about 2 serves, for around $6 to $8. Fine Fettle’s air-dried noodles are about $8 for a single serve. Stock varies by store, so check yours before you plan dinner around them.
Are ready-made zucchini noodles worth the money?
It depends whether you’re buying zucchini or spoons. Fresh zucchini is about $7 a kilo. A $6 to $8 pack of 250 g works out to $24 to $32 a kilo. A $15 to $50 spiraliser pays for itself after roughly half a kilo to 3 kg. If it will sit in the cupboard, buy the packs.
Do I have to blanch zoodles before freezing?
Blanching stops the enzymes that dull colour, flavour and texture in the freezer. It’s a quality step, not a safety one. Extension guidance says a half-hearted blanch is worse than none, so if you blanch, do the full 1 to 2 minutes.
Are zoodles keto and low carb?
Zucchini is naturally low in carbs, so zoodles suit keto and low carb eating. The sauce is usually where the carbs sit, and ready-meal style packs may include one, so check the label. If you want to be sure, plain fresh or frozen zoodles have nothing added.
How do I stop zoodles going soggy?
Barely cook them. Toss them through a hot sauce just before serving so they stay a little al dente. For softer noodles, 90 seconds in the microwave is plenty. Much longer and you’ve made zucchini mash. If you’re freezing them, get as much water out as you can first.
Freezer Zucchini Noodles
Equipment
- Spiraliser
- Large pot
- Large bowl for ice water
- Colander
- Tongs or a slotted spoon
- Freezer containers or zip lock bags
- Kettle and heatproof bowl for the air-dried option
Ingredients
Zucchini noodles
- Zucchini as many as you'd like to freeze
For blanching
- Water enough to fill a large pot about two-thirds
- Ice and cold water for a large bowl
Shortcuts (instead of spiralising)
- 250 g pack of ready-to-steam zucchini noodles about 2 serves
- 1 pack Fine Fettle air-dried zucchini noodles a single serve
Instructions
Make
- Cut the ends off each zucchini.
- Spiralise the zucchini into a large bowl.
Blanch
- Half-fill a large pot with water and bring it to the boil over high heat.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice.
- Add a small batch of zoodles to the boiling water, so it keeps boiling.
- Boil for 1 to 2 minutes, until the noodles are bright green and slightly softened.
- Lift them straight into the ice water with tongs or a slotted spoon.
- Leave them in the ice water until they feel cool to touch.
- Repeat with the rest of the zoodles.
Drain and pack
- Tip the zoodles into a colander.
- Leave them to drain until they stop dripping, pressing gently now and then to get the water out.
- Divide the zoodles into meal-sized portions in freezer containers or zip lock bags.
- Write the date on each container or bag.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Use from the freezer
- Tip the frozen zoodles into the hot sauce you are cooking.
- Stir through until the zoodles are steaming hot all the way through.
- Serve straight away.
Or thaw first
- Thaw a portion in the fridge overnight.
- Use it within 24 hours and do not refreeze it.
Ready-to-steam pack (no spiraliser)
- Cook the pack following the directions on it.
- Drain off any water and toss the noodles through hot sauce.
Fine Fettle air-dried pack (kettle only)
- Put the noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water from the kettle.
- Leave them to stand for 8 minutes, or as the pack says.
- Drain the noodles and toss them through hot sauce.
Notes
- Cooked zoodles keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Frozen, blanched and well-drained zoodles keep for up to 3 months.
- Mixing frozen zoodles straight through hot sauce saves a step. Heat until steaming hot all the way through and only reheat once.
- No spiraliser today? A ready-to-steam pack or Fine Fettle noodles are the swap. Prices and stock vary by season and location.
Made this? Tap a star.
Tap a star to rate. A name and email are only needed if you add a note.
How were your spoons with this one?
Tap one. It helps us check our spoon ratings. No name or email needed.
We only use this to check our ratings.
Liked this one?
Get a low-spoon recipe in your inbox each week
Easy, energy-saving dinners and the occasional guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
A final spoon-saving note
Spiralising is a good use of a good day. On a flare day, it’s a very good way to waste one. Buy the packet when you need to, freeze a batch when you can, and don’t let anyone tell you one of those is the proper way. Now, where did I put that coffee?
