What To Do With Overripe Cucumbers

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Wondering what to do with overripe cucumbers? Even if your cucumbers are big yellow cucumbers, there are lots of cucumber recipes you can still make to enjoy your harvest.

It happens every summer, your cucumbers finally start producing, and you are harvesting cucumbers every few days, happily making lots of pickles. Then one day, you find a bunch of huge cucumbers hiding under the leaves.

They might even be starting to turn yellow or white, meaning they are overripe.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to toss them, there are so many things you can do with cucumbers that are too big for pickles.

Ripe Cucumber Relish

This easy ripe cucumber relish is one of my favorite ways to use up overripe cucumbers. It’s a simple yellow relish that is perfect for using on hamburgers and hot dogs.

Make Cucumber Jelly

Cucumber jelly is so easy to make and a great way to use up big cucumbers. You don’t even need to peel them unless the skins are getting bitter. Try this cucumber basil jelly that’s perfect for serving with crackers and cheese.

Fried Cucumbers

You can fry cucumber slices just like you would zucchini or other summer squash.

Peel them, then slice them into rounds. Dip them in egg, followed by seasoned flour or bread crumbs, and then deep fry or pan fry.

Cucumber Bread

Did you know you can use large cucumbers like you would zucchini in baking? Yup, just peel and shred the cucumber, then use it in your favorite zucchini bread recipe.

Cucumber Boats

Hot summers are the perfect time to enjoy cold lunches and dinners to cool off. Use larger cucumbers as the base of your meal.

Simply peel them, cut them in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Then fill the cucumber with cream cheese and add a herb topping.

Another easy option is to fill the cucumber boat with chicken salad or egg salad.

Diced Dill Pickles

If you love using pickles in your potato or pasta salads, why not try making some diced pickles? It makes them so easy to add to your recipe because they are already pre-cut to the perfect size.

Dice the cucumbers into 1/4 inch pieces and can as normal using your favorite pickle recipe, great for using in potato salad.

Make Cinnamon Pickles

Cinnamon pickles, also called red candied cucumbers, are so much fun to make for Christmas. Because they are made by cutting your cucumbers into spears, they are perfect for larger cucumbers.

With their bright red color and spicy cinnamon flavor, they are always a hit on holiday appetizer trays.

Cucumber Cinnamon Rings

Another fun idea is to turn make cucumber cinnamon rings. Similar to the idea above, but they are super cute.

Just use a small cookie-cutter to remove the center with the pulp and large seeds, and turn your huge cucumbers into a special treat.

Cucumber Juice

If your cucumbers taste great but have bitter skin, you can peel them and make cucumber juice.

Place your peeled cucumbers into a food processor or blender and puree. Then pour the pulp into a fine mesh strainer and let it drip, stirring gently to help the liquid get through. 

You can pour the juice into a jar to keep in the fridge to add to your drinks, or pour the juice into ice cube trays to preserve for later. You can add a little mint or lemon if you like.

These are great for adding to a glass of water later to make cucumber water quickly.

Dehydrate

Dehydrating cucumbers is really easy and a simple way to preserve them for later. Slice them into 1/4 inch rounds and dry at 125°F for 6-12 hours.

You can enjoy them as cucumber chips or grind them into powder for making dips.

Freeze

If you love to drink smoothies, you’ll love having frozen cucumbers on hand. They add such a refreshing taste to your drinks.

If the skins are hard or taste bitter, you’ll want to peel them otherwise, you can leave the skins on the cucumbers. Then slice them into rounds and freeze in freezer-safe containers.

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