Aluminosilicate zeolites are formed in a novel reaction medium which contains a silicate source and an aluminum source in an aqueous alkaline solution and which reaction medium further includes an additional electrolyte salt. The addition of the electrolyte salt provides nucleation sites for the zeolite so as to form very small crystals. In high silica reaction environments, it is possible to form high aluminum zeolites which contain occluded silicate and wherein the morphology of the zeolites comprise macroscopic aggregates of microcrystalline zeolites. The addition of the electrolyte salt can also decrease the reaction time or temperature needed for crystallization.