63 Best Grilled Vegetable Recipes for Barbecues and Beachside Bonfires
You can cook ribs year round; you can make grilled chicken whenever. But meals made with the best grilled vegetables take advantage of the timing of outdoor cooking season, focusing on corn just when it’s truly sweet, ripe eggplants that go silky on the grate, and blistered tomatoes bursting with juice. Summer grilling is better when you’re working with veggies, whether you’re talking charred green beans or blistered, spicy peppers. Below, you’ll find our favorite recipes for grilled veggie dishes, including side dishes, salads, and more, all perfect for lightly charred (or heavily charred) summer meals.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell1/63Grilled Whole Cauliflower With Miso Mayo
Basting cauliflower in a spicy butter sauce infuses it with flavor while turning it into one of the best grilled vegetables you'll every experience. Its gorgeous amber hue makes it an impressive-looking vegetarian entrée, and it also mingles well among your favorite grilled veggie and grilled side dishes if you're also cooking up some chicken, seafood, or pork.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kate Buckens2/63Grilled Greens and Cheese on Toast
There's a lot to love about grilled cheese. But we're not talking about orange-tinted, buttery sandwiches here. Instead, this vegetarian main (or appetizer, if you prefer) introduces grillable Halloumi to direct flame, add a grilled veggie or two, and lightly charring some toast. The cook time is under 30 minutes, so this is the kind of grilling you can do on a weeknight.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell4/63Grilled Whole Eggplant With Harissa Vinaigrette
Nestle a whole eggplant in the dying embers of a charcoal grill (or char it up top) and it’ll soften into a deliciously smoky, spoonable mush. Serve this impressive, flavorful grilled veggie with slices of lightly charred bread or flatbread, and maybe something fresh and crisp like this cabbage tabbouleh.
Photo by Laura Murray, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Simon Andrews5/63Grilled Mushroom Antipasto Salad
Keep the mushrooms whole or in large pieces (so they don’t fall through the grate), and you will be rewarded with burnished, concentrated mushroom flavor. You can also prepare these hearty, easy grilled vegetables in a grill basket if you prefer. Dried oregano and a grated garlic clove boost the flavor of the vinaigrette.
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Amy Wilson, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou6/63Grilled Summer Squash and Red Onion with Feta
For maximum flavor without compromising char or texture, marinate zucchini or yellow squash for up to one hour after grilling. Bonus: it'll give you plenty of time to relax and have a drink.
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou7/63Charred Leeks With Honey and Vinegar
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell10/63Grilled Beet Salad With Burrata and Cherries
Beet salad, meet the grill. Here, the beets are roasted whole, directly on the coals, which means they slip out of their skins easily and get a rich, smoky flavor. You can grill them up to two days ahead, making this a great add-on to a weekend cookout that'll give you an easy dish to make later in the week.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson11/633-Ingredient Charred Green Beans With Ricotta and Lemon
Photo by Laura Murray, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Simon Andrews13/63Grilled Eggplant With Garlicky Tahini-Yogurt Sauce
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson14/633-Ingredient Grilled Watermelon, Feta, and Tomato Salad
Ready to move beyond your basic tomato + balsamic vinegar summer salad situation? You can leave the vinegar out of your Italian-inspired tomato salad, but here's another fun move. Grilling watermelon adds a savory depth to the fruit, giving this refreshing side dish much more flavor than you’d imagine.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Alyssa Pagano15/63Tangy Grilled-Cabbage Slaw With Raisins and Walnuts
Photo & Food Styling by Hetty McKinnon18/63Grilled Cauliflower Wedges With Herb Tarator
This hearty cauliflower dish is intensely aromatic with dill, mint, and lemon, and lip-smacky from garlic. Grilling wedges of cauliflower instead of a whole head helps reduce the total cook time.
Photo by Christopher Testani22/63Charred Sugar Snap Peas with Buttermilk Aioli
This is one of our favorite grilling recipes for spring, when the markets are just starting to have green vegetables. You'll grill half of the peas and leave the rest raw, for a variety of fresh, sweet, and charred flavors. A tangy buttermilk aioli brings the dish together. Serve with any of our favorite grilling recipes for main dishes: maybe some salmon or garlicky squid?
Photo by Gentl & Hyers23/63Grilled Escarole
So many greens benefit from a few minutes on the grill. Beautifully bitter escarole is underutilized, and one of the best options to start a meal or to add to your regular roll call of grilled side dishes.
Charles Masters, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Brian Heiser24/63Grilled Iceberg Wedges with Buttermilk-Basil Dressing
Photo by Peden & Munk26/63Whole Corn on the Grill
Grilling corn in its husk protects the kernels and lets them steam—though they still get a nice charred flavor from the grill. Plus, they're easy to make, so you can concentrate on the rest of your menu.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks27/63Grilled Carrot "Hot Dogs" with Tangy Slaw
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Simon Andrews28/63Grilled Sweet Corn With Basil Butter
Chopped backyard basil and fresh thyme add summery flavor to the softened butter for this simple grilled corn recipe. (It's also pretty good spread on cornbread.) This corn tastes great cooked over medium-hot charcoal, but you can also preheat a gas grill to medium high and cook covered. Total time, including prep time, is around a half an hour.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Dawn Perry34/63Beer-Can Cabbage
Beer-Can Chicken, step aside. Cabbage becomes the star of any backyard barbecue with this awesome beer-steaming-plus-grilling technique. Use it in smoky, sweet vegetarian Beer-Can Cabbage Sandwiches, or serve the chopped cabbage as a side dish.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton37/63Open-Face Mushroom Sandwiches With Pecorino Salsa Verde
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton38/633-Ingredient Grilled and Fresh Tomato Salsa
Photo by Juco40/63Corn and Fregola with Grilled Halloumi
Is it a grilled corn salad? A pasta salad? Let's say both, with deep flavor from toasted walnuts, fresh herbs, and grilled planks of Halloumi. Season with lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper, and enjoy with a glass of wine or a Basil Smash.
photo by Ditte Isager41/63Grilled Baby Artichokes with Caper-Mint Sauce
Tossing hot vegetables with vinaigrette is the best way to get them to soak it up, and artichokes straight off the grill are no exception. The brightness of mint and tangy capers flatters the artichokes and somehow, with the added grill flavor, the effect is doubled here.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell44/63Big-Batch Marinated Bell Peppers
Get a red bell pepper. Actually, a bunch of them. Whip up a punchy marinade of olive oil, vinegar, and seasoning, and you’ll have the makings of an entire week (or more) of meals.
Photo by Christopher Testani47/63Leafy Greens With Spicy Garlic Oil
Grilled vegetables can include greens like Swiss chard, kale, or escarole, too! Massaging the greens both softens and seasons them before grilling.
Photo by Laura Murray, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Simon Andrews49/63Grilled Potatoes With Red Miso Butter
Photo by Laura Murray, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Simon Andrews50/63Cooler-Steamed Corn
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Liza Jernow51/63Grilled Lettuces with Crème Fraîche and Avocado
Ryan Liebe54/63Grilled Zucchini and Leeks with Walnuts and Herbs
Zucchini is good for so much more than just zucchini bread. We like the texture of the leeks and zucchini when left al dente. If grilled too long, they'll both go a little floppy. Fresh lemon juice, parsley, and toasted walnuts round out this summery side dish.
Charles Masters, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Brian Heiser55/63Grilled Potato Salad with Cornichons and Dill
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Zach DeSart63/63Grilled Panzanella
The classic bread salad gets even better when you grill your tomatoes (and the bread, of course). Peppery arugula is nice here, but you can also mix in fresh herbs or bitter greens, if you have them on hand. And yes, neither tomatoes or bread are technically vegetables, but this will quickly become a favorite grilled vegetables recipe for any afternoon or evening meal outdoors. If someone at your table is celiac, sub in their favorite gluten-free loaf; it'll work just fine in this salad.
