Learn how to make grilled vegetables! Grilled to perfection and lightly seasoned, these veggies are a delicious healthy side dish for just about any main course.
Grill up some chimichurri shrimp or these easy Grilled Chicken Tenders along with this veggie medley for a complete healthy meal!
Why Grill Vegetables
Learning how to cook vegetables well is a game changer. While we all know that veggies are good for us, they’re not always prepared in a way that showcases them at their best.
There isn’t necessarily one “best” way to cook vegetables. We love them roasted vegetables in the oven, sauteed on the stove and enjoyed raw in a fresh, crisp salad.
But if there’s one tried and true way for turning picky eaters into vegetable lovers it’s grilling.
- It’s one of the easiest cooking methods out there.
- The grill gives your veggies a perfect char and amazing flavor.
- Makes vegetables tender without turning them to mush.
- Grilled vegetables are endlessly adaptable!
- They taste great alone, seasoned or with all kinds of sauces.
When you grill vegetables, you get the natural flavor of the veggies themselves plus the slight smokiness from the grill. There’s no need to drown your vegetables in butter or oil when they taste this good.
In this tutorial, we walk you through the best way to grill vegetables, from choosing which vegetables to grill, to tips and tricks for getting those perfect grill lines!
Ingredient Notes
In this recipe, we chose a combination of seasonal summer vegetables we love. The vivid mix of colors makes this vegetable medley look as appealing as it tastes!
- Corn on the cob – Make sure to shuck and remove the silk and stems.
- Red onion – Stays firmer than yellow or white onions when grilled.
- Cherry tomatoes – Grilling brings out the natural sweetness
- Zucchini – Use medium to large zucchini but not those giant overgrown ones, as they tend to be watery.
- Bell peppers – You can use any color of bell peppers, or mix and match.
Make sure to choose fresh, firm vegetables for grilling. They need to be sturdy enough to hold their shape on the grill.
Seasoning: we love using basic olive oil, salt and pepper. However adding in any flavor profile is easy…depending on what you’re serving these with. For instance, our taco seasoning mix is great if making fajitas. Or use a creole seasoning for some spice. Or try our homemade Italian seasoning. Just make sure to check labels for added sugar and flour.
Tips and Tricks
- Always add vegetables to a HOT grill. You can let your grill preheat while you finish chopping your vegetables.
- Brush the veggies with olive oil. You don’t need a lot, just enough for a thin coat.
- Once the vegetables are on the grill, do NOT move them around! They need to stay in one place to develop those grill marks. Only touch them when it’s time to flip them to the other side.
- The bell peppers will finish cooking first. Remove them when they’re ready and let the rest of your vegetables continue cooking.
- Season the grilled vegetables with salt and pepper after cooking. Seasoning before cooking extracts moisture from the veggies which makes them mushier.
Serving suggestions:
These vegetables taste best served fresh and hot, straight off the grill.
We typically enjoy them just as they are with main courses like this Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken or BBQ Chicken Thighs. For a fresh side dish to go with your meal, try our Watermelon Feta Salad or this Cucumber Tomato Salad!
Recipe FAQs
We do not marinate the vegetables in this recipe. All you need is a little olive oil, salt and pepper!
Absolutely! You will not be able to fit all the vegetables in the pan at once, so be prepared to work in batches if you’re cooking on a grill pan.
The key to getting picture perfect grill marks is leaving the vegetables in one spot to cook. You’ll also need to make sure your grill is nice and hot. We recommend 400 F.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’re still good the next day but won’t taste as fresh and delicious.
Zucchini contains a lot of water, which means it’s extra important not to salt them before grilling. The salt draws water to the surface of the vegetable. More water means more softness which can turn to mush before you know it.
It’s for this reason that we always recommend seasoning after grilling. The zucchini will get tender inside but stay crisp along the edges.
More Side Dishes
Grilled Vegetables
Learn how to make incredible grilled vegetables! Grilled to perfection and lightly seasoned, these veggies are a delicious healthy side dish for just about any main course.
Ingredients
- 4 corn on the cob
- 1 medium red onion
- 18 large cherry tomatoes
- 3 large zucchini
- 3 bell peppers (any color)
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Shuck the corn and remove any silk. Break off the hard stem.
- Peel the onion. Slice the ends off. Slice onion into ½-inch thick discs.
- Skewer the cherry tomatoes onto metal or bamboo wood skewers.
- Cut the ends off the zucchini. Then cut zucchini in half lengthwise.
- Cut the bell peppers in half. Remove the stem, seeds, and white ribs.
- Preheat grill to 400 degrees F on medium heat. Lightly brush all sides of the vegetables with the olive oil.
- Add vegetables directly to the grill. Do not move them around, so they can develop grill marks. Flip vegetables after 10 minutes.
- Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Remove the peppers.
- Continue cooking the rest of the vegetables for another 5 to 8 minutes. Remove remaining vegetables from the grill. Season with salt and pepper.
- Allow vegetables to cool slightly before cutting them to your liking.
Notes
- This recipe can be easily adjusted depending on the number of servings you need.
- Seasoning the vegetables after cooking ensures crisper vegetables. If seasoning ahead of cooking, the salt can extract moisture, especially from zucchini, rendering it soggy. Seasoning after cooking, ensures perfect grill marks and a crisper vegetable.
- Grilled vegetables are best served fresh from the grill. You can allow them to cool and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but they won’t be as fresh the next day.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 181Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 497mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 5gSugar: 9gProtein: 5g
Grilled vegetables are a versatile, nutritious and colorful side dish that goes with just about any meal!