Food Cooking Tips & Techniques How to Grill Vegetables to Perfection—Expert Tips and 7 Recipes to Try Make room on the grill for vegetables! They're colorful, nutritious, easy to cook, full of flavor, and—best of all—keep you out of a hot kitchen. By Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner Instagram Twitter Website Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner is a writer and recipe developer. She's a regular contributor to The New York Times, Time Out New York, Forbes, and many more publications. She also writes the food newsletter, Specialty. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 19, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Claudia Totir/Getty Images There are only so many things you can do with burgers or chicken breasts but, once you learn how to grill vegetables, the options for summer's bounty of produce are endless. "People often go to meat when they think about grilling, but I think vegetables are actually the most transformed by the grill," says Julia Taylor-Brown, former head of culinary at the now-defunct Spark Grills. "Vegetables are high in water content," Taylor-Brown continued, "so by using a dry heat method like grilling, you intensify and concentrate the flavors of the vegetables by drawing out the water and caramelizing the outsides." To learn how to grill vegetables to make the most out of them, read on. The Best Vegetables to Grill "All vegetables can be amazing," insists Taylor-Brown. "For me, the most transformed by the grill— either because the smoke pairs with the natural flavors so well or the sugars caramelize beautifully on the grill—are eggplant, asparagus, portobello mushrooms, carrots, broccolini, and thin-sliced potatoes—aka grilled French fries." Charcoal helps vegetables get smoky and build even more flavor. While pretty much any vegetable can be grilled, super watery vegetables can quickly get messy. Skip the grilled cucumber, but consider tossing halved romaine over a hot grill for a fun summer salad, or char halved tomatoes for a nice smoky flavor. Beware of vegetables falling through the grates! If you're cooking with small mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, or other adorable but potentially burnable produce, consider using skewers so your vegetables can get that direct grill flavor without falling into the fiery pit. What You Need: Vegetables to grill Charcoal, gas, pellet, or electric grill Chef's knife for slicing (optional) Seasoning of choice Oil Grill brush (for grates) Flipper or tongs Serving platter How to Grill Vegetables With your vegetables selected and grill supplies gathered, let's get grilling. Step 1: Wash and Dry Wash your vegetables and thoroughly pat dry. Moisture creates steam, so any water on the exterior of your vegetable makes it more mushy than crispy when grilled. Step 2: Cut Before picking up your knife, decide if you're grilling your veggie whole, halved, or sliced. "Success with grilled vegetables starts with how you cut them for the grill," says Taylor-Brown. "You want to think about exposing as much surface area as possible to get the benefits of the smoky flavor and heat." A whole eggplant or squash gets crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, while a sliced vegetable gets crispier with more of that grill flavor. For large vegetables like cauliflower, slice them into steaks or florets unless you plan to grill them for a long time. Step 3: Season and Rest Season with salt, pepper, and other favorite seasonings, and then let the vegetables rest—from 10 minutes to an hour—for some salt to sweat out. Pat dry again, if necessary. Step 4: Toss in Oil Now's the time to toss your veg in cooking oil. Use a marinade if you'd like, but keep in mind that most flavors will burn off. When it comes to grilled veggies, dressing is more effective when added after cooking. Step 5: Preheat Heat a grill to medium or medium-high, and brush grates with oil. Step 6: Cook Place vegetables on the grates and check for doneness every few minutes, flipping when the grill grates have made a dark mark. Most vegetables cook in less than 15 minutes, flipped halfway through. With vegetables, you're not looking for a specific temperature like with meat (there's no such thing as medium-rare corn on the cob), so keep an eye on the veg to prevent them from becoming too mushy. Taylor-Brown notes that cooking at too high a temperature is a common pitfall. Aim for the 500- to 600-degree range, though heartier vegetables (like carrots and beets) can tolerate higher. Grilled Vegetable Recipes Here are our favorite recipes that use grilled vegetables. Some are vegetarian, others involve grilling meat along with, and all make the best use of the summer grilling season. 01 of 07 Grilled Cauliflower Steaks With Romesco and Manchego Victor Protasio Grilling vegetables may sound pedestrian, but you're a top chef when you plate up these flavorful grilled cauliflower steaks alongside a peppery arugula salad. Prep everything inside while the grill preheats and then grill up a veg to impress! Try It: Grilled Cauliflower Steaks With Romesco and Manchego 02 of 07 Grilled Mediterranean Salad Jennifer Causey A grilled pasta salad? Don't knock it 'til you try it. This one combines grilled zucchini, bell peppers, and onion with grilled halloumi cheese (yes, you can grill cheese), a balsamic vinaigrette, and campanelle pasta. Try It: Grilled Mediterranean Salad 03 of 07 Mexican Grilled Corn With Cilantro Sang An This Mexican-inspired recipe for grilled corn on the cob takes just minutes to make and is a total treat. If you have leftovers, chuck the cobs and use the roasted kernels as a salad topper or burrito filler. Try It: Mexican Grilled Corn With Cilantro 04 of 07 Grilled Asparagus and Hot Honey Flatbreads Greg DuPree Using store-bought naan as a "crust," this pizza-like dish is cooked entirely on the grill. It features a lemony ricotta "sauce" topped with grilled asparagus, peppery arugula, and crunchy pistachios. To finish, drizzle with equal parts honey and sriracha. Try It: Grilled Asparagus and Hot Honey Flatbreads 05 of 07 Grilled-Eggplant Salad Andre Baranowski Perhaps we should call this the "everything grilled salad." Alongside eggplant wedges on the grill are heads of romaine (cut lengthwise) and halved plum tomatoes. All the veggies are generously brushed with a soy-honey-ginger marinade to make this dish a flavorful side or a meal in itself. Try It: Grilled-Eggplant Salad 06 of 07 Grilled Skirt Steak With Squash Ratatouille Greg DuPree This recipe pairs lightly charred squash, zucchini, eggplant, and onion with tender, juicy steak, all cooked on the grill. Ready in 30 minutes, this recipe serves as a useful blueprint for mixing and matching a host of other gilled veggies and proteins for a multitude of quick, easy summer suppers. Try It: Grilled Skirt Steak With Squash Ratatouille 07 of 07 Grilled Eggplant and Smoked Mozzarella Melts Charles Masters This vegetarian dish comes together in less than 25 minutes. Described as a "delectable and elevated grilled cheese sandwich," it features eggplant and melted mozzarella atop grilled slices of country bread. Serve with a green salad for a healthful, refreshing summer meal. Try It: Grilled Eggplant and Smoked Mozzarella Melts 7 Tips From Professional Chefs That Are Guaranteed to Make You a Better Griller Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit