Easiest Grilled Vegetables Recipe (+Grill Times)

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After years of practice, I’ve perfected my method for making grilled vegetables with gorgeous grill marks and no burnt edges. Grilling enhances the natural sweetness of summer’s favorite vegetables with each smoky bite and makes them perfect for enjoying on their own, or adding to salads, sandwiches, and more.

Adding more plants to meals is always at the top of my menu planning, and summer’s bounty makes it even easier to do. With a hot grill already fired up for grilled chicken, fish, or kebabs, I love slicing up fresh vegetables and tossing them on the grill for a simple mezze-ish platter side.

Grilling coaxes out every bit of deep, roasted, sweetness from any plain old veg. The concentrated heat brings out a lush, smoky char to each deliciously addicting bite.

This grilled vegetable recipe is another that isn’t so much of a recipe but a method to master, and easy to master it is. These grilled vegetables skip the marinade and the skewers, and there’s no need for a grilled vegetable grilling basket either.

Summer eats are meant to be simple, and these grilled vegetables are falling right in line.

Vegetables in bowl seasoned and oiled for grilling

Heidi’s Tips for Grilling Success

Slice the vegetables the same thickness so they cook at the same rate. I use a handheld mandoline to make my zucchini, eggplant, and onion slices perfectly coordinate. I aim for slices that fall somewhere between ⅓″ and ½″ — I can’t do math so I eyeball it. Slicing the veggies too thin will make them too tender as and disintegrate on the grill.
Put oil on the vegetables BEFORE grilling. Follow the golden rule of grilling: oil what you grill, not the grill itself. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil then spread it evenly with your fingers. The mushrooms will absorb the oil quickly so work fast but don’t fret too much about them, they’ll produce plenty of their own juice.
In my effort to keep things simple, I almost always skip the marinade and the skewers and simply slice and season vegetables before grilling.

Vegetables seasoned and oiled for grilling

The Best Vegetables for Grilling

Zucchini — green or yellow work perfectly, cut into ⅓″ to ½″ slices before grilling (cut too thin and they’ll fall apart). Get more deets on my grilled zucchini recipe.
Bell peppers, poblano peppers, jalapeño peppers sweet baby peppers, shishito peppers — slice bell peppers and remove seeds of the bell peppers before grilling for easiest eating.
Portabello mushrooms or large brown mushrooms — no need to slice the mushrooms, grill them whole. Start the mushrooms gill side down then finish cap side down to hold in moisture.
Eggplant — grilled is my favorite way to eat eggplant, where it becomes tender, creamy, and smoky. I especially love topping grilled eggplant with chimichurri sauce.

Carrots — grilling quickly softens carrots and makes a pretty tiger-striped presentation.
Onions — any variety including green onions become oh so sweet when grilled.
Asparagus — fatter asparagus cooks more evenly than skinny and won’t fall through the grates. Check out my detailed grilled asparagus recipe here.
Corn — cooking corn doesn’t get easier than this! see my complete grilled corn tutorial here.
Artichokes — these grilled artichokes are my fave.
Cauliflower — slice as steaks so they hold together.
Broccoli — slice as steaks or grill in florets.
Romaine lettuce — this grilled romaine recipe is totally unique but oh so good.
Tomatoes — best grilled only if halved or grilled whole. Watch them as they tend to explode and leak.

How to Grill Vegetables (Any Kind!)

Grill ’em up hot. Start your veggies over medium heat, about 350°F to 450°F. Lay long slices and asparagus or carrots crosswise over the grates so they don’t fall through.
Close the lid. Close the grill lid and cook the vegetables undisturbed, flipping after 3-5 minutes. Closing the lid of your grill creates the same environment as an oven, baking the vegetables as they lightly char. Check their progress every few minutes and cook until softened and the vegetables have your preferred amount of char.

Heidi’s Tip: The veggies may look a little dry as they come off the heat, but will begin to sweat and deflate as they rest.

Vegetable Grill Times You Should Know

Cooking times for grilled vegetables will vary depending on the thickness of your slices. Grill with the lid down to create an oven environment and check the progress of your cooking half-way through cook times.

Artichokes: Boil first for 10-12 minutes then quarter and grill 4-6 minutes
Asparagus: 6-8 minutes
Bell pepper: Whole for 10-12 minutes; halved for 8-10 minutes
Carrot: Boil first for 4-6 minutes, then grill 3-5 minutes
Corn: 15-20 minutes in husk
Eggplant: 5-7 minutes (thicker slices will take longer)
Portabello mushroom: 8-10 minutes
Onion: sliced 8-10 minutes; halved 35-40 minutes
Green onion: 3-4 minutes
Tomato: 6-8 minutes halved
Zucchini: 5-7 minutes

FAQs

What’s the best seasoning for grilled vegetables?

My advice? Season simply.

Sprinkle the vegetables somewhat generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. They will absorb the salt as they cook, enhancing their inherent sweetness.

Feel free to add dried herbs such as oregano, mint, tarragon, or basil if you’d like. Don’t use any fresh herbs, which will burn almost instantly on the hot grill grates.

Do vegetables need to be soaked before grilling?

There’s no need to soak your veggies before firing up the grill (you don’t want them to be soggy or waterlogged), however, some vegetables will perform better on the grill if you briefly boil them first. More on that below!

Can vegetables be grilled on skewers?

If you’d rather chop up the veggies and grill them on skewers, I suggest reading through the tips in my grilled vegetable skewers recipe. The process is similar, but cooking anything on skewers requires a few extra steps.

How to Serve Grilled Vegetables

Sprinkle veggies with shredded parmesan cheese or crumbled feta or goat cheese
Drizzle with garlicky chimichurri sauce, creamy avocado salsa verde, or balsamic glaze
Add a dollop of homemade basil pesto, tomato pesto, arugula pesto, or herby gremolata
Baste with teriyaki sauce or bbq sauce after grilling
Grill, then chop them up for this favorite grilled veggie pesto pasta salad
Add them to Mediterranean grain bowls
Turn them into this grilled veggie sandwiches slathered with ricotta cheese

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

Best Easy Grilled Vegetables | foodiecrush.com

4.95 from 50 votes

Grilled Vegetables Recipe

Veggies like zucchini, bell pepper, onions, asparagus, and mushrooms become sweet and savory when cooked on the grill. With just a brush of olive oil and sprinkling of salt and pepper, this cooking method is simple and lets the vegetables natural goodness shine through.

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Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword vegetables

Prep Time 30

Servings

Calories 162kcal

Ingredients

2 portabello mushrooms
1 eggplant
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 onion
1 bunch thick asparagus
1 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Prepare the grill with clean grates and preheat to medium heat, 350°F to 450°F.
Trim the ends of the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and onion and cut into ⅓" to ½" slices. Seed the red bell pepper and cut into quarters. Trim the ends of the asparagus.
Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables with the lid closed until tender and lightly charred all over, about 8 to 10 minutes for the bell peppers, onion, and mushroom; 5-7 minutes for the yellow squash, zucchini, and eggplant and asparagus.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Grill Times:

Artichokes: Boil first for 10-12 minutes then quarter and grill 4-6 minutes
Asparagus: 6-8 minutes
Bell pepper: Whole for 10-12 minutes; halved for 8-10 minutes
Carrot: Boil first for 4-6 minutes, then grill 3-5 minutes
Corn: 15-20 minutes in husk
Eggplant: 5-7 minutes (thicker slices will take longer)
Portabello mushroom: 8-10 minutes
Onion: sliced 8-10 minutes; halved 35-40 minutes
Green onion: 3-4 minutes
Tomato: 6-8 minutes halved
Zucchini: 5-7 minutes

If I missed a veggie, just leave a comment below so I know to add it to the list!

Nutrition