Grilled Vegetables
On October 22, 2024
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These Grilled Vegetables are a delicious medley of 7 vegetables in a balsamic marinade that makes for the perfect (and ultimate) side dish.
Best Grilled Vegetables
These vegetables are delicious and totally nutritious. Grilling vegetables is an awesome way to cook them, and it gives you a tender and crisp vegetable. Also, health-wise, you retain a lot of nutrients when you grill, (as opposed to boiling vegetables). Boiling leaches out nutrients and you end up dumping them down the sink when you drain the water. However, high-heat grilling keeps all those nutrients in the veggies (oh, and it adds a pretty delicious flavor, too).
Good Vegetables to Grill
Believe it or not, not all vegetables are created equal when it comes to cooking them on the grill. When cooking a medley of vegetables together at the same time, you want to be conscious of cook times (so you don’t end up with 1 mushy vegetable while the others are still hard).
Here are my suggestions for the best vegetables to cook together on the grill:
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1 small yellow bell pepper (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 small orange bell pepper (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 small red bell pepper (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- ½ cup zucchini (cut into ½-inch rounds)
- ½ cup yellow squash (cut into rings)
- ½ cup red onion (optional, cut into 1-inch pieces)
Balsamic Grilled Vegetables Marinade
Before we stick these vegetables on the grill, I like to let them marinate for at least 30 minutes. This vegetable marinade is super flavorful with balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, and more. It’s like the best Italian dressing you’ve ever had, but homemade. Here’s what you need to make it:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoons black pepper (fresh cracked)
- 1 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese (shredded)
If you need to substitute this marinade for something store-bought, then you can definitely go with a purchased balsamic marinade.
Word of warning: Be cautious when using a store-bought marinade because these might have sugar included in the ingredients. If you’re watching your sugar intake, I recommend making the marinade yourself. Also, if there is sugar in the marinade it has a tendency to burn in the high heat on the grill.
Vegetable Grill Basket
One question I often receive when grilling veggies is, “Can you put them directly on the grill?” The answer to this question is yes; however, I do not recommend placing small or chopped vegetables directly on the grill because they can fall through the grates.
For this recipe (and anytime you have small veggies to grill), I recommend using a vegetable grill basket. You can use any vegetable grill basket you have, but I love this Outset Round Copper Grill Wok.
How Long to Grill Vegetables
If your grill is at 400-425 degrees F (this is a great roasting temp for vegetables), most vegetables will take approximately 20-25 minutes to cook.
Unlike meat, you cannot rely on a thermometer to determine if your veggies are done. For these vegetables you’ll have to go off sight and taste. Lucky for you, this allows you to cook your vegetables to your preferences. If you like your veggies nice and crisp, they’ll take closer to 10-20 minutes to cook. If you like them nice and soft, aim for 25 minutes (or longer, you be the judge here).
How to Grill Vegetables
Grilled vegetables are incredibly easy to make. Make sure you
- Cut the veggies. Begin by preparing all your vegetables. This can be tedious, but I do recommend chopping them yourself so you can get everything to the correct size so they’ll all cook evenly. Having a good, sharp knife on hand makes quick work of all the chopping and cutting.
- Marinate. I like to marinate my meat and veggies in a zip top bag, but you can also place your veggies and marinade in a glass container to marinate. Once you mix all the ingredients for the marinade and add the veggies, allow them to sit for 30-40 minutes.
- Grill those vegetables. With your grill preheated to 400-425 degrees F, grill your vegetables in a grill basket (or directly on the grill using caution so they don’t fall through) for 20-25 minutes (or until they reach your preferred consistency).
- Serve and enjoy. These veggies are delicious hot, but you can also refrigerate and eat them chilled.
Storing and Using Leftovers
An awesome feature of these grilled veggies is how easily they store for use over the next couple days. After your grilled vegetables cool to room temperature, place them in an airtight container, then store in your refrigerator. You can use your veggies for up to 5 days this way. Reheat them on the grill to enjoy as a side, or use to give your salads a splash of color and flavor. Head over on my YouTube channel, so you can check out how I use grilled veggies for meal prepping.
Recipe Variations
The vegetables I use in this recipe taste amazing together, but they’re far from the only options you can grill. Here are a few more veggies you can easily toss into the mix for an even more robust result (including my suggested measurements and preparation):
- ½ cup green beans (chopped)
- ½ cup asparagus (chopped)
- ½ cup portobello mushrooms (sliced or caps)
- ½ cup eggplant (cut into ½-inch rounds)
- ½ cup sweet potatoes (cut into ½-inch rounds)
You can also feel free to play with the amount you use, or add your own personal favorites. The best part about grilling your own sides is you get to customize them, so you can make a recipe your family will love.
Grilled Vegetable Recipes
If you’re looking for a single vegetable to grill on the side of your main course, check out more of these grilled vegetables recipes from Hey Grill Hey. You can also browse more BBQ sides for further inspiration.
Grilled Vegetables Recipe
This recipe was created for you, backyard griller. Here at Hey Grill Hey, I’m in the business of helping you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero. You can find more of my smoking and grilling recipes in your Hey Grill Hey collection and in the Hey Grill Hey app. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for the more grilling inspiration.
Grilled Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1 small yellow bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 small orange bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 small red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ cup zucchini cut into 1/2 inch rounds
- ½ cup yellow squash cut into rings
- ½ cup red onion (optional) cut into 1 inch pieces
Balsamic Vegetable Marinade
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 oz Parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Place veggies. Put all cut vegetables in a zip top bag or a glass container.1 cup broccoli florets, 1 cup cauliflower florets, 1 small yellow bell pepper, 1 small orange bell pepper, 1 small red bell pepper, ½ cup zucchini, ½ cup yellow squash, ½ cup red onion (optional)
- Make marinade. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the balsamic marinate and whisk together.⅓ cup olive oil, 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoons black pepper, 1 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 oz Parmesan cheese
- Add marinade to veggies. Add the marinade to the bag or glass container, and gently toss to evenly distribute the marinade over the vegetables.
- Marinate veggies. Place the marinating vegetables in the refrigerator and allow them to marinate for 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat. Set your grill to 400-425 degrees F for direct heat grilling.
- Add veggies to grill basket. Transfer your vegetables from the marinade to a vegetable grill basket (if you don't have a basket, you can grill these directly on the grates, just be cautious and watch that they don't fall through the grates).
- Grill veggies. Place the vegetables in the grill basket on the grill, close the lid, and cook for for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Grill the vegetables until they are cooked to your desired doneness. If you like your veggies crunchy, pull them off after 10 minutes, if you like them softer, leave them on for longer.
- Serve and enjoy. You can serve these hot, but you can also refrigerate these and eat cold. They're an awesome way to meal prep or have veggies in lunchboxes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**I originally published this post in October 2019, but recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. However, the recipe remains the same.
Looking forward to making this, but where are the rest of the reviews? It shows that there are 14 reviews, but only 2 are listed!! What gives?
We loved this! Used green, yellow, orange peppers, onions, mushrooms, yellow squash and green squash.
Leached out instead of leeched. Just sayin’ ..