While “meat” and “grill” generally go hand-in-hand, there’s an underrated world of vegetarian ingredients perfectly suited for grilling. If you’re in a burger mood but don’t want to go the beef route, don’t worry. Our meat-free burgers are as good as any hamburger. We’ve got a black bean burger flavored with cumin, paprika, coriander, and both poblano and chipotle chiles; a portobello mushroom burger topped with blue cheese and sautéed red onions; and a quinoa burger with carrot, celery, arugula, and beans topped with a roasted red pepper relish.
Grilled vegetables add an interesting flavor and texture to other salads. In our endive salad, the vegetable is steamed, grilled, and dressed with a bee pollen vinaigrette. Beets, asparagus, eggplant, cauliflower, and fennel come together into a warm, smoky salad when grilled and tossed with lemon juice and zest. And for dessert, try grilling fruit—the heat causes the sugars to caramelize. Try cantaloupe dressed with a peach agrodolce and served with blueberries and basil.
Find all of these dishes and more in our collection great vegetarian grilling recipes.
Pickled Stone Fruit and Burrata Flatbread
Grilled Vegetable and Barley Salad
Barley is typically eaten in a pudding for breakfast or dessert in Egypt, but in this recipe from cookbook author Suzanne Zeidy, it’s turned into a hearty salad, seasoned with cumin and chiles, and tossed with grilled vegetables, feta, and pistachios. Get the recipe for Grilled Vegetable and Barley Salad » Helen Cathcart
Grilled Greens and Leek Tops with Chile-Garlic Sauce
Grilled Shiitake Mushroom with Chile and Thyme
Shaved Fennel and Grilled Corn Salad
Grilled Calçots and Asparagus with Romesco Sauce
Chef José Andrés likes to cook these calçots, here served with asparagus, in the traditional manner: in a newspaper. The newspaper traps in steam from the cooling calçots, making them more tender and soaking up any excess oil. These tender Spanish green onions, always served with Romesco sauce, are a classic springtime treat. Get the recipe for Grilled Calçots and Asparagus with Romesco Sauce » Farideh Sadeghin
Grilled Cantaloupe with Peach Agrodolce
Charred Cabbage Slaw
In this offbeat slaw, raw red cabbage adds a textural contrast to the grilled green cabbage, and a zippy, spicy-sweet-salty dressing goes well with the charred bits. Get the recipe for Charred Cabbage Slaw » Drew Anthony Smith
Grilled Corn Bhel
In this lively salad, flame-kissed corn kernels are teamed with fresh vegetables, a zesty cumin-lime dressing, and for a surprisingly delicious crunch, unsweetened corn flakes. Get the recipe for Grilled Corn Bhel Thomas Payne
Grilled Onion Salad with Sumac and Herbs
Paneer Tikka Kebabs
Charred bell peppers and onions help balance out the richness of the paneer in these colorful vegetarian skewers. Get the recipe for Paneer Tikka Kebabs Thomas Payne
Grilled Corn with Herbed Goat Cheese Butter
Endive Salad with Bee Pollen Vinaigrette
Grilled Shallots with Dill (Schalottenlök i Folie)
Spinach, Chive, and Yogurt Soup with Grilled Scallions
Grilled Vegetable Salad (Sallad på Rostade Grönsaker)
Warm Red Potato Salad
Grilled Eggplant with Basil Vinaigrette
Tadashi’s Grilled Tomatoes
Black Bean Burger with Salsa Fresca and Avocado Crema
Portobello Burgers with Blue Cheese and Sauteed Red Onions
Quinoa Veggie Burger with Roasted Red Pepper Relish
Eggplant and Parsley Dip (Melintzanosalata)
Parsley and Onion Salad
Grilled Polenta
Polenta is a popular dish in Venice and is often served grilled as a side, though you can also eat it without grilling it if you like. Get the recipe for Grilled Polenta » Maxime Iattoni
Four-Hour Pineapple
Slow-cooking pineapple whole on the grill concentrates and enriches its flavors while keeping the fruit tasting bright. “The pineapple must be very ripe,” Mallmann says. “If not, it’s useless. The slower you do it, the better.” Get the recipe for Four-Hour Pineapple » Matt Taylor-Gross