25 Vegetarian Grilling Recipes for Your Next Cookout

While meat often gets the spotlight during grilling season, these plant-based grill recipes may change your tune.

grilled vegetable pizzas
Photo:

Christopher Testani

Long gone are the days when "cookout" merely meant a grill full of hot dogs, ribs, and burgers. Vegetables take the spotlight in this selection of satisfying meatless recipes for the grill. Packed with flavor, interesting taste profiles, and surprising ingredients, these meatless dishes prove you don’t need a traditional protein source to have a great barbecue. Vegetarian burgers, grilled pizzas, stuffed vegetables, and more will delight your family and friends—and that's true whether or not they eat meat.

01 of 25

Barbecue Pulled Mushroom Sandwiches

Barbecue Pulled Mushroom Sandwiches
Yuki Sugiura

You'll need both hands and several napkins to relish every morsel of this meat-free twist on pulled pork sandwiches. Maitake mushrooms are the main event—grilled and shredded using two forks, then stirred into our quick barbecue sauce. Mound the mixture on brioche buns, and top with vinegar-spiked slaw for that all-important crunch.

02 of 25

Grilled Three Cheese Pizza

grilled three cheese pizza

This wonderfully simple yet delicious pizza comes together in minutes. Grill dough on both sides until lightly charred, then top with a luscious blend of cheeses and continue grilling until it's melted, bubbly, and ready to wow whoever you're serving. Take it to the next level with a drizzle of herb oil.

03 of 25

Grilled Eggplant With Tomato, Basil, and Feta

grilled eggplant with tomatoes, basil and feta
Ryan Liebe

In this satisfying dish, eggplant is grilled, then topped with a zingy fresh tomato salad. Feta adds saltiness, and pine nuts give crunch. Basil provides that summery freshness that everyone loves. Be sure to pre-salt the eggplant for optimal texture.

04 of 25

Grilled Sweet Potatoes With Rice and Peas

Grilled Sweet Potatoes With Rice and Beans
Yuki Sugiura

Grilling sliced sweet potatoes is a quick and easy way to get this nutritious tuber into your diet during the sweltering summer months when roasting them in the oven isn't so appealing. Serve them as a simple side or feature them as the main dish as we do here, along with a side of rice and peas.

05 of 25

Grilled Cauliflower With Spiced Yogurt Sauce

Whole Grilled Cauliflower With Garam Masala
Yuki Sugiura

For a spectacular vegetable centerpiece, this dish can't be beat. A whole cauliflower is briefly steamed on the stovetop before transferring to the grill, this ensures the crucifer will be cooked all the way through and also get a nice brown crust from the grill.

06 of 25

Grilled Corn With Chile-Lime Salt

grilled corn with chile-lime salt
Lauren Ross

It's hard to imagine an improvement over grilled corn slathered with butter and salt, but we've found it. This recipe features a homemade spice blend made from dried lime zest, salt, and smoky chipotle chile powder. Mixed with Parmesan, the result is mouthwatering corn that you'll want to keep making over and over again.

07 of 25

Grilled Garlic Bread With Herb Butter

grilled garlic bread with herb butter
Lauren Ross

The next time you have the grill on, take advantage of it to make extra-tasty garlic bread. Smash garlic with butter and herbs, and spread onto a halved baguette. Grill until lightly charred—and decadently aromatic.

08 of 25

Summer Veggie Melts With Caper Sauce

Summer-Veggie Melts with Caper Sauce
Con Poulos

A meatless masterpiece, this vegetarian sandwich packs a colorful mix of grilled vegetables into a hoagie that gets a toasty crust on the grill but stays pillowy soft in the center. Provolone, the perfect melting cheese, melds it all together while a generous smear of a zesty basil-caper aioli provides the finishing touch.

09 of 25

Grilled Vegetables and Halloumi Cheese With Charred Tomato Dressing

grilled-vegetable-salad-061-exp-1-d111129.jpg
Jonathan Lovekin

This knife-and-fork salad is a feast of grilled vegetables, including mushrooms, radicchio, and summer squash, along with grilled halloumi cheese. And the irresistible tomato dressing is made with grilled tomatoes!

10 of 25

Mushroom Tacos with Charred Corn Salsa

mushroom tacos with charred corn salsa
Chris Simpson

Ready in just over 30 minutes, these hearty portobello tacos are wonderfully uncomplicated to make and absolutely delicious to eat. This smoky dinner can be vegan, too. Just skip the sour cream.

11 of 25

Grilled Zucchini With Miso

grilled zucchini with miso
Dana Gallagher

This umami-packed vegetable side packs a most delicious flavor punch. Thick slabs of zucchini are brushed with a soy-miso glaze before grilling.

12 of 25

Grilled Halloumi and Vegetable Wraps

grilled-halloumi-and-veggie wraps
Paola + Murray

Easy to make and easy to eat, we rate these wraps for a quick weeknight dinner. Halloumi is without doubt the best cheese for grilling. It stays firm and gets a tasty char from the grates.

13 of 25

Grilled Vegetable Pizzas

grilled vegetable pizzas
Christopher Testani

Here's a pizza you can make on a weeknight. Turn on the grill because this recipe starts with store-bought flatbread, and it bucks tradition all the way. No marinara sauce here, just plenty of grilled vegetables—mushrooms, zucchini, red onion, and kale—and two cheeses, mozzarella and blue cheese. Finish with a drizzle of mustard vinaigrette to bring it all together.

14 of 25

Green Bean, Shell Bean, and Sweet Onion Fattoush

green bean fattoush
NGOC MINH NGO

Much of this delicious Lebanese-style salad comes together away from the grill, but a key piece is the charred baguette or ciabatta bread that finishes it off perfectly, brushed with herb butter right before serving.

15 of 25

Tofu With Ginger-Cilantro Sauce

tofu with ginger cilantro sauce served on a black plate
Elizabeth Cecil

Using a sort of inverse marinade technique, this recipe will show you how to grill slices of tofu first before brushing with a zesty puree of cilantro, ginger, jalapeno, scallions, lime, and oil.

16 of 25

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

grilled-eggplant parmesan
Sidney Bensimon

A healthier twist on eggplant Parmesan, this version skips the breading and deep-frying and instead opts for grilling. It's delicious on a charcoal or wood fired grill for an extra smoky flavor, but you can prepare this in a grill pan year-round.

17 of 25

Grilled Pepper Bruschetta

grilled pepper bruschetta

Bruschetta gets an overhaul by replacing the traditional tomato topping with smoky grilled sweet peppers, tossed with cherry tomatoes and a caper vinaigrette. You can even grill the bread for added flavor.

18 of 25

Grilled Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

grilled vegetarian stuffed peppers
Armando Rafael

This recipe for colorful stuffed peppers is altogether different—no oven needed! It uses the grill in two different ways—direct heat to grill the peppers, then indirect heat to cook some of the stuffing ingredients—couscous, tomato, and raisins—in a skillet for the stuffing. Once stuffed, the peppers are cooked through in the same pan on top of the grill.

19 of 25

Grilled Ratatouille Pasta

grilled-ratatouille-pasta-med108678.jpg
JOHNNY MILER

The light yet satisfying pasta dish uses the grill to turn vegetables into a tasty ratatouille-type sauce. It can be served as a main or a side dish.

20 of 25

Grilled Asparagus With Caper-Cornichon Dressing

grilled asparagus and egg salad
Gentl and Hyers

If you haven't grilled asparagus before, then you are in for a real treat. This recipe is inspired by gribiche, the French sauce traditionally served with steamed asparagus, except it riffs on it by serving the hard-boiled eggs separately.

21 of 25

Grilled Pepper and Red Onion Pizza

grilled-pepper-and-onion-pizza-card-157-d112910.jpg
Bryan Gardner

These classy pizzas feature goat cheese and Parmesan, instead of the usual mozzarella. Pre-grill the veggies for topping, and add a fresh arugula garnish to finish it off.

22 of 25

Grilled Potato Slices With Salt and Vinegar

mld104315_0609_grill_potato_l.jpg

If you're a salt-and-vinegar chips fan, you'll like this tasty grilled version of potatoes. It makes a great side dish to accompany other vegetables or meats. Precooking the potatoes in vinegar-infused water infuses them with extra flavor.

23 of 25

Grilled Ratatouille Muffaletta

grilled ratatouille muffaletta
Andrew Purcell

Stuff some chewy bread with grilled and seasoned eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes for an amazing summery sandwich. This New Orleans-inspired vegetarian muffaletta can be made in advance and scaled for a large group.

24 of 25

Grilled Asparagus and Farro Salad

Grilled Asparagus and Farro Salad recipe
Chris Simpson

Grilled asparagus is tossed with nutty, chewy farro, an ancient grain, along with fresh herbs, crunchy almonds, scallions, lemon, and salty feta for a fabulous side dish that will complement any other vegetables or meats you might be grilling at the same time.

25 of 25

Soba Salad With Grilled Eggplant and Tomato

soba salad with grilled eggplant and tomato
Marcus Nilsson

A grill is great for prepping ingredients to use in recipes, rather than for just eating directly. This is a good example of that—grilled eggplant and zucchini tossed with soba noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, and more for a refreshing and delicious dish that commenters have described as their favorite.

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