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, you don’t need a traditional protein source to complete these meatless takes. We bet you'll find that our vegetarian burgers, grilled pizzas, stuffed and grilled vegetables, and more will delight your family and friends—and that's true whether or not they eat meat.
Whether you're hosting a big backyard barbecue or just want a healthy weeknight dinner with plenty of flavor, these vegetarian grilling recipes deliver.There's plenty of inspiration here for the long summer nights ahead, so get cooking!
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Barbecue Pulled Mushroom Sandwiches
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; they're grilled then shredded using two forks, then it's time to stir them in our quick barbecue sauce. Mound the mixture on brioche buns, and top with vinegar-spiked slaw for that all-important crunch.
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02of 26
Creamy Grilled-Corn Pizza
Hands down, the trickiest part of making grilled pizzas is handling the dough. Sometimes it's too dry; other times it's too gloppy and slips right through the grates. That's why this recipe starts with sturdy, store-bought naan or other flatbread, which plays perfectly with our toppings that are inspired by Mexican street corn. A blend of sour cream, mayonnaise, lime, and garlic lends tangy creaminess, while charred kernels provide juicy sweetness.
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03of 26
Grilled Summer Squash with Hot Honey and Ricotta
Next time you heat up the coals, make some room on the grates for this healthy, delicious recipe. Use a mix of zucchini and yellow squash and after grilling, brush them with a vinaigrette made with hot honey, sliced shallots, and jalapeños. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving with fresh ricotta and fresh mint, or transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for up to 12 hours, if the make-ahead aspect appeals.
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Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Rice and Peas
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.
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Grilled Cauliflower with Spiced Yogurt Sauce
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.
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Eggplant Provoleta with Crispy Potato Wedges
A staple of Argentine steak houses, provoleta is a provolone-type cheese that's served browned and bubbling; diners smear it on bread as a starter along with a dab of chimichurri. Our vegetarian makeover is a hearty main. Tomatoes are brushed with the spicy chimichurri pre-grill, and provolone is melted on top of grilled eggplant as it finishes cooking. Arrange it all on a platter, drizzle more sauce on top, and serve grilled potatoes alongside.
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Grilled Bread and Chiles with Burrata
This dish uses creamy, cool burrata cheese as a foil for grilled fresh chiles. Mop it all up with grilled bread.
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Summer-Veggie Melts with Caper Sauce
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.
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09of 26
Grilled Vegetables and Halloumi Cheese with Charred-Tomato Dressing
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!
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Mushroom Tacos with Charred-Corn Salsa
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
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Grilled Zucchini with Miso
This umami-packed vegetable side packs a most delicious flavor punch. Thick slabs of zucchini are brushed with a soy-miso glaze before grilling.
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Grilled-Halloumi-and-Vegetable Wraps
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.
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Grilled Vegetable Pizzas
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, then a drizzle of mustard vinaigrette brings it all together.
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14of 26
Grilled Vegetables and White-Bean Fattoush
Hearty and colorful, this main dish salad combines grilled peppers and red onion with briny feta and herb-coated cannellini beans. Pita chips and a generous drizzle of red-wine vinaigrette bring crunch and brightness.
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Tofu Kebabs with Cilantro Sauce
Marinate tofu cubes and scallions in a zesty puree of cilantro, jalapeño, ginger, and lime juice before threading onto skewers. Grill alongside summer squash kebabs and serve with the leftover marinade for dipping.
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16of 26
Grilled-Eggplant Parmesan
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.
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17of 26
Grilled-Asparagus, Tomato, and Fontina Pizzette
Classic pizza dough is the base for this grilled vegetarian delight. The crust gets extra crispy thanks to the high heat and smoke, and the vegetables take on some of that same smoky flavor that lets us taste summer.
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Grilled Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
This 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.
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Balsamic Portobello Burgers with Bell Pepper and Goat Cheese
Portobello mushrooms, a favorite take on the vegetarian burger, are marinated along with red bell peppers in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic. Serve on toasted buns with fresh goat cheese and lettuce.
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20of 26
West Coast Grilled Vegetable Pizza
No California-style pizza would be complete without avocado! Store-bought pizza dough is grilled and topped with tomatoes, scallions, and goat cheese. Then a fresh salad of spinach and diced avocado is dressed and piled onto the pizzas just before serving.
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21of 26
Tomato and Basil Pizza
These rounds of grilled homemade (or store-bought) pizza dough are so simple yet so delicious. Make your own tomato sauce with this recipe or use your favorite store-bought variety, then scatter fresh mozzarella and basil leaves over the top.
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Chickpea Burger
Scallions, cumin, ginger, and peanuts add lively flavor to these chickpea patties. Serve the grilled burgers on whole-wheat English muffins with mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.
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23of 26
Grilled Vegetable Tostadas
Top flour tortillas with grilled zucchini, portobello mushrooms, and scallions—grilling makes these vegetables tender and caramelized. Crumbled feta cheese and fresh tomato salsa are the perfect finishing touches.
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Whole Grilled Eggplant Rice Pilaf
As a highly versatile veggie, eggplants can be enjoyed in many ways, and this recipe calls for a charred approach. The skin will be overly crispy, but the inside of the eggplant will be soft and creamy. We especially love pairing this eggplant with a lemon tahini sauce and serving it with a Middle Eastern-inspired rice pilaf.
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Grilled Broccoli Flatbread Pizzas
Don’t let the name of this recipe scare you if you’re not a fan of broccoli—you can put any type of fresh produce on top of this flatbread, from zucchini and tomato to yellow squash and eggplant. Not only does pizza cook a little faster on the open flame, but it creates that delicious charred taste we all crave with a slice.
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Grilled Tofu Sandwiches
You’ve never tasted tofu quite like this. It’s spicy, then sweet, thanks to the sriracha and the brown sugar. The addition of pickled carrots creates a dynamic and delicious sandwich you’ll want to munch on all summer.
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