19 Best Veggies That Can Stand Up To The Char Of Your Grill

Although broccolini could be considered a close cousin to broccoli due to the collection of florets on their head, the flavor difference between broccoli and broccolini — strong and rustic versus moderate and grassy respectively — makes broccolini more favorable than broccoli for grilling.

This Chinese and American crossbreed was actually conceived in Japan and needs a little extra awareness since the florets char easily on a grill if sitting too long. The best way to mitigate this is to spread the coals unevenly on your grill, with the meatier stems above more direct heat from the coals than the floret so that the crown doesn't char to a crisp before your broccolini is done.

Try this broccolini with grilled lemon recipe for a well-balanced hit of citrus and smoke courtesy of the Aleppo chili. Roughly 1 pound of broccolini with three lemons for grilling will get you started. Other ingredients include one small shallot, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, ¼ cup pine nuts with 1 tablespoon parsley, another 1 tablespoon chopped chives, and of course a light dusting of ground Aleppo chili to taste.

According to Healthline, just a single cup of cauliflower is packed with vitamins C, K, and B6, along with several other nutrients that fight diabetic conditions, cancers, and heart conditions. We also know it as an extra tasty vegetable when roasted, whether sliced into cauliflower steaks or done whole. There are pros and cons to both depending on your preference.

When it comes to the best way to grill cauliflower, some grill masters would say roasting a whole head of cauliflower is the only way to go. There's no risk of cutting yourself while negotiating a knife for cutting, no way for the cruciferous powerhouse to slip through the cracks in your grill, and due to its higher grilling time, allows for the whole vegetable to pull in more barbeque smoke and flavor. Grilled cauliflower with tahini and sumac is an incredible seasoning combo for taking this route.

On the other hand, a cauliflower steak, prepped in a casserole dish two hours before touching the grill, can be a whole other thing of beauty. Just make sure the steaks are thick enough not to fall through your grill.

Although "Eggplant" may have been given its name by British colonizers in India according to WebMD, the nightshade vegetable has been around for centuries. It was introduced to Europe in the 7th century and since then, whether called aubergine, brinjal, or eggplant, remains a meaty, versatile grilling companion. High in vitamins A, C, and K, and loaded with a whopping 229 milligrams of potassium per serving, there's no reason to fear this often intimidating vegetable.

There are a few tips you need when cooking with eggplant. There are several varieties of eggplant on the market — some smaller but more flavorful, others bigger with more muted flavors but added versatility if seasoned well — but the grill can make proper use of most of them. Make sure to slice your eggplant into round or lengthwise cuts, salt liberally, and leave out over a paper towel for up to 30 minutes to remove excess moisture. For grilling purposes, slash hatch marks into the eggplant to give it that grill-marked aesthetic Instagram craves, or place them whole over a charcoal grill to create the charcoal-smoked baba ganoush of your dreams. The Maillard Reaction, a chemical reaction in food caused by high heat that causes amino acids to merge with each other, leads to browning and an enhanced flavor. For lengthwise or round cuts, try this grilled eggplant recipe.

Though the root vegetables are similar in appearance and both wonderful for grilling, carrots and parsnips are quite different. The difference between parsnips and carrots lies within their texture and flavor. Parsnips lean more toward the savory side than carrots, although parsnips were once used as a sweetener in Europe — and they are also best eaten cooked rather than raw. This hardier nature makes them great candidates for hot grills.

Chef Yotam Ottolenghi's confit and grilled parsnips with herbs and vinegar take parsnips on a journey after pickling the parsnips in a bowl with salt, the vinegary tang of apple cider vinegar, and the heat from two chopped red chilies. He then places them in an olive oil flavor bath (450 milliliters of oil) and infuses them with the garlicky goodness of 10 whole cloves of garlic and more salt before popping the roasting pan in the oven under foil at a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After an hour they're basically cooked. Place the remaining oil aside, and fire up the grill. Grill both sides until grill marks appear and the parsnips have a char to them. Pour 60 milliliters of the leftover garlic-infused oil into a bowl with the crushed clove, 4 tablespoons of coriander, 3 tablespoons of parsley, 1 teaspoon of ground allspice, salt and pepper to taste.

We all know the pleasures of a beautiful baked potato, preferably with a dollop of butter, sour cream — maybe even bacon! Most of that experience probably comes in the form of oven-baked potatoes. This summer, why stop at just baking your potato? The grill is perfectly suited to elevating a humble baked potato into something pleasantly unexpected. 

Like the other root vegetables on this list, it's a very good idea to start the process just as you would with any baked potato — boil it in a pot of salted water for about 10 minutes or until fork tender. Once that's done, let it rest and cool down outside the pot while you preheat your grill. To make the world's finest grilled potato salad with feta and dill, slice the potato in two, drizzle with olive oil, and place the halves flat-side down onto your grill. Since you've already parboiled the potato, it shouldn't take very long to cook — 12 to 15 minutes will do the trick. Transfer your potato into a large bowl with 1/4 pound feta cheese, the zest and juice of one lemon, 1/2 cup dill, a diced shallot, and good quality EVO (extra virgin olive oil). Salt and pepper to taste. Grilled scalloped potatoes also scream summer, and is another grilled potato recipe to try.

Due to their size and delicate nature, grilled green beans cook quickly — two minutes on each side max — but offer fantastic flavor. Even with a light char, the insides of the vegetable become tender while the outer shell hangs on to barbecue essence. Smoke and seasoning in the form of sea salt, lemon, and pepper, are all you need to make a snack out of them. You can also serve over a rich almond cream puree consisting of a 1/4 cup almond milk, 1 ¼ ounces almond oil, 1 cup roasted almonds, 2 cloves roasted garlic, the juice from a 1/4 cucumber, and 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar.

For something more substantial and spicy, try grilled green beans with harissa, made by tossing your grilled green beans with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 fiery teaspoon of harissa, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Either way, you'll need to keep an eye on these because they char fast — but you definitely want that char. 

Shishito are slender little peppers originally from Japan, with a milder heat than, say, jalapeño peppers. Grilling them so they get a slight char is actually the best way to cook them since their thin exteriors absorb the grill's smoke and your seasoning very well. When it comes to seasoning, not much more is needed than peppers with lemon and sea salt. This works best in a cast iron pan as opposed to directly on the grill, since it ensures relatively even cooking without the threat of any shishito literally falling through the cracks. Of course, if you don't have a decent pan, you can always skewer your peppers together to avoid the issue.  

Still, if you're looking for something a little more interesting, lean into the Japanese roots of shishito peppers with Shichimi Togarashi. Shichimi Togarashi is a Japanese condiment consisting of seven spices — hemp or poppy seeds, sesame seeds, chili pepper, ground ginger, sansho pepper, mandarin or yuzu orange zest, and seaweed. When skewered together with some sea salt, this makes for an explosion Asian influenced flavors.

Corn on the cob is a beloved barbecue staple for many and for good reason. There's nothing like the taste of grilled corn slathered in creamy butter, and the explosion of salt, sweet, and smoke in your mouth. One super simple way to upgrade your grilled corn is to add an extra layer of seasoning immediately after grilling, which should take eight to 12 minutes. Make sure all sides are turned and evenly charred. Dipping your grilled corn into a 1 liter pitcher of salty brine immediately after it's cooked can elevate the aforementioned explosion of flavors in each kernel.

But salt isn't the only way to inject more umami into your food. Experiment with the tastes and textures of different cultures like garam masala-infused ghee, cardamom, and ginger in Indian grilled corn. Transform your grilled kernels into grilled corn soup, a dollop of creamy yogurt with a hint of minty freshness takes this dish beyond typical bbq fare. 

Artichokes can be an intimidating vegetable to work with on or off the grill. Maybe it's because of the natural layers of the veggie that need to be peeled away in order to work with it that make it seem daunting. A few tips you need when cooking artichokes are to use artichokes that are fresh and intact with a squeakiness to them — keep them refrigerated for up to two weeks until you're ready to grill. To cut an artichoke, use a sharp knife and trim the exterior leaves until you get to the softer, edible leaves toward their core. Cut off the sharp ends of the remaining leaves, pull off the stem's skin, and use a teaspoon to pull out the tough core. Just remember, you shouldn't eat the whole artichoke. 

Finally, you always want to get your artichokes into a bowl of lemon water to keep the fresh look of the artichoke. The acid in the lemon will stop artichokes from going brown after cutting.

Once you've mastered prepping artichoke, you can get down to the business of grilling it. Try grilled artichokes with pine nut purée or a hot and smoky version of the same dish.

While better known as a base for salads, romaine lettuce can also take the flame from a grill like a champ. However, there is a prep step you can't forget when grilling romaine – which aside from the obvious washing of your veg — is integral to your grilling success. Slice off any wilted bits since they will burn and threaten to degrade the flavor of your romaine — you want the lettuce caramelized, lightly charred and smoky, not ashen and bitter.

A grilled romaine salad is a thing of beauty, and matching the saltiness of anchovies and peppery pecorino with grill smoke and char raises the bar on salads. You should eat grilled romaine right after it's cooked because it will wilt and lose some of its texture immediately. A great plan would be to have all the other components of your salad ready to go before grilling your romaine lettuce so that once it's done, you can assemble your ingredients and eat everything while it's at its best.