6 Awesome Tips to Cook the Perfect Grilled Vegetables

6 Awesome Tips to Cook the Perfect Grilled Vegetables

Grilling vegetables can be an excellent way to add serious flavor to your daily, nutritious plants. You need tips to cook the perfect grilled vegetables and we got you covered.

Plus, don’t you think it‘s high time that people move over meat and realize just how delicious vegetables can turn out with just a hint of smoke from the grill, and some flavorful marinade?

From stuffed charred peppers to marinated zucchinis to grilled eggplants – this season, take out your grill and let vegetables be the star of your BBQ party!

Just go through our tips below and become the next veggie grilling master.

The Ultimate Tips to Grill Vegetables Perfectly

Eating grilled vegetables can be great for your health as well as your tastebuds. We’ve listed some of the best tips to help you enjoy a perfectly meat-free BBQ below:

Lightly Brush the Vegetables with Oil

Lightly Brush the Vegetables with Oil

If you directly place your vegetables on heat without any or too little oil, you will only dry them out. This is why you should lightly brush the veggies with a thin coating of oil before tossing them on the grill.

When applying oil, make sure that you don’t overdo it. You see, not only will this add unnecessary calories to your meal, but dripping oil also increases the likelihood of flare-ups and greasy flavors. Tossing your veggies in oil also helps your seasoning stick better on the pieces.




Use Skewers or Grill Baskets When Required

Use Skewers or Grill Baskets When Required

You can experiment with so many vegetables when grilling, but due to their different shapes and sizes, handling them can be a tad bit tricky.

When dealing with smaller vegetables or pieces of fruit, we would highly recommend using skewers or grilling baskets to prevent the ingredients from rolling around or falling through the grate.

In case you don’t have a grill basket, you can fold a 24-inch long piece of heavy-duty foil in half, and crimp up its edges to create a lip design. This makeshift basket works well to add that smoky flavor to the vegetables while making them easy to handle.

Trying to Cook Vegetables in Packets

Trying to Cook Vegetables in Packets

While you should try to be near the grill when cooking, but it may not always possible, which is why you should consider grilling your vegetables in packets. And don’t worry, cooking in packets works just as well without you having to babysit your vegetables.

You can make packets when using dense vegetables like root vegetables, sweet potatoes, or regular potatoes.

Here’s what you need to do: Lightly coat a 24-inch long foil with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange your vegetables in a single layer on top of the foil, making them overlap slightly. Remember to leave around two inches on the sides. Once done, you can fold the foil over and pinch the edges together, resembling a packet and then place it on the grill.

Cover the grill and cook the vegetables until they get tender. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.

Heads up: When you open the packet to check the doneness, make sure you protect yourself from the trapped steam.

Cutting the Vegetables Correctly for Faster Cooking

Cutting the Vegetables Correctly for Faster Cooking

Several vegan recipes require you to cut your vegetables into tiny or smaller pieces. Cutting vegetables properly is one of the easiest ways you can cook the perfect grilled vegetables

You can cut long vegetables like eggplant or squash into thin, long planks, while round vegetables like onions and tomatoes can be cut into thin circles. Try to get more surface area if you like your vegetables to be super crispy. One of the other advantages of cutting smaller pieces is that they cook more quickly as well.




Understanding the Right Cooking Time

Understanding the Right Cooking Time

Grilling vegetables doesn’t have a one fits all technique – some vegetables will be ready within two to three minutes, while others might take longer. Potatoes, for example, take around 15 minutes, which also makes them the longest to cook.

When grilling dense vegetables, avoid keeping them over very high heat for too long. Doing this will only char them on the outside while the inside will remain raw.

You don’t want to leave your vegetables on the grill for too long to prevent burning at the same time. Sear your vegetables directly over the heat and then move them to a cooler part of the grill when you are about to finish cooking.

You can also pre-cook the veggies if you want, keeping them on the grill for a few minutes for a smoky flavor and adding some color on the outside.

Getting the Grill Temperature Right

Getting the Grill Temperature Right

You might be dreaming of having your grilled eggplant with a delicious red pepper hummus dip, but if you don’t get the temperature right, the eggplant will remain soggy – something that you definitely don’t wouldn’t appreciate.

Hence, it’s better to keep your veggies at medium or medium-high temperatures. You can always look up the internet to find clear grading instructions for each particular vegetable that will help you determine the right cooking temperature.

The medium temperature and medium-high temperature is about 350°, and 400 to 425°, respectively, for gas and charcoal grills. With the right temperature you will have no problem when trying to cook the perfect grilled vegetables

The Bottom Line

These are some of our best tips to help you grill vegetables effortlessly. Zucchini, mushrooms, or artichokes, you can cook any veggie of your choice on the grill and have your guests raving about your BBQ for days after.




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