The Best Vegetarian Foods You Should Be Grilling

Every vegetarian knows that unique kind of pain when everyone around you is getting stoked on grilling season. I was an herbivore for over a decade and I spent plenty of those years feeling underwhelmed when family and friends gathered around the barbecue grill like it was a shrine to summer. That is, until I started expanding my vegetarian repertoire to include some hardy, grill-ready eats that have burgers and steaks cowering in the coals. 

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Here are some massively underrated vegetarian goodies to grill at your summer parties for your plant-based buddies and to change up your banal barbecue behavior. I’m sorry, but your family burger recipe isn’t good enough to be the feature of every summer cookout since 2003. We’re bored here, okay?

Halloumi

I know what you’re thinking: “Cheese? On the grill? Why would I want to scrape cheese gunk off my grates at my cookout? That sounds embarrassing.” But halloumi is different. She’s destined for the grill. Get those iconic sear marks on a few slices of halloumi and serve it with some pita bread and tomato, tossed on a salad, as part of a skewer, or just go to town on the salty, tangy, mozzarella-esque cheese all on its own.

Watermelon

Yes, watermelon on the grill. It’s a delicious summer treat that can be made sweet or savory. All it needs is a couple minutes on high heat. I like it with some tahini and a squeeze of lime, but it’s also a great pairing with the aforementioned grill-ready cheese.

Seitan

Also known as wheat-meat, seitan is the meat substitute your hippie grandparents were eating well before Beyond and Impossible burgers became the face of fake meat. Kick it old school with this wheat gluten-based, chewy protein by marinating it in an Asian-style sauce or your favorite steak marinade. Stick it on a skewer to keep it from falling apart. 

Bell Peppers

I know it sounds boring, but here me out. A flame-grilled bell pepper is amazing. I’ll go to town on a whole one of these bad boys with nothing but a little S and P, but take it a step further and slice one in half and fill it with whatever you want: cheese, mushrooms, fire-roasted tomatoes, a bunch of condiments—the pepper doesn’t judge. Just be sure to eat it with your hands for that peak barbecue experience.

Corn

This is an obvious one, but I still feel like there isn’t enough corn at every cookout I attend. Throw the entire thing—husk and all—on the grill for about 15 minutes. Once the husks are black, your corn is probably perfect and ready for a nice butter slathering.

Mushrooms

Another OG meat sub, mushrooms of all kinds are severely underrated come grilling season. Go with the iconic portobello steak to keep it classic, or unleash your inner forest goblin and get to foraging. Chicken of the woods, oysters, and turkey tail are all prized for their meaty taste and texture and you’ll find them all over the forests of North America.

Peaches

Peaches make the best desserts for the grill. That’s right, I said grilled desserts. Toss on some hefty slices until they get golden brown and put them on top of some vanilla ice cream. Or go savory and add them to a sandwich or salad with marinated seitan, mushrooms, or halloumi. Grilled peaches go well with a gingery sauce.