23shares
13
4
2
4

How Long to Grill Vegetables

With the first day of summer now behind us, grills are being pulled out of hibernation all over the country. Although burgers and dogs are far more delicious when grilled outdoors, vegetables are often forgotten when heading toward the fire. When in fact, they are also far more delicious when grilled properly.

It is, however, very easy to over cook and/or burn vegetables on the grill since many of them cook up in no time at all and others will take a little bit of TLC to cook up properly, take the corn in the picture for example.

Following is a chart of grilling times for most common vegetables. This is a guideline, since grill heats can vary greatly. This guide will also help with how to prepare and where to place each given vegetable on the grill. Fruits are also excellent grilled, instructions for grilling fruits is included after the chart. Follow these guidelines and it will be easier to keep eating healthy all summer long.

How Long to Grill Vegetables

Grilling Times for Vegetables

Just a tiny bit of preparation can get most any fresh vegetable ready to toss onto the grill. Universally, you can wash the intended vegetable and then spray it with a little bit of olive oil and you’re good to head out toward the hot coals. The reason that veggies should be gently tossed with a little oil, cooking spray or melted butter is to prevent them from sticking to the grates.

Veggies can also be seasoned with a little salt & pepper (and/or other desired spices) before grilling, if desired. Marinating vegetables is also a great way to introduce more flavor, just beware that marinades will quickly absorb into soft fresh vegetable flesh so an hour of marinating time is generally considered plenty. If vegetables spend too much time in a marinade, they will end up tasting like straight marinade.

The following chart indicates the heat and time requirements for many popular vegetables. A few definition reminders first:

Indirect heat = pile the hot coals on one side of the grill and place the veggies on the other side. If using a gas grill, only light one side of the grill and later place the veggies on the other side.

Direct heat = place the veggies directly over the coals.

Vegetable	Preparation	Placement	Heat	Time
Asparagus	Cut off the bottoms	Perpendicular to grates	Medium-high Indirect	3 to 5 Minutes
Beets	Wrap loosely in aluminum foil after tossing with oil	On grill	Medium Direct	30 to 35 Minutes
Broccoli	Soak in salted water for 5 to 10 minutes	In grilling basket	Medium-high Indirect	5 to 10 Minutes
Broccolini	Trim the bottoms	Perpendicular to grates	Medium-high Indirect	3 to 5 Minutes
Bok Choy	Halve and soak in salted water for 5 to 10 minutes	In grilling basket	Medium-high Indirect	3 to 5 Minutes
Carrots	Remove tops and wrap in foil	On grill	Medium Direct	15 to 20 Minutes
Cauliflower	Soak in salted water for 5 to 10 minutes	In grilling basket	Medium-high Indirect	5 to 10 Minutes
Corn	Soak in water for 5 to 10 minutes (or remove the husks and skip this step)	Perpendicular to grates	Medium-high Direct, turn often	20 to 30 Minutes (or 10 to 15 if no husk)
Eggplant	Slice into 3/4 inch thick circles	On grill	Medium-high Indirect	3 to 4 Minutes per side
Fennel	Cut bulb in quarters (save the tops!)	On grill or in basket	Medium-high Indirect	12 to 15 Minutes
Garlic	Wrap entire bulb tightly in aluminum foil	On grill	Medium Indirect	45 to 60 Minutes. Slice off the top & squeeze out the bulbs to serve
Mushrooms (Portobello)	Remove the stem	Cap side down	Medium Direct	5 to 10 Minutes
Onions	Slice into 3/4 inch thick circles	On grill or in basket	Medium-high Indirect	5 to 7 Minutes
Peppers	Halve and remove seeds before grilling for most larger peppers	On grill or in basket	Medium direct	2 to 3 minutes per side
Scallions	Cut off the roots	Perpendicular to grates	Medium-high Indirect	3 to 5 Minutes
Zucchini	Cut in half lengthwise	On grill or in basket	Medium-high Indirect	3 to 5 Minutes

How Long to Grill Vegetables

Additional Information

Fruits are also great if grilled.
For most fruits; including pineapple, peaches, plums, pears, mangos and plantains the following instructions will apply:

Remove any pits from the fruit.
Oil or spray the grill.
This is important so that the resulting caramelized sugars won’t stick to the grates.
Place the fruit directly on the grates over direct medium heat.
Cook until grate lines appear.
Flip the fruit.
Finish cooking until grill lines also appear on the other side. Flipping may not be necessary for smaller fruits like apricots and plums.

Grilling baskets are great for smaller vegetables and for those that tend to fall apart easily once softened. This one works great for us.

For some general grilling tips and ideas, see our grilling ideas post.

For more on alternate ways and times for cooking corn, see our how long to boil corn post.

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.