Whether you’re a vegetarian or a flexitarian, you can still have good food during barbecues that don’t involve meat! If you’re looking for amazing vegetarian barbecue ideas that anyone will love, I’ve got you covered!
For most, Memorial Day is the start of summer! By the last week in May, the weather has consistently turned warmer, school is (almost) out, and our need to be outside to enjoy the sunshine is ravenous!
As you’re preparing to light up the grill and kick off the summer, consider these vegetarian barbecue ideas!
1. Barbecue Cauliflower Wings
These cauliflower wings are the perfect addition to barbecue season! This easy recipe requires less than 10 ingredients, most of which you already have at home. The “wings” can be cooked in the oven, freeing up some much-needed grill space, but the smokey sweet barbeque sauce served on top makes it the perfect dish at your next barbecue. I swap the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour and the panko breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs.
2. Cucumber and Avocado Salad
This salad is the perfect addition to your summer barbecues! Whether you’re looking for a side dish with simple ingredients or a fresh take on corn salad, this recipe is for you! As the weather gets warmer, creating easy dishes like this one is the best way to incorporate freshness into your meal. This delicious recipe is effortless and quick but tastes like it took much longer to prepare. I like to add fresh red onions to my recipe as well! https://dinnerthendessert.com/avocado-tomato-corn-salad/
3. Barbeque Impossible Burger
What is a barbeque without a burger!? In our case, meatless burgers! While I would love to say that everytime I make burgers, I make them homemade, that’s just not the case! Sometimes I need something that is quick and easy and doesn’t require lots of effort, for those days, I use the Impossible Burger. This can obviously be substituted with any premade vegan burger, but Impossible Burgers are my favorite. You can even bring pack of these with you to a barbeque if you’re not sure if they’re have enough vegetarian options for you – because let’s be honest sometimes we don’t just want to eat a bunch of sides.
4. Spicy Black Bean Burgers
I call this the meat lover’s veggie burger! This burger is hardy, filling and so delicious! This recipe is a combination of basic ingredients that pack a big flavor punch for any plant-based partygoers. I like to make a bunch of these and freeze them for later!
5. BBQ Sweet Potatoes
Grilled potatoes?! Count me in! These BBQ sweet potatoes are absolutely delicious and are packed with smoky flavor after a quick 10 minutes or so on the grill! This is a must try for summertime barbecue and definitely something you’ll want to add to your list of vegetarian barbecue ideas. I have used these as a main course but they also make a great side dish. If you want to kick up the flavor even more, make some homemade barbecue sauce and add a generous amount! I like these cut into a round shape, but you can also do sweet potato wedges.
6. Pasta Salad
Pasta salad has become one of my favorite things to make for the kids because it is so incredibly easy to make and they can easily pick out the items they don’t want. Even if you’re a meat eater, pasta salad is a traditional side dish for a good outdoor bbq. Of course, we’re making a plant-based version with no meat. This is best with fresh warm weather produce and I love adding crushed red peppers for an extra kick! https://strengthandsunshine.com/italian-pasta-salad-vegan-gluten-free/
7. Grilled Vegetables with Jasmine Rice and Tataki Sauce
Don’t just have grilled vegetables as side dishes, for these vegetarian barbeque ides, we’re stepping it up a bit. Grill your vegetables with this amazing marinade and serve it over rice! This is not only one of my favorite healthy recipes, it also doubles as fantastic vegan bbq recipes. Head to the grocery store or farmer’s market for some in season summer seasonal vegetables and add some chopped herbs to the final dish for a natural freshness!
8. BBQ Corn Ribs
Ribs aren’t just for meat eaters! Don’t forget about this dish for your vegetarian barbecue ideas because it’s THAT good! Corns are naturally sweet and the grilled flavor and delicious barbeque sauce are a great way to make this summer vegetable a play on a classic summer barbeque dish.
9. Balsamic Glaze Carrots
A must-try grilled carrots recipe! I’ll admit I’m not a huge carrot lover, but the carrot’s natural sweetness mixed with the balsamic glaze is SO good in this recipe. I’ve even seen people put this inside of a hotdog but for a vegetarian play on that perfect summer sandwich.
10. Summer Salad
I love this mozzarella summer salad so much! It is not only fresh and delicious, but it also makes a great meal prep meal! You can easily make it ahead of time and be a sure crowd-pleaser at your next bbq. The tender red onion is the perfect pop of flavor along with the creamy mozzarella balls and vibrant pesto.
11. BBQ Lentil Sliders
Lentils are one of my favorite protein sources. They’re so versatile and absorb flavor so well! If you’re looking for main dishes for vegetarian barbecue ideas, definitely consider this meat-like slider. For extra grilled flavor, grill onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes to include on the slider – and of course, grill the bun!
12. BBQ Lentil and Chickpea Stew
More lentils! Sorry, I’m not sorry about it. I love them! This lentil and chickpea combo is an easy way to ensure you’re getting protein during your summer barbeque while still eating less meat. This is one of those vegetarian recipes that is absolutely delicious over rice, but can also make a great side dish. I’ve made this with grilled brussels sprouts on the side …INCREDIBLE!
13. Fresh Fruit Bowl
Classic side dish and the best use of all those summer fruits that are on sale at the farmer’s market during this season! Fresh fruit bowls are my favorite suggestion for vegetarian barbecue ideas for kids because my kids eat more fruit than any other food (besides snacks okay!).
14. Summer Grilled Veggie Skewers
A vegetarian take on a barbeque favorite! I’ve always had a hard time with vegetable kebabs because its hard for me to figure out how to cook the different-sized vegetables evenly because everything has different cooking times and the shapes are so different. I’ve found the best way to combat this is to combine similar vegetables on the same skewer to help have a consistent cooking time without mushy or overcooked veggies.
15. BBQ Baked Beans
I eat baked beans so often during the summer months that I had to include them on this list of vegetarian barbecue ideas! This one is versatile for meat eaters as well because you can always have bacon on the side for them to add to their beans if they’d like!
16. Portobello Steaks
Looking for vegetarian barbecue ideas for a steak substitute? Try these portobello steaks! You need these portobello steaks in your life this grilling season because they’re PACKED with flavor so easy to create. Using ingredients like garlic cloves and soy sauce helps to really bring the flavor.
17. Grilled Eggplant
Portobello steaks aren’t your thing? Try these eggplant steaks for your vegetarian barbecue ideas this summer! They’re not only vegetarian, they’re also vegan and gluten-free which is definitely a crown pleaser for anyone with food sensitivities. I love these eggplant steaks because they’re durable and can hold up well on the grill!
18. Grilled Veggie Quesadillas
Remember those veggies we talked about earlier in this blog about vegetarian recipe ideas? Let’s repurpose those veggies into some delicious grilled veggie quesadillas!
These vegetarian barbecue recipes are sure to be crowd-pleasers for your guests this summer! Which of these vegetarian BBQ recipes will you try? If you have any to add, please list them in the comments below!
19. Grilled Pineapple and Tofu Kebabs
These kebabs are a combination of fruity and “meaty”. I’m not even a huge tofu fan, but this recipe is so incredibly delicious. This is a perfect summer recipe that will complement any bbq dish.
I hope you loved these suggestions for amazing vegetarian barbecue ideas anyone will love!
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