Summer is full of so many of our favorite (and coincidentally, pretty healthy!) eating activities: farmers' markets packed with produce, picnics at the beach and park, and grilling as many things as we can get our hands on, with a big emphasis on the grilling. To fuel up for the season, you can catch us grilling as many of these healthy dinners as possible to really celebrate all the best parts of summer. We know health looks different to different people, so we’ve included options for every diet, like low-carb, vegan, pescatarian, or gluten-free. Check out our 40 healthy grilling recipes—these ideas will keep you going, so you can enjoy your summer to the fullest.
When it comes to eating healthier during the summer, there’s no easier way than to look to summer produce. Trust us, even the vegetables you or your family thinks they hate (we see you mushrooms or Brussels sprouts) taste better with a little char from the grill. Truly, you can put any vegetable on the grill—try everything from basics like grilled zucchini and corn on the cob to Mediterranean grilled eggplant and grilled green tomatoes. You could just eat your vegetables plain, straight from the grill, but we recommend jazzing them up a bit. Add nuts, seeds, cheese, or whatever you like. Check out our Thai-inspired grilled cauliflower steaks, our grilled artichokes with pistachio-yogurt sauce, or our grilled carrots with ricotta and chimichurri for ideas.
Another one of our favorite ways to keep things “healthier” during the summer is to change up how we’re eating some of our fave dishes. Missing carbs, for example? Stick all your faves on grill skewers, like our Buffalo cauliflower kebabs (everything you love about Buffalo chicken, but vegetarian), our banh mi kebabs (flavorful meat without the bread), or our tomato gnocchi kebabs (like a bowl of pasta, but portion-controlled).
Want more healthy summer inspiration? Check out our summer salads and healthy summer recipes too.
1
Tomato Gnocchi Kebabs
Sure, gnocchi is amazing served in a bowl with a sauce, but have you ever had nicely browned gnocchi taken straight off the grill?The gnocchi paired with blistered grilled tomatoes and tender red onion make for a perfect summer dinner or side dish.
Get the Tomato Gnocchi Kebabs recipe.
2
Cheeseburger Cabbage Wraps
We're BIG fans of low-carb burgers. (Hellooo, bunless burger bites.) We love how sturdy cabbage is as a bun replacement—just make sure you buy a large cabbage so your leaves are big enough to wrap around the entire burger. Then you can make bacon wrapped cabbage with the core!
Get the Cheeseburger Cabbage Wraps recipe.
3
Peach Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Grilling fruit will bring out its juicy sweetness, and while you can always go the sweet route with your grilled peaches, they're just as good paired with this sweet and tangy balsamic chicken.
Get the Peach Balsamic Grilled Chicken recipe.
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4
Honey Lime Grilled Corn
Nothing says summertime like the smell of corn on the grill. It also happens to be the easiest side you’ll make all season. For this recipe, juicy ears of corn get some char on a hot grill, then get brushed with an irresistible honey-lime butter that you'll want to put on everything.
Get the Honey Lime Grilled Corn recipe.
5
Bánh Mì Kebabs
A classic bánh mì is one of the world's great sandwiches. An ideal way to get that classic bánh mì taste, without the bread? With these kebabs! Par-cooked carrots and slightly sweet daikon grill up nicely with thick pieces of pork chop. And they're perfectly matched with a straightforward combo of fish sauce, soy sauce, and honey.
Get the Bánh Mì Kebabs recipe.
6
Grilled Honey-Chipotle Salmon Foil Packets
Grilling fish can be intimidating, but with foil packs, there's no need to stress. Rather than worry about the fish sticking to the grates or flipping the flaky flesh, you'll fold the salmon up in tin foil instead. It's not just fish inside, either—there's a medley of zucchini and yellow summer squash with a smoky honey-chipotle sauce.
Get the Grilled Honey-Chipotle Salmon Foil Packets recipe.
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7
Grilled Green Beans
If you're cooking over an actual grill, place a heavy duty piece of foil over the grates before adding the green beans. It'll prevent all the veg from falling through the cracks. Not a fan of peanuts? Use any crushed nuts or seeds here for crunch!
Get the Grilled Green Beans recipe.
8
Caprese Chicken Foil Packs
This recipe combines three things we love—Caprese, chicken, and foil packets—for a SUPER-easy and bright chicken dinner that only takes about 30 minutes to make. Whether you're throwing a BBQ or having a chill family meal, everyone will love them!
Get the Caprese Chicken Foil Packs recipe.
9
Buffalo Cauliflower Kebabs
We here at Delish know the value of adding spicy Buffalo sauce to cauliflower (see our Buffalo cauliflower wings), but we never thought to grill the cauli up… until now. These Buffalo cauliflower kebabs put all your favorite flavors from classic Buffalo wings onto skewers–and they're vegetarian to boot!
Get the Buffalo Cauliflower Kebabs recipe.
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10
Grilled Carrots
As with most root veggies, carrots take awhile to cook through, meaning they've got to be tended to and turned frequently to get tender on the grill. The good news is that your hard work will be rewarded; the carrot's natural sweetness comes out during cooking, a complementary foil to the smoky char achieved on the grill. We love serving this veggie side atop creamy ricotta, with a punchy carrot top-based chimichurri sauce for some brightness.
Get the Grilled Carrots recipe.
11
Turkey Burgers
We obviously love ours as is, but there are a few swaps you can make that we totally support! Don't have Worcestershire? Use soy sauce or even liquid smoke. Add some finely chopped shallots in with your garlic or swap out the parsley for any herbs you have on hand or make your own Cajun seasoning to use in it. This burger is flexible.
Get the Turkey Burger recipe.
12
BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches
The grill adds subtle, almost bacon-like smoky flavor to these tempeh steaks, but there's no meat in sight. Add a cooling, creamy coleslaw and a toasted buttered bun for the perfect meatless sandwich.
Get the BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches recipe.
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13
Bruschetta Grilled Chicken
This bruschetta-inspired grilled chicken is one of our favorite ways to celebrate fresh summer flavors. Make it for dinner this grilling season, then again and again all season long.
Get the Bruschetta Grilled Chicken recipe.
14
Grilled Artichoke
Artichokes are the roses of the vegetable kingdom. Their beautiful look and subtle flavors are well worth the work, especially if you're cooking to impress. We're pairing the smoky flavors of the grill here with a cool, green pistachio-yogurt cream and adding a little bit of spice and crunch with fried garlic chips and a pistachio-sesame topping.
Get the Grilled Artichoke recipe.
15
Thai-Inspired Grilled Cauliflower Steaks
We found the perfect funky balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy in this Thai-inspired sauce to blanket your cauliflower steaks. Try the sauce and, if needed, balance it out to your taste with brown sugar for more sweetness, red pepper flakes for more heat, lime juice for more pucker, and salt.
Get the Thai-Inspired Grilled Cauliflower Steaks recipe.
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16
Mahi Mahi Tacos
Being a meaty, tender fish, mahi mahi stands up well to the grill and is even better when marinated. You could use a traditional citrus-oil mixture, or do like we did and go with a mayo-based marinade that adds some richness and a ton of flavor. Throw the fish on a tortilla with some spicy pineapple-jalapeño salsa, and you'll have an amazing summer taco night.
Get the Mahi Mahi Tacos recipe.
17
Balsamic Grilled Mushrooms
Mushrooms can get sidelined at a BBQ as a lame side dish, but when tossed in a balsamic-soy glaze, they'll get ALL the attention.
Get the Balsamic Grilled Mushrooms recipe.
18
Honey Mustard Chicken, Tomato & Zucchini Foil Packs
Smothered in sweet honey-mustard sauce, these chicken breasts are grilled to perfection, staying super-tender and juicy by cooking inside foil packets. If you're looking for the easiest weeknight dinner ready in under an hour, this veggie-packed chicken dish is the crowd-pleaser your family will love this summer.
Get the .
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19
Grilled Steak Salad
This salad is simple enough for a weeknight but worthy of planning a get-together around, thanks to its star ingredient—ribeye steak. You’ll grill it (and red onions), then combine it with cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, basil, and a drizzle of tangy balsamic dressing, turning it into the kind of impressive-but-secretly-easy dish you’ll be making all the time.
Get the Grilled Steak Salad recipe.
20
Grilled Asparagus
Few veggies grill up as nicely as asparagus. Thin stalks get crispy while thicker ones get tender. Finish with a bit of lemon or Parm, and you'll have the perfect summer side dish in under 5 minutes.
Get the Grilled Asparagus recipe.
