These Chef Hacks Make Grilled Fruits & Vegetables Taste Even Better

If your experience grilling veggies starts and ends with pepper and onion skewers, fear not. We consulted Morgan Jarrett, the executive chef at STATE Grill and Bar, who specializes in vegetable-forward cooking, about how to grill your greens (and reds and yellows and purples). Here are her top tips:

Many people reserve grilling rights for classics like peppers and onions, but broccolini, trumpet mushrooms, and kohlrabi all shine. Corn is also at its best when slightly charred. 

Sturdy summer stone peaches and plums can stand up to the heat, which caramelizes their natural sugars and intensifies their flavor. Toss stone fruits with a pinch of sugar and blister them on the grill to complement a savory salad, or serve as a base for a dessert.

To use this to your advantage, remove veggies from the grill just before they finish. 

Avoid stacking vegetables after cooking so they don't continue to steam each other. 

Cook harder, denser vegetables, like beets, on a higher shelf of the grill for a longer amount of time. Save the main space for softer veggies like zucchini. 

Here's a favorite riff on this base marinade that Chef Jarett loves to use:

Whisk together all ingredients. Use it as a marinade for your vegetables before grilling. You can adjust the amounts according to your taste. The marinade will keep in the fridge for several days.

These chef-approved tips will keep your summer veggies from going soggy or losing flavor on the grill. The final product will shine in a refreshing appetizer, satisfying dessert, and everything in between.