It's time for chilling and grilling! For a quick and easy dinner, grill up some vegetable kabobs. Three different marinade recipes and two different dipping sauces are included! So, give this grilled vegetable kabobs recipe a try!
Without a doubt, I love grilling! However, since becoming plant-based, I have a new appreciation for grilled vegetables, especially grilled vegetable kabobs. With summer approaching, a variety of plant-based grill-friendly recipes are readily available. I prefer grilling over any cooking because it takes me outside and because of the creativity to create fabulous grilled vegan meals. This grilled vegetable kabobs recipe is a quick and easy dinner!
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Vegetable Kabob Ingredients
Every time I make vegetable or fruit kabobs, I choose whatever vegetables are fresh, available and match the sauces I plan to serve. So, each time is unique, which makes vegetable kabobs the best!
- Mushrooms: I chose cremini mushrooms for this kabob recipe.
- White Onions: White onions are strong in flavor; however, when grilled, they become charred, sweet, and smokey.
- Red Bell Pepper: Grilled red bell pepper is smokey and sweet, and delicious!
- Parboiled Potatoes: I used red baby potatoes, but they need to be parboiled before adding to the kabob sticks because they need more time to cook than the other vegetables on the grill sticks.
- Cherry Tomatoes: When grilled, cherry tomatoes are sweeter than raw and smokey.
- Zucchini: Zucchini is plentiful and very inexpensive this time of year. And it's growing out of my garden.
Vegetable Kabob Ingredient Substitutions
- Try adding pineapple in between the vegetables for added sweet flavor.
- Red onions are an excellent substitute for white onion.
- Portobello mushrooms taste a fabulous substitute for cremini mushrooms.
- Summer squash is very similar to zucchini in taste and texture.
- Any bell pepper, such as green, orange, or yellow, taste similar to red bell peppers.
How to Grill Vegetable Kabobs
Although I prefer to cook directly on the grill, many people like grill mats, which I have also successfully cooked with. However, I love grill marks and the taste of grilled vegetables. For that reason, I always opt for the direct approach.
- Preheat the grill to medium-low, about 400 degrees.
- Place vegetable kabobs on the hot grill.
- Cook for 15 minutes, turning every five minutes, and brush with leftover marinade if used.
Marinade or Dipping Sauce Suggestions
First, all marinades and dipping sauces are not created equal! Because I don't cook with oil, I make different oil-free marinades and dipping sauces for healthy cooking. Then, of course, I have my favorites.
Lemongrass Marinade/Dipping Sauce Ingredients
- Shallots
- Lemongrass
- Dulse
- Soy sauce or Tamari
- Lime
- Maple syrup or date syrup
- Thai red curry paste ( I like the Thai Kitchen brand)
- Asian sweet chili sauce ( I like a Taste of Thai brand)
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sriracha
- Thai basil, chopped
Another one of my favorite marinades is my Grilled Maple Stone Ground Mustard Tofu.
Maple & Mustard Marinade/Dipping Sauce Ingredients
- Maple syrup
- Grainy stone-ground mustard
- Garlic
- Rosemary, minced
- Thyme, minced
- Sea salt
- Smoked paprika
- Ground pepper
- Water
Yet, another one of my favorite vegetable marinades is my Teriyaki Tofu.
Teriyaki Marinade/Dipping Sauce Ingredients
- Tamari or soy sauce
- Water
- Pineapple
- Garlic
- Ginger, minced
- Rice vinegar
- Arrowroot powder (or corn starch)
- Sesame seeds
Sometimes, however, I don't marinate my kabobs or vegetables. Instead, I make dipping sauces that my family loves.
And, my crew loves to dip, so I make healthy dips for dipping. But, if you asked my family, their first favorite is Yum Yum Sauce!
Yum Yum Sauce/Dipping Sauce Ingredients
- Cashew vegan mayo (or vegan mayo of choice)or substitute white beans or silken tofu for cashews for a nut-free option
- Tomato paste
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- Maple syrup
- Sriracha
- Soy sauce or Tamari
- Water
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
However, a new favorite is my cashew basil dip for grilled vegetable kabobs.
Basil Marinade/Dipping Sauce Ingredients
- Cashew vegan mayo (or vegan mayo of choice) or substitute white beans or silken tofu for cashews for a nut-free option
- Basil
Recipe FAQs
Any firm vegetable is perfect for vegetable kabobs. If a vegetable can stick through a wooden stick, it is excellent for vegetable kabobs.
The choice is yours. If marinating, I suggest marinating for a minimum of 20 minutes or overnight for the best flavor. Or, skip marinating and serve the sauce on the side.
You can cut and prepare the vegetables the day before and even marinate them. However, because the sticks need to be soaked in water, assemble the kabobs in the sticks right before grilling.
Tips
- When using wooden sticks, always soak them in water for an hour or more before adding vegetables. This will prevent vegetables from sticking to the wood and the sticks from catching fire on the grill top.
- If marinating the vegetables, marinate separately before adding the vegetables to the skewers.
- For grilled vegetables without marinade, serve sauces on the side for individual preference.
- Choose vegetables of similar size to ensure balanced cooking.
- For instance, potatoes must be parboiled to cook evenly with other vegetables.
- To combat different sized vegetables, cook them on separate skewers based on the sizes of vegetables.
- Preheat the grill to medium-low and make sure the grill is hot before adding kabobs to the grill.
- Cut vegetables/fruits in similar sizes to cook evenly.
Summertime is an excellent time for this vegetable kabobs recipe! So, if it's a weeknight or a weekend barbeque, you will love these veggie kabobs.
Other Great Vegan Recipes You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Grilled Vegetable Kabobs
Ingredients
Kabobs
- 8 ounces of medium-sized mushrooms
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium-sized zucchini sliced into equal ¼ inch slices
- ½ pound baby tri-colored potatoes parboiled
- 1 white onion is cut into pieces similar to other vegetables
- 1 red bell pepper cut into similar sizes as other vegetables
Other Ingredients
- 4 wooden BBQ skewers or metal ones
- Salt and pepper to taste
Lemongrass Marinade/Sauce
- ½ cup shallots minced
- 3 Tablespoons chopped lemongrass from the inner white part of 2-3 stalks
- 2 teaspoons Dulse chopped to powder
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari
- 2 limes juiced 1 lime zested
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon Thai red curry paste I like the Thai Kitchen brand
- 1 Tablespoon Asian sweet chili sauce I like a Taste of Thai brand
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ inch fresh ginger grated ( I leave the skin on)
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha
- 1 teaspoon Thai basil chopped
Maple Mustard Marinade/Sauce
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup grainy stone-ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme minced
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- ¼ cup water
Teriyaki Marinade/Sauce
- 1 recipe Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Or preferred store-bought brand
Yum Yum Sauce
- 1 recipe Yum Yum Sauce
Basil Dipping Sauce
- ¾ cup Cashew vegan mayo or vegan mayo of choice substitute white beans or silken tofu for a nut-free option
- ½ cup fresh basil
Instructions
Vegetable Preparation
- If you use wooden BBQ skewers, soak in water for at least an hour to prevent vegetables from sticking after cooking.
- Parboil baby potatoes for 15 minutes; boil for 15 minutes, place potatoes in a colander, and run cold water over potatoes to stop cooking.
- Cut red bell peppers, onion, and zucchini in uniform sizes, similar to the size of the mushrooms, tomatoes, and potatoes.
- Choose a marinade and marinate vegetables for at least an hour before grilling.
Grilling Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium-low
- Remove sticks from soaking in water, thread the vegetables on the sticks, and rotate the vegetables until all are used.
- Reserve extra marinade for basting vegetables while grilling.
- Place vegetable kabobs on the hot grill
- Cook for 15 minutes, turning every five minutes, and with leftover marinade.
- Serve on skewers or remove vegetables from the skewers and serve plated.
Video
Notes
- When using wooden sticks, always soak them in water for an hour or more before adding vegetables. This will prevent vegetables from sticking to the wood and the sticks from catching fire on the grill top.
- If marinating the vegetables, marinate separately before adding the vegetables to the skewers.
- For grilled vegetables without marinade, serve sauces on the side for individual preference.
- Choose vegetables of similar size to ensure balanced cooking.
- For instance, potatoes must be parboiled to cook evenly with other vegetables.
- To combat different sized vegetables, cook them on separate skewers based on the sizes of vegetables.
- Preheat the grill to medium-low and make sure the grill is hot before adding kabobs to the grill.
- Cut vegetables/fruits in similar sizes to cook evenly.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
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