Grilled zucchini is an easy and delicious way to use up those garden zucchini. Learn how to grill zucchini perfectly with this simple tutorial.
Why You Need to Make Zucchini on the Grill
While we love baked zucchini and air fryer zucchini, there is something about making zucchini on the grill that is full circle.
Zucchini is such a wonderful summer veggie to harvest and cooking it on the grill will allow you to get a hint of char while cooking it perfectly.
In this post, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about slicing, seasoning, and grilling zucchini perfectly every time.
How to Grill Zucchini
Choose the perfect zucchini
Zucchini season May-August and this is prime time for either buying zucchini from the grocery store or growing it in your own garden (depending on where you live).
We recommend buying medium-sized zucchini. They should be firm to touch and without any bruises.
Slice Zucchini
Now it’s time to slice your zucchini for grilling. There are many different shapes and sizes you can choose, but just make sure you slice them all the same way so that they cook evenly. Here are some ideas:
- Long strips (how we did it!)
- Spears
- Coins
Flavor Zucchini
You can keep things super simple flavor-wise with salt and pepper. But you can also get creative with either storebought or homemade seasonings. Here are some ideas:
Grill the Zucchini
Preheat the grill to 400ºF and lay a piece of tin foil down onto the grill.
Next, place each zucchini half onto the tin foil and grill for around 10 minutes, flipping every 4 minutes. Remove the zucchini from the grill once you start to see char marks.
Note: you may need to cook your zucchini for more or less time depending on how to sliced it.
Ways to Use Leftover Grilled Zucchini
Don’t let any zucchini go to waste! Here are some ideas for your leftovers:
Tips to Make the PERFECT Zucchini
Monitor Water Content
Sometimes zucchini have a ton of seeds and water content. That may sometimes cause grilled zucchini to become mushy. If you do suspect that there are too many seeds in your zucchini halves, use a spoon to scoop them out gently.
Use good oil
You want to get your zucchini nice and grilled up. That may mean grill marks or just golden brown vegetables. We love the flavor that olive oil gives zucchini, but feel free to use whatever oil you would like!
Don’t overcook
The worse thing you can do is overcook your zucchini and create a mushy mess! If you are going to eat your zucchini immediately, then we recommend grilling it for no more than 10-12 minutes.
However, if you are planning to use the zucchini in another recipe like pasta or for a side dish that you are going to reheat, undercook the zucchini by grilling them for only 8-9 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Grilled zucchini would be delicious chopped up and tossed into pasta or even makes a great side dish for any meal. Serve this grilled zucchini with any of the recipes below.
Grilled bbq chicken breasts- Grilled BBQ Chicken is hands-down one of my favorite summer meals. Whip up this healthy grilled chicken breast recipe on the grill with your favorite bbq sauce!
Lemon dill salmon burgers- These are the most delicious salmon burgers made with flakey salmon, fresh lemon, and dill. Grill them, pan fry them, or bake them!
Grilled chicken legs- Ever wonder how to grill chicken legs? Look no further because these are the BEST grilled chicken legs in all the land. We’ll teach you how to make the most amazing chicken dry rub and give you a step by step tutorial for the best grilled chicken legs recipe ever.
Smoked Chicken Thighs– Seriously delicious smoked chicken thighs made with an easy, flavorful chicken marinade!
If you do decide to use this zucchini as a part of meal prep, take a look at these delicious meal prep ideas for inspiration!
Storage
Let this grilled zucchini cool completely before placing it in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.