Five Delicious Vegetarian BBQ Recipes

Barbecue season is upon us and while for some, that means enjoying good old Aussie snags, steak and seafood, others prefer to keep their BBQ meat-free. Planning a veggie cookout? Discover our top five vegetarian and vegan barbecue recipes to delight any palate, meat-eating or not.

Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like halloumi? Salty, chewy and easy to grill, halloumi has a higher melting point than most other types of cheese, meaning it won’t melt down the grates of your barbecue as you cook it. On the contrary, it will hold its shape with a crispy outside and an irresistibly gooey inside.

The most classic barbecue recipe for halloumi lovers calls only for three ingredients: olive oil, lemon wedges and the star of the show, halloumi. 

Cut the cheese into 1 to 2-centimetre-thick slices and brush them with olive oil on each side. Then, place them on the barbecue at medium to high heat (anywhere between 180°C and 205°C), grilling each side for about 3 minutes or until you start to see grill marks. As the cheese cooks, you can also grill your burger buns, being careful not to burn them.

When they’re nice and crispy, take the halloumi slices off the grill, drizzle them with lemon juice to bring out the cheesy flavours even more and assemble your burger with the ingredients of your choice.

Eggplant can get a bad reputation. Cook it for too long and you’ll get an unpleasant slimy texture; undercook it and the final product will be spongy and bitter. However, when cooked properly, eggplant is an incredibly flavourful vegetable and this barbecue recipe proves it. 

The secret to the perfect grilled eggplant is actually in the prepping. All you need to do is combine two tablespoons of salt and one cup of warm water in a large bowl, mixing until it is completely dissolved. Then, add about 7 more cups of cold water and cut the eggplant into 2-centimetre slices. Put them in the saltwater with some weight on top, and leave them for 30 to 60 minutes.

This process will not only draw out any bitterness but will also help the slices keep their shape as they’re cooked. Once the brining process is over, drain and pat dry the eggplant slices, add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, and grill for 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve with a side salad, a dollop of hummus and more vegetables for the healthiest vegan barbecue meal!

Looking for a versatile barbecue recipe for vegans? Then, you need to add vegan kebabs to the menu. From vegetables and fruits to tofu, seitan, tempeh and even plant-based kebab meat: there are endless ingredients you can use to make your kebabs.

Whatever you choose to skewer, be sure to spice it up with your favourite sauce or marinade. Opt for Asian-inspired flavours with a peanut satay dressing, add a sweet and smoky touch with a BBQ-based marinade or recreate the classic doner kebab garlic sauce using soy yoghurt.

Prefer to keep it simple? Thread pieces of zucchini, red onion and capsicums onto skewers, seasoning them with a quick and easy herb, olive oil and garlic marinade. For an even juicier, meatier bite, add mushrooms to your vegetarian BBQ skewers.

You can’t have a barbecue without grilled corn and that’s something meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike can agree on.

It’s one of the most effortless vegetarian barbecue recipes, and there are a few different ways to cook corn on the cob: with the husk on, wrapped in foil or directly on the grill with the husk off.

The first method is slightly more time-consuming but definitely worth the wait and the final product combines the sweetness of the corn with the charred flavour of the husk. Simply remove the silk of the corn, pull the husks back up and soak the corn for 10 to 20 minutes, before grilling them at medium heat for another 20 minutes. 

Grilling corn in foil is the best method if you want maximum corn juice with minimal smokiness. Rub the corn with olive oil, salt and pepper, add some butter on top and wrap it, poking a few holes in the foil. Grill for 20 to 25 minutes on medium heat.

Lastly, grilling the corn with no husk or foil is the fastest method, taking no more than 15 minutes. Simply rub the corn with oil and place it on the barbecue until all sides have darkened.

If you’re craving a classic burger but without the meat, we have just the barbecue recipe for you: a black bean burger. The key to making bean patties is in the mixture. Use the right ingredients and you’ll get the perfect texture for BBQ’ing - but what are those ingredients?

Easy: eggs, breadcrumbs and barbecue sauce or ketchup. Combined, they’ll work as a binder to prevent your patties from crumbling. Use a food processor to mix them with the black beans, sauteed onion and garlic and your favourite seasonings. Once you achieve the desired texture, create the patties and grill them for 6 to 8 minutes on each side at medium to high heat.

Slice some red onions and tomatoes and pile them into the burger bun along with lettuce, cheese (dairy or plant-based), ketchup and your pattie. Want to keep your barbecue vegan? Skip the eggs and use mashed sweet potato instead.