Flavorful Grilled Zucchini with zesty lime juice, smokey chili powder, and spicy cayenne pepper that perfectly complement the tender zucchini.
We love making grilled vegetables alongside our beef and chicken! It’s a quick way to prepare the main dish and side at the same time.
The first time I ever had grilled zucchini was at a friend’s house, and it immediately won me over as the best way to eat fresh zucchini! It’s ready in just minutes and is the perfect side dish for grilled meat.
What You’ll Find In This Post
How To Cut Zucchini For Grilling
Start by washing and drying your zucchini. Then, place the zucchini on a cutting board and use a chef’s knife to cut it into long strips or planks. You can use both green zucchini and yellow summer squash in this recipe.
Grilled Zucchini Ingredients
You’ll need to season the zucchini before grilling it. So, to make the seasoning mixture, stir together olive oil, lime juice, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small bowl.
You can use so many other delicious seasonings depending on what your family likes or what meal you are serving it with. Here are some more options:
- lemon and black pepper
- garlic and rosemary
- chipotle
- garlic and basil
- onion, garlic, pepper, and paprika
Next, coat the zucchini planks with the olive oil and seasoning mixture. I found that brushing the seasoning on was the best way to fully coat the slices. You can also place them in a bowl, pour the olive oil mixture on top, and stir to coat, but some of the seasonings get left in the bowl when using this method.
How To Grill Zucchini
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Once the grill is hot, lightly grease the grates. Then, add the zucchini slices and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes.
Toppings For Grilled Zucchini
The grilled zucchini can be served as is, or you can add toppings of your choice. For this recipe, we simply garnished it with a little parsley for added color. But here are a few more options:
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Dried rosemary
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- Crumbed cotija cheese
- Balsamic vinegar drizzle
Frequently Asked Questions
Preheat the grill and grease the grates. Add the sliced and seasoned zucchini. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Zucchini can be grilled directly on the grill grates, on skewers, in grilling baskets or in foil packets.
Zucchini is often sliced into long pieces referred to as planks for grilling. It can also be sliced in half, cut into spears, or into circles (aka coins or medallions). The slicing can be done with a sharp kitchen knife or with a mandolin slicer.
Additional Zucchini Recipes
- Zucchini Bread is the perfect sweet treat to make with zucchini!
- This Fried Zucchini is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- These Garlic Herb Chicken Kabobs include zucchini, bell peppers, and onions!
More Vegetable Side Dishes
- What to make a side dish ahead of time? Try our Tomato Cucumber Salad for your next barbecue or picnic!
- You can simply grill corn on the cob with the husks! It's so easy to do with no prep, no soaking, and no peeling the sweet corn beforehand.
- Bloomin' Grilled Potatoes are a way to eat potatoes, and we love that you can make them on the grill!
- This Fried Corn recipe with crumbled bacon is a quick, irresistible side dish that your family will ask for again and again!
Grilled Zucchini
Video
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Slice the zucchini into long planks.
- Mix the olive oil, lime juice, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Brush over both sides of the slices.
- Lightly grease the grill gates. Grill the zucchini planks for 3-4 minutes on each side.
