Easy Grilled Broccoli

How to Prepare Grilled Broccoli: It’s charred, deliciously sweet, and crunchy. The best side dish for a grilled dinner!

When summer comes: the grill is king. And the vegetables are positively changed by this cooking method! Have you tried the revelation that is grilled broccoli? One of our new favorite summer side dishes, grilling turns these flavorful veggies into a tender, charred crisp with a hint of smoke. Just cook it with olive oil, salt and lemon juice and it makes a fantastic side dish to any grilled dinner. (Right now it’s vying with grilled asparagus for our favorite!) Here’s how it’s done.

Want to grill all the veggies? Go to the best grilled vegetables!

Ingredients for the grilled broccoli

This grilled broccoli is simple and no-fuss: it’s designed to accompany a meal you’re already putting on the grill. Of course you can come up with something when it comes to seasoning (see below). But eat it like this and it is incredibly delicious! Here’s what you need:

• broccoli
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• garlic powder
• lemon

If you like, you can also garnish with grated parmesan cheese to boost it even more! Or Pecorino Romano, an even saltier and tasty aged cheese. But that doesn’t have to be the case: Grilled broccoli also tastes good without it.

Important: How to cut broccoli for grilling

This grilled broccoli is designed as an easy method, allowing you to place the broccoli directly onto the cooking grates. You don’t need a grill basket here! Here’s what you need to know:

• Make large bouquets that are easy to flip. To grill directly on the grates, you will need to cut the broccoli into very large florets. If the broccoli is too small, it will be difficult to turn and may fall onto the grate.
• See photo for approximate size. You want pieces that have 2 or 3 end pieces attached.
• When you eat, cut or tear into pieces to enjoy your broccoli.

How to Grill Broccoli: The Easiest Way!

There are many ways to grill broccoli: in a grill basket, on a grill pan with indirect heat, marinated, etc. Since Alex and I have a passion for relatively simple cooking methods (we wrote a book about it!), we wanted to keep this one whole simple. No special equipment required! Here’s how to grill broccoli…easy (or jump straight to the recipe):

• Preheat grill to medium-high heat. It’s about 375 to 450 degrees.
• Cut the broccoli into large florets. This makes them easy to rotate: see above for details.
• Mix with olive oil and spices. Just salt and garlic powder goes a long way!
• Grill on the grates for 6 to 8 minutes. Cook until charred and tender, turning once.
• Sprinkle with lemon. The key to amazing taste! If necessary, add a few more pinches of salt.

Ways to flavor grilled broccoli

This grilled broccoli is perfect as shown in the recipe below: Using just olive oil, garlic powder and lemon, it has an intense and bold flavor. Intensify it with a sprinkling of parmesan! Of course, there are many other ways to add intrigue. Here are some spices to sprinkle on top after cooking:

Make it a meal!

Grilled broccoli is great for grilling while you’re grilling a main course (as long as you have the space!). Or leave the grill on and cook while you keep your main course warm. Here are some serving ideas:

This recipe for grilled broccoli is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

More grilled vegetables

Grilled vegetables are our light summer side dishes! Here are some of the best grilled vegetables you can find: