Easy Grilled Kale

This Grilled Kale is a delicious appetizer or side dish for a summer BBQ dinner! The Tuscan cabbage leaves come out crispy with a smoky undertone.

Are you a kale fan? So let me introduce you grilled kale! Much like grilled romaine, throwing leafy greens on the grill is one thing. This grilled kale is crispy and charred, with a smoky undertone. It’s perfect for tossing on a grill while you’re preparing a main course or other veggies. Eat it as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to a grilled meal—it’s almost like roasted kale meets kale chips. Here’s how!

What you should know about grilled cabbage

A few things to consider before you start! This grilled kale is a fun way to start a meal or a great addition to a grilled vegetable mix. Here’s what you need to know:

• The tops will be crispy and the sides will be soft. The ends of this grilled kale are a bit like kale chips: charred and crispy! The sides come out a little chewy.
• The thick part of the stem can be tough: eat around it! Grilling the kale this way will make the thick part of the stalk tough. If it’s too chewy, just eat the kale around it and discard the core!
• Or serve it in a salad! To serve it in a salad you will need 2 bunches of kale. Cut off the stalks, cook a few minutes less, then tear into pieces and drizzle with Italian or Caesar dressing. Yummy!

Ingredients for the grilled cabbage

You only need a handful of ingredients to grill kale! Here’s what you need:

• Tuscan Kale (also called Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale): Tuscan cabbage is our favorite type of cabbage! It has flatter leaves, is dark green in color, and has a milder flavor than kale. We recommend it here if you can find it.
• olive oil
• garlic powder
• Kosher salt

How to grill kale

The key to cooking kale: indirect heat! We cannot repeat this often enough. If your heat is too high, you’ll end up with black, burnt kale to a crisp. I went, it’s done! Preheat over medium heat and cook over indirect heat, on a high rack if you have one. Here are the details (or jump to the recipe):

• Preheat grill to indirect heat: 350 to 375 degrees!
• Prepare cabbage: Wash the leaves and dry them with a towel. Mix with olive oil, salt and garlic powder.
• Grill over indirect heat or on a top rack for 6-9 minutes until light green and charred in places.

Another method: grilled kale in a salad!

You can also make a grilled kale salad! If you try this method, here’s what you need to know:

• Double the recipe for 4. To make a salad with enough veggies for 4 servings, use 2 bunches of kale.
• Cut off the stems before grilling. It’s easiest to remove the stems before the leaves are on the grill.
• Grill a few minutes less. Use a timer of about 4-5 minutes for the kale salad.
• Tear the leaves into pieces. When the kale has cooled, tear into pieces with your hands.

Make it a meal!

Use grilled kale as an appetizer or accompaniment to a grilled meal. Here are some great ways to serve it:

Tuscan cabbage vs. kale

You should be able to find Tuscan kale at your local grocery store or farmer’s market – it’s the kind we like to use for grilled kale! You can also roast kale. Doing this will make the stems even thicker, so we recommend cutting off the stem before serving. Here’s a breakdown of the differences:

• Tuscan cabbage also called Lacinato kale, dinosaur kale, black kale, or kale (Black cabbage in Italian). It has flat, wavy leaves that are black-green in color. The flavor is milder and sweeter than kale.
• Kale has very curly leaves and a more bitter taste than Tuscan cabbage. It’s usually a little easier to find.

More vegetables for grilling

This kale pairs well with other grilled veggies, especially since you can cook them on a top rack while exposing the other veggies to direct heat. Here are some we recommend:

This recipe for grilled cabbage is…

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