When we talk about grilling, chicken and meat steaks, hotdogs, burgers, etc. come in our mind, but there’s a lot more to grilling than you think. There are plenty of delicious foods that you can grill, and they get even better in taste with some char. Whether you use an electric grill, gas grill, or charcoal grill, you will love the flavor that this piece of equipment will add to the food you are grilling.
So, if you like to enjoy a variety of foods, you have landed at the right place. In this article, we have rounded up some of the best nontraditional grilling foods that you can enjoy this summer or whenever you like.
Here’s the list:
Cauliflower
Cauliflower tastes amazingly good when grilled. Its texture is satisfying and smells great. However, you should make sure you don’t overcook it or else you won’t like its taste. You can grill cauliflower as a whole or in smaller pieces to add a bit more char taste.
You can use grilled cauliflower with pasta and lemon-tahini dressing for delicious taste.
Eggplant
Yes, eggplant can also be grilled. The interesting thing is that grilling eggplant won’t even take much of your time. Want to make it the next time you do grilling? You will need two small eggplants (sliced), olive oil, lime juice, and Cajun seasoning. To make it, simply brush eggplant slices with oil, drizzle some lime juice, and sprinkle a pinch of Cajun seasoning. Let the eggplant stand for about 5 minutes and then grill it over medium heat until tender (4 to 5 minutes per side).
Berry Pie
Well, grilling a berry peach pie may sound a bit weird to you, but you can actually make it right on your grill. To make it, you need a pie crust (homemade or store-bought), some berries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, zest of lemon, and heavy whipping cream. Here are the steps to make your berry peach pie on a grill:
- Preheat your grill to 350°F (or close to it).
- Take a large bowl, put berries in it and sprinkle them with sugar, lemon juice, zest, and cornstarch. Then toss the berries with your hands.
- Grab a foil pie plate (disposable) or a foil square pan, place the pie crust in it and fold up its edges to form the crust. Use whipping cream to brush the edges.
- Take another foil pie plate or square baking pan and place it upside down on your grill machine. Put the pie (in the pan or plate) on the top of the inverted pan. Close the lid and wait for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on your grill) until the crust is cooked through.
- Don’t forget to check it every few minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn. Finally, when ready, serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Spicy Watermelon
Grilling fruit, let alone a watermelon sounds definitely interesting and strange at the same time, but you can actually grill it to perfectness. Watermelon wedges when grilled with some topping ingredients, taste savory and spicy. You need lime zest, lime juice, honey, garlic chili sauce, salt, fresh chopped cilantro and of course, watermelon. Here’s how you can make it:
- Preheat your grill to high.
- Grab a bowl, put lime zest, juice, honey, garlic chili sauce, and some salt and whisk together.
- Cut the watermelon into thick wedges, lightly drizzle the pieces with the remaining honey, and put them on the grill.
- Grill the wedges until browned, which will normally take about 2 minutes per side.
- When done, place the slices on a plate and drizzle with the lemon dressing you made earlier. Garnish with cilantro.
Clams
Clams taste tender and juicy. You can pack them in foil packets along with zucchini and tomatoes and cook them by steaming on the grill. All you need are 10 minutes and these ingredients: cherry tomatoes, zucchinis (1-inch thick pieces), garlic clove (sliced), extra virgin olive oil, littleneck or cherrystone clams, dry white wine, and heavy-duty aluminum foil. Here are the steps to grill the clams perfectly:
- Preheat your grill to high heat.
- Grab a medium-sized bowl, combine zucchini, tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and black pepper (to taste).
- Make small foil packets and place clams on the center of each packet. Divide the vegetables and drizzle the remaining oil over each. Top with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Double fold the clams to cover it, leaving room for air to circulate, so they cook well.
- Grill the clams until they pop open. It will normally take about 8 to 10 minutes.
- When ready, use tongs or gloves to remove carefully. Serve them hot!
Peaches
Grilled peaches are juicy and sweet and make the best mouthwatering dessert when served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. You can add basil or mint for a refreshing fragrance and more eye appeal. You need ripe peaches (halved and pitted), unsalted butter, cinnamon sugar, and olive or canola oil. To make grilled peaches:
- Grab a small bowl and whisk together butter and cinnamon sugar until well combined.
- Heat your grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high.
- Brush the halved pieces with some oil and place their cut-side down on the grill.
- Grill the peaches until slightly softened and charred (about 2 minutes).
- For grill marks, compress the peaches with a spatula a few times. Make sure not be too hard on them.
- Flip to the other side and grill it for another 2 minutes.
- When done, top them with cinnamon sugar butter, fresh basil or mint, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Vanilla French Toast
While any bread would be perfect for this nontraditional grill recipe, we suggest you go with brioche or challah as they make custardy toasts. You need eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, white sandwich bread/challah/brioche, vegetable oil, and butter. Follow these steps to make this quick recipe:
- Preheat your grill to medium.
- Grab a shallow baking dish, whisk together eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Add the slices of bread into the egg mixture and coat them thoroughly. Let stand until the loaves are well soaked.
- Drizzle some oil on the grill and place the soaked loaves of bread over it. Turn the grill to moderately high heat. Grill them until dark brown grill marks appear on the bottom. It will take about 2 minutes.
- Cook through the French toasts for another 2 minutes by flipping them over to other side.
- Transfer to the plate and serve with maple syrup and jam.
Cheese
If you think that grilling cheese will turn it to all gooey, then it’s not the case with every kind of cheese. Thick slices of halloumi or other cheeses from a cheese wheel with thick rind grill to perfectness – chewy and soft! Just lightly oil the thick cheese slices and grill them until light grill marks appear on the bottom. Serve with crusty bread – you will absolutely love it!
Oysters
If you love oysters, you will definitely want to try its grilled version. All you need to do is add a slightly smoky flavor to your oysters by grilling them until the shells start to open. No hard work, no complexities – it is a simple nontraditional grilling recipe that anyone can try.
Pound Cake
You can’t make a pound cake on the grill, but you can certainly grill it for an amazing taste of char and smoke. Whether it is a homemade cake or store-bought, just add the kiss of fire and serve it with any of your favorite desserts.
Pineapple
Pineapple is one of the best and easiest fruits that you can grill for a great smoky taste. It doesn’t need much except a drizzle of honey to taste delicious. Grill the slices of pineapple and serve with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.
Pizza
How’s pizza for nontraditional grilling? Perform all those steps that you would do to make pizza in a baking oven but skip the last step, which is baking, and replace it with grilling. Brush the dough with some oil and place it over your grill on medium-low heat. Once one side is ready, flip it over and add your favorite topping. Make sure not to overload the crust. If you have a grill lid, cover it for some time, so it cooks through well.
Once the crust is fully cooked, and the cheese is melted, enjoy the perfect grilled pizza.
Potatoes
Potatoes either grilled, fried, or boiled, taste delicious! Grilled potatoes, when absorb the smoky and char flavor, become lip smacking in taste. They taste pretty amazing on their own, but you can dust them with some sea salt and pepper for enhanced taste. However, feel free to add your favorite seasoning as well.
Final Verdict
Non-traditional grilling is a great way to try out different foods and recipes with that amazing smoky taste. All the food items and recipes mentioned above in the article taste simply awesome! So, if you are ready to call all your buddies over to your house for an outdoor grilling party, don’t forget to try out some of these nontraditional grilling foods. Happy Grilling!