The BEST Summer Side—Charred Grilled Broccoli!
Summertime is all about one of our favorite grilling recipes—beautifully charred grilled veggies! They make the perfect summer side, mezze-style meal, or easy meal add-on. But best of all, you can grill up pretty much ANY fresh produce that summer has to offer, including fresh broccolini.
Grilled broccolini is an easy and always stunning side for everything from backyard cookouts to weeknight dinners. Its long, slender stems, tightly packed heads, and a spray of leafy greens char up beautifully. As if that weren’t enough to love, the high heat of the grill also gives grilled broccolini a mild sweetness and an irresistible tender yet crunchy bite.
This recipe walks you through all the details on how to grill broccolini, but it really couldn’t be any simpler. All you need is a bunch of broccolini plus 3 simple pantry staples to make one of the tastiest grilled veggie sides around. The veggies char up in 5 minutes, then simply add a squeeze of lemon juice and enjoy!
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Broccolini vs. broccoli vs. broccoli raab → These veggies share similar names but are pretty distinct from one another! Broccolini has a milder, sweeter flavor than broccoli and tightly packed heads that are much smaller than broccoli crowns. Broccoli raab (a.k.a. rapini) has long, slender stalks, big green leaves, and tightly packed heads like broccolini, but it tastes very bitter. The best way to tell the difference is broccoli rab will have thinner stalks and much more big leafy greens than broccolini.
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While most grilled veggies are quick and simple to prepare, this grilled broccolini recipe might just be the fastest. You’ll be done in less than 10 minutes from start to finish! Here’s how it’s done:
Prep the broccolini for the grill. Wash and trim the broccolini of any tough ends, then drizzle the leafy stalks with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tip! → Go easy on the oil here! You only need enough so that the broccolini stalks are lightly coated.
Grill. Our ideal grill temperature for grilling broccolini is about 450-500 degrees F. Once the grill is preheated, place the seasoned broccolini on the grill so the stalks are positioned perpendicular to the grill grates. Why? → This helps prevent the grilled broccolini from falling through the grates as it cooks! From there, it only takes 2-3 minutes per side until the grilled broccolini is tender and charred.
Serve. Enjoy the grilled broccoli while it’s hot, served alongside your favorite summer mains. Pro Tip! → Grill some lemon wedges alongside your grilled broccolini and add a squeeze of bright and smoky goodness on the veggies before serving. Absolutely perfect.
Tips and Tricks
Grilling broccolini is a super easy task, but here are a few ideas to take things up a notch:
- Choose super fresh stalks. When shopping for broccoli, look for bases that are green and healthy with no evidence of drying out. The heads should be tightly packed, without any evident flowering. Snag some fresh broccolini from your local farmer’s market for an easy win!
- Spice it up. Feel free to season your broccolini with some red pepper flakes as well. They add a great kick!
- Marinate for extra flavor. The only thing better than grilled veggies is marinated veggies. Check out our 15 Go-To Grill Marinades list for TONS of savory-sweet options.
- Serve with lemon. Grilled broccolini practically begs for a little spritz of freshly squeezed lemon juice, similar to other veggies like asparagus.
- Do a little meal prep. One of my favorite things about this grilled broccolini recipe is that you can easily make it ahead of time and serve it hot or cold. Delicious either way!
Serving Suggestions
Grilled broccolini pairs perfectly with just about everything! Simply add a squeeze of lemon juice, maybe a drizzle of pesto, and enjoy some beautifully charred veggies alongside your favorite main dishes.
Here are some of our favorite recipes to serve with grilled broccolini:
- Fish – Serve grilled broccolini with quick and easy Furikake Salmon or with low-effort broiled Sheet Pan Salmon. Both dishes are some of our favorite weeknight meals during the summer!
- Chicken – Beautiful grilled broccolini pairs naturally with Italian-inspired dishes like Tuscan Grilled Chicken, Balsamic Chicken, or Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata. But it’s also perfect with other classics like BBQ chicken or Grilled Lemon Chicken. You can’t go wrong here.
- Pork – Serve grilled broccolini alongside our Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops with Prosciutto and Asiago Cheese, Creamy Pork Marsala, or Best-Ever Grilled Pork Tenderloin for a dinner party delight!
- Steak – This seriously perfect butter-basted grilled steak begs for some mashed potatoes and charred broccolini next to it.
- Other Veggies – Add grilled broccolini to an Easy Grilled Vegetable Platter with a side of Chimichurri dipping sauce. Our favorite app for any backyard cookout!
Need more grilling inspiration? Be sure to check out our Grilling 101 Guide and Must-Have Grilling Equipment for all your summer needs.
I can’t wait for you to try this Easy Grilled Broccolini! If you do, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about and seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy grilling!
Print 10-Minute Tender & Crunchy Grilled Broccolini
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 5 min
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Side Dish Recipes, Techniques & How-Tos
- Method: Grilling & Smoking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A low-lift grilling side! This Easy Grilled Broccolini recipe is mildly sweet, beautifully charred, and irresistibly crunchy in less than 10 minutes!
Grilling broccolini has seriously never been easier. Serve this gorgeously green and charred veggie alongside other grilling favorites like chicken, steaks, or pork for an easy win, any night of the week.
Naturally vegetarian, vegan, dairy, and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 16 oz broccolini
- Avocado oil, or other neutral, high smoke point oil of choice
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Preheat the grill: Prep your grill for medium-high direct heat grilling. My ideal grill temperature for broccolini is about 450-500 degrees F.
- Prep the broccolini: Trim the broccolini of any tough ends. Drizzle with just enough avocado oil to coat the broccolini, then season generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Grill the broccolini: Place the seasoned broccolini on the grill such that the stalks are positioned perpendicularly to the grill grates (which helps prevent from slipping between the grates as it cooks). Grill 2-3 minutes per side until tender and charred as desired. These go quick, so be sure to keep an eye on ’em!
- Serve! Enjoy your grilled broccolini immediately, served on their own or alongside your favorite grilled meals. Refer to the blog post, above, for more serving suggestions.
Notes
- Grilled broccolini practically begs for little spritz of freshly squeezed lemon juice! Take it to the next level by grilling some lemon wedges alongside your asparagus for extra smoky flavor.
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