We love grilled vegetables around here, and this grilled vegetable marinade is the best I’ve ever tasted. Made with lemon, butter, and thyme, it is the perfect marinade and basting sauce for summer! It’s also Paleo, Keto, low-carb and Whole30 compliant!
I love to make a large platter of these grilled vegetables for a big summer BBQ, but even if I make this amount, just for my family , we end up eating twice as many vegetables when I serve them grilled with this amazing marinade. (This post was originally published on June 29th, 2011. It has been updated to contain nutritional information. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn commission on qualifying purchases)
Perfect for any diet or lifestyle
If you want to make this marinade Paleo friendly and Whole30 compliant; simply substitute the butter for clarified butter or ghee. Make sure that you check your mustard if you are being really strict! If you’re following a gluten free, low-carb or keto diet, you won’t need to change a thing!
Not interested in the dietary labels? It’s just another method to indicate that this is a simple and unprocessed recipe. The ingredients are just butter, olive oil, chopped shallots, mustard, lemon juice and fresh thyme, which makes it a healthy addition to any meal.
What are good vegetables to grill?
Just about any vegetable is great on the grill. Well, maybe not broccoli or cauliflower! While not low carb, sweet potatoes or corn on the cob are also great as well. If I purchase small mushrooms, I’ll skewer them. Portobello mushrooms are fabulous too!
In our house asparagus, mushrooms, and onions are everyone’s favorites. Eggplant is also wonderful, but not a family favorite, so I only add it when I’m making them for a large crowd. Surprisingly, carrots are wonderful on the grill. I love to use the exotic Dutch carrots that are purple and yellow in addition to orange carrots.
How do you grill vegetables?
It’s common sense, but you’ll want to start with the firmest vegetables first. So I’ll start with the carrots and onions, then add the peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini and finish with the asparagus.
How do you make this grilled vegetable recipe?
The marinade ingredients are simple and clean. Olive oil, shallots, lemon juice, mustard, thyme and butter. I like these little glass dishes for my prep or mis en place.
If you have any leftover marinade, you can heat it up and serve it on the side.
Wash and trim the asparagus, quarter the bell peppers, and slice the zucchini and onions. Lay all the vegetables on baking sheets. You’ll want to keep the onion and zucchini slices around 1/4″ thick.
If they’re too thin, they’ll become to soft and won’t hold their shape. Portobello mushrooms are great on the grill, just remove the large stem. For small mushrooms you can skewer them if you don’t want to chase them around the grill.
Just heat up all the marinade ingredients and brush on both sides of the vegetables. I usually do this about 30 minutes before I plan to grill them, or about the time it takes to heat it up the BBQ. These colorful brushes are great for all sorts of kitchen tasks.
Can you make grilled vegetables ahead of time?
I usually prepare the vegetables a few hours before I plan on grilling them. They will stay warm after grilled wrapped well in foil in the oven set at 200 F. for about an hour. (If you’re planning on keeping them warm for longer, I suggest undercooking the vegetables slightly)
What can you make with leftover grilled vegetables?
Don’t worry if you have leftovers! I like to put the leftover grilled vegetables in sandwiches, omelets, or in salads. This Grilled Steak Salad would be a great way to repurpose leftover grilled asparagus. (recipe and photo courtesy of Keto Focus)
Or what about a Grilled Summer Vegetable Quesadilla for the leftover grilled zucchini or peppers? (Recipe and photo courtesy of House of Nash Eats)
This Soba Salad with Grilled Vegetables and Tofu would be another delicious option for grilled vegetables! (Recipe and photo courtesy of Life Currents.)
What to serve with grilled vegetables
These vegetables go well with Greek Grilled Chicken or Rosemary Shrimp. This Golden Rice Pilaf is another dish that pairs well with grilled vegetables.
This grilled vegetable marinade with lemon and thyme recipe comes from Bon Appetit, from about 1993.
Grilled vegetable marinade with lemon, thyme and butter
Ingredients
Grilled Vegetable Marinade
- 4 ounces unsalted butter diced (if Paleo or Whole30, use clarified butter)
- 1/3 cup shallots chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 Tablespoons lemon juice about 1
- 1 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Vegetables for Grilling
- 2 onions sliced 1/4" thick
- 2 zucchini sliced vertically, 1/4" thick
- 3 bell peppers cut into quarters
- 1 bunch asparagus spears ends trimmed
- 1/2 pound mushrooms brown, white or 2 portabellos
- 3 carrots sliced vertically or into wedges
Instructions
Grilled Vegetable Marinade
- Combine all ingredients in a heavy sauce pan. Whisk over medium heat until butter melts and sauce is well blended.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 3 hours ahead. Cool. Whisk over low heat to rewarm before using.)
Vegetables
- Cut zucchini, carrots and onions about 1/4" thick.
- Slice bell peppers into quarters
- Skewer the mushrooms if using small mushrooms or remove tough center stem if grilling portobello mushrooms.
- Brush both sides of veggies with marinade. They can be wrapped and refrigerated if making them ahead. Remove from fridge about 30 minutes before grilling.
- Over a medium heat, begin grilling vegetables starting with thickest vegetables first (carrots) and end with the most delicate last. (Asparagus needs just a few minutes)
- If there's extra sauce, reheat it and serve it on the side or drizzle over warm vegetables.
Annabelle says
Great post : ) Yummmmy!
Ada ~ More Food, Please says
The lemon thyme butter sounds amazing! Will have to give it a try the next time I grill vegetables! 😀
Jovina Coughlin says
What a beautiful plate of grilled vegetables. Your tastes are like mine. I love feta cheese on just about anything.
Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness says
I love grilled vegetables. Your platter of vegetables look wonderful.
Cynthia says
Thank you Dawn! I just saw your comment!
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
These look AMAZING! I love grilled veggies…I could eat them all day long!
Sarah@bakingwithmom says
I am going through all my old pictures and retaking them as well. 🙂 These vegetables look great!
Catherine says
Dear Cynthia, there is nothing more delicious to make on the grill than a grilled veggies. What a fabulous platter. Love the sound of that marinade. xo, Catherine
Cynthia says
Thanks CatherineM my family devours these…if there are any left the next day, they’re great in sandwiches.
Taylor Kiser says
This is a delicious way to eat my veggies! And so easy! Win-win!
Melanie Varey says
The beautiful colours of these vegetables- yum! I love all veg so enjoyed this recipe. The addition of mustard to he marinade delicious.!
Cynthia says
Thank you!
kushigalu says
What a delicious way to eat veggies. Totally in love with this recipe. Thanks for sharing
Cynthia says
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.
Proseccobefore7 says
Fantastic recipe! We love grilled veggies and this look amazing. Thanks for sharing
Cynthia says
Thank you!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh my that looks so good! Pasa me a fork! Yum!
Cynthia says
THank you!
Bintu | Budget Delicious says
I am in love with this marinade – so tasty and sooo good! I love grilled vegetables at any time of year but especially during the summer!
Dannii says
I would happily eat grilled vegetables all day every day. These look delicious.
Cynthia says
Thank you Dannii!
Kechi says
We love grilled vegetables too, and sometimes marinades can make or break them! I love your marinade, and the veggies turned out beautifully. YUM!
Cynthia says
Thank you so much! We love them too.
Chef Mimi says
Fabulous. I really should do this more often. I think all grilled or roasted veggies are the best. And I love them with a vinaigrette. My husband won’t eat anything with vinegar, which is maybe why I don’t grill veggies more often, although they’re fabulous “plain” as well. Thanks!
Cynthia says
Thanks Mimi, He might like this one! No vinegar.
Paula Richie says
Good information for those who eat grilled foods.
Sabina Green says
These grilled vegetables look delicious. I love that recipes like this are simple, fresh and tasty! I might make these later on today.
Cynthia says
So simple and tasty.
Nancy G. says
This is fabulous! I made all the veggies listed, plus sweet potato slices. We served them with grilled chicken. They were a big hit.
Cynthia says
Thank you! Glad you liked them!
Ron Donoho says
Those platters look like they would feed a lot of people. Yum.
Rosey says
Grilled veggies are my fave, especially if they have a good marinate. I cut ahead too especially if people are coming over.
Cynthia says
this recipe is great for a crowd.
Krishnan says
This is feast for vegetarians, thanks for writing this article
Susan says
I loved the marinade… as a sauce. As a marinade I felt that it didn’t flavor the veggies. It acted the same as just a simple oil. However I really enjoyed it as a lemony sauce for veggies.
Cynthia says
Glad you enjoyed it as a sauce! I like it as a marinade as opposed to brushing the veggies with just olive oil as it keeps them from sticking to the grill.
Chelsea says
Looks delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I would definitely try it next time.
Chef Mimi says
Well congratulations!!! Retirement is pretty wonderful. My last “career” was catering, which wasn’t 8 to 5, but it’s still so nice to be in total control of your time! You get to be a bit selfish… Great veggies. I made something so similar last time I had company for a Middle Eastern feast, except it was olive oil. I can’t wait to use butter.
Cynthia says
Thanks Mimi. I’m not sure how “retired” I’m going to be. I will be focusing full time on the website now!