23 Grilled Fruit Recipes To Make All Summer Long
Consider this your sign to start grilling ALL your fruit.
ATTENTION ATTENTION: If you’ve never grilled your fruit before, consider this your sign that it’s time to start. There’s a certain kind of smoky, caramelized magic imbued by your grill grates onto fruit, whether you go with sweet fruits like peaches and pineapples to more savory options like avocados and tomatoes (they count!). We’ve got everything from simple recipes you can make with little to no preparation to more involved weeknight dinner recipes featuring them so you can enjoy these all spring and summer long. Check out our best grilled fruit recipes for ideas, then light that BBQ up—the grilling season is way too short, so you’ll want to start ASAP!
Let’s start with the basics. Our grilled peaches, grilled tomatoes, grilled avocados, grilled pineapple, grilled strawberries, grilled green tomatoes, and grilled watermelon recipes are the perfect jumping-off point. They’re great eaten on their own, topped with a drizzle of olive oil, honey, and/or salt (yep, even the sweet ones!), or turned into other recipes.
Our two favorite preparations are to pair them with other ingredients, whether you keep it simple on grill skewers or turn them into a more elaborate meal for dinner. Check out our grilled strawberry shortcake skewers, our tomato gnocchi kebabs, our chipotle tofu & pineapple skewers, or our pineapple salmon skewers for inspiration. As for dinner, try our pineapple bun bacon cheeseburgers, our peach balsamic grilled chicken, our spiced pork tenderloin with grilled peaches & arugula salad, or our grilled pineapple chicken. Truly, grilled fruit will add a boost of intrigue to whatever you pair it with, so get creative with it this summer.
Want even more grilling recipes? Check out our favorite recipes for grilling veggies and our best-ever grilling recipes of all time too.
Grilled Summer Fruit Kebabs
All summer's best fruits need is a little olive oil and honey to be transformed into the perfect summer dessert.
Get the Grilled Summer Fruit Kebabs recipe.
Grilled Avocados
It's no secret that avocados are the best, but have you tried grilling them? Yes, seriously, avocados get even better when quickly cooked on the grill. Grilling avocados not only gives them a charred and smoky flavor, but it makes them incredibly tender and extra creamy, perfect for pairing with... well, anything!
Get the Grilled Avocados recipe.
Grilled Peaches
Nothing beats a ripe, sticky-sweet peach, and while you can just bite right in, cooking with peaches is killer. One of our favorite ways? Grilling them, then drizzling them with honey, olive oil, and sea salt. Add freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to take them OTT.
Get the Grilled Peaches recipe.
Chipotle Tofu & Pineapple Skewers
Tofu is so much more than a meat substitute—it’s a protein source that stands on its own, and is the perfect base to soak up tasty sauces, like this chipotle and guajillo chili marinade inspired by the popular Mexican street food, tacos al pastor.
Grilled Tomatoes
Tomatoes are maybe the best part of summer (that’s right—better than the beach and late sunsets), especially when you grill them. Not only does the char from the grill add a slight bitterness that balances a tomato’s acidity and sweetness really well, but the direct heat manages to bring some out some of their deep umami flavors without them falling completely apart.
Get the Grilled Tomatoes recipe.
Peach Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Grilling fruit will bring out its juicy sweetness, and while you can always go the sweet route with your grilled peaches, they're just as good paired with this sweet and tangy balsamic chicken.
Grilled Pineapple Salsa
This smoky-sweet salsa featuring pineapple, peaches, and jalapeños might just ruin you for all other dips.
Get the Grilled Pineapple Salsa recipe.
Grilled Pineapple Chicken
Move over Hawaiian pizza! This tropical chicken has become our new favorite savory pineapple dish. The acidity from the pineapple marinade helps to tenderize the chicken breast and the sugar works to caramelize the meat while grilling. YUM.
Get the Grilled Pineapple Chicken recipe.
Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken
Get these spicy coconut chicken thighs on the grill ASAP, you won’t regret it. They're insanely tender thanks to a tasty duo of coconut milk and tenderizing pineapple juice in the marinade. We bet you'll revisit this simple recipe again and again this summer (so why not start now?).
Get the Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken recipe.
Grilled Green Tomatoes
Long a Southern staple in famous dishes like fried green tomatoes, green tomatoes are equally delicious in this lighter, healthier preparation that's perfect for summer. This rendition combines the slightly tangy flavor of underripe tomatoes with the smoky char of the grill and a whipped goat cheese schmear to boot.
Get the Grilled Green Tomatoes recipe.
Tomato Gnocchi Kebabs
Sure gnocchi is amazing served in a bowl with a sauce, but have you ever it nicely browned, taken straight off the grill? We’re here to tell you that the crispy-chewy texture is something that you've GOT to try this summer, especially paired with fruity tomatoes, pesto, and charred red onions.
Get the Tomato Gnocchi Kebabs recipe.
Pineapple Bun Bacon Cheeseburger
Pineapple Salmon Skewers
Pineapple and salmon are a match made in heaven. Taking a cue from our wildly popular baked pineapple salmon, these smoky, sweet, and just a little spicy skewers are a major crowd-pleaser.
Get the Pineapple Salmon Skewers recipe.
Fireball Grilled Pineapple
It's no secret Delish <3 Fireball. So much so that we've taken one of our all-time favorite boozy snacks, Fireball pineapple, and made it even more fiery. The smoky flavors from the grill plus a pinch of cayenne for heat makes this boozy snack EVEN more delicious.
Get the Fireball Grilled Pineapple recipe.
Grilled Watermelon
Like with grilled peaches and grilled pineapple, grilling watermelon not only changes the texture of the fruit, it lends a smoky flavor and brings out its natural sweetness. We love this simple preparation, but the watermelon would also be super-delicious cubed and added to a watermelon feta salad or frozen and turned into a frozen watermelon margarita. Mmm.
Get the Grilled Watermelon recipe.
Grilled Peach Sundaes
Underripe peaches are the worst—unless they're grilled. Over the flame, they get deliciously charred and caramelized. Top with vanilla ice cream and caramel for the perfect summertime dessert.
Get the Grilled Peach Sundaes recipe.
Grilled Strawberries
Top strawberries with butter, honey, and a squeeze of lemon, then throw them on the grill—use these for topping summer salads, putting over ice cream, or simply enjoying as a midday snack.
Get the Grilled Strawberries recipe.
Grilled Pineapple
Grilling is by far the best way to eat pineapple (bonus: it's how you can make underripe fruit taste amazing). Grilling brings out all of the pineapple's juices, and those juices will caramelize (and char) over the hot grates. Top it with a sprinkle of sugar, or stick with just lime juice, or even a sprinkle of salt.
Get the Grilled Pineapple recipe.
Strawberry Shortcake Skewers
Few desserts say summer like strawberry shortcake. This grilled version gets upgraded with the s'mores treatment: toasty marshmallows and gooey melted chocolate. 😍
Get the Strawberry Shortcake Skewers recipe.
Bloomin' Grilled Apples
We all know Outback's famous for its Bloomin' Onion, so we got inspired and turned the app into a summery dessert featuring sweet apples instead. The technique for cutting the apples only looks hard—you'll have them on the grill in 10 minutes flat.
Get the Bloomin' Grilled Apples recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
