You may think you’re supposed to pack away the barbecue post-Labor Day, but we beg to differ. Autumn is prime time for cooking outdoors: It’s not as hot (or buggy!) as summer, it’s still warm enough to hang in the yard and lots of new, delicious produce is hitting the farmers market. (We’re looking at you, sweet potatoes). To prove our point, these 30 fall grilling recipes are worth firing up the coals—or grill pan—for all season long.
30 Fall Grilling Recipes That Prove It’s the Best Season for Outdoor Cooking
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Published Sep 6, 2023
1. Grilled Sweet Potatoes with a Dilly Dip
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian
Whether you fire up the barbecue or grill pan, these spuds will turn out charred, tender and drool-worthy. If dill isn’t your thing, substitute basil, parsley, cilantro or any soft herb you’d prefer.
2. Honey-Mustard Grilled Chicken with Foil Packet Green Beans
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, beginner-friendly
Cooking dinner in foil is a lazy cook’s ultimate hack. Not only will your meal be ready to devour with minimal fuss, but the method also makes for lightning-fast cleanup.
3. Roasted Red Cabbage Salad with Oranges, Hazelnuts and Feta
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
The cabbage is first tossed in a honey-vinegar dressing that turns it sweet and tender. Then, it’s roasted to a pleasant crisp over hot coals and finished with a spritz of lemon, a sprinkle of tangy feta and lots of toasty hazelnuts.
4. Steak Skewers with Chimichurri Sauce
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, special occasion-worthy
No season owns juicy beef tenderloin...or herbaceous, spicy chimichurri for that matter. If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least a half-hour before popping them on the grill to keep them from burning.
5. Pomegranate-Maple Glazed Lamb Chops
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, high protein
Despite their holiday-ready appearance, these chops require minimal effort and time to come together. (We’re talking eight minutes of grilling, people.) They’re served with a spinach salad topped with red onion, pomegranate arils and sliced almonds.
6. Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken and Avocado Salad
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, beginner-friendly, make ahead
A trio of herbs (oregano! dill! parsley!) and lots of fresh lemon juice infuse the chicken with both flavor and tenderness. It’s served over a barley salad dressed with fresh citrus and mustard.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
We gave these skinless breasts the grilled cheese treatment (aka a slathering of seasoned mayo) to guarantee a crispy golden exterior. Substitute the side of corn with whatever fall veggies you’d like.
8. Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Avocado-Cilantro Sauce
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free
Reason #485 to love cauliflower: It’s available at supermarkets year-round. Avocado offers buttery decadence to the dairy-free sauce, which stars coconut cream.
9. Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tacos
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, <10 ingredients
Bell peppers, Portobello mushrooms and red onion—which all grill beautifully—take center stage in these meatless tacos. A flourish of goat cheese adds delightful brine to every bite. Douse ours in hot sauce, will ya?
10. Pasta Florentine with Grilled Chicken
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
This simple pasta dish is equal parts creamy, smoky, satisfying and comforting. Use any long pasta you’d like—just don’t skimp on the Parmesan.
11. Grilled Autumn Vegetables with Sage Brown Butter Bean Dip
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, vegetarian
Grease up the grates for a trio of autumn squashes (butternut, acorn *and* delicata), eggplant, peppers and more. As for the sage-brown butter bean dip, you’ll want to make a double batch for your next fall-themed grazing board.
12. Tony’s Melt-in-Your-Mouth Grilled Brussels Sprouts
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, vegan, beginner-friendly
This no-frills spin on sprouts is proof that sometimes, less is more. Feel free to add grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes or a drizzle of tahini to them before plating.
13. French Onion and Apple Grilled Cheese
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Your favorite autumn soup and fruit, united in cheesy, buttery harmony. The brown butter (which we lovingly refer to as liquid gold) is infused with fresh sage, thyme and—wait for it—apple cider.
14. Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, kid-friendly
Is it just us or does whole-grain mustard give every dish a rustic, elegant, downright devourable look? Pair the chicken with kale Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts or sweet potato fries.
15. Charred Cauliflower with Crunchy Garlic Chile Oil
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead, vegan
If you prepare the spicy infused oil ahead of time, all you’ll need to do before dinner is slice the cauliflower and grill it until it’s crispy and tender. It’ll become a pantry staple in your house at first bite, trust.
16. Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Sauce
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, low carb, keto-friendly
This charred chicken will taste divine stuffed in a toasted pita, atop an arugula salad or straight off the skewers—especially topped with tangy, refreshing tzatziki. Spiralize the cucumbers instead of dicing them for an unexpected visual.
17. Rodney Scott’s Honey-Butter Fish
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, special occasion-worthy
Take your pick of trout, catfish, red snapper or branzino; we’re betting you could put the souped-up rib rub and honey butter on anything and it’d taste heavenly. Serve the fish with cornbread, white rice or grilled vegetables.
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 45 minutes (including marinating time)
- Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, high protein
The key to the tri-tip roast’s tenderness is marinating it for three hours in red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil and whole-grain mustard. The acidity in the vinegar weakens the collagen and protein in the meat, allowing for maximum juiciness and minimal chew.
19. Balsamic Grilled Baby Carrots
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
No matter the entrée—roast beef, pork chops, sticky tofu, charred salmon—these colorful carrots will fit right in. They’re glazed with zippy balsamic butter and crowned with citrus zest.
20. Grilled Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, special occasion-worthy
This famously balanced handheld checks all our boxes: rich, crispy, refreshing, sweet and spicy. Chalk it up to the immaculate combination of grilled soy-brown sugar pork shoulder, pickled vegetables and ginger-sriracha mayonnaise.
21. Garlic Fingerling Potatoes
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegan
Even picky kids won’t have any complaints about these crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside spuds. Finish them with Parmesan cheese, fresh rosemary, avocado crema or ketchup.
22. Cilantro Lime and Yogurt Grilled Wings
- Time Commitment: 6 hours and 40 minutes (includes marinating time)
- Why We Love It: high protein, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
The marinade couldn’t be any more drool-worthy, and it’s specifically designed to make the wings as juicy and tender as possible. We’re talking Greek yogurt, key limes, pickle brine and cilantro.
23. Grilled Honey-Sriracha Chicken Drumsticks with Fennel-Cabbage Slaw
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
Celebrate fall medieval-style with char-kissed drumsticks that will wow your guests (or roommates). Make the vinegary cabbage slaw ahead of time to let the ingredients meld before serving.
24. Grilled Curried Chicken Thighs
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, high protein, special occasion-worthy
Chicken thighs are basically impossible to dry out, so they’re prime for grilling at high heat. Don’t even get us started on the five-ingredient curry sauce, which is bright, spicy, garlicky and luxuriously creamy, thanks to coconut milk.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
This crowd-pleaser is always welcome at the dinner table. Be sure to use a loaf of fairly flat bread that isn’t excessively tall, so the butter-to-bread ratio is just right.
26. Grilled Broccoli
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegan
File this one under “Effortless, Last-Minute Sides for Any Occasion.” The broccoli is charred in a foil packet, so it’ll leave you with no dirty dishes to clean after dinner.
27. Grilled Shrimp and Steak Surf n’ Turf
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, special occasion-worthy
Complete with avocado, tomato and cucumber salsa (which is totally make-ahead-friendly, BTW), this feast is fitting for any special occasion—or any old weeknight, if you’re feeling fancy.
28. Honey Mustard Grilled Salmon with Avocado Basil Sauce
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Leave the skin on for extra crunch on this grilled masterpiece. Feel free to substitute the basil-tomato topping with sauteed kale, shredded Brussels sprouts or charred broccoli.
30. Grilled Rack of Lamb with Creamy Feta-Horseradish Sauce
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, high protein
Oh, you fancy, huh? The horseradish sauce is peak tangy, courtesy of crème fraiche, feta cheese and buttermilk. Keep the recipe for it in your back pocket for the next time you grill steak.
