8 Vegan BBQ Ideas We Guarantee You’ll Love

If you’ve decided to cut dairy and meat from your diet, whether it’s to do your bit to fight climate change or to improve your health and well-being, you’ll have already experienced the awkward moment when you turn up at a BBQ and find there’s nothing to eat except sausages and burgers.

Veganism gets a bad rep, but it doesn’t mean you should have to only survive off salad next time you and your friends decamp to the park with a portable BBQ and a few drinks. You just have to be a little more creative with your food and be willing to switch things up a bit. In fact, we’re willing to wager that these eight recipes will make any carnivore drool...

1. Grill some lovely aubergine and halloumi

A classic of vegan cooking: aubergine and halloumi pesto burgers. A rubbery salty cheese from Cyprus, halloumi doesn’t melt or fall apart when you grill or fry it, which makes it perfect for barbecues. Slice an aubergine and toss it in a bowl with a little olive oil, seasoning and balsamic vinegar, before grilling for about six minutes on each side. Next, grill the halloumi slices, then stack everything in a burger bun with some tomatoes and pesto. Print out the full recipe here.

2. Impress your guests with a gorgeous coleslaw and sweet potato sandwich

Slice up sweet potatoes, toss them around in a little barbecue sauce with some salt, and cook until they’re creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Prepare the coleslaw with vegan mayo, slaw and all the usual suspects. Stack up your sandwiches and enjoy. Learn how to barbecue sweet potato slices here, and read the full recipe here.

3. Show off your portobello buns

Portobello mushrooms are very much the a-listers of vegan and vegetarian cooking because their sturdy, meaty texture makes them ideal for veggie burgers, stuffing, roasting and grilling. To prepare your portobello mushroom burgers, just grill seasoned marinated portobello mushrooms on either side for about 10 minutes until tender, and stack them on toasted burger buns with tomato slices, some sort of greens and pesto. Print out the full recipe here.

4. Throw together a refreshing grilled summer vegetable salad

Neglecting your sides would be a huuuge mistake. Fix a delicious citrusy dressing out of pomegranate molasses, orange juice, lemon, cumin and olive oil, and grill pineapple, corn and potatoes. Serve on lettuce leaves with pomegranate seeds, coriander and cucumber. Read the full recipe here.

5. Enjoy a spicy veggie black bean burger

For yet another delectable spin on the traditional pub-food veggie burger, try making a black bean burger. Mix flax with some water to make a vegan egg substitute that will bind your bean burgers. In a frying pan, cook spices, balsamic vinegar, half a can of black beans and Worcestershire; then blend in a food processor with the flax egg. Transfer to a mixing bowl with the rest of your black beans and half a cup of quinoa. Roll into four balls and flatten into patties. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes before throwing on the BBQ and putting in a bun with the toppings of your choice. Read the full recipe here.

6. Serve toasted pitta bread with homemade hummus and baba ghanoush

To make baba ghanoush, just roast a couple of aubergines until tender, then scoop out the inside into a blender with some salt, garlic, tahini and lemon juice. Serve with pomegranate seeds. Hummus is very similar: just blend a can of cooked, drained chickpeas with tahini, cumin, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Serve with toasted pita bread triangles.

7. Finish off with a rich chocolate cake

Believe it or not, you don’t need dairy or eggs to make a decent chocolate cake. This delightful recipe uses only flour, cocoa, baking soda, sugar, vegetable oil, white vinegar and vanilla.

8. … or perhaps margarita popsicles?!

You won’t believe how easy it is to make margarita popsicles. Just blend some tequila with agave syrup (i.e. vegan honey), strawberries, lime juice, salt and sugar and pour into pop moulds with sticks. Read the full recipe here.