23 DIY Mouthwatering Vegan Summer BBQ Recipes
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Summer grilling season is here, and a vegan barbecue can hold its own against any meat-heavy spread. The key is variety: smoky mains, bright salads, solid dips, and something cold to drink. These vegan BBQ recipes cover all of it, from black bean burgers and seitan ribs to chipotle pasta salad and fresh-squeezed lemonade.
This lineup works for a 4th of July cookout, a backyard get-together, or just firing up the grill on a Saturday. You’re covered from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Every recipe here is plant-based, crowd-friendly, and actually worth making.
Vegan BBQ Appetizers and Dips
Every good barbecue starts with something to snack on while the grill heats up. These plant-based appetizers and dips come together fast and disappear even faster.
Easy Vegan Antipasto Skewers (7 Ingredients) @ Sweet Simple Vegan
Fresh herbs, marinated vegetables, and olives threaded onto skewers. Ready in under 10 minutes, and the hardest part is not eating them before everyone else shows up.
Vegan Dill Pickle Dip Recipe @ Daily Vegan Meal
A 5-minute cream cheese dip loaded with zesty dill pickle flavor and plenty of chopped pickles. This one gets wiped out at every cookout.
Fresh and Easy Homemade Guacamole @ Daily Vegan Meal
Creamy, chunky, and made with simple fresh ingredients. Pair it with tortilla chips, pile it on burgers, or just eat it straight off the spoon. Guacamole belongs at every vegan summer BBQ.
Vegan BBQ Salads and Sides
A strong side dish lineup is what separates a good barbecue from a great one. These plant-based salads and sides bring crunch, creaminess, and bold flavors to the table.
Vegan Chipotle Pasta Salad @ Daily Vegan Meal
Smoky chipotle-lime dressing coats pasta, black beans, roasted corn, and crisp peppers. This one is creamy, a little spicy, and layered with texture. Great for meal prep or bringing to a summer cookout.
Plant-Based Old-Fashioned Potato Salad @ Skinny Ms
A classic potato salad made fully plant-based. You might like this version even more than the original.
Crunchy Broccoli Salad @ From My Bowl
Dairy-free, oil-free, and loaded with crunch. A reliable picnic and potluck side that works well alongside any grilled vegan main.
Black Bean and Corn Salad @ Two Spoons
Black beans, corn, and crunchy vegetables tossed in a homemade lime vinaigrette. Light, refreshing, colorful, and ready in 10 minutes. Use canned corn or cut it fresh off the cob.
Best Ever Easy Vegan Macaroni and Cheese @ Daily Vegan Meal
Cheesy, creamy, comforting, and ready in about 15 minutes. This vegan mac and cheese recipe holds up against any version, plant-based or not. A barbecue staple.
California Pasta Salad @ Vegan Heaven
Fresh summer veggies and zesty Italian dressing make this a solid potluck and picnic pasta salad. Simple, bright, and easy to scale up for a crowd.
Veggie Loaded Pasta Salad @ Daily Vegan Meal
A creamy, mayo-based pasta salad packed with broccoli, red onion, celery, carrots, pickles, and cherry tomatoes. If you like your vegan salads hearty and crunchy, this is for you.
The Best Vegan Baked Beans @ Nora Cooks
The shortcut here is canned beans, which means these come together quickly without sacrificing any of that smoky, sweet baked bean flavor. No vegan barbecue side dish spread is complete without them.
Plant-Based BBQ Burgers and Mains
The main event. These vegan grilling recipes bring serious flavor and substance to the center of the plate, from smoky seitan ribs to hearty black bean burgers.
Zesty Brown Rice Black Bean Vegan Sliders with Basil Aioli @ This Savory Vegan
Brown rice and black bean sliders topped with avocado, tomato salsa, and a bright basil aioli. Smaller format means people can try these alongside other mains without committing to a full burger.
BBQ Vegan Seitan Ribs with Smoky BBQ Sauce @ SunnySide Hanne
Seitan ribs glazed in a sticky tamarind barbecue sauce. These are protein-rich, full of smoky flavor, and satisfying enough to win over anyone at the table. One of the more impressive vegan BBQ recipes you can make.
The Best Vegan Seitan Burger Ever @ It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
A homemade seitan patty with real bite, plenty of juice, and enough structural integrity to hold up on the grill. Load it up with red onion and your favorite condiments for a vegan grilling recipe that competes with any burger.
Vegan BBQ Lentil Sloppy Joes @ Daily Vegan Meal
Lentils simmered in a tangy, smoky BBQ sauce and piled high on buns. Messy, flavorful, and exactly what you want from a sloppy joe. A solid plant-based barbecue main that comes together on the stovetop.
Vegan Carrot Hot Dogs @ Where You Get Your Protein
Whole carrots marinated in a smoky, sweet, savory sauce until they take on a classic hot dog flavor. Throw them on the grill, tuck them into buns, and load up your favorite toppings.
Hearty and Firm Vegan Black Bean Burgers @ Daily Vegan Meal
These black bean burgers actually hold together, which is more than you can say for a lot of veggie burgers. Packed with flavor, easy to make, and available with a gluten-free option. A vegan summer BBQ essential.
Summer BBQ Drinks
Homemade Fresh Squeezed Lemonade @ My Frugal Adventures
Nothing beats fresh-squeezed lemonade when the temperature climbs. Simple, refreshing, and the kind of thing people always appreciate more than they expect.
Boozy Strawberry Watermelon Slushies @ Cravings of a Lunatic
Frozen strawberries and watermelon blended into a slushy with a kick. These disappear fast at any summer gathering.
Vegan BBQ Desserts
A barbecue without dessert is just a meal. These sweet finishes are easy to make ahead and bring outside.
Fabulous Fruit Cookie Pizza @ Daily Vegan Meal
A soft-baked sugar cookie base topped with light cream cheese frosting and fresh seasonal fruit. Colorful, shareable, and a nice change of pace from the usual barbecue desserts.
Best Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars @ Daily Vegan Meal
Rich, chewy bars that combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Easy to cut into squares and serve outdoors. Take them up a notch with a scoop of vegan ice cream on the side.
Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes @ The Baking ChocolaTess
Deeply chocolatey cupcakes with vegan chocolate frosting. These work for birthdays, celebrations, or just rounding out your summer barbecue dessert table.
Best Ever Vegan Banana Cream Pie @ Daily Vegan Meal
Creamy custard filling, fresh bananas, and fluffy whipped topping on a cookie crust. This vegan banana cream pie is indulgent and surprisingly straightforward to make dairy-free.
These vegan barbecue recipes prove that plant-based grilling is anything but boring. With smoky mains, fresh salads, shareable dips, and real desserts, you can put together a summer spread that everyone will eat well from, vegan or not. Bookmark this page, pick a few recipes, and fire up the grill.
Looking for more summer ideas? Check out our 50 Best Vegan 4th of July Recipes and 40 Satisfying Vegan Salads for even more cookout inspiration.
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How can I get these recipes? There are no links and when I click on the photo of a recipe and try to pin it, this whole page is pinned, NOT the individual recipes.
Hi Pamela! To get the recipes, click on the title for the link and there is a “pin it” button in the middle of each of each of the images you can pin to your boards separately (may have to log into Pinterest), and if you have the Pinterest browser app, you can also pin whichever ones you want that way as well. Hope that helps!