Here’s a simple recipe for Veggie Skewers, an absolutely delicious side dish or vegan main for grilling season. Serve with a green chile vinaigrette made with minced garlic and smoked paprika. Healthy, easy, and so good!
This recipe was first posted on July 2, 2019 and last updated on May 16, 2022.

Now that our vegetable garden is successfully planted, I’m stockpiling recipes that will use up all the bountiful produce destined to grow (fingers crossed). I’ve got eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, and lots of them. Recipes that use a ton of veggies are where it’s at this summer!
Making vegetable skewers or vegetable kabobs is pretty basic and flexible. You can use just about any vegetable you like but what makes these veggie skewers special is the smoky green chile vinaigrette that gets spooned over the top right after you pull them off the grill.
More To Explore
Grilled Asparagus with Chunky Olive Dressing
Ingredients For Vegetable Skewers
The vegetables listed here are my favorite combination but honestly you could use just about anything. All veggies benefit from being caramelized by the grill’s intense heat. Below are a few suggestions:

- Red onion or white onion.
- Yellow bell peppers or red bell peppers.
- Zucchini or patty pan squash.
- Summer squash or chayote.
- Chinese eggplant or Japanese eggplant
- Crimini mushrooms or portobellos.
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Canned diced green chiles
- Lime juice
- Chopped cilantro
- Smoked paprika
- Bamboo skewers, or metal skewers. Depending on the size of your skewers you will need 10-12.
How to make Vegetable Skewers on Grill

step one
Soak skewers. If you are using wooden skewers soak them in water for at least 15 minutes before grilling vegetables. I like to use these reusable metal skewers that don’t need soaking.
step two
Prep veggies. There’s no real science here just try to make them all the same size so they cook evenly and can stack nicely. The more dense vegetables like onion and peppers take longer to cook so can be thinner than the less dense ones like zucchini. See recipe for more detailed instructions on how I like to cut them. Pack the vegetables tightly together, they will shrink as they cook.
step three
Marinate and skewer vegetables. Toss the vegetables with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl so each vegetable is nicely seasoned then thread them onto the skewers. Stay away from sweet ingredients in marinades. Honey, brown sugar, and even balsamic vinegar will burn on the grill.
Once the veggies are ready, heat the grill. You can skewer the vegetables up to 4 hours in advance. Keep them covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill.
step four
Make vinaigrette. While grill is heating, stir all the ingredients together for the vinaigrette. Vinaigrette can be made up to 3 days in advance.
step five
Grill the skewers. Once the grill is hot, grill the skewers until veggies are tender and lightly charred, about 20 minutes.
step six
Serve. Transfer grilled vegetable kabobs to a serving platter and drizzle with the vinaigrette while still hot. Serve immediately.
What to serve with Grilled Veggie Skewers?

Spooning this smoky, slightly spicy green chile vinaigrette over the warm vegetable skewers grilled and still sizzling takes them to the next level.
The dressing combines chiles with smoked paprika, fresh lime juice, garlic, and olive oil for a dressing that whips up in minutes. Be sure to make extra, you’ll want to have all week for drizzling over grilled fish, rice bowls, really just about anything.
You can serve the veggie skewers as a vegan main course. They make amazing tacos or serve with our favorite Coconut-Cilantro Rice and The Best Pinto Beans. These vegetable skewers also make an amazing side with other grilled goodies like:
- Cuban Grilled Chicken
- Brown Sugar and Chipotle-Rubbed Salmon
- Red Wine and Garlic Marinated London Broil
- Garlic Cilantro Grilled Pork Chops
- Grilled Fish Tacos with Sweet Corn Salsa
- Sticky Jalapeño and Cherry Grilled Chicken
- Citrus Chicken Fajitas
What are the best vegetables to use for skewers?

As I said, you can use essentially any vegetable for kabobs.
There are certain vegetables however that will need to be blanched first. Baby potatoes, Brussels sprouts, or any other dense vegetable will need to be cooked in boiling, salted water until just barely tender then drained and submerged in ice water to stop the cooking. After that you can marinate, skewer them and grill.
The most important thing to keep in mind is you want the pieces to be the same size, that way they cook evenly.
Don’t skip the marinating step. Toss the vegetables in garlic, oil and season them with salt and pepper before threading them on the skewers. This way the vegetables get seasoned throughout. If you skewer them and then drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper only the outer edges get any love.

More Plant-Based Recipes To Try
- Authentic Chile Relleno Recipe
- Arroz Blanco {Mexican White Rice with Veggies}
- Best Ever Canned Black Beans
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice
- Authentic Mexican Chilaquiles with Scrambled Eggs
- Veracruz-Style Hominy Recipe
- Vegan Ceviche with Avocado and Lime
The Best Grilled Veggie Skewers Of Summer
There’s nothing better than slightly charred, smokey grilled veggies and topped with this green chile vinaigrette really takes these over the top! Let me know when you make them by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

Grilled Veggie Skewers with Smoky Green Chile Vinaigrette
Grilled veggie skewers are the perfect way to celebrate summer produce, especially when drizzled with a smoky green chile vinaigrette!
You will need 10-12 wooden or metal skewers.
Ingredients
For the Skewers:
- 1 large red onion
- 2 yellow bell peppers
- 2 small zucchini
- 2 small yellow squash
- 2 Chinese eggplant
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Green Chile Vinaigrette:
- 1 (4-ounce) can Organic Diced Green Chiles, drained
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Soak skewers. If you are using wooden skewers, submerge them in water for at least 30 minutes before using.
- Prep onion. Peel and half the onion, then cut into quarters. Cut each quarter into 1-inch thick slices.
- Prep peppers. Seed and core the peppers and cut into slices the same size as the onion.
- Prep squash and eggplant. Remove the ends of the zucchini, squash, and eggplant, and slice into 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Prep mushrooms. Wipe mushrooms clean with a paper towel and cut in half if large.
- Marinate and skewer. Toss all vegetables in a large bowl. Toss with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then skewer onto the soaked wooden or metal skewers. Depending on the size of your skewers you should have 10-12 skewers total.
- Heat grill. Heat gas or charcoal grill to medium heat.
- Prepare the vinaigrette. Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Slowly stir in olive oil until well combined.
- Grill. Grill skewers over medium heat, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred, about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve. Transfer to a serving platter and spoon vinaigrette over the skewers. Serve with extra vinaigrette on the side.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 128Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 630mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g
In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!
Love this idea and the best part is that you can serve this salsa on
top of so many other dishes.
Great idea!!!!
I love grilled veggies! Summer is the best season for grilled meals.
I love everything grilled! Today I’m making grilled ratatouille!
That looks super healthy and yummy !!!! just what I love
Omg. My mouth it’s so so so watery. What a perfect Grilled Veggie Skewers recipe for the summer. I always look for ways to do the skewers and I can’t wait to try it with the Smoky Green Chile Vinaigrette… I didn’t know Rio Luna made an organic pepper. Thank for the tip!