Grilled Vegetables in the Air Fryer with Balsamic Marinade

 Grilled vegetables in the air fryer with a simple balsamic marinade. Lightly charred, flavorful summer veggies ready in 30 minutes without turning on the grill.

These grilled vegetables in the air fryer are tender, lightly charred, and coated in a simple balsamic marinade. It’s an easy way to get that classic grilled flavor without turning on an outdoor grill. Perfect as summer sides, layered into sandwiches, added to grain bowls, or prepped ahead for the week, this method delivers bold flavor in under 30 minutes.

At a Glance: Grilled Vegetables in the Air Fryer

• What it is: Tender summer vegetables marinated in balsamic and air-fried until lightly charred.
• When to make it: Perfect during grilling season, when you’re craving vegetable kabobs without the work of skewering, or for easy weeknight meal prep.
• How to enjoy it: Serve as a summer side, tuck into sandwiches, spoon over grain bowls, or enjoy throughout the week.
• Skill level: Beginner-friendly with simple prep and batch cooking.

Ingredients

There are two parts of this recipe - the marinade and the vegetables.

• Marinade - This marinade is very similar to my indoor grilled summer veggies.
  • Extra virgin olive oil - You can also use regular olive oil or any neutral tasting oil
  • Balsamic vinegar - This is to give a little extra boost in sweetness and tang to the vegetables
  • Minced garlic - Garlic makes everything better. You can use garlic powder but I highly recommend using fresh garlic.
  • Dijon mustard - To emulsify olive oil and vinegar. Plus, it gives a little saltiness.
  • Italian herbs and black pepper - I find these herbs to work great with any summer vegetables but if you don't have an Italian herb blend, you can use the combination of dried thyme, basil, and oregano.
• Vegetables - I'm using the "classic" summer vegetables (tender vegetables) that you'd see in veggie kabobs.
  • Bell pepper - for the sweet crunch and its festive color (I like to use red and yellow bell peppers)
  • Zucchini - Zucchini just screams summer to me!
  • Yellow squash - Another summer vegetable with a mild taste! You can skip this and use more zucchini or vice versa.
  • King oyster mushroom - I like how meaty this mushroom is but if you can't find King oyster mushroom, you can use regular button mushroom.
  • Onion - You can use both red or yellow onion. I used both in this recipe.

How to make "grilled" vegetables in the air fryer

1. Prepare your vegetables. Cut them into similar sizes so they will relatively cook at the same time. Please note that the vegetables I use in this recipe are tender vegetables that you'd use to make vegetable kabobs. If you were to use root vegetables/firm vegetables, you need to adjust the cooking time (longer cooking time) to cook the vegetables.
2. Prepare the marinade in a large bowl.
3. Mix the vegetables with the marinade. Use your hands to make sure to coat your vegetables with marinade. This is just enough marinade to coat all the vegetables.
4. Cook in the air fryer at 400F for 12 to 14 minutes (shake the veggies halfway). I cook the vegetables in two batches. I have a 5.8 QT Cosori air fryer (I am extremely happy with this purchase. It is very easy to use, easy to clean up, and a great size). If you have a smaller size air fryer, I recommend cooking/"grilling" your vegetables in 3 to 4 batches.

Helpful tips on making "Grilled" vegetables in the air fryer

• Use tender vegetables and prepare them into similar sizes so they can cook at relatively the same time. If you want to use root/firm vegetables, you need to adjust the cooking time and cook separately. This is so that the tender veggies won't burn while the firm vegetables cook.
  • Other tender vegetables that will work great in this recipe are eggplant, asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower.
• Use FRESH vegetables NOT frozen. Frozen vegetables tend to steam in the air fryer rather than develop char on the edge.
• Prepare your marinade in a big bowl. There is no need to dirty more dishes by making the marinade in a separate bowl. Plus, it only makes just enough marinade to coat the veggies.
• When coating the veggies, use your hand! Your hands are the BEST tool in the kitchen!
• When mixing the vegetables with the marinade, add in the mushroom the last. Mushroom tends to absorb liquid so coat all the other veggies first then add the mushroom at the end so you don't run out of marinade.
• Preheat your air fryer. Preheating ensures the beautiful char on the vegetables.
• Don't crowd your air fryer. Cook them in batches so they can "grill" rather than steam.
• Season your vegetables with salt at the end when you take them out of the air fryer. I find that when I didn't add salt to my marinade, the vegetables were charring better in the air fryer.

Where can I use leftover grilled vegetables?

The air fried "grilled" vegetables make great side dish to any meal but it can easily be the star of the dish.

• Sandwich/wrap
• Pizza
• Salad/buddha bowl
• Pasta

How to reheat and store grilled vegetables

• Reheating instruction
  • Microwave - You can reheat for a minute or two in the microwave. However, the vegetables will lose their slight char and crispy edge.
  • Air fryer - You can reheat them in the air fryer at 400F for 3 to 4 minutes. This method works great in recapturing the grill flavor.
• Storing
  • The vegetables will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
  • I have not personally tried to freeze the air-fried grilled vegetables but according to my research, they can be frozen. However, they tend to be soggy and lose their crisp so I recommend enjoying them within 3 to 4 days.