This post may contain affiliate links. Read more at our disclosure policy.
Grilling lemons is a great way to add the smoky and earthy flavor that comes with grilling over charcoal. And Grilled Lemons are a fantastic way to finish a dish, or even use to garnish a summer cocktail!
Grilling lemons is an easy and delicious way to add great flavor to your grilled food. Anytime I’m grillin’ up some chicken, or seafood, or vegetables, I throw on a couple of lemon halves to heat up. While grilling, the heat intensifies the flavor, and while also loosening up the juices. This is one of my favorite secret weapons to adding bright flavor to any dish!
Squeezing some of that concentrated juice over your favorite foods adds a fantastic acidity and brightness, not to mention a nice sweet kiss. Grilled lemons are great over grilled chicken, seafood of all kinds, artichokes, broccolini, grilled green beans, pork chops, you name it!
Bonus, these delicious grilled lemon wedges are also fantastic in a cocktail! Garnish your favorite summer beverage with one of these bright and colorful wedges, or use the juice to make a flavorful grilled lemon simple syrup and Bourbon Cocktail.
Tip: Meyer lemons work great too. The flavor is sweeter and more intensified. Large lemons tend to be more acidic and less sweet than Meyer.
How to Grill Lemons
- Preheat grill: set up for direct or single zone grilling with lump charcoal.
- Slice lemons: in half (or in wedges for cocktail garnish)
- Grill: place over direct heat until nice and caramelized (around 6-10 minutes)
- Serve: squeeze over your grilled foods or to garnish your favorite cocktail.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this to you AND teach you how to smoke the perfect turkey.
Grilled Lemon Recipe Ideas
- Bourbon Cocktail with Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup
- Grilled Shishito Peppers
- Perfect Grilled Salmon
- Grilled Mussels
- Lobster Tails with Red Chili Herb Butter!!!
- Grilled Caesar Salad
- Shrimp with Garlic Wine Butter Sauce
- Grilled Vegetables
- Grilled Lemon Whiskey Smash Cocktail
And so much more! For more ideas, head to our recipe index and peruse.
About Vindulge
Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
Get a signed copy of our cookbook! Order Now
Tried this recipe? Give us a star rating and we would love to see! Mention @vindulge or use the hashtag #vindulge on all the social media handles. And consider subscribing to our newsletter where we drop all our favorite ideas and inspirations every week.
How to Grill Lemons
Ingredients
- 4 whole lemons, sliced in half, (For cocktails – can also use Meyer Lemons)
Instructions
- Preheat Grill: Prepare grill for direct or single zone (or direct) grilling with lump charcoal. Target the temperature over direct heat between 450 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grill Lemons: Place the lemon halves over direct heat, flesh side down. When the lemons have caramelized, remove them from the grill (it should take roughly 6 – 10 minutes, depending on how hot the grill is).
- Serve: Immediately squeeze the warm lemons onto your favorite grilled dish.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
