Spicy Honey Vegetable Kabobs are one of my favorite grilled side dish recipes. I can make them ahead of time, the sauce is easy to whip up and the taste is mind blowing!
Spicy Honey Vegetable Kabobs are brightly colored skewered grilled vegetables with a sweet and spicy sauce. The perfect side dish for any grilled meal!
Let’s start by answering the question: what is a kabob? And start with the answer of, it is actually a “shish kebab” and shish kebabs are sizzling pieces of meat on sticks popular in Middle Eastern countries.
The American term has loosely translated in both saying and spelling to kabob. And if we are getting technical here, my Spicy Honey Vegetable Kabobs are really kabobs or shish kebabs at all, they are merely vegetables skewers since they are meatless.
But hey, sometimes vernacular outweighs these types of technicalities and now you have something to chat about during dinner tonight when you make your own vegetable kabobs.
Spicy Honey Vegetable Kabobs actually use the same marinade and/or sauce as my Spicy Honey Grilled Turkey. I needed something to make grilled turkey flavorful while also keeping it tender and this sauce did the trick.
I had a little leftover and needed some veggies in my life so it only seemed right to baste my vegetable skewers with the zesty sauce. This recipe does not require any marinating time. Just grill and baste!
A few tips on making any kabob or skewer:
ONE. If you are using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them for a good long time before threading them. This prevents fires, thus making this recipe for vegetable kabobs Smokey Bear approved.
TWO. Sometimes vegetables and meats tend to spin around on the skewer, you can prevent this by using the double skewer method, using two skewers to anchor your food or using metal skewers with a swirl pattern or that are flat that prevents this from happening.
The only drawback here is if you are making kabobs for a lot of people, you’ll be spending a pretty penny and may never use them again.
THREE. If you don’t want to mesh around with skewers at all, just get a grill basket. These things are fabulous!
FOUR. Make sure you pick vegetables that will have a similar cooking time or cut them into similar sizes.
Vegetables that are particularly good for kabobs include corn, mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, zucchini, grape tomatoes, yellow squash, eggplant, small potatoes, okra, brussels sprouts and large garlic cloves (grilled garlic is the bomb!!!).
Here are some of my other favorite side dishes to serve with grilled meals!
- Herbed Potato Salad
- Grilled Watermelon
- Baked Beans
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Chilled Green Gazpacho
- Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese and Asparagus
- Lonesome Dove Brie Carrots
- BEST Kabob and Skewer Recipes
Balsamic Stewed Tomatoes
Herb Grilled Potatoes
Spicy Honey Vegetable Kabobs
Equipment
Ingredients
For Vegetable Kabobs:
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms
- 1 red bell pepper cut into chunks
- 1 red onion cut into chunks
- 2 cups brussels sprouts left whole but trimmed
- 3 inch ears corns cut into 2pieces
Spicy Honey Basting Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, submerge 12 in water for a minimum of 30 minutes, but up to 24 hours.
- Thread vegetables onto each skewer, using the two skewer techinque if they are round and spinning.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, garlic powder, white pepper, crushed red pepper, fine sea salt, honey and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
- Heat grill to medium heat.
- Place skewers on indirect heat, baste with spicy honey sauce and cook for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through.
- Transfer to direct heat to get a nice char and finish off. When getting crispy, baste one more time. This time will vary from grill to grill.
- Remove and serve immediately.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!
I love this, easy and delicious.thanks for sharing
These spicy honey vegetable kabobs were amazing! The sweet and spicy flavors were the perfect combination. Will definitely make again!
Those look so good! I am drooling here.
Loved these spicy kabobs! So flavorful and delish!
This was such a quick and easy recipe that does not disappoint! Turned out perfectly flavored, crunchy and delicious; the best side dish with any dinner, indeed!
The honey basting sauce is BRILLIANT! Love this easy peasy veggie recipe – thanks so much!
I love veggie kabobs – they’re so fun to make and eat. Your basting sauce was spot on!! Can’t wait to make it again. 🙂