It’s grilling season and you know what that means… it’s time to grill everything: burgers, hot dogs, steaks, those leftovers that weren’t even that good to begin with, your school textbooks, that thing your drunk friend dared you to eat, and fruits. The essentials obviously … and it doesn’t always work out but you won’t know until you try. Well, I did some of it for you. I grilled 14 fruits and I found that some fruits taste absolutely amazing grilled and other grilled fruits like they got sent to hell then coughed back up onto Earth to spite me specifically.
On the whole, grilled fruits become sweeter and softer. They tend to become gooey, similar to baked fruits. With some fruits I added sugar, salt, or honey to see if it made a difference (which it usually did). If you like fruit pies then you'll probably like grilled fruits because they're pretty similar in texture and flavor, except with a hint of barbecue.
Here’s how each grilled fruit tasted in order of worst to best (the bad ones are worth the read, trust me).
Limes
I put salt on them because limes are already tangy and bitter, but I figured if you can have salt with a lime for a margarita, you can grill them. Boy was I wrong. Grilled limes are the worst things you could ever eat in your entire life. Limes on their own aren’t that good but they have potential. Grilled limes taste like you’re licking the paper towel someone used to clean a dirty grill. You might as well eat the grilled textbook if you’re going to eat a grilled lime.
I don’t know what I expected. I thought they might taste good with some tequila or a corona, but I don’t want to ruin a good drink with that. Don’t do this at home.
Lemons
Wow, I don’t even know why I tried that. They were super lemony and should not be eaten on their own. I’m sure they’d be great to grill with meats though.
Oranges
Oranges were such a pain to grill because they’re tiny and they burnt so easily. It took me a few tries to not burn the orange slices, but once I did they tasted exactly the same as normal oranges except slightly smoky. There was no difference in taste even with sugar added.
Grapefruits
I’m not going to lie. I don’t even like grapefruits so I am partial, but I hated them. I cut a whole grapefruit in half, covered the fruit in sugar and honey, and then grilled them. One would think maybe the sugar would caramelize and make them better ... but the flavor just got worse. They had a strong and bitter citrus flavor before and after being grilled. I actually think the citrus flavor became more strong after they were grilled. On the upside grapefruits cannot be burned. Your whole house could burn down and I'm pretty sure any grapefruits in the kitchen would still be edible after the fire.
If you like grapefruits, then maybe you would want to try them but I would never in good conscience recommend this to a friend. It would hurt my food heart. But like I said, I don't like grapefruit. So here's a different opinion.
Nectarines
Nectarines are firm and sweet normally but once they’re grilled they become mushy and even more sweet. The skin of the nectarine falls off then the rest of the slice becomes very soft and falls through the grill easily. Additionally, the heat of the grill brought out the sweet flavors but it was almost unbearably sweet.
This fruit would be better on a kebab if grilled (most of the small ones would) but I would recommend baking nectarines over grilling them.
Cantaloupes
No no no. I am not about this. Just bake these in cobblers. Don’t even try grilling them. They're too bland.
Apples
You’d think apples would be amazing grilled (or at least I would) because they taste great on their own and they have some natural juices to add flavor, but they were underwhelming to say the least. I added sugar to a few slices and honey to others but they didn’t grill very well. The outside skin of the apple slices became very dry and a little hard and then once I bit into them the inside was soft but still maintained the same flavor. It honestly seemed to me like you would get the same effect if you put apples in a microwave.
If you'd like to try it for yourself, you can grill them on a kebab or simply throw them on the grill. They're big enough that they don't fall through the grate.
Kiwis
This grilled fruit was a fickle little thing. You guessed it … they burnt super easily, but I managed to get a few nicely grilled pieces. Before being grilled the kiwis were a little tangy but not overwhelmingly so. After being grilled the kiwis were simply tangy with a smoky flavor. If you bite into them all you will taste is tang … with a side of more tang.
If desired, grill with kebabs.
Mangos
Now we’re getting into the good grilled fruits. Grilled mangos taste like biting into a sweet and juicy dessert. The grilled flavor is there but not prominent. Although, be careful about adding too much sugar or honey because the sweetness can become overwhelming. If you don't like overly sweet foods then don't bother adding any sugar or honey. The natural flavors in mangos are already enhanced when they are grilled.
These can be grilled in slices straight on the grill. I would recommend eating them on their own or on top of a plain muffin, like a strawberry shortcake.
Strawberries
Because of this experience I now have a love/hate relationship with strawberries. They were so hard to grill. At one moment they had no grill marks and didn’t look grilled at all and then one minute later they were burnt and falling apart. Proceed with caution.
Other than that they were pretty fricken sweet and pretty fricken awesome. Grill it on a kebab, trust me.
Pears
This was awesome! Pears are the definite underdogs of delicious grilled fruits because I have not seen any recipes on grilled pears but I tried it and I'm in love.
I was experimenting so I put two slices on the grill, one with salt and another with sugar. Then I proceeded to forget which one was which and had to taste test them to find out (oh no, woe is me). Either way, they were both amazing.
As opposed to all of the other successful fruits that have a strong sweet flavor (hope that didn’t ruin a surprise), these specifically were light and refreshing. The pear slices were easy to grill, which is better than most. The salted pair was the perfect balance of salty and sweet. If you would like to turn this into a dessert, I would recommend eating this with whipped cream or ice cream. Either way, grilled pears are completely edible on their own.
Banana
This is no surprise to me, but a grilled bananas taste quite similar to plátanos fritos, which is basically fried bananas. They also tastes like biting into a banana pancake. Be careful because they fall apart easily but they are so worth it. There’s a 100% chance I will do this again and probably put it on a hotdog bun with peanut butter and Nutella. I probably already have hotdog buns available, so why not?
These can be grilled in slices on a kebab or cut in half and put straight on the grill.
Watermelon
Corn. This is what a grilled watermelon with salt tasted like ... Not grilled corn, but just normal corn. I don’t even know how or why, but my mind is blown. This is some Harry Potter level magic here.
The grilled watermelon with sugar on the other hand was extra sweet with a little less of a watermelon taste. This just seems like it would be good at a grill. Watermelon is already a popular food to have by the pool so next time you're grilling and chilling, throw some watermelon on the grill (away from the meats) and see for yourself.
Pineapple
Here we have the holy grail of grilled fruits. You can throw on salt, sugar, honey, or whatever you want on a grilled pineapple (not actually, don’t do that), and they will taste amazing. It was an experience all on its own, and there’s a reason that you actually see grilled pineapple recipes (hint: because they're amazing).
If you take the time to cut the pineapple into a circle, it’ll be visually pleasing and easier to handle. Then you throw it on the grill and sear each side, cover the grill and let it sit for a few minutes. Then take it off and enjoy the best grilled fruit there is in existence. They're sweet and taste like a pineapple but not gooey like every other grilled fruit. Also the excess pineapple juice is grilled out of the fruit so you don't get that all over your face either.
Bam! I’ve changed your life. You’re welcome.
Overall, grilling fruits was a fun experience but some of these should never be eaten. Ever. If you want to grill some fruits yourself, know they don’t have a long shelf life. Many of them become soggy and don’t taste good once they’ve cooled down, but pineapples are worth it and watermelons are magic.
Feeling inspired? Here are some fun recipes:
15 Grilled Fruit Recipes for a Fresh Summer