Standard end-of-barbecue desserts range from fruit salads to biscuits and ice cream, all from the kitchen. Nobody would turn down such offerings, but why let those still-glowing coals go to waste? You can make your dessert on the BBQ too, from grilled fruits to brownies and even cheesecake. This article shows you how.
| 🍰 Dessert | 🍑 Ingredients | 🔪 Equipment you need |
|---|---|---|
| Honey-cinnamon peaches | Honey cinnamon peeled, sliced peaches | bowl grill mat or grill plate tongs |
| Glazed pineapple rings | sliced pineapple butter evaporated milk brown sugar | sauce brush grill mat or grill plate tongs |
| Banana boats | bananas sliced longways chocolate chips mini-marshmallows | aluminum foil tongs |
| Smores | graham crackers marshmallows chocolate bars | skewers |
| Grilled brownies | brownie batter | cast-iron pan protective glove |
| Grilled cheesecake | prepared cheesecake | cast-iron pan a place on the grill away from direct heat. protective glove |
Classic BBQ Dessert Ideas
Sometimes, simple is best. Traditional summer BBQ desserts recall the fun of summers past, when running around with a gooey sweet treat in your hand was the height of living. These two barbecue sweets will send all that nostalgia flooding back in.
S'mores: A Staple of Outdoor Dessert Recipes
This standard campfire dessert dates back to the turn of the 20th century in the US, when even refined ladies indulged in the sweet treat. For decades, s'mores remained the staple of Boy- and Girl Scout events and beach parties. Of late, even adults are making them a part of their barbecue feast.
Digestive biscuits are perfectly s'more-shaped and will reduce the sugar load. Slathering them with Nutella or peanut butter rather than a chocolate bar makes them a bit less gooey.
Banana Boats: Tops in Easy BBQ Desserts
As ever, sugar intake is of grave concern, even when talking about desserts. It's unclear whether substituting a banana for cake or biscuits does anything helpful, but these treats are well worth a try.
If, indeed, you are sugar-conscious, you might try substituting berries or diced apples for the marshmallows. But the banana-chocolate combination is not to be messed with! 😠
Grilled Fruits: Quick BBQ Desserts
For the classics above and those featured here, you won't need any special type of barbecue grill or equipment. Any standard grill - charcoal, gas or portable, will work for grilled fruit desserts.
These grills will, indeed, turn out grilled fruit.
However, the fruit will lack the distinct flavour that a flame grill gives them.
Honey-Cinnamon Grilled Peaches
Adding a bit of butter and/or vanilla extract makes your glaze a bit richer2, and adding a pinch of salt tamps down the sweetness without taking away from the flavour. Serve them with ice cream, cake, or all on their own.
You can also skewer peach slices before grilling and apply the glaze once skewered.
This configuration will help trap some of the glaze between the slices.
It also makes them easier to eat.
Brown Sugar Glazed Pineapple Slices
If you can grill peaches, grilling pineapple is a snap! Besides, this fruit's zippy natural flavour provides a counterbalance to the glaze's sweetness. You likely don't need instruction on how to peel and slice your pineapple, so this checklist starts with making the glaze.
Like the peaches, you can serve grilled pineapple with ice cream or cake. You might even consider making a glazed pineapple sandwich: a slice of fruit between two biscuits. Also like peaches, you can skewer chunks of pineapple to make a portable dessert.
Did you know that a pineapple is actually a collection of closely fused berries3?
Up to 200 flowers go into making a single pineapple.
Baked Goods as BBQ Desserts
As you well know, barbecue is so much more than simply throwing meat on the grill. These occasions call for main courses and side dishes, as well as desserts, of course. But you don't have to limit your dessert selections to roasted marshmallows and grilled fruits, yummy as they are. You can make delectable baked goods on your grill, too.
Brownies: The Ultimate Grilled Sweets
Your go-to brownie recipe likely needs no improvement. Still, a hint of mesquite or other grill flavouring might be the kick you never knew your brownies needed4. Besides, the texture is slightly different from brownies baked in the oven. Try grilled brownies and taste the difference!
Cheesecake: The Queen of Smoky Desserts
Cheesecake is a more delicate confection, but it's still tough enough not to wilt on the grill. And if you crave this dessert's distinctive flavour, imagine how much more tantalising it will be with a smoky injection.
Cheesecake bakes on the grill pretty much like brownies do. Simply follow your favourite recipe, pour the mix into a well-seasoned cast-iron pan, place it on the grill away from direct heat, and close the lid.
Use a cast-iron pan rather than a standard baking pan.
This will ensure even heat distribution throughout the dessert.
If you don't have a cast-iron pan, placing your standard cake pan on a cast-iron grill plate is essential to keep the cake's bottom from burning. But it's not recommended, as the sides of your cake will be unprotected.
The Benefits of Dessert on the BBQ
Baking is done out of love, to share with family and friends, to see them smile.
Anna Olsen, pastry chef
Any self-respecting guide to barbecueing will lay out all the benefits of grilled foods, not the least of which are explosions of flavour, less fat and the outdoors connection. But few touch on what Anna Olsen describes: how grilling outdoors is to share with family and friends.
That being the case, why would you want to constantly have to jump up, run into the house, and check on dessert? Or have to prepare it ahead of your party when it could be cooking as you enjoy your main course?
Making your desserts on the grill keeps you at the party, not in the back rooms. In fact, making the dessert becomes a part of the fun.
And all of this is ahead of wowing your friends and family with a novel grilled dessert.
Whether a cheesecake or simple s'mores, grilled desserts have a unique flavour profile that prolongs the taste of the BBQ's main course. After all, nearly everyone would concede that the same cut of steak tastes different when pan-fried than when it's cooked on the grill. Why would a pan of brownies be any different?
But perhaps the greatest advantage of grilling your desserts is that your kitchen stays cool. Let's face it, the worst part of grill parties is the cleanup, right?
Isn't that chore made worse in an overheated kitchen? Grilling fruits and cake makes good use of the heat source already active without adding to your electric or gas bill and overheating your house.
Dessert on the BBQ: Essential Tips
Overall, standard BBQ techniques apply to making BBQ desserts. Still, as fun and engaging as grill parties are, a few cautions exist.
Grills are natural hazards to children and pets.
Ensure they are well protected at every grilling event!
Now, recalling the time our host wanted to wow us with cherries flambé from the grill, they splashed liberal doses of alcohol right onto the flames. We made do with a store-bought dessert that day, and everyone still remembers that alcohol and open-flame grills don't mix.
Preparing the Grill
Practically any type of grill will do to make desserts (but ones with lids are better). But a poorly maintained grill will yield questionable results. Clean grill plates, mats, and griddles are a must, obviously.
Beyond that, you must make sure your grill has a good ventilation system, and it would help if your grill has a thermometer so your dessert doesn't get overdone.
What to Grill
In theory, every fruit can be grilled, but some are better suited to grilling than others. The same goes for grilling just about anything, from pastry dough (doesn't grill well!) to birthday cake (grills fairly well). So, choose your dessert ingredients according to how they perform on the grill.
Marshmallows and chocolate pair naturally with grills but can leave a hard-to-remove, sticky residue. Consider that aspect as you choose your grilling ingredients.
References
- Betts, Tiffany. “You Can Thank the Girl Scouts for the First Official S’mores.” Food Republic, 23 July 2024, www.foodrepublic.com/1624242/smores-origin-history-girl-scouts/. Accessed 21 May 2026.
- admin. “Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon and Honey.” Grabandgorecipes, 2020, grabandgorecipes.com/grilled-peaches-with-cinnamon-and-honey/. Accessed 21 May 2026.
- Utah State University. “Are Pineapples Berries? Plus Bonus Tips and Tasty Recipes!” Usu.edu, 2024, extension.usu.edu/createbetterhealth/blog/arepineapplesberries. Accessed 21 May 2026.
- Melendez, Jarrett. “How to Bake Brownies on the Grill and Win at Summer.” Epicurious, 24 May 2022, www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/summers-best-brownies-are-baked-on-the-grill. Accessed 21 May 2026.
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