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Easy Grilled Bok Choy with Sesame Ginger Sauce: okay, hear me out — grilled bok choy might sound fancy, but it’s seriously one of the easiest side dishes ever. A quick brush of sesame ginger dressing, a hot grill, and boom: you’ve got a crispy, caramelized veggie that tastes like takeout, but a million times better. I make this on repeat all summer, especially when I need a healthy-ish side that still brings major flavor.
I know bok choy might not be the first veggie you think of grilling, but trust me — once you try it this way, you’ll be hooked. This sesame ginger grilled bok choy is smoky, savory, and a little tangy, with crispy edges and tender centers. It takes just a few minutes on the grill, and that sauce? Basically drinkable! I love serving this as an easy side with grilled chicken, salmon, seabass, or a rice bowl when I want something light but packed with flavor.
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of contents
How To Grill Sesame Ginger Bok Choy
Grilled baby bok choy brushed with a savory sesame?ginger dressing and lightly charred for tender, flavorful results. This quick side dish comes together in about 10 minutes and pairs perfectly with grilled meats, rice bowls, or Asian?inspired mains.
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Check out my web story about this recipe, it has video!
Grilled Bok Choy Recipe Ingredients
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- Bok choy – bok choy is a Chinese cabbage that has a flavor between spinach and water chestnuts but with a bit of sweetness, and a hint of pepper. The whites of bok choy are milder than the greens.
- Olive oil – olive oil works as a base for our recipe to help add fat to the leafy greens and help them crisp, caramelize, and brown on the grill and keeps the bok choy from sticking.
- Toasted Sesame Oil – toasted sesame oil has a rich, hearty flavor that is nutty and savory.
- Ginger – ginger adds a bit of sweetness and a touch of an earthy, bitter heat to bok choy that makes it addictive.
- Soy sauce – soy sauce is salty, earthy, and has a rich umami flavor that serves as the base for our sauce and pulls out the sweet cabbage flavors from bok choy.
Steps to Grill Bok Choy
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following process:
Pat Dry
Rinse bok choy, prep, and be sure to pat it extremely dry.
Grill
Grill on hot grill for 4 minutes per side, until bok choy is tender and lightly charred.
Tips and Tricks to Perfect Grilled Bok Choy
Slice it in half lengthwise to keep the leaves attached to the base — it makes grilling easier and prevents everything from falling apart.
Dry it well after rinsing. Bok choy holds water like a sponge, and excess moisture can make it steam instead of sear. Use a clean towel or paper towels to pat it dry before grilling.
Use high heat. You want that quick, hot sear to char the edges and soften the stems without overcooking the leaves.
Oil the bok choy, not the grill. Brushing the cut side with a little olive oil helps prevent sticking and gives that glossy, golden finish.
Make the sauce ahead. The sesame ginger dressing can be mixed up days in advance and stored in the fridge. It’s also amazing drizzled on rice, noodles, or grilled chicken.
Don’t walk away! Bok choy grills fast — like 2–3 minutes per side. Stay close so it doesn’t overdo it.
Add a sprinkle of sesame seeds or a squeeze of lime just before serving to take the flavor up a notch.
Grilled Bok Choy Recipe FAQs
You can store leftover grilled bok choy in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to four days.
Bok choy is done when it is soft and tender, after about 4-5 minutes on the grill. If you want bok choy especially tender, you can microwave it for 4 minutes before grilling.
If you are allergic to sesame oil, please omit it and just use olive oil. There isn’t a great replacement for sesame flavor – you could try walnut oil or another oil – but it’s really just for the sesame flavor, so you can also just skip it.
To make this recipe keto, swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos. Bok choy is a great lower-carb vegetable that is filling and full of fiber, similar to cabbage. Soy sauce is not keto compatible thanks to the soy, so a simple swap for coconut aminos is all you need to do to adapt this recipe for a keto diet.
Yes! If you’re using full-size bok choy, just slice it in half or quarters lengthwise so it cooks evenly. Baby bok choy is more tender and cooks faster, but both work great.
It’s super mild and slightly sweet with a nice crunch in the stems and soft leaves. Grilling gives it a smoky, caramelized flavor that pairs perfectly with the sesame-ginger sauce.
Can I make this without a grill?
Totally. A grill pan or cast-iron skillet on the stovetop works just fine. You’re looking for those nice seared edges and a little char, and you can get that with high heat in a pan.
You can make the sauce ahead and slice the bok choy in advance, but it’s best grilled fresh so you get that crispy texture. That said, leftovers are still tasty if you reheat them quickly in a hot pan!
Nope! That’s the beauty of this recipe — you can throw it straight on the grill. Just give it a good rinse and pat it dry so it doesn’t steam too much.
What to Serve With Grilled Bok Choy
If you’re looking for great sides to serve alongside tender grilled ribs, juicy smoked rotisserie prime rib, smoked brisket, or grilled jerk shrimp – we have plenty of delicious, light, and easy grilled vegetables!
Be sure to visit the rest of our grilled vegetable recipes.
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Sesame Ginger Grilled Bok Choy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby bok choy
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, optional, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high, about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Halve and rinse baby bok choy.
- Whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger.
- Pat bok choy dry of water; then toss with the dressing in a large bowl.
- Use tongs to add bok choy from bowl onto grill – do not discard extra sauce that is left over from tossing bok choy.
- Grill, turning, until charred and tender, about 4 minutes.
- Drizzle with any remaining dressing and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
In the summer, we make this at least once a week. So good!
Thank you!