7 healthy marinades and rubs for a delicious BBQ

These barbecue-friendly marinades and rubs have been designed to be lower in salt and sugar than typical marinades. Choose lean cuts of meat to keep the saturated fat content down, or go for fish or vegetarian options such as tofu. If you're stuck on what to cook, explore our interactive to find out the best barbecue meats.

To use the marinades and rubs, just mix up the ingredients and brush or rub over your uncooked food. Leave in the fridge for between two hours and two days, depending on how strong a flavour you'd like. Then fire up the barbecue!

1. Herby lemon marinade

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 

This is great with chicken, and goes well with our chargrilled vegetable salad.

2. Ginger orange marinade

• Juice of 1 small orange
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

This works well with salmon or tuna steak cooked on the BBQ. Make it a meal with our easy egg fried rice.

3. Sweet and smoky rub

• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Finely grated zest and 2 tbsp juice of 1 small orange
• Pinch dried thyme
• 1 tsp light soft brown sugar
• Ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove

Get the full recipe for our sweet and smoky rub. You could use it on chicken or turkey pieces or kebabs, or to add an extra kick to our cauliflower and chickpea burgers. Serve alongside our jewelled couscous salad or herb tabbouleh with courgettes.

4. Italian basil marinade

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 finely diced spring onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

This marinade works particularly well with barbecued pork, chicken or mackerel. Serve it with our three-bean pasta, a perfect picnic or barbecue dish.

5. Hot and herby rub

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• Few leaves of fresh rosemary
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• Pinch cayenne pepper or chilli flakes
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp rapeseed oil
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Get the full recipe for our hot and herby rub. Try using to ring the changes on our paprika chicken or beef kofta kebabs with cucumber and yogurt dip, and serve with rice salad with shallot dressing.

6. Tandoori yogurt marinade

• 300ml low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 large piece of ginger, finely grated
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ¾ tsp garam masala
• ¾ tsp ground cumin

This is particularly delicious with chicken or tofu, served with our mint yogurt dip and our tomato and onion salad.

7. Peppery rub for steak

• 1 tablespoon black or pink peppercorns
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Sprig of thyme or rosemary to garnish

Combine all of the ingredients in a small food processor or pestle and mortar so that the peppercorns are broken up. Try using the marinade for steak or large flat mushrooms - cook them on the BBQ then serve with the potato wedges from our healthy fish and chips recipe and barbecued courgettes and peppers with lemon and mint.